Winfred and Elizabeth Post, whose estate established the Post Memorial Art Reference Library, traced their ancestry back to prominent families in England.  This month’s exhibit features heraldic shields of the Post, Luscombe, Symes, and Orchard families along with historic photographs, paintings, and documents. 

This is the crest of Paul Orchard of Devonshire, England.  Sir Orchard's great-granddaughter was Winfred Post's mother.  Sir Orchard's portrait, painted in 1794, hangs in the Post Library.

Hartland Abbey in Devonshire is the estate of the Orchard family.  When Winfred and Elizabeth Post were alive, they visited relatives who still lived in the mansion.

This is the crest of the Post family. 

Born in Ohio, Adam Post, Winfred’s grandfather, served in the Civil War as a first lieutenant under General Sherman. After the war, he purchased 280 acres of cheap swampland near Carthage, Missouri for $433 and moved to the area to farm.