Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Wanton by Anne Kane Wanton by Anne Kane. by Ralph E. Carpenter. Although the restoration was complete by the summer of 1953, the interiors contained only objects on loan as part of an exhibition of Newport- made furniture, paintings, pewter, and silver. 1 It was the first time that an important colonial house in the city had been furnished completely with appropriate items of local origin, and the affinity between architecture and furnishings became immediately apparent. For the next fifty-five years we searched for fine and decorative arts that would accurately reflect the contents of an eighteenth-century Newport "dwelling house" and convey a narrative about both the owners and the local artisans of the period. 2. In 1996, a rare circa-1760 Newport tall-case clock by James Wady (Fig. 5) was acquired at Cold Spring Auction Gallery in Beacon, New York. Now standing in the center hall of the house its simple geometry echoes the wainscot of the contemporaneous Wanton-era paneling. That same year the Society also purchased the Webster Goodwin collection of Newport pewter. Amassed by a noted Warwick, Rhode Island, pewter collector, the collection represents the single best collection of eighteenth- century Newport pewter created to date. Documenting the full range of forms made in this colonial seaport, the collection ranges from typical plates and basins to porringers and tankards and includes a rare quart tankard (Fig. 6) by Benjamin Day (active 1744-1757). An equally rare circa-1785 Rhode Island camel-back sofa (Fig. 7) descended in the family of William Ellery (1727-1820), Newport's signer of the Declaration of Independence; it was given to the Hunter House in 1997 by Mr. Charles H. McCabe II. In 1998, the Wunsch Foundation gifted an important oil on panel likeness of Senator William Hunter by the Newport-born portraitist Charles Bird King (1785-1862), (Fig. 8). On loan for many years from the collection of Mr. Martin Wunsch, the portrait is of both historical and artistic significance to the house, representing both an owner and a painter with long-held Newport attachments. In 2000, a circa-1770 Newport high style mahogany corner chair (Fig. 9) was presented to the house by Mrs. Harriett Dyer Reed in memory of her father, Mr. W. Gurnee Dyer. The chair is related to a similar corner chair that belonged to John Brown in Providence, except that the Dyer chair features straight turned posts. 4 The Dyers descend from Mary Barrett Dyer (ca. 1611-1660), a founder of the community of Portsmouth and the Colony of Rhode Island, who was hanged in Boston for repeatedly defying the law banning Quakers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 2006, Mr. Josh Wanton Smith, a descendant of both the Wanton and Hunter families, donated a circa-1700 William and Mary high-chest base and a circa-1720 Queen Anne side chair attributed to Joseph Davenport of Newport (Fig. 10). With the 1780 evacuation of the British troops from Newport and the arrival of the French naval and land forces allied to the Americans, Joseph Wanton Jr., a Tory, fled Newport and the house was requisitioned to provide quarters for Admiral de Ternay and his officers. Although little physical evidence is known to have survived this chapter, a printing press from one of the fleet's warships, operating from the basement, produced the first French language newspaper in the nation, La Gazette Francoise. 5. Ralph E. Carpenter is an overseer of The Preservation Society of Newport County. He is at times referred to as "Mr. Newport" because of his some seventy years comprehensive commitment to delineating and preserving Newport's historic culture. Mr. Carpenter thanks Paul F. Miller for his able assistance. Photography: Fig. 1 photography by Jim Patrick; Figs. 2-4 are courtesy of Brunk Auctions; Figs. 5-10 by John Corbett. All images, except 2-4, are courtesy of the Preservation Society of Newport County. 2. A highlight of acquisitions made prior to 1995 was included in Ralph E. Carpenter, "Newport, A Center of Colonial Cabinetmaking," in The Magazine, Antiques (April 1995): 550-557. 3. Lot nos. 0536, 0539, 0540. We are grateful to Mr. Walter W. Patten Jr. for bringing them to our attention. 4. See The John Brown House Exhibition of Rhode Island Furniture exhibition catalogue (Providence, RI: The Rhode Island Historical Society, 1965), 22, plate 20. 5. For recent translations of the Gazette, see La Gazette Francoise, 1780-1781, trans. Eugena Poulin and Claire Quintal (Hanover, NH: Salve Regina University in association with University Press of New England, 2007). ECHO announces new staff. You'll never miss a story with our daily headlines in your inbox. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, is happy to introduce the newest members of its staff. Spanning from animal care to accounting, education to communications, the new additions will round out a strong team and continue to help spread the organization’s mission of educating to create a healthy lake while providing a fun and memorable experience on the Burlington waterfront. Jessie Forand Jessie Forand joined the ECHO team in February as communications coordinator. A Vermont native who grew up in Bakersfield, Forand attended both Saint Michael’s and Johnson State Colleges, studying journalism and anthropology/sociology. Before coming to ECHO, Forand worked as a journalist at the St. Albans Messenger, Burlington Free Press and other publications. She has covered areas including crime and courts, local government, elections, social issues, and more, and was honored by the New England Newspaper and Press Association for her contributions to a series of stories examining sexual offenses. Forand, a writer and photographer, is excited to help share ECHO’s story. She currently lives in Winooski. Contact Jessie Forand at [email protected] or 864-1848 ext. 120. Noella Krakowski Noella Krakowski joined the ECHO team in January as a science education specialist after serving as a lead camp teacher and part-time science education specialist. Krakowski studied biology at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. She comes to ECHO after working as nature center programs coordinator and environmental educator at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, and a teacher-naturalist at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford, New Jersey. When she isn’t at ECHO, Krakowski loves exploring the mountains and valleys of Vermont. Contact Noella Krakowski at [email protected] or 864-1848 ext. 141. Chris Whitaker Chris Whitaker started at ECHO in January as facilities and exhibits specialist. After a career in teaching science, both in his native Massachusetts and most recently at the Georgia Elementary Middle School, as well as working for the Fish and Wildlife Service, Whitaker joined ECHO because it provided the perfect venue to combine all his interests. In his free time, Whitaker enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, and sailing. He also restores antique cars and likes the stress relief that offers, he said. Whitaker lives in Burlington with his wife, who works at the University of Vermont Medical Center and the Milton clinic. Contact Chris Whitaker at [email protected] or 864-1848 ext.108. Ryan Daudelin Ryan Daudelin came on board as development associate in October, after migrating to Vermont from Illinois. Before moving, Daudelin served for three years as education associate with the American Planning Association. He received a Bachelor’s degree in design studies with a focus on urban planning from Arizona State University and Master’s degree in sustainable development from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Daudelin lists sustainability, transportation, environmental issues, and community outreach as professional interests. Outside the office he spends his time fly fishing and exploring New England. He lives in Waterbury. Contact Ryan Daudelin at [email protected] or 864-1848 ext. 134. Karen LaBelle Karen LaBelle joined ECHO in late May as an accounting associate. She is a New York native who came to Vermont via Saint Michael’s College. She brings many years of finance experience, specializing in small business. LaBelle is most excited about ECHO’s commitment to the lake and the children of this community. She lives in Burlington with her husband and two children, ages 14 and 11. Outside of work, LaBelle can be found running the trails in Ethan Allen Park, participating in a local charity fun run, or volunteering at her children’s school events. Contact Karen LaBelle at [email protected] or 864-1848 ext. 139. Shannon Kane Shannon Kane accepted the position of environmental exhibit specialist at ECHO this fall after receiving her B.S. in zoology from the University of Vermont in May. Before taking on a full-time role, Kane volunteered at ECHO for about 2 years and was later hired as a part-time employee. She also interned with UVM Professor Sara Helms Cahan, studying ant behavior. Kane, an identical twin from Fletcher, enjoys tracking, photography, gardening, and spending time with her “critters,” which include two cats, a dart frog, and three African dwarf frogs. In addition to caring for ECHO’s animals, Kane can be seen leading demos to teach visitors about their behavior and more. ECHO’s healthy lake- driven mission and strong sense of community are among Kane’s favorite attributes. Why Andy Cohen is Absolutely Right About Reality Shows Replacing The Modern Soap Opera. I'm sure Bravo's Andy Cohen will catch a lot of shit from soap fans and pundits for stating the obvious — reality series like his Real Housewives franchise have replaced soap operas for a lot of people. In a segment on CBS This Morning promoting his new book The Andy Cohen Diaries , the diehard Susan Lucci stan was asked why his franchise was so successful. He responded: "Well, I think the Housewives have replaced the modern soap opera, in a weird way, for a lot of people. You know, soap operas, scripted soap operas, there's only a couple on the air now and truth is stranger than fiction." While I disagree with Cohen calling reality shows "truth"—they're all heavily scripted—I get where he is coming from. Anyone who read Cohen's first tome, Most Talkative: Stories From The Front Lines of Pop Culture , knows how much the guy loved his suds growing up. He was obsessed with All My Children and Lucci, so it would be silly for soap lovers to hate on him for being, well, real. Cohen revealed in the pages of his former book how the battles of Erica Kane and her myriad of female rivals did in fact inspire him to help create a factory of docusoaps about glitzy housewives flipping tables and snatching weaves. And you know what? Good for him! For 15 years, soap experts have been blaming reality shows for the decline of scripted soaps. I'm sorry, but I say lets put the blame where it actually belongs — on executive producers, writers and network executives who simply forgot daytime soap operas are supposed to provide escapism. It isn't Cohen's fault, or that of Ryan Seacrest , that they managed to benchmark from the greats like Agnes Nixon and the late Bill Bell , while the people who inherited the daytime programs created by those soap legends have done everything they could to move away from their legacies. On any given episode of The Real Housewives of Wherever , millions of obsessed, demographically-friendly viewers can live vicariously through the shamefully decadent lives of cat-fighting, botoxed glamazons. We used to have Lisa Miller ( Eileen Fulton ), Erica Kane ( Susan Lucci ), Jill Foster Abbott ( Jess Walton ) and Nikki Newman ( Melody Thomas Scott ) for that. Today, AMC' s Erica and As The World Turn s' Lisa are up in Soap Heaven with their pals Viki ( Erika Slezak ) and Dorian ( Robin Strasser ) from O ne Life to Live. Meanwhile, Jill Foster Abbott, the man-hungry temptress who married her way into not one, but two multi-million dollar fortunes—while dripping in enough diamonds to impress Teresa Guidice —is helping protest against developers who want to shut down a coffee shop on The Young and the Restless. As for her frenemy Nikki Newman, well she's replaced chinchilla coats and diamonds with navy blue sweater sets from Kohl's. I'm not saying soaps have forgotten themselves, simply because they are less glamorous and glitzy, but it is a big deal. Especially for a show like Y&R , where the Bells notoriously spared no expense in painting a beautiful, televised ambiance for the wanton fictional residents of Genoa City, Wisconsin. Former Y&R producer and Bill Bell heir, Ed Scott would have never let Nikki be caught dead in the clothes she currently wears on the #1 soap in daytime. He'd also make damn sure every actress on that set combed her hair daily — whether they wanted to or not. When you watch a Real Housewive s installment, or decide to spend an hour of your life keeping up with any of the Kardashians, you get to partake in real estate and bling porn. Sure, I roll my eyes when Kim bemoans having to live at her mom's Calabasas estate, while her own mansion is completed (the horrors), but I still watch every chance I get. Kim Kardashian is the new Erica Kane. America is obsessed with her every romance, product and scandal. I'm not saying it's right, but it is what it is. We used to watch Erica leave Pine Valley for intriguing modeling assignments in New York or Center City. Now we tune in to watch Kim marry her latest husband in a garishly decadent manner. Instead of soap opera journalists, actors and diehard fans getting mad at reality TV, how about we spend a little time figuring out why these docusoaps are so successful? Many creators of serialized reality shows have roots in daytime soaps. The late Mary-Ellis Bunim was executive producer for Search For Tomorrow , As The World Turns , Loving and Santa Barbara before going on to co-create the juggernaut Real World / Road Rules franchise for MTV. Beloved former General Hospital showrunner Wendy Riche helped develop Laguna Beach , which gave birth to The Hills . One of reality TV's most prolific showrunners, Dave Rupel ( The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills , T he Real Housewives of Orange County , Jersey Belle ) wrote scripts for Guiding Light and General Hospital . Tom Casiello , a former writer on such soaps as Another World , Days of Our Lives , As The World Turns and The Young and the Restless , translated his skill-set for scripting over-the-top melodrama into a lengthy stint working for the WWE. Ex-soap journalist Jonathan Reiner went on to produce for Project Runway , The Bachelorette , Gene Simmons' Family Jewels and more. There's a reason so many millennial women are watching these programs. Reality television, specifically serialized docusoaps, are providing female viewers with the same kind of water cooler moments daytime soaps served up five-days-a-week for decades. I'm not saying this doesn't happen any more on the four remaining daytime soaps. General Hospital offers up several ballsy dames ( Nancy Lee Grahn , Laura Wright , Maura West , Finola Hughes , Vinessa Antoine , Michelle Stafford ) who could give any reality star a run for her table flip. The Bold and the Beautiful is still every bit the glamorous, high-fashion, TV fairytale it was when Bell Sr. was alive. But when was the last time a fan wanted to actually live vicariously through the lives of one of Genoa City's elite on Y&R , once the gold standard for daytime glitz and intrigue? In recent years, Nikki, Jill and Co. have been watered and/or dressed down so much they resemble someone you'd see shopping next to you at the mall, as opposed to the iconic, aspirational nail tech-turned-trophy wife, or stripper-with-the-heart-of-gold who made a billionaire put a ring on it half a dozen times. TPTB at NBC's Days of Our Lives continue to slash the soap's budget so drastically, that mansion, corporation and penthouse sets on the 49- year-old serial now resemble the Evans family home on Good Times . Is it any wonder Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna signed on to be Real Housewives ? If you can't beat 'em, benchmark from them. Illinois Second District Appellate Court revives part of civil suit against church over sexual abuse allegations. ELGIN — A state appeals panel has revived a portion of a lawsuit against a West Dundee church, its pastor and a former youth minister, who recently was sentenced to seven years in prison, saying a Kane County judge improperly dismissed the suit in its entirety. Illinois Second District Appellate Justice Joseph E. Birkett penned the 36-page opinion, which was filed on March 30. Justices Susan F. Hutchinson and Ann B. Jorgensen concurred with the decision. In the decision, the appellate justices affirmed a lower court's decision to strike portions of the first amended complaint in the case, but reversed the circuit court's dismissal of one count of negligent hiring, according to the opinion. The appellate panel also affirmed the circuit court's dismissal of two counts of negligent retention and three counts of willful and wanton conduct, but it reversed the lower court's dismissal of two counts of negligent supervision. Chad Coe | Image from Kane County State's Attorney's Office. The decision to strike some of the charges against Chad Coe, former youth minister at First Congregational Church of Dundee (FFCD), and Pastor Aaron James was made because the charges overlap, Birkett wrote in the appellate court's opinion. "These counts overlap in part with the negligence counts against FCCD and James," Justice Birkett wrote. "Willful and wanton conduct is an aggravated form of negligence. Consequently, we uphold the dismissal of the willful-and-wanton counts to the extent that they overlap with the negligent-retention counts. However, we reverse the dismissal of the willful-and-wanton counts to the extent that they overlap with the omnibus negligent-supervision counts. Whether a defendant has acted willfully and wantonly is a question of fact." The teenage girl and her parents are suing Coe, the church and James for damages, and they appealed an earlier decision in the Kane County Circuit Court to dismiss their second amended complaint with prejudice. The teenager and her parents are identified in court documents as "Jane Doe," "Jane A. Doe" and "John Doe". Earlier this month and a few days after the appeals court's ruling, a Kane County judge sentenced the now 36-year-old Coe to seven years in prison after Coe unexpectedly pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the teenage girl, who had been a member of the church's youth group. Coe, who had been free on bond, reportedly was taken away in handcuffs after his guilty plea to aggravated criminal sexual abuse just before his trial in the criminal case against him was set to begin, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said in a post on its Facebook page announcing the sentence. Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon praised the teenage girl for her perseverance. Weekly Newsletter. Sign-up and get latest news about the courts, judges and latest complaints - right to your inbox. Vita Brevis. A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org. The Wantons of Rhode Island, Part Two. For much of the eighteenth century, the political landscape of Rhode Island was shaped by a single family. Between 1732 and 1775, four descendants of Edward Wanton served as the governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and another would act as deputy governor. The run of Wantons serving as the chief executive of the colony began when two of Edward’s sons, William and John, served consecutive tenures between 1732 and 1740; it came to an end when William’s son, Joseph, was removed from office at the start of the Revolutionary War after he opposed the formation of an army out of loyalty to the crown. While there have been many fathers, sons, and brothers who have held the same office at different times throughout American history, the story of the Wanton family is interesting for the number of individuals connected to the family who held prominent positions. Gideon Wanton (1693-1767) Five years after the death of his uncle, Governor John Wanton (1672-1740), Gideon Wanton became the next member of his illustrious family to serve in the same position. Gideon Wanton was born on 20 October 1693 in Tiverton, Rhode Island, to Joseph Wanton, another son of Edward Wanton, and Sarah, the daughter of Gideon Freeborn, for whom the future governor was probably named.[1] Joseph had removed to Tiverton in 1688 to take up a career as a ship-builder, as many other members of the Wanton clan had. On 6 February 1718, Gideon Wanton married Mrs. Mary Codman, and to them four children were born.[2] From 1733 to 1743, while two of his uncles were serving as governor, Gideon served as the colony’s General Treasurer.[3] Two years later, in 1745, Gideon was elected to serve as governor. He replaced William Greene (1695- 1748), with whom he would alternate in the role with over the next decade. Gideon Wanton served as Rhode Island’s governor 1745-46 and 1747-48, while Greene served 1743-45, 1746-47, 1748-55, and 1757-58.[4] Much of Wanton’s time as governor was spent dealing with naval affairs and, following his terms in office, he spent the remainder of his life actively serving the Society of Friends, of which he was a devout member. Gideon Wanton died on 12 September 1767 at the age of 74.[5] Joseph Wanton (1705-1780) The fourth and final member of the Wanton family to be elected as Governor of Rhode Island was Joseph Wanton, who was also the future state’s penultimate colonial governor. Joseph Wanton was the son of Governor William Wanton and was born on 15 August 1705 in Newport.[6] Like his father, Joseph was a follower of the Church of England, and he was known for his “pleasing manners and cultivated tastes.”[7] He married Mary, the daughter of John Still Winthrop of New London, Connecticut, and the couple had eight children, many of whom had notable connections in their own right. The couple’s son, Joseph Wanton Jr., served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island under Stephen Hopkins in 1764 and 1767, and their daughter, Ruth, married William Browne, Governor of Bermuda. Their youngest child, Ann, married Winthrop Saltonstall, the grandson of Gurdon Saltonstall, a former governor of the Connecticut Colony.[8] Joseph Wanton began his career in public service as the Collector of Customs in Newport 1738-48, and he would spend the next several decades establishing himself as a successful merchant of wide renown.[9] Joseph was first elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1769 and was reelected to the position annually for the next six years. His time as governor was marked by several incidents which would serve as a prelude to the Revolutionary War. His time as governor was marked by several incidents which would serve as a prelude to the Revolutionary War. In July 1769, the British revenue sloop Liberty was burned at Newport and, three years later, the burning of the customs ship Gaspee would become an event etched in the history of Rhode Island.[10] Joseph Wanton’s approach to the Revolutionary War that followed three years later proved to ultimately be his undoing. After the Battle of Lexington, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to raise a militia of 1,500 men to prepare to aid in the defense of any fellow colonies. In response, Governor Wanton signed a letter of protest out of loyalty to the British crown.[11] Interestingly, in spite of the backlash against his protest, Wanton was elected to a seventh term in May 1775. Still, opposition was strong: in June of that year, Wanton was excused from office by the General Assembly, and he was formally removed as governor in November 1775.[12] Wanton was replaced by his deputy governor, Nicholas Cooke, who would go on to serve until 1778, becoming the first Governor of the State of Rhode Island.[13] After his removal from office, Joseph Wanton maintained neutrality for the remainder of his life, refusing to support either side in the Revolutionary War. Governor Joseph Wanton died on 19 July 1780 in Newport, thus ending the run of Wanton men holding the role of governor in Rhode Island. While it is quite likely that nepotism played a role in the prominence of several members of the Wanton clan, it should also be noted that the men also proved themselves to be competent leaders of a flourishing colony; their successes should not be overlooked simply because of the way they found themselves in such prominent positions. With this in mind, the story of the Wanton family is also important to understanding the nature of politics in colonial New England, and the powerful role that wealth inevitably played. Much can be learned from the Wanton family story, including the way that one family shaped the outlook of an entire colony. Notes. [1] John Russell Bartlett, History of the Wanton Family of Newport, Rhode Island (Providence: Sidney S. Rider, 1878), 69. [3] Thomas Williams Bicknell, The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , 5 vols. (New York: American Historical Society, 1920), 3: 1072. [5] Bicknell, The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , 3: 1073. [6] Bartlett, History of the Wanton Family of Newport, Rhode Island , 78. [10] Caption, Portrait of Governor Joseph Wanton, Rhode Island State House. [11] Bicknell, The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , 3: 1093. [13] Samuel Greene Arnold, History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , 2 vols. (New York: D. Appleton, 1859-60; reprinted Carlisle, Mass.: Applewood Books, 2010), 2: 417.