TIDBITS 10/14/07

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We encourage you to forward this email to friends and colleagues. ====================================== The Son of Apollos Rivoire He was the junior and the father was the senior and they both had the same name and you all know the son. Apollos-the-senior was born in Riocaud, France and emmigrated to the New World in

1715. He was a French Huguenot silversmith and after arriving in Boston became apprenticed to John Coney.

Rivoire then changed his name and his son--taking on dad's new name--apprenticed under him and also became a silversmith and did much subcontracting work for Samuel Minott and Nathaniel Hurd as well as other well respected Bostonian silversmiths. On the side ... Rivoire's son practiced dentistry. I digress for a slight instant. Did I ever mention the time a gentleman came into my shop and asked me if I could set a diamond into his tooth. I accepted the challenge and I imagine that to this day the guy has a gleaming smile. I know I know. Groan groan groan. Anyway ... this is all one merry ride we're on so why not?

Rivoire's son also became an engraver and a caricaturist ... a talent which he used abundantly in the patriot cause. By 1768 ... Rivoire's son was making silver plate for the Old South Church in Boston and in 1768 he crafted his most celebrated piece of American silver, the "Sons of Liberty Bowl", which now resides in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Appolos Rivoire--the father--of course when changing his name ... anglicized it to Paul Revere and his son ... Paul Revere, Jr. is the famous man we all know--not only for his silver-- but also for his famous midnight ride which was honored in Longfellow's great poem which was entitled: Paul Revere's Ride and which began with:

Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere ....

So now dear souls ... when someone you know shrugs and says: What's in a name--as I'm sure most of your friends are wont to do--you can ask them if they know who Apollos Rivoire was.

For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits...may I direct you to my home page at

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where you will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says Current Tidbits ... and then click on it in order to view image of the Liberty Bowl with the names of 15 members of the Sons of Liberty engraved around the rim.

And there ya have it. That's it for this week folks. Catch you all next week. Benjamin Mark