posted 03-05-2000 03:46 PM            

Richard Wilson wrote:

quote:

---

I have been assigned the task of finding the temporary mace of the U.S. House of Representatives. I came to this site because I have had no luck in the last 5 years complete dead ends, this is why I am here.

In August of 1841 the speaker of the house commissioned a silversmith from new York city by the name of William Adams to construct this new mace. I have been trying to locate anyone who knows anything about the original silversmith and or can refer me to perhaps any living descendants of MR. ADAMS. Any guidance, names relatives, anything that might help me locate his family members or any info to help me in my search would be greatly appreciated.
Richard Wilson
Thanks..its appreciated.

---

Scott Martin wrote:

quote:

---

Here are two New York silversmiths circa 1850; name: William Adams.

Adams, William
1829, 687 Washington;
1830, 620 Greenwich;
not listed 1831;
1832-1833, 134 Church;
1834, 179 Church;
1835, 103 Elm;
1836-1837, 113 Elm;
1838-1844/1845, 185 Church;
1846/1847-1848/1849, 198 Chatham. Silversmith. President of Board of Aldermen, New York
City, 1842-1843.
Working until 1850.

Adams, William B.
1844/1845-1849/1850, 358 Bowery. Watchmaker and jeweler.

Here are additional Adams listed as NY silversmiths:

Adams, Alexander
1820, 136 Broadway;
not listed 1821;
1822, 177 Broadway. Watchmaker.
1823-1825, 661/2 Hudson. Watchmaker and jeweler.
Listed 1827-1829 and 1833, various addresses with no occupation given.

Adams, Nathan
1811, 141 Cherry. Watchmaker.

Adams, Thomas
MACKAY: New York, 1776.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1776;
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, 1784-1787;
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1794-1799. Silversmith and watchmaker.

Please let me know if this is of assistance.

---

Richard Wilson wrote:

quote:

---

Scott,

This is a quest taken on by me. Unofficially the powers that be are encouraging me to find the old mace. This is so bizarre to me that an item of such historical value was lost and no one has questioned its where abouts until I asked about it five years ago.

I have read through our own historical documents from the ceremony in 1847, celebrating the installation of the new mace and there is no mention of what happened to the old one. I started with trying to contact all the families of the officers at the time, sergeant at arms, speaker, etc. but with no luck. I don't want to bore you with a lot of this, but I do want to thank you for taking the time to help.

The original silversmith was living and working at 185 Church St New York according to
the documents. So the first one on your list is the guy I want, now all I have to do is locate some of his descendants. Perhaps there is something they know that was passed own by word of mouth that might lead me in the right direction.

My thought here was that maybe they gave him the old mace to use as a guideline in designing the new one or perhaps made it a gift to him when the new one was completed. Of course maybe not and I am back at square one. I don't give up easy and I am determined to find it.

Thanks for the quick and helpful response...

---

posted 03-07-2000 04:04 PM            

A mace is a heavy staff which was derived from the medieval knight's weapon of the same name. The knight's mace was used for breaking an opponents armor. Over the course of time, the mace evolved into a decorative symbol of authority or dignity by some public bodies and officials.

Examples of early ceremonial maces date from the mid 13th century. Pictured below is the Great Mace of Dublin, Ireland made for the City's first Lord Mayor, Sir Daniel Belingham circa 1665.

From the US National Archives:

quote:

---

What is the mace of the House of Representatives and what purpose does it serve?

The mace consists of thirteen ebony rods, about three feet long, representing the thirteen original States. It is bound together with silver in imitation of the thongs which bound the fasces of ancient Rome. The shaft is surmounted by a globe of solid silver about five inches in diameter upon which rests a massive silver eagle. The mace is the symbol of the paramount authority of the House within its own sphere. In times of riot or disorder upon the floor the Speaker may direct the Sergeant-at-Arms, the executive officer of the House, to bear the mace up and down the aisles as a reminder that the dignity and decorum of the House must not be overthrown. Defiance to such warning is the ultimate disrespect to the House and may lead to expulsion. When the House is sitting as a body, the mace rests upright on a pedestal at the right of the Speaker's dais; when the House is sitting in committee of the whole, the mace stands upon the floor at the foot of its pedestal. Thus, when the House wishes to "rise" from committee of the whole and resume business as legislative body, lifting the mace to its pedestal automatically effects the transition. The origin of the idea of the mace is based upon a similar emblem in the British House of Commons.

---

From the Rules of the US House of Representatives:

quote:

---

Sergeant-at-Arms

3. (a) The Sergeant-at-Arms shall attend the House during its sittings and maintain order under the direction of the Speaker or other presiding officer. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall execute the commands of the House, and all processes issued by authority thereof, directed to him by the Speaker.
(b) The symbol of the office of the Sergeant-at-Arms shall be the mace, which shall be borne by him while enforcing order on the floor.

---

Maces can be usually be classified into following categories:

• Sergeants' maces. The symbol of authority and order used by Sergeant-at-Arms & local law enforcement authorities;
  
• Civic maces. The symbol of mayoral authority and local government.
  
• Institutional maces. Used by universities, colleges, faculties and courts.
• Great Maces. Such as the maces of the English House of Commons, the English House of Lords, the US House of Representatives.
  

In the US, possibly the oldest mace is the one used by the Maryland House of Delegates and it is still in use.

Cecil Calvert, Second Lord Baltimore, to whom the charter was granted in 1632, commissioned a medal by a famous engraver to mark the successful beginnings at St. Mary's City in 1634. It bore his image on one side and a map of Maryland on the other which was inscribed, in Latin, "As the Sun Thou Shalt Enlighten America."

The mace is a single wooden rod, 24 ½" long and 1 3/4" in diameter. Made of ebony, or possibly oak, stained to look like ebony. It is capped with silver on which is engraved the 1794 Great Seal, designed by Charles Willson Peale, a native Marylander and one of the foremost artists of his day. The motto, Industry the Means, Plenty the Result was the official state
motto from 1794 until 1817.

The mace is such a strong symbol of authority in Maryland that for the states Constitutional Convention of 1967 a special ceremonial mace was created. The mace of the convention was made by Samuel Kirk & Son and incorporates the Great Seal of Maryland cast in silver from reproductions of the original State seal of 1648. The seal is supported by a circle of silver inscribed "State of Maryland, Constitutional Convention of 1967". The handle and supporting base are made of walnut.

posted 10-25-2008 06:10 PM            

It seems more likely that Mr Wilson was assigned to find whatever device it was that was used in place of the mace until Adam's mace was complete?