--- title: Richard Brunton's family registers description: Over the centuries, families have kept their own records of their history – by writing it in family Bibles; by sewing it into samplers and... image: https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/BRUNTON_OL_32_Goodnow_Fig_3_10-VBPOST-196x300-1.jpg --- # [Vita Brevis A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Richard Brunton's family registers [August 29, 2016](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/08/richard-bruntons-family-registers) [Critical Analysis](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis), [American History](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history), [Spotlight](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/spotlight), [Collections](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/collections), [The Well-Stocked Genealogical Library](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/the-well-stocked-genealogical-library), [Object Lessons](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/object-lessons) [Penny Stratton](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/pstratton) [![BRUNTON_OL_32_Goodnow_Fig.3.10-VBPOST](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/BRUNTON_OL_32_Goodnow_Fig_3_10-VBPOST-196x300-1.jpg?width=196&height=300&name=BRUNTON_OL_32_Goodnow_Fig_3_10-VBPOST-196x300-1.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/BRUNTON_OL_32_Goodnow_Fig_3_10-VBPOST-1.jpg) Courtesy of Tracy Goodnow Over the centuries, families have kept their own records of their history – by writing it in family Bibles; by sewing it into samplers and other needlework; by having it engraved onto objects; and sometimes by writing it into preprinted family registers. NEHGS has launched a new database of [family registers](http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/family-registers-by-richard-brunton/about/?filterQuery=location:United%20States~category:Genealogies,%20Biographies,%20Heraldry,%20and%20Local%20Histories) that have one thing in common: all were originally engraved by English-born Richard Brunton, who lived in New England in the years during and after the Revolution. Collected through the meticulous research of art historian Deborah M. Child, these registers will ultimately constitute all Brunton’s known engraved registers. A family would have purchased a register and then annotated it with names and dates. At the top of a Brunton register you might find the admonition to “Remember Your Ancestors” or to “Keep Sacred the Memory of Your Ancestors.” ### [A] connection ... more direct than government or parish records And that’s what the families who purchased the registers did, giving us legible and tangible records of their loved ones’ existence. Seeing the information written in an ancestor’s hand – often by a person who witnessed the particular life event – gives us a connection to that person and family that somehow feels more direct than government or parish records. And the registers themselves are works of art, illustrated with cornucopias, birds, human figures, beehives, flowers, and other motifs, sometimes in brilliant colors. The Brunton registers – from museums, archives, libraries, and private collections – were owned by families with surnames like Bacon, Coffin, Daniels, Foster, Griffin, Hill, Holden, Moody, Wilcox, and Willard. The database allows users to search by first name, last name, spouse or parent name, record type, year, and keyword. This database complements a [database of family tree samplers](http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/family-tree-samplers/about/?rId=0&filterQuery=category:Genealogies,%20Biographies,%20Heraldry,%20and%20Local%20Histories) collected by Dan and Marty Campanelli, and emphasizes the rich stories that family objects can tell us, decades and centuries after their first creation. Indeed, they do keep sacred the memory of ancestors. For more information about Richard Brunton, see Deborah Child’s book [Soldier, Engraver, Forger: Richard Brunton’s Life on the Fringe in America’s New Republic](http://shop.americanancestors.org/collections/american-history-and-culture/products/soldier-engraver-forger-richard-bruntons-life-on-the-fringe-in-americas-new-republic?pass-through=true)*, *published by NEHGS in 2015. The book details Brunton’s life as a British soldier and then deserter; as an engraver; and also as a counterfeiter who ran afoul of the law. See also an earlier blog post, “[Remember Your Ancestors](http://vita-brevis.org/2015/06/remember-your-ancestors/).” ### Share this: - [mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/08/richard-bruntons-family-registers](mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/08/richard-bruntons-family-registers) - - - More - - ![Penny Stratton](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported%20images/61c9e39c66c8740e48d48690be492f08%3Fs=96%26d=identicon%26r=g.jpeg) ## About Penny Stratton A veteran of the book publishing industry, Penny Stratton retired as NEHGS Publishing Director in June 2016; she continues to consult with the Society on publications projects. Among the more than 65 titles she managed at NEHGS are The Great Migration Directory, Elements of Genealogical Analysis, Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research, and the award-winning Descendants of Judge John Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts. She has written for American Ancestors magazine and is a regular poster on Vita Brevis. With Henry B. Hoff, Penny is coauthor of Guide to Genealogical Writing: How to Write and Publish Your Family History; she is also the author of several Portable Genealogists on writing and publishing topics.[View all posts by Penny Stratton →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/pstratton) [← A Bronx tale](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/08/a-bronx-tale) [Aunt Alicia's videos →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2016/08/aunt-alicias-videos) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11) ### Categories - [Family stories (1260)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-stories) - [American History (1137)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history) - [Critical Analysis (1126)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis) - [Research Methods (881)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods) - [Brick Walls (674)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/brick-walls) - [Object Lessons (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/object-lessons) - [Spotlight (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/spotlight) - [Genealogical Writing (554)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/genealogical-writing) - [Research tips (510)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-tips) - [Serendipity (479)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity) - [Road Trips (393)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? A ‘Style Guide’ to a Genealogist’s Wardrobe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/research-in-a-miniskirt-a-style-guide-to-a-genealogists-wardrobe) ### Meta - [Log in](https://vita-brevis.org/wp-login.php) - [Entries RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/feed/) - [Comments RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/comments/feed/) - [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/) ### Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11)