W&M partnership empowers graduate historians to shape the future of early American scholarship

Showcasing the details of 400-acre swaths of land of George Washington’s original 8,000-acre Mount Vernon estate, Holly Gruntner ’24 helps visitors understand that history is not only preserved in letters and archives, but in landscapes themselves.  

In her role as Mount Vernon’s landscape historian, Gruntner examines gardens and landscapes as historical references that reveal how people lived and exchanged knowledge in early America. “Gardens and landscapes and what they look like and how they were physically shaped and maintained or not maintained — those are really primary sources too,” Gruntner said. 

Gruntner is part of a larger legacy of promising young William & Mary scholars who have helped shape colonial American research through the Order of the First Families of Virginia (OFFV) Kenneth Callaway King Jr. Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is named after King, the president of the OFFV from 1995 to 2000 and who led the establishment of the program with W&M.  

This merit-based award is given annually to one exceptional W&M graduate student pursuing a degree in history, specifically supporting research that contributes to the preservation of colonial American history. Founded in 1912, OFFV is dedicated to advancing research and education surrounding Virginia’s earliest colonial history and the legacy of Historic Jamestown. For 20 years, the organization has partnered with W&M to support emerging historians and their research. 

“The Order really wants to make a difference, and the way we can make that difference is through this scholarship,” Steve Scoper, M.D., president of OFFV, said. By supporting historical research, OFFV helps graduate students launch their own careers while advancing the organization’s mission to preserve history, whether that’s through scholarships or other key initiatives of OFFV such as the Adventures of Purse & Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5, a comprehensive, genealogical work focusing on the founding families of colonial Virginia authored and updated by OFFV’s historian, John Fredereick Dorman.

As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, and the university continues its Year of Civic Leadership, the role of historians and the training that shapes them takes on renewed importance. Through research, teaching and community engagement, scholars help the public understand how the nation’s origins continue to influence the present day. For two decades, the OFFV scholarship has helped prepare W&M graduate students to contribute to that work. Mark Mulligan ‘23, a past OFFV scholarship recipient, sees the milestone as an opportunity for reflection and deeper inquiry. “The 250th is a good moment to look back at the past and ask ourselves, ‘How did we get to the point that we’re at, and what kinds of things have led to the development of where we are, and what lessons can we take?’” he said. 

According to Tuska Benes, chair of the history department, the strength of W&M’s nationally recognized and No. 1 ranked graduate program in colonial American history by U.S. News and World Report depends on its academic reputations as much as the support systems that allow students to pursue ambitious research. These ultimately help provide resources that can attract top scholars to the program. “We’re absolutely delighted to have the support OFFV provides to our graduate program,” Benes said.  

Gruntner was awarded the scholarship during the 2020–2021 academic year, an especially challenging moment as the pandemic disrupted archival work and research access. The scholarship provided critical support for Gruntner’s dissertation research, which examined kitchen gardens in early America and how colonists shared agricultural knowledge with one another. "It was really formative to receive support to keep doing my research at a moment when research became infinitely harder,” Gruntner said. Today, that research continues to shape her work at Mount Vernon. 

OFFV’s support extends far beyond a single award year, creating opportunities that continue to shape both the research and professional trajectories of scholarship recipients. For Mulligan, that impact became evident through his work as a development writer for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation before his recent transition into the role of a grant writer for the Seneca Nation of Indians, a federally recognized tribe in western New York.  

Today, Mulligan regularly researches historical contexts behind the programs and initiatives he writes about — work he said echoes the skills he developed during his time at W&M. While researching religious liberty in colonial Rhode Island for his dissertation, Mulligan developed a habit of tracing how religious and social developments unfolded over time, an approach he still relies on today. “I think it’s really important that people know the context of where current situations came from,” Mulligan said. “You might look at a current situation and wonder, ‘How did it get like this?’ I wonder that all the time in my job as a grant writer.” 

Funding from the OFFV scholarship enabled Mulligan to travel to Rhode Island for his dissertation research, providing access to archives and sources that invigorated his work. Looking back, he said the experience also gave him a deeper appreciation for the impact of philanthropic support, a perspective he now carries into his work in grant writing and institutional giving.  

For alumnus Nathaniel Holly ‘19, the scholarship supported his time as an editorial apprentice for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture, an independent research organization sponsored by W&M, that ultimately led him to a career in academic publishing. Now working at the University of Georgia Press, the writing and analytical skills he developed while completing his dissertation on the lives of 18th-century Cherokees in urban places have rendered his ability to connect with the prospective authors he works with. “I’m able to relate with authors because I’ve gone through the experience. I've been on the receiving end of peer review before, and that’s relatively unique for editors,” Holly said. “I can talk to [authors] as a peer.”  

The scholarship enhanced his dissertation by funding his archival research in locations across the United States and the United Kingdom. “We as graduate students and scholars have to find money to do research, and this money enabled me to travel to some of those places to do the research necessary to finish the dissertation and gain the skills that made a career in publishing possible,” Holly said.  

As the next generation of OFFV scholars begin to build on the legacy of alumni like Gruntner, Mulligan and Holly, current scholarship recipient Sydney Sweat-Montoya ‘27 plans to utilize the grant to further her dissertation research on the 17th-18th century lumber trade in the coastal Caribbean. The scholarship funding allowed Sweat-Montoya to travel to Mexico City for a month in April 2025 where she did archival research that made the second chapter of her dissertation possible. Her time in Mexico broadened her perspective and gave her important skills in research and networking, ultimately building her confidence as a scholar. “This was a formative archival experience for me,” Sweat-Montoya said.  

To Sweat-Montoya, history is more than preservation — it’s a fundamental tool for analyzing the contemporary world. Her approach extends beyond scholarship to how she leads within the field.  “I don’t think it’s enough to be a person who produces phenomenal scholarship, I think leadership also includes bringing up people behind you and passing around opportunities to others,” Sweat-Montoya said.  

“This was a formative archival experience for me,” Sweat-Montoya said. Looking forward, she’s eager to continue building on the research she began in Mexico to complete her dissertation. The scholarship has already opened many doors for her as a graduate student, she said.  

The experiences of alumni like Mulligan, Gruntner and Holly as well as current students like Sweat-Montoya reflect the strength of W&M's graduate program and the crucial role partner organizations play in maintaining nationally ranked graduate programs. Benes explained that awards like the OFFV scholarship allow students to pursue opportunities that deepen both their scholarship and professional development, from traveling to archives and conducting research, to attending conferences and building connections in the field — experiences that help prepare them for meaningful careers beyond W&M.  

“It’s important to recognize that the success of our graduate program depends on the generosity of OFFV,” Benes said. “Without the additional support we’re able to provide our graduate students, our program wouldn't have the same national preeminence we have right now.”