Museum pieces

I was googling ancestors looking for more entries into the DAR. I know I have a fairly large group of military ancestors. It is my wish to compile them into a proper list for future descendants. While googling my ancestral grandfather, Capt. Richard Bracket regarding his military service,I eyed over some text written about him and spotted mention of a silver wine goblet. It was written that it is now held at the MET in New York.

I was intrigued.Investigation followed.

According to history, Richard and his wife Alice had a wine goblet made with their initials and a heart on the side. Upon their deaths in 1690, it was donated to their church where it was used in ceremonies. Then, 311 years later, in 2001, the church auctioned off a collection of silver pieces. The cup was included in the auction and sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and added to their American Silver collection. I pulled up their website to investigate and was surprised to learn that when I typed in the name Richard Bracket in their search bar, the goblet not only comes up with verifying details but a map of where it is house within the museum.

I was thrilled to not only have this story to include in our family history but also to learn where it is, and see photos of it. You can even see a photo of the heart and their initials. Click here to see the photos on the MET website. There is even a map to find your way to Gallery 750 should you be in the area and wish to view it.

You can see the B for Brackett and underneath is the R for Richard and A for Alice. A little heart sits in the middle of their initials.

It is also included in the book, Early American Silver by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can read here

There is an irony here. I am at an age where I worry what will happen to all the things that have been entrusted to me, that have been passed down through generations in my family. And suddenly after years of research I am bumping into ancestral things now housed by museums. My current theme in my research seems to be “the things”. Where will they go and where are they now?

Here is my Lineage to Capt. Richard and Alice Brackett

• Susannah Allen
• Ruth Carlson
• Sara Balentine
• Inez Kohler b. 1889
• Mary Caroline Page Allen b.1861
• John Page Jr b. 1834
• Mary Newcomb b.1810
• Rebecca Brackett b.1764
• James Brackett Jr. b.1736
• James Brackett b.1709
• Nathan Brackett b.1678
• James Brackett b.1652
• Capt. Richard Brackett b.1610 and his wife Alice Blower b.1615 The immigrants who came to American and settled in Braintree,Massachusetts, whose wine goblet now sit on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

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