David Brenton Simons is president and CEO of the
New England Historic Genealogical Society
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845.
NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, scholarship, website,[Charlie Baker
Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician serving as the sixth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 72nd governor of Massa ...]
. In this role, he has led commemorative activities in the United States, United Kingdom, and The Netherlands, and has established the world's largest online database of
Mayflower
''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...
descendants. He was also appointed by Governor Baker in 2021 as a member of the Special Commission on the Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
He is President of the American Friends of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and Descendants of The Knights of the Garter, a nonprofit organization supporting St. George's Chapel, a royal peculiar under the jurisdiction of King Charles III, affiliate of
. He is also President of the 36th
International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences
The International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences is a biennial conference for topics of heraldic and genealogical interest. The Congress convenes scholars and other interested persons from Europe and throughout the world.
The firs ...
, a biennial conference begun in Barcelona in 1929, which will be held in for the first time in the United States in 2024, in Boston.
Career
Originally from New Haven, Connecticut, and a graduate of Boston University's College of Communication (1988) and School of Education (1994), Simons joined the staff of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 1993 and was appointed its president and CEO in 2005. During his tenure, membership in the organization has grown dramatically to over 300,000 individuals in 139 countries. The Society now conducts numerous research projects and activities in the United States and the United Kingdom, and, under Simons, serves as the anchor location of the PBS television series
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Simons has regularly announced the organization's research on the ancestry of presidents, presidential candidates and other public figures.
Simons initiated the Lifetime Achievement Award program at the New England Historic Genealogical Society which has attracted numerous high-profile individuals to the organization as members and honorees. Recipients have included the prize-winning authors
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United S ...
and
Stacy Schiff
Stacy Madeleine Schiff (born October 26, 1961) is an American essayist. Her biography of Véra Nabokov won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in biography. Schiff has also written biographies of French aviator and author of '' The Little Prince'', Antoine ...
; actress
Dame Angela Lansbury; filmmaker
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the Nati ...
; historian
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943) is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalism, sports journalist, and political commentator. She has written biographies of numerous U.S. presidents. Goodwin's book ''No Ordinary ...
; and former UK Prime Minister
Sir John Major;. On July 28, 2022, Julian Fellowes accepted the Award in Newport RI. Honorary trustees of the Society now include
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and
Stacy Schiff
Stacy Madeleine Schiff (born October 26, 1961) is an American essayist. Her biography of Véra Nabokov won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in biography. Schiff has also written biographies of French aviator and author of '' The Little Prince'', Antoine ...
. In 2019, Simons announced a $1.25 million grant for youth education programs to the New England Historic Genealogical Society from bestselling authors
Tabitha King
Tabitha "Tabby" Jane King ( Spruce, born March 24, 1949) is an American author.
Early life
Born in Old Town, Maine, Tabitha King is the third eldest daughter of Sarah Jane Spruce (née White; December 7, 1923 – April 14, 2007) and Raymond ...
and
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
.
Published works
The Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England, co-edited with Peter Benes, and essays by Simons,
Abbott Lowell Cummings
Abbott Lowell Cummings (March 14, 1923 – May 29, 2017) was a noted architectural historian and genealogist, best known for his study of New England architecture.
Life and career
Cummings was born in St. Albans, Vermont, educated at the Hoo ...
,
John Putnam Demos
John Putnam Demos is an American author and historian. He has written two books that discuss witch hunts and has discovered that one of his ancestors was John Putnam Senior, a member of the Putnam family that was prominent in the Salem witch trials ...
,
Wendell Garrett
Wendell D. Garrett (October 9, 1929 – November 14, 2012) was an American historian, expert on Americana (culture), Americana and American-origin decorative arts and editor.
Early life and education
Born in Los Angeles, Garrett received a bachelo ...
, and
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (born July 11, 1938) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian specializing in early America and the history of women, and a professor at Harvard University. Her approach to history has been described as a tribute to ...
. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2002.
Witches, Rakes, and Rogues: True Stories of Scam, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem, in Boston, 1630-1775. Carlisle, MA: Applewood Books: 2005.
Boston Beheld: Antique Town and Country Views Hanover, NH and London: University Press of New England: 2008.
Awards and honors
In 2021, Simons received the first John Adams Medal for Outstanding Merit in the Study of History and Lifetime Achievement in Institutional Leadership. Also in 2021, he was awarded The History Medal from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution for his work in “significantly advancing the understanding of America’s past on a national level.” He previously received the Spirit of 1812 Award in 2016. In 2006, the American Association for State and Local History, conferred its Award of Merit on Simons for his book
Witches, Rakes and Rogues: True Stories of Scam, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem, in Boston, 1630-1775.
* 2021 The Bradford Award, Pilgrim Hall Museum
Simons was granted a coat of arms from the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
, London, in April 2019. He was appointed a member of the Most Venerable
Order of Saint John
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (religious society), military order. It was founded in the Crusader states, crusader K ...
by
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in April 2020.
In 2023, Simons was appointed an Honorary Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for services to Anglo-American history.
In 2024 Simons received the HS Genealogy/History Achievement Award from the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
.
Family
Simons is the son of the late paleontologist
Elwyn L. Simons and his first wife, Mary Hoyt Fitch. He is the grandson of philosopher
Frederic Brenton Fitch, inventor of Fitch-style calculus, and the great-great-grandson of New York City politician and financier
Ashbel Parmelee Fitch.
[26. Bross, Judy with Todd Schwebel]
“Tea with Mr. Simons”
The Social Register Observer, Summer 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
External links
https://www.americanancestors.org/about/staff/executive-office
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simons, D. Brenton
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Writers from New Haven, Connecticut
Boston University College of Communication alumni
American non-fiction writers
American genealogists
Honorary officers of the Order of the British Empire
Boston University School of Education alumni
Historians from Connecticut