New England Society of New York
Encyclopedia
The New England Society of New York is one of several prestigious lineage organizations in the United States and one of the oldest charitable societies in the country. It was organized on May 6, 1805 to commemorate the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers on Plymouth Rock
. The aims and purpose are described in the constitution adopted on that date: "We whose names are hereunto subscribed, convinced that it is the duty of all Men to promote the happiness and welfare of each other, witnessing the advantages which have risen from the voluntary Association of Individuals allied to each other by a similarity of habits and education, and being desirous of diffusing and extending the like benefits, do hereby associate ourselves under the name of ‘New England Society in the City & State of New York’. The objects of the Society are, Friendship, Charity, and Mutual Assistance.”
During the 19th century the charitable focus of the Society centered on payments and annuities to needy widows and children of New England
families in New York
; necessities of life - such as kindling wood - distributed to the poor from New England; aid to distressed families of imprisoned debtors; grants for special projects created by inventive New England minds. Every year, the Society hosted prominent speakers at Delmonico's Restaurant
in New York City
. Some of the ground-breaking events were Mark Twain
at the twenty-seventh annual gathering in 1882 and Henry W. Grady
's famous 1886 New South
speech. In 1868, a bust of Daniel Webster
was presented by a member of the Society and is now on permanent loan to Webster Hall at Dartmouth College
. In 1885, the Society commissioned a bronze statue of the Pilgrim by the well-known sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward
, to be erected near the East 72nd Street entrance of Central Park
. On June 4, 1985 a re-dedication ceremony celebrating that statue’s centennial was held on the site. In recent years, David McCullough
, Walter Cronkite
, Kingman Brewster, George Plimpton
, Charles Osgood
, Louis Auchincloss
, Brendan Gill
, and William F. Buckley Jr. have received the Society's Reginald T. Townsend Award, given to a person who exemplifies the best attributes of New England character.
Today, the focus of the New England Society of New York is on education. The Society’s Scholarship Program, established in 1953, awards scholarships to bright and deserving students from the New York City area attending New England educational institutions. In 1979, the Edward M. Fuller Scholarship was established at Bowdoin College
in honor of the late Mr. Fuller, Bowdoin Class of 1928, and a past President of the Society, under whose guidance the Program was initiated. In recent years the Society has aided students at most of the leading private colleges and universities in New England.
The Society currently maintains its headquarters in midtown Manhattan. Membership is by invitation, and also requires evidence of New England ancestry, education, or residence.
Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. It is an important symbol in American history...
. The aims and purpose are described in the constitution adopted on that date: "We whose names are hereunto subscribed, convinced that it is the duty of all Men to promote the happiness and welfare of each other, witnessing the advantages which have risen from the voluntary Association of Individuals allied to each other by a similarity of habits and education, and being desirous of diffusing and extending the like benefits, do hereby associate ourselves under the name of ‘New England Society in the City & State of New York’. The objects of the Society are, Friendship, Charity, and Mutual Assistance.”
During the 19th century the charitable focus of the Society centered on payments and annuities to needy widows and children of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
families in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; necessities of life - such as kindling wood - distributed to the poor from New England; aid to distressed families of imprisoned debtors; grants for special projects created by inventive New England minds. Every year, the Society hosted prominent speakers at Delmonico's Restaurant
Delmonico's Restaurant
Delmonico's is the name of series of restaurants of varying duration, quality, and fame located in New York City. The original and most famous was operated by the Delmonico family during the 19th and early 20th centuries, closing due to a Prohibition-era slowdown in 1923...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Some of the ground-breaking events were Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
at the twenty-seventh annual gathering in 1882 and Henry W. Grady
Henry W. Grady
Henry Woodfin Grady was a journalist and orator who helped reintegrate the states of the former Confederacy into the Union after the American Civil War....
's famous 1886 New South
New South
New South, New South Democracy or New South Creed is a phrase that has been used intermittently since the American Civil War to describe the American South, after 1877. The term "New South" is used in contrast to the Old South of the plantation system of the antebellum period.The term has been used...
speech. In 1868, a bust of Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
was presented by a member of the Society and is now on permanent loan to Webster Hall at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. In 1885, the Society commissioned a bronze statue of the Pilgrim by the well-known sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward
John Quincy Adams Ward
John Quincy Adams Ward was an American sculptor, who is most familiar for his over-lifesize standing statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street.-Early years:...
, to be erected near the East 72nd Street entrance of Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. On June 4, 1985 a re-dedication ceremony celebrating that statue’s centennial was held on the site. In recent years, David McCullough
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
, Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
, Kingman Brewster, George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
, Charles Osgood
Charles Osgood
Charles Osgood is a radio and television commentator in the United States. His daily program, The Osgood File, has been broadcast on the CBS Radio Network since 1971. He is also known for being the voice of the narrator of Horton Hears a Who!, an animated film released in 2008, based on the book...
, Louis Auchincloss
Louis Auchincloss
Louis Stanton Auchincloss was an American lawyer, novelist, historian, and essayist. He is best known as a prolific novelist who parlayed his firsthand knowledge into dozens of finely wrought books exploring the private lives of America's East Coast patrician class...
, Brendan Gill
Brendan Gill
Brendan Gill wrote for The New Yorker for more than 60 years. He also contributed film criticism for Film Comment and wrote a popular book about his time at the New Yorker magazine.-Biography:...
, and William F. Buckley Jr. have received the Society's Reginald T. Townsend Award, given to a person who exemplifies the best attributes of New England character.
Today, the focus of the New England Society of New York is on education. The Society’s Scholarship Program, established in 1953, awards scholarships to bright and deserving students from the New York City area attending New England educational institutions. In 1979, the Edward M. Fuller Scholarship was established at Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
in honor of the late Mr. Fuller, Bowdoin Class of 1928, and a past President of the Society, under whose guidance the Program was initiated. In recent years the Society has aided students at most of the leading private colleges and universities in New England.
The Society currently maintains its headquarters in midtown Manhattan. Membership is by invitation, and also requires evidence of New England ancestry, education, or residence.