Annual Meeting 2019

On May 30th, the Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America held its 108th annual meeting at the townhouse headquarters of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York. In attendance were Mrs. M. P. Naud, President of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York; Ms. Alexandra Hoyle of The Social Register Association; Mrs. Rosemary Vietor, President of the Bowne House; Mr. John W. Ingraham, Governor of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New York; Mr. Robert A. Naud, President of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York; and Ms. Deborah Spaeder McWilliams, Executive Director of the Colonial Dames of America.

After the induction of our newest member, Robb Aley Allan, representing the Manor of Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard created by his ancestor Thomas Mayhew, the program featured a lecture on the storied history of the Manor of Saint George on Long Island, presented by Barbara Russell, the historian of the town of Brookhaven. This enormous manor, and in particular its 18th-century châtelaine, Anna Smith Strong (a Revolutionary War spy) were recently made internationally famous by the television series, Turn. The Manor of Saint George was a vast manorial tract of 60,000 acres bordered by Long Island Sound to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Its founder, Colonel William “Tangier” Smith, a shrewd and dynamic character and his wife, Madame Martha Tunstall Smith were the progenitors of the Tangier Smith family. Ms. Russell discussed Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge’s 1780 raid on Fort St. George; the still-existing properties of the Longwood Estate and Manor of Saint George; the brave great-granddaughter Anna “Nancy” Smith Strong, the revolutionary patriot; the name change from Smith’s Neck to Strong’s Neck, and the important donation of property in Mastic to the Poosepatuck Indian Tribe.

Mr. Michael J. Grillo, the Living Historian and Museum Educator at the Van Cortlandt House Museum, was given the Timothy Field Beard Memorial Award, in recognition of his nineteen years of dedication, bringing the past to life via his hand-tailored period costumes. Mr. Grillo wore the uniform of a General of The Back Watch (42nd Regiment of Foot).

Attendees then gathered in the downstairs dining room overlooking the walled terrace garden for a punch reception hosted by Mrs. M. P. Naud and Mrs. Caroline Brown, fellow officers of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York. Later, a buffet dinner was served in the upstairs Withdrawing Room to honor the speaker and the 2019 award recipient.