ANTIQUARTO
Brenton Simons on history, genealogy, collecting, and the arts
THE ANTIQUARTO
An international guide to the Mayflower 400th anniversary in 2020
Pictured: "Mayflower Descendant: A Journal of Pilgrim Genealogy & History," a publication of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in association with the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. As we approach the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing of 1620, I am excited to guide the New England Historic Genealogical Society in developing a range of programs, activities, publications, and tours that commemorate this historic landmark. In these efforts, I
The oldest, American-made dated chair: Michael Metcalf's 1652 white oak great chair
Pictured: a detail of Michael Metcalf's 1652 great chair, Dedham Historical Society, Dedham, Massachusetts. Continuing in the theme of historic chairs, I am delighted to write this time about an "ancestral chair." Through one of the most recent publications of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, "The Metcalf and Small Families ...," a beautifully written and profusely illustrated volume by Maureen A. Taylor and Peter M. Small with Carol P. McCoy, I became aware of
Royal trappings: coronation chairs of George VI and Elizabeth II
Chief among the ubiquitous English country house furnishings we notice on tours led by Curt DiCamillo of the New England Historic Genealogical Society is the velvet- or velour-covered coronation chair. Not to be confused with the more famous St. Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair - the ancient wooden chair used by the monarch at coronations - the chairs and stools we encounter at stately homes and castles in the United Kingdom accommodated guests at the Coronations of Geor
NEHGS trustee Bill Griffeth named co-anchor of Nightly Business Report on PBS
Pictured: On the set of CNBC's "Closing Bell," on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, with anchor Bill Griffeth. Herbert D. Simons, left, Bill Griffeth, center, D. Brenton Simons, right. Veteran news anchor Bill Griffeth, who serves as a trustee of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and whose acclaimed memoir, "A Stranger in My Genes" was published by NEHGS last year, has been named co-anchor of "Nightly Business Report" on PBS, a news show produced by CNBC.