All posts by Georgiana Day

About Georgiana Day

Georgiana is currently studying for a BA Hons in History and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. She is working at NEHGS in Boston as a summer intern through the Saltire Foundation. She was particularly driven to take up the internship after the passing of her Gran, who was very invested in family history. In her spare time, Georgiana enjoys singing and acting and has taken part in many student productions during her University years.

Tenacious roots

Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

There have been many interesting characters associated with NEHGS, but one president in particular holds my attention. Marshall Pinckney Wilder (1798–1886), the eighth president of the society (for the long period 1868–86), held many posts other than his presidency at NEHGS, including service as president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and as a trustee of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. Wilder was also a dedicated horticulturist himself and grew many hybrids of camellias and pear trees. Tragically, he lost 798 specimens of the 800 camellias in his collection in a greenhouse fire in 1839, but he somehow managed to restore his collection to an impressive level before a visit from members of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society the following year. In order to gain a better understanding of why Wilder was so interested in camellias and pears, I decided to examine some of the symbolism of the fruit and flower to see if it provided any insight into Marshall’s wider interests, most notably genealogy and family history. Continue reading Tenacious roots

Boston’s African Meeting House

Boston's African Meeting House
Interior of African Meeting House where Frederick Douglass once spoke.

Nestled in a corner of Beacon Hill is an extraordinary center of history, influence, and revolution. The African Meeting House is known for being the oldest black church building in America, but I learned during a recent visit that it is also where the civil rights movement arguably began. Continue reading Boston’s African Meeting House