A Family Donation

In the summer of 2023, the acclaimed PBS show Antiques Roadshow filmed appraisals in Raleigh, North Carolina. Nanette Reid Osborne of Greensboro, North Carolina, brought Samuel Gerock’s wallet and papers (which Nanette inherited from her mother, Virginia Gerock Reid) to the filming to learn more about their historical significance and value. Selected for a filmed appraisal by Joel Bohy of Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, the story and significance of Gerock’s papers and wallet surprised Nanette. Pleased to know more about her Revolutionary War ancestor, Nanette, in consultation with her brother Dr. Robert Kent Reid, decided to reach out to the Museum of the American Revolution about the possibility of donating the items to the Museum’s collection. Nanette and Kent are two of Samuel Gerock’s great-great-great grandchildren by way of Samuel’s son Charles (1807-1891).

The Museum happily agreed to accept the Gerock archive into its collection. Nanette and Kent hand-delivered the wallet and papers to Philadelphia in November 2023. Following the donation, Matthew Skic, the Museum’s Senior Curator, led Nanette, Kent, and their spouses on a driving tour of Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey, to see the historic sites where Samuel Gerock participated in what historians now call the "10 Crucial Days." They visited the city of Trenton and stood on the banks of the Assunpink Creek where General Washington’s army beat back multiple assaults by British and Hessian troops on Jan. 2, 1777. They drove along the 15-mile route that Washington’s army, including Gerock and German Regiment, marched overnight to attack the British at Princeton on the morning of Jan. 3, 1777. They capped the tour by walking around Princeton Battlefield State Park. Matthew played a replica drum, based on the type played during the Revolutionary War, at the battlefield to help Nanette and Kent imagine what it might have been like to hear a drum during battle. This experience connects back to the fact that Samuel Gerock chose to make a wallet from a drumhead played by one of his comrades at the battles of Trenton and Princeton.

Acquisitions like the Gerock papers and wallet help the Museum honor its mission to share compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government.

Family Visit & Donation

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The Osborne and Reid families and appraiser Joel Bohy view George Washington’s headquarters flag with Museum curators James Taub and Matthew Skic.

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Dr. Robert Kent Reid and Museum curator Matthew Skic view Samuel Gerock's pocket almanac in the collections workroom.

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Museum curator Matthew Skic tells the Osborne and Reid families about the Continental Army’s crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 at the site of the landing in New Jersey.

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Museum curator Matthew Skic tell the Osborne and Reid families about the Second Battle of Trenton near the banks of the Assunpink Creek.

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Museum curator Matthew Skic tells the Osborne and Reid families and appraiser Joel Bohy about the Battle of Princeton from the battlefield.

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Museum curator Matthew Skic, members of the Osborne and Reid families, and appraiser Joel Bohy at Princeton Battlefield State Park.