The symposium begins Friday, October 18 from 2 to 4:30 pm with a coinnoisseurship tour at the NEHGS.The afternoon will be spent viewing and discussing highlights from both SPNEA's and NEHGS's collections. NEHGS Archivist Timothy G.X. Salls will lead the group on a tour of the Special Collections Department, which is not normally open to the public. Participants will see family registers, family and Bible records, charts, and diaries. SPNEA Chief Curator and Director of Collections Richard Nylander and needlework historian Betty Ring will guide the group through a close examination of SPNEA's holdings of samplers, mourning pieces, and coats of arms. The Connoisseurship Trip, for symposium participants only, is $60 for SPNEA & NEHGS members and $75 for nonmembers. To register, call 617-227-3957 ext. 271.

On Saturday, October 19 from 9 to 5 pm at The Starr Center at Schepens Institute in Boston leading experts will present their research. Speakers and lectures include: "Preserving New England Legacies: A Keynote Address" from SPNEA President Emerita Jane C. Nylander; "The Role of Family in New England Furniture Making" from SPNEA Vice President for Museums & Collections Philip Zea; "Friends & Family: The Tradition of Portrait Miniatures in New England, 1740-1840" from Elle Shushan, dealer, Augustus Decorative Arts; And, 'Mourning Pieces & Coats of Arms: The Most Misunderstood School Girl Art" from Betty Ring, needlework historian. The day will conclude with a panel discussion with Abbott Lowell Cummings, antiquarian, architectural historian, and genealogist; Peter Benes, cofounder and director of The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife; And, Lauren B. Hewes, project bibliographer for the Print Council of America.