During the last two years, Nancy Jay’s
bedroom has been completed transformed with custom millwork, textiles, and
prints from a rustic 1790s appearance indicative of an employee's quarters, to
an elegant, feminine, 1820s room, fitting for the woman of the house. To
celebrate the room’s reopening, the Friends hosted a gala event for ninety.
The event began with a house tour
focusing on the decorative arts followed by a luncheon which will feature a panel
discussion during dessert. Panelists include: NY Times writer, Wendy Moonan,
speaking about antiques; Natalie Larsen, the nation’s leading authority on
historic textiles; and Allan Weinreb, John Jay Homestead Site Curator, speaking
about Nancy Jay. Linda Sherbert, Features Editor of Veranda Magazine, will serve
as moderator. Click here to view pictures of the event.
Ann Jay (1783-1856), familiarly called
“Nancy”, assumed the role of head of household at the age of 19 upon the death
of her mother, Sarah. She managed the house for her father until his death in
1829, overseeing household finances and staff, ordering foodstuffs, planning
meals, and being responsible for entertaining, home decorating projects, and
the gardens.
Previously, the tour of the historic
house focused on the lives of John Jay and his son, William Jay. With the
bedroom's official re-opening, it will include a discussion of Nancy’s role in
the management of the household, her life as a single woman in her 30s living
in 1820s Bedford, her involvement in the anti-slavery movement and other reform
movements and her relationships with family and friends. The restoration also
gives staff the platform to expand on important broad concepts such as the role
of women in society and the education of girls in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Click on the link below to download more information on Nancy Jay.
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