Hall mark on right side of one of the spoons

Close-up of
spoon hallmark

The following additional notes are based on research George Wright has done as of July 2002.

Letter from  Sotheby's - Paris, France:

Dear Sir,

Your flatware set looks very nice. It was made in Paris , probably around 1900 or a bit earlier. It is sterling flatware, 950/1.000 and was made by a good Parisian maker of that period, Henin Freres (Henin brothers). The counter mark is call bigorne in French. In fact ,there are large bands of insects. That is the bigorne on the back of the pieces. The pattern is called "modèle filet à agrafes feuillagées" which could be translated in: Thread and foliage pattern. The brass label on the case should read Boin Taburet. 

Best regards,

Thierry de Lachaise,

Directeur du Department Orfevrerie

Information regardng the New York Trust Company.

New York Trust Company was in operation from 1934-1950.

Then it merged into Chemical Bank New York Trust Co.9/8/59.

Then Chemical Bank New York Trust Co. reorganized as Chemical New York Corp.2/17/69.

Name change to Chemical Banking Corp.4/29/88.

Name change to Chase Manhattan Corp.3/31/96.

The Historical Dept. of New York City states that the Rockefeller Plaza was in the old location in1934 and then moved in 1935 and afterward it was called The Rockefeller Center.

Information regarding a possilbe connection to the Tullis family.

I found the following information on the website: www.electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/tullis_family.htm regarding a family named "TULLIS" The family is from New Orleans Louisiana. See Generation Number 5. From here to Generation7.no.1147224. Eli Tullis Watson, read the whole story down to:

1912 Eli Tullis Watson and George Elliot Williams ,then during 1930's he moved to New York City where he engaged investment banking. After retirement ,he lived for six months a year in Europe and divided his time in the US between New York and a home in Hickory NC. He died at a age of 87.

The silver that I have here might belong to his family, because I spoke to my father again just the other day about the flatware and he said that he bought it in Pinehurst NC. which is about 50 miles apart. I called Albert Bruce Crutcher and talked to him and he is going to speak to his mother and her brother about if they know any thing about the silver . He called  me back the other day and told me that his mother is on vacation and won't be back until two months from now.

It is strange every time I type in the New York Trust Company 1930's, it keeps popping up about this Tullis family on the website. The sign on the box of silver is Rockefeller Plaza,

Other notes

1.The name Rockefeller Plaza only used in 1934.

2.The initials on the silver is L. and M.Which could be Robert Lee Tullis married a Maggie Josephine Texada. this might been there's. And it was passed down through the family.

3.The family moved to New York in 1930's.

4.Robert Tullis lives in hickory NC. I spoke to his Grandson Albert Bruce Crutcher and he said that Robert had died on a boat coming from Florida in the late 1950's.

5. This might belong to his Estate from NC.

6. Many things really adds up to this family.

The silverware may have belonged to the Tullis family which may have a connection to the ancestors of The Earl of Carrick.

Other Notes: The present Earl of Carrick is Prince Charles. The title is given to the heir to the throne at birth and it appears that this may be the case for as far back as 700 years when it moved into the Royal Family with Robert the Bruce.  We have found information that there are apparently  four Carrick earldom titles. These latest facts add a bit more to this puzzle. Research is also being done to trace the item through auction house records and New York Trust Company which once held this in safekeeping. We have the following comments from an expert as follows.  It is very common for engravings, crests, and the like to be put on silver well after manufacture and sometime many years later. 1838 was the date that the Minerva head mark was introduced on all French silver. It could be many years later. The strange mark is probably a Bigorne (countermarks)--- this is true if the mark is directly opposite (on the other side) one of the other marks. Is there a connection to the Roman goddess Minerva here?

The worn red sticker on the outside of the box is from the Cunard Shipping Lines which had routes from the UK to the USA. Another possible explanation for the name on the box is that it is associated not with a royal title but with a steam ship of that name. We have found a reference to a steam ship called the Earl of Carrick which sank on 23rd of September 1878 as well as another reference to a ship by that name involved in a rescue at sea only the date given in this case is 1909. Can any of our visitors help us with this?