RACHEL MONTFORT VORIS [JOHN]
Rachel was the eldest of nine children born to Francis Sr and Charity Banta Montfort. Born in York County, PA on Aug 14, 1769 at Conewago, she moved with her parents and siblings to Kentucky about 1785 or 1786. She was married to John Voris on Feb 4, 1786 with the license being recorded in Jefferson County, Kentucky. John was the son of Peter Voorhees and Sophia Vanderbogert Voorhees.. His brother, Francis, would marry Catherine Montfort, sister of Rachel.
A good history of the Voorhees family was written by Larry Voreis OUR LOW DUTCH HERITAGE, which will give you a good background on the Voorhees family and all its spelling variations.
Rachel and John would have twelve children by the time they joined the Shakers religious society in 1810.
Peter who was born Dec 9, 1786 and died in Peoria, Ill June of 1838....he was murdered. No marriage or children have been found.
John born Jan 9, 1789 and died at Shakertown Sept 18, 1836.
Francis born Sept 20, 1790 and died May 15, 1852 married to Patsey Thomas, daughter of Elisha on Jan 4, 1830...both had left the Shakers. They apparently had one son, Henry B. born about 1836. He appears in the 1850 census with his parents in Peoria, Illinois but not found anywhere after that. Francis was a merchant and in 1850 his value is set at 100,000 dollars. On his death he would leave all to his brother, Samuel, providing they cared for his widow, Patsey till her death.
Polly born May 4, 1794 and died at Shakertown March 11, 1876
Sophia born March 24, 1794 and died at Shakertown Nov 7, 1872
James born Feb 17, 1796 and died at Shakertown June 3, 1823
Jacob born Nov 8, 1797 and died at Shakertown May 4, 1870
Charity born July 5, 1799 and died at Shakertown May 8, 1821
Peggy born Feb 14, 1801 and died at Shakertown Jan 11, 1882
Abraham born Nov 12, 1803 and left the Shakers in Oct 1827, no more known of him.
Samuel born May 20, 1806, married SarahCongleton, died in Peoria, Ill...descendants.
Hortincy born Nov 22, 1810 and married to JOHN D. HOGAN probably in KY. There are descendants.
I recently set out to see if there were any descendants from Peter, Samuel, Hortincy and Abraham and to date have found family lines from Hortincy and Samuel. This blog will deal with the information found on both Samuel and Hortincy's descendants. I hope to add something to the line on descendants of Peter in the future. I will start on what I found on Samuel then go onto his sister Hortinsey in another posting.
Samuel and his wife, Sarah,were married in Peoria on Nov 30, 1835. Her maiden name was Congleton. [Illinois Marriage records online at US GENWEB/Illinois] They had three known children found on census records for Peoria, Illinois in 1860. They were Richard, Robert and Isabelle.
Samuel is listed as a “Gentleman Farmer” in the 1860 census with real estate worth 180,000 dollars and property worth 100,000 dollars. I suspect this may be from the inheritance he received from his uncle Francis Voris and why the widow of Francis, Patsey Thomas Voris was residing with Samuel's family in the 1860 census. Also listed are the three children of Samuel and Sarah, Richard born about 1838, Robert C. born about 1840, and Isabela born about 1839.
In 1870 they are still in Peoria, where Samuel is 64 and a mechanic born in KY and worth 50,000 dollars in real estate and 25,000 dollars in property. His wife Sarah age 65 is living still and with them are son Robert age 30, his wife, Jennie age 26 and their daughter, Maggie one year old. Patsey Thomas Voris is no longer listed with them and presumably has passed away.
Neither Samuel or Sarah are found after the 1870 census so presumably they passed away in the ten years between census taking and are buried in Peoria.
1. Samuel's son, Richard was born about 1838 in Illinois, would marry Belle Parmely [Isabella]on Dec 3, 1863 in Peoria [Illinois Marriage Records online] their first child, Mary was born about 1864. Their other children, Samuel born about 1866, Frank V. born about 1867 and Edward born in 1870, all in Peoria, Illinois. They were followed by Sophia born about 1877 and Callie born about 1879. Richard owned an iron foundry in 1870. Isabelle/Belle Voris is still living in the 1910 census for Peoria and with her are two daughters, Sofia T age 28 and Clarabel age 27 [Callie??]
Of the children of Richard and Sarah Voris, I have yet to find further information on Mary Voris , though she may have married, I have not found anything showing a date for any marriage or any descendants through her line.
Son Frank died at age 64 in Peoria, Illinois on January 22, 1935, nothing further is known of him. He may be the F.B. Voris in the 1920 census of Peoria, Ill with wife, Mollie but it isn't certain without further study. He is listed in that census as 50 years of age and wife, Mollie is 52.
Samuel Jr, died May 16, 1928, in Peoria. He is known to have married Maggie ___ by 1897 when a son, Richard is born and later a daughter, Mary born in July 1899, then Ruth born about 1902, Robert born about 1906 and Thomas born about 1909. The family is found in the census of 1910 for Peoria and again in the 1920 census with only the three younger children still living at home.
Edward is found in the 1910 census of Peoria, Illinois [age 40] with a wife, Lena [age 44] and three children, Edna born about 1901, Leonard born about 1904, Edward Newland Voris died April 1, 1924 in Peoria, Illinois.
2, Samuel's son Robert C. was born about 1840 in Illinois. On Feb 23, 1865 Robert C Voris married Virginia V. Baldwin [Illinois Marriage records online at USGENWEB/IL] He is living with his brother, Richard in the 1880 census of Peoria, at age 40 and it says he was divorced. So far, no children have been found and nothing further on him or his former wife.
bkw2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Grave rubbing at Shakertown Cemetery 2007
Thought I might write about the visit to the cemetery at Shakertown in the fall of 2007 with my cousin, Diana Davis. We had just visited with Larrie Curry at the administration building where she made copies of the cemetery layout and initials on the remaining graves. It also showed the center section where no stones remain but where graves have been found through soundings. With this in mind, we entered the cemetery hoping to figure out where Grandpa Francis might be buried. Its almost certain he's in the center section of the cemetery where markers were taken for use in foundations of cabins and barns in the late 1800's. But something directed me to the right of the cemetery as you walk in and a short hike up an incline to a marker that sure looked it had C. M. etched into it. Taking whatever paper and pencil I could find in my bag I made a rubbing of the stone and what I made is shown above. We were certain we had found our Charity Banta Montfort.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thoughts on Inauguration Day 2009
Being very interested in the Shaker religious society, it was a pleasure hear the SHAKER HYMN, not once but three times during the inauguration of Barak Obama and Joe Biden as our new President and Vice President today, January 20, 2009. The US Marine Corps band played it first in pre inaugural ceremonies below the podium where Obama and Biden were sworn in. During the ceremony, a musical interlude with a quartet playing a version of the Shaker Hymn, also known as Simple Gifts. While watching the inaugural parade, a band from where I don't recall, played it as they passed the reviewing stand.
It is also a pleasure to say the new President is a distant cousin through our mutual Demarest lines. Don't ask, its complicated..just say the Demarests made sport of intermarrying and it appears he and I are related more than once. This same family made me a ninth cousin to my own dad by all the intermarrying.
I've begun preparing for the Gathering of Dutch Cousins reunion this coming September. If I don't start now, nothing will be ready when the time comes. I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. I am hoping to get a better representation of Montfort and Banta ancestors each time we get together.
At the moment I am working with two Montfort cousins..one is working on papers for Sons of the American Revolution and have sent proof he can use on the early generations. I think he has about got it all gathered up and is in touch with a mentor from SAR who will guide him through the membership steps. The other is finding out WHICH Montfort line he descends from and by process of elimination of all the Henry Monforts in Ohio...we think we may have found his line and now to find proof we are correct. I feel he is from the Henry, son of Jacobus and Leah Banta Montfort...Leah being the sister of Charity Banta Montfort [Francis Sr] and daughters of Hendrick Banta 3rd and his first wife, Rachel Brower. Jacobus is an uncle to Francis Montfort Sr....why not...they liked to keep it all in the family...just to confuse us.
My husband, Tom, and I celebrate our 47th anniversary tomorrow and have added to our family lineage with two daughters and five grandchildren. Maybe one of them will keep up the family history, I sure hope so.
Barbara Whiteside
Jan 20, 2009
It is also a pleasure to say the new President is a distant cousin through our mutual Demarest lines. Don't ask, its complicated..just say the Demarests made sport of intermarrying and it appears he and I are related more than once. This same family made me a ninth cousin to my own dad by all the intermarrying.
I've begun preparing for the Gathering of Dutch Cousins reunion this coming September. If I don't start now, nothing will be ready when the time comes. I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. I am hoping to get a better representation of Montfort and Banta ancestors each time we get together.
At the moment I am working with two Montfort cousins..one is working on papers for Sons of the American Revolution and have sent proof he can use on the early generations. I think he has about got it all gathered up and is in touch with a mentor from SAR who will guide him through the membership steps. The other is finding out WHICH Montfort line he descends from and by process of elimination of all the Henry Monforts in Ohio...we think we may have found his line and now to find proof we are correct. I feel he is from the Henry, son of Jacobus and Leah Banta Montfort...Leah being the sister of Charity Banta Montfort [Francis Sr] and daughters of Hendrick Banta 3rd and his first wife, Rachel Brower. Jacobus is an uncle to Francis Montfort Sr....why not...they liked to keep it all in the family...just to confuse us.
My husband, Tom, and I celebrate our 47th anniversary tomorrow and have added to our family lineage with two daughters and five grandchildren. Maybe one of them will keep up the family history, I sure hope so.
Barbara Whiteside
Jan 20, 2009
Sunday, November 2, 2008
A few thoughts on family history
What posseses someone to get head over heels researching their family history......for some I'm sure its to find someone worthy in order to join a prominent society..i.e. DAR, Society of Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, SAR or Huguenot Society and a long list of groups where you must prove your descent from someone relating to the criteria of that group. Those people tend to stop when they have that one person who meets the criteria needed. Then there are those like me...loves history and enjoys it more when I know an ancestor lived in that era or had something to do with a famous battle or event in history......and just loves to solve a mystery story you'd heard from someone in the family. That could be a mysterious death or a run away bride, perhaps a change of last name and curious stories told about it that just don't add up.
Then there are the surprises you find when you start digging......a relationship to a famous pioneer or a group you've heard of and wondered about.
Being a family historian is a game or puzzle.....and sometimes just a bit of stubborness is necessary to figure out what happened to someone who is there one year and gone the next. Its tying up loose ends for one family and giving them a history. Its also sharing with someone who perhaps was adopted and feels lost till he understands his place in the scheme of things.
My own quest started as a ten year old. We had read our Weekly Reader in fifth grade one day...all about the reasons people left Europe to come to America. I was familiar with my mothers family as I had been around them all my life at that point...heard them telling stories about this ancestor or that one, visited cemeteries on Decoration Day and Easter Sunday with my Grandpa Wright and spent time with various relatives of my mothers parents as I grew up.
My dad's family had always been something of a mystery as we didn't visit often, for one reason or another. He told me what he knew of his grandpas family on his dads side...his grandpa was James Perry Adams from South Carolina. James married Emily McClellan in Fl and came to KY when she was pregnant with my Grandpa, Ancil Adams. He was the first born in Kentucky. On his mothers family he said they were kin to President Zachary Taylor. Thats one story I've never been able to prove though I've had others in the family repeat the same story.
About his mother's family, he said he knew three things....they were French Huguenots, came to Kentucky very early and their last name was Montfort with both t's pronounced and the last syllable emphasized. Something about that word huguenot. I had always loved big words...pronouncing them, learning the meanings, spelling them.....and huguenot was perfect in my book. From that point I determined to learn to speak French, the language of my ancestors.
One day we went to my Grandma Adams show to celebrate her birthday...all her kids and grandkids were to be there..at least the ones that lived closeby. I have a picture of my Grandma and me looking at a photo of my Grandpa Adams..the first time I had ever seen what he looked like. She later gave me a copy of the same photo to take home with me. We sat and talked about her family. I was thirteen or nearly so and started paying attention to the stories she told me that day.
Her father died when she was four and her mother died when she was ten...leaving her to live with this aunt or another, then finally keeping house for her older brothers till her marriage. I suppose the stories she knew came from her mothers sister, Jennie Montfort Satterwhite Jensen. She knew the names of her aunts and uncles on her mothers side but knew little of her dad's family....except someone in Missouri had passed away and the estate was looking for next of kin. Grandma had moved to Indiana at this point and in the early 1900's it wasn't as easy to locate as it is now. Not long ago and with some surprise I learned the story was true.
There are some things I've learned that did not come from Grandma....and boy what surprises they have been. The family connection to the Boone family, the Shaker religious society of Kentucky, the Traveling Church that migrated in 1780 from Virginia to Kentucky, the Low Dutch Colony in Kentucky in 1780, quite a long list of Rev War veterans including FOUR women, and descending from a family that were among the first group of settlers that came from Holland to what is now Nieuw Amsterdam in 1624.
I used to say my ancestors were mainly from England, Ireland and Scotland, but now have more from Holland and France than all the others combined. Oh and learning to speak French, the language of my ancestors????? After two years of struggling and the teacher rolling her eyes at my attempts to pronounce words.....I later learned they were more likely speaking a language known as Walloon...a mix of Dutch and French and even more likely spoke Dutch after their arrival in America.
All of this came from the three things my dad told me when I was ten.
Barbara Whiteside
November 1, 2008
Then there are the surprises you find when you start digging......a relationship to a famous pioneer or a group you've heard of and wondered about.
Being a family historian is a game or puzzle.....and sometimes just a bit of stubborness is necessary to figure out what happened to someone who is there one year and gone the next. Its tying up loose ends for one family and giving them a history. Its also sharing with someone who perhaps was adopted and feels lost till he understands his place in the scheme of things.
My own quest started as a ten year old. We had read our Weekly Reader in fifth grade one day...all about the reasons people left Europe to come to America. I was familiar with my mothers family as I had been around them all my life at that point...heard them telling stories about this ancestor or that one, visited cemeteries on Decoration Day and Easter Sunday with my Grandpa Wright and spent time with various relatives of my mothers parents as I grew up.
My dad's family had always been something of a mystery as we didn't visit often, for one reason or another. He told me what he knew of his grandpas family on his dads side...his grandpa was James Perry Adams from South Carolina. James married Emily McClellan in Fl and came to KY when she was pregnant with my Grandpa, Ancil Adams. He was the first born in Kentucky. On his mothers family he said they were kin to President Zachary Taylor. Thats one story I've never been able to prove though I've had others in the family repeat the same story.
About his mother's family, he said he knew three things....they were French Huguenots, came to Kentucky very early and their last name was Montfort with both t's pronounced and the last syllable emphasized. Something about that word huguenot. I had always loved big words...pronouncing them, learning the meanings, spelling them.....and huguenot was perfect in my book. From that point I determined to learn to speak French, the language of my ancestors.
One day we went to my Grandma Adams show to celebrate her birthday...all her kids and grandkids were to be there..at least the ones that lived closeby. I have a picture of my Grandma and me looking at a photo of my Grandpa Adams..the first time I had ever seen what he looked like. She later gave me a copy of the same photo to take home with me. We sat and talked about her family. I was thirteen or nearly so and started paying attention to the stories she told me that day.
Her father died when she was four and her mother died when she was ten...leaving her to live with this aunt or another, then finally keeping house for her older brothers till her marriage. I suppose the stories she knew came from her mothers sister, Jennie Montfort Satterwhite Jensen. She knew the names of her aunts and uncles on her mothers side but knew little of her dad's family....except someone in Missouri had passed away and the estate was looking for next of kin. Grandma had moved to Indiana at this point and in the early 1900's it wasn't as easy to locate as it is now. Not long ago and with some surprise I learned the story was true.
There are some things I've learned that did not come from Grandma....and boy what surprises they have been. The family connection to the Boone family, the Shaker religious society of Kentucky, the Traveling Church that migrated in 1780 from Virginia to Kentucky, the Low Dutch Colony in Kentucky in 1780, quite a long list of Rev War veterans including FOUR women, and descending from a family that were among the first group of settlers that came from Holland to what is now Nieuw Amsterdam in 1624.
I used to say my ancestors were mainly from England, Ireland and Scotland, but now have more from Holland and France than all the others combined. Oh and learning to speak French, the language of my ancestors????? After two years of struggling and the teacher rolling her eyes at my attempts to pronounce words.....I later learned they were more likely speaking a language known as Walloon...a mix of Dutch and French and even more likely spoke Dutch after their arrival in America.
All of this came from the three things my dad told me when I was ten.
Barbara Whiteside
November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
The family history has expanded
Just this week, when I thought I had found all I could find on the nine children of Francis Sr and Charity Banta Montfort, a sudden whim took me to Heritage Quest online through my local library. Browsing the 1840 census for Indiana, I located the daughter I thought had died soon after her marriage. Now the challenge will be to find names for those children listed with her on that head of household names only census. Life as a family historian has been vastly simplified with more credible information being posted online.
My goal for the past year has been to trace down each of the nine children of Francis and Charity as far as possible and locating descendants who may be starting to search their own family history. I am glad to share via email or through this blog and a website as well as on rootsweb, what I've found in over 55 years of asking questions and searching courthouses and libraries.
The nine children are :
Rachel and Catherine who married the Voris brothers, John and Francis
Marya who married Stephen Terhune
Charity who married Cornelius Luyster/Lyster
Henry who married his first cousin Catherine Montfort and moved to Ohio
John Calvin who married Nancy Agnes Mitchell and then Ruth Gess
Francis Jr who was married to his cousin Polly Banta [and my line of interest]
Jacob who married his cousin Margaret/Peggy Banta then Nancy Lineback
Sarah or Sallie who never married.
John Calvins line pretty much stayed in Kentucky and were fairly easy to trace. Several of his descendants have also been actively working on this line and shared their work with me. Catherine's line was simplified in recent communications with some of her descendants both in Indiana and in Kentucky. Though a slow bit of work at first, I've been able to locate descendants of Marya Montfort Terhune as they moved into Indiana and then westward. Henry was a bit more of a challenge as he married and moved to Ohio with his cousin/bride and till I located online Ohio information, that line had come to a standstill till recently.
Those that went to the Shakers in the early 1800's were complicated at first but access to the original Shaker journals at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky helped with the lines of Rachel Voris and her children, Jacob and his interesting association with the Shakers, Francis Jr and the youngest daughter Sarah. Once the children of these four left the Shakers, I then had to resort to the usual means of investigation; courthouses, libraries and census records but while some of them were a challenge, I've not only found most all of their descendants but found several descendants interested in their family history.
My own line through Francis Jr was easy once I got beyond his joining the Shakers. His brother Jacob led an interesting life with the Shakers and his expulsion in 1836 led me to Indiana and finally at least one descendant who is interested in the familyhistory.
That left Charity who married Cornelius Luyster and moved to Indiana...till this week. I now have her living till sometime in the 1840's as she is no longer living in the 1850 census. She had moved to Jackson County, Indiana and I believe soon I'll be able to figure out who the children are as they are only listed by age in that particular census. At least I know now she did have children and there are descendants still to locate.
This week after I found the information I had been seeking on Charity Montfort Lyster, I received emails from a Montfort descendant in California on a line I've been bringing down to the current generation. From my beginnings in the 1950's when it seemed NO one was looking into this family, suddenly the interest has become a groundswell and I'm happy to share what I have with any and all.
All of that came on the heels of locating the three daughters of my grandmothers Uncle James Montfort, who had gone to Texas. My grandmother started all this by telling me the names of her aunts and uncles and what little details she had of each but this particular uncle was never mentioned. I was able to locate him through a census showing him to be the eldest son in the family and shortly after that he married and moved south, then west to Texas where he disappeared for a time. My grandmother was very young when she lost both her parents and was shuttled back and forth between kith and kin till old enough to live and care for her older brothers till she married. I find it amazing to know the stories and names she was able to tell me have all been proven, even the one where she missed out on a large inheritance because she had moved to Indiana and couldn't be located.
A recent addition to research came across in a message posted on the Dutch-Colonies discussion group about 6 weeks ago....and I finally had an opportunity to try it out this past week. WOW, what a boost to genealogy. I was able through this search program locate those three daughters of James Francis Montfort who went to Texas...found his death certificate as well as that of his second wife, one of the daughters and several grandchildren. It also will pull up fairly easy to read census records and is constantly adding more information to the search engine.
The site I am praising is at http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=0
I think there might be an easier way to find it but that is how its listed on my favorites.
That is all for this post, I may come back and edit or add more later as my mind recalls something specific I want to note here.
Barbara Whiteside
Oct 31, 2008
My goal for the past year has been to trace down each of the nine children of Francis and Charity as far as possible and locating descendants who may be starting to search their own family history. I am glad to share via email or through this blog and a website as well as on rootsweb, what I've found in over 55 years of asking questions and searching courthouses and libraries.
The nine children are :
Rachel and Catherine who married the Voris brothers, John and Francis
Marya who married Stephen Terhune
Charity who married Cornelius Luyster/Lyster
Henry who married his first cousin Catherine Montfort and moved to Ohio
John Calvin who married Nancy Agnes Mitchell and then Ruth Gess
Francis Jr who was married to his cousin Polly Banta [and my line of interest]
Jacob who married his cousin Margaret/Peggy Banta then Nancy Lineback
Sarah or Sallie who never married.
John Calvins line pretty much stayed in Kentucky and were fairly easy to trace. Several of his descendants have also been actively working on this line and shared their work with me. Catherine's line was simplified in recent communications with some of her descendants both in Indiana and in Kentucky. Though a slow bit of work at first, I've been able to locate descendants of Marya Montfort Terhune as they moved into Indiana and then westward. Henry was a bit more of a challenge as he married and moved to Ohio with his cousin/bride and till I located online Ohio information, that line had come to a standstill till recently.
Those that went to the Shakers in the early 1800's were complicated at first but access to the original Shaker journals at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky helped with the lines of Rachel Voris and her children, Jacob and his interesting association with the Shakers, Francis Jr and the youngest daughter Sarah. Once the children of these four left the Shakers, I then had to resort to the usual means of investigation; courthouses, libraries and census records but while some of them were a challenge, I've not only found most all of their descendants but found several descendants interested in their family history.
My own line through Francis Jr was easy once I got beyond his joining the Shakers. His brother Jacob led an interesting life with the Shakers and his expulsion in 1836 led me to Indiana and finally at least one descendant who is interested in the familyhistory.
That left Charity who married Cornelius Luyster and moved to Indiana...till this week. I now have her living till sometime in the 1840's as she is no longer living in the 1850 census. She had moved to Jackson County, Indiana and I believe soon I'll be able to figure out who the children are as they are only listed by age in that particular census. At least I know now she did have children and there are descendants still to locate.
This week after I found the information I had been seeking on Charity Montfort Lyster, I received emails from a Montfort descendant in California on a line I've been bringing down to the current generation. From my beginnings in the 1950's when it seemed NO one was looking into this family, suddenly the interest has become a groundswell and I'm happy to share what I have with any and all.
All of that came on the heels of locating the three daughters of my grandmothers Uncle James Montfort, who had gone to Texas. My grandmother started all this by telling me the names of her aunts and uncles and what little details she had of each but this particular uncle was never mentioned. I was able to locate him through a census showing him to be the eldest son in the family and shortly after that he married and moved south, then west to Texas where he disappeared for a time. My grandmother was very young when she lost both her parents and was shuttled back and forth between kith and kin till old enough to live and care for her older brothers till she married. I find it amazing to know the stories and names she was able to tell me have all been proven, even the one where she missed out on a large inheritance because she had moved to Indiana and couldn't be located.
A recent addition to research came across in a message posted on the Dutch-Colonies discussion group about 6 weeks ago....and I finally had an opportunity to try it out this past week. WOW, what a boost to genealogy. I was able through this search program locate those three daughters of James Francis Montfort who went to Texas...found his death certificate as well as that of his second wife, one of the daughters and several grandchildren. It also will pull up fairly easy to read census records and is constantly adding more information to the search engine.
The site I am praising is at http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=0
I think there might be an easier way to find it but that is how its listed on my favorites.
That is all for this post, I may come back and edit or add more later as my mind recalls something specific I want to note here.
Barbara Whiteside
Oct 31, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
GEERTJE/CHARITY BANTA MONTFORT
Geertje Banta Montfort, better known as Charity during her lifetime, did NOT die in Henry County, Kentucky but at the Shaker village at Pleasant Hill in Mercer County, Kentucky. She left her husband of some thirty seven years to join the Shaker religious society that began forming in Feb 1805. Her half brother John Banta, held the first organized meeting of the Shakers in his barn on the Henry/Shelby County [KY] line in Feb of 1805 and Charity and her husband Francis Montfort Sr were in attendance as were some 300 other men and women of that area, with another 200 meeting that same evening in the Banta barn. Charity made the decision to join and with her youngest child, Sarah/Sally, entered into the society of Shakers in August 1805. She lived there at Pleasant Hill till her death in December of 1828 and is buried in the Shaker Cemetery at Pleasant Hill. Her grave can be seen though identified by only her initials, research has shown this is her final resting place marked with a stone slab and her initials C.M.
Her husband was not happy about her leaving him and eventually sold off their original 200 acres of the Low Dutch Colony at Pleasureville and bought a smaller farm north of the first one. This farm passed to their son, John Calvin, in exchange for care of the father till his death in 1825. Charity is not mentioned in her husbands will though she outlived him by three years. There are likely two reasons for this....he was not happy that she left him and if he did leave her anything it would have immediately reverted to the Shaker society who had a communal style of living, all for one, one for all. He did however, name all nine of their children in the will even the four who followed their mother into the Shaker society, Rachel Voris, Sarah Montfort, Francis Jr and Jacob. They each received a share of his property in Indiana and it is likely the reasoning was that the Shakers could not get this land being that it was in Indiana, not in Kentucky.
Charity and Francis had nine children:
Rachel b 1768 in Conewago, York County, PA and named for her maternal grandmother Rachel Brower married John Voris and had 12 children when they joined the Shakers in 1810. Several of the children left the Shakers and have descendants.
Catherine b 1772 in Conewago, York County, PA and married to Francis Voris with many descendants
Charity b 1773 in Conewago, York County, PA and named for her mother married Cornelius Luyster
Marya b 1776 in Conewago, York County, PA married to Stephen Terhune with descendants living
John Calvin b 1778 in Conewago, York County, PA married twice, Nancy A, Mitchell and Ruth Gess with descendants through the first wife only.
Henry b 1781 in Conewago, York County, PA and married to his first cousin, Catherine Montfort daughter of Lawrence and Joanna Langstraat Monfort of Ohio where he moved after the marriage.
Francis Jr b 1784 in Conewago, York County, PA and married to his half first cousin, Maria/Polly Banta, daughter of John and Polly Riker Banta [John was half brother to Charity Banta Montfort] with descendants living today in spite of his joining the Shakers with his pregnant wife and two children in March of 1806. The third child, David, was born in December of that same year, considered a Shaker from birth and left the society in 1827. THIS IS MY LINE OF DESCENT THROUGH THE LAST BORN CHILD, DAVID.
Jacob b 1787 in Mercer County, KY and married to his half first cousin, Margaret/Peggy Banta, daughter of Cornelius [half brother to Charity Banta Montfort]. In 1836 after having been a member of the Shakers since 1809, he was expelled. He divorced Peggy in 1837 and married Nancy Lineback, also expelled from the Shakers with Jacob. His two sons by Peggy left the Shakers in the mid 1820's, a daughter born at Shakertown shortly after they arrived there stayed with the Shakers till her death as did Peggy Banta Montfort. He had 2 children by the second wife after leaving the Shakers but only one would have descendants down to 1900 when they have disappeared,
Sarah/Sallie b, 1789 Mercer County, KY never married and joined the Shakers with her mother in 1805. She died at Shakertown and is buried in the cemetery of the restored Shaker village at Pleasant Hill in Mercer County.
Charity joined the Shakers with three half brothers, Samuel, John and Hendrick [called Vestus by the Shakers] Banta and numerous nieces and nephews as well as her daughter and later another daughter and two sons.
Sources include the 33 original Shaker journals in the manuscript dept of the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, KY as well as the journals on microfilm from the Harrodsburg Historical Society of Harrodsburg, KY. I have also read all the transcripts of journals held in the collection at the offices of Shakertown at Pleasant Hill, KY as wells as microfilmed journals in the collection at Western Reserve Historical Socity in Cleveland, Ohio and at the U of KY, Lexington, KY. I own a microfilm of journals from South Union Shaker Society and kept in the archives of the library at Western KY University at Bowling Green, KY.
I have also used the genealogy collection at the Filson Historical Society, the Thomas D. Clark Library at the KY History Center [Frankfort, KY], the archives found in Frankfort, KY, the SAR National Library, Louisville, KY and the Louisville Free Public Library Kentucky Room collction. Other sources include the Indiana History Room of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library in New Albany, IN [where I worked for six years], the library at Madison, IN, and the Genealogy Library at Corydon, IN. Courthouses used for source material include the ones at Switzerland County, Jefferson County, Harrison County, all in Indiana and Jefferson, Henry, Mercer, Shelby, Frankfort Counties in Kentucky.
I have a blog started at http://www.montfortfamilyetc.blogspot.com/ with a picture of the grave of Charity Banta Montfort, confirmed by Mrs Larrie Curry at Shakertown at Pleasant Hill, Mercer County, KY.
My websites is THE MONTFORT FAMILY:A NARRATIVE http://bar-b-k.tripod.com/
Happy to share or answer questions on the Montfort family and the Shaker religious society in KY as well as the Low Dutch Colony of Shelby and Henry Counties in KY.
My research has been over the last fifty five years and most before the advent of the super highway of information made searching a bit easier. I appreciate credit for anything I post and invite you to find my rootsweb site at
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kyshakerfamily
Its work in progress but will list sources.
Thanks Barbara Whiteside
my line is from both of Hendrick Bantas two wives...
Charity Banta Montfort is from his first marriage to Rachel Brower.
Her half brother, John is from the marriage of Hendrick and Antie Demarest and would marry Polly Riker.
A son from Charity [Francis Jr.] and a daughter from John [Marya/Polly] would marry and I descend a son of this marriage, David W. Montfort.
Her husband was not happy about her leaving him and eventually sold off their original 200 acres of the Low Dutch Colony at Pleasureville and bought a smaller farm north of the first one. This farm passed to their son, John Calvin, in exchange for care of the father till his death in 1825. Charity is not mentioned in her husbands will though she outlived him by three years. There are likely two reasons for this....he was not happy that she left him and if he did leave her anything it would have immediately reverted to the Shaker society who had a communal style of living, all for one, one for all. He did however, name all nine of their children in the will even the four who followed their mother into the Shaker society, Rachel Voris, Sarah Montfort, Francis Jr and Jacob. They each received a share of his property in Indiana and it is likely the reasoning was that the Shakers could not get this land being that it was in Indiana, not in Kentucky.
Charity and Francis had nine children:
Rachel b 1768 in Conewago, York County, PA and named for her maternal grandmother Rachel Brower married John Voris and had 12 children when they joined the Shakers in 1810. Several of the children left the Shakers and have descendants.
Catherine b 1772 in Conewago, York County, PA and married to Francis Voris with many descendants
Charity b 1773 in Conewago, York County, PA and named for her mother married Cornelius Luyster
Marya b 1776 in Conewago, York County, PA married to Stephen Terhune with descendants living
John Calvin b 1778 in Conewago, York County, PA married twice, Nancy A, Mitchell and Ruth Gess with descendants through the first wife only.
Henry b 1781 in Conewago, York County, PA and married to his first cousin, Catherine Montfort daughter of Lawrence and Joanna Langstraat Monfort of Ohio where he moved after the marriage.
Francis Jr b 1784 in Conewago, York County, PA and married to his half first cousin, Maria/Polly Banta, daughter of John and Polly Riker Banta [John was half brother to Charity Banta Montfort] with descendants living today in spite of his joining the Shakers with his pregnant wife and two children in March of 1806. The third child, David, was born in December of that same year, considered a Shaker from birth and left the society in 1827. THIS IS MY LINE OF DESCENT THROUGH THE LAST BORN CHILD, DAVID.
Jacob b 1787 in Mercer County, KY and married to his half first cousin, Margaret/Peggy Banta, daughter of Cornelius [half brother to Charity Banta Montfort]. In 1836 after having been a member of the Shakers since 1809, he was expelled. He divorced Peggy in 1837 and married Nancy Lineback, also expelled from the Shakers with Jacob. His two sons by Peggy left the Shakers in the mid 1820's, a daughter born at Shakertown shortly after they arrived there stayed with the Shakers till her death as did Peggy Banta Montfort. He had 2 children by the second wife after leaving the Shakers but only one would have descendants down to 1900 when they have disappeared,
Sarah/Sallie b, 1789 Mercer County, KY never married and joined the Shakers with her mother in 1805. She died at Shakertown and is buried in the cemetery of the restored Shaker village at Pleasant Hill in Mercer County.
Charity joined the Shakers with three half brothers, Samuel, John and Hendrick [called Vestus by the Shakers] Banta and numerous nieces and nephews as well as her daughter and later another daughter and two sons.
Sources include the 33 original Shaker journals in the manuscript dept of the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, KY as well as the journals on microfilm from the Harrodsburg Historical Society of Harrodsburg, KY. I have also read all the transcripts of journals held in the collection at the offices of Shakertown at Pleasant Hill, KY as wells as microfilmed journals in the collection at Western Reserve Historical Socity in Cleveland, Ohio and at the U of KY, Lexington, KY. I own a microfilm of journals from South Union Shaker Society and kept in the archives of the library at Western KY University at Bowling Green, KY.
I have also used the genealogy collection at the Filson Historical Society, the Thomas D. Clark Library at the KY History Center [Frankfort, KY], the archives found in Frankfort, KY, the SAR National Library, Louisville, KY and the Louisville Free Public Library Kentucky Room collction. Other sources include the Indiana History Room of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library in New Albany, IN [where I worked for six years], the library at Madison, IN, and the Genealogy Library at Corydon, IN. Courthouses used for source material include the ones at Switzerland County, Jefferson County, Harrison County, all in Indiana and Jefferson, Henry, Mercer, Shelby, Frankfort Counties in Kentucky.
I have a blog started at http://www.montfortfamilyetc.blogspot.com/ with a picture of the grave of Charity Banta Montfort, confirmed by Mrs Larrie Curry at Shakertown at Pleasant Hill, Mercer County, KY.
My websites is THE MONTFORT FAMILY:A NARRATIVE http://bar-b-k.tripod.com/
Happy to share or answer questions on the Montfort family and the Shaker religious society in KY as well as the Low Dutch Colony of Shelby and Henry Counties in KY.
My research has been over the last fifty five years and most before the advent of the super highway of information made searching a bit easier. I appreciate credit for anything I post and invite you to find my rootsweb site at
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kyshakerfamily
Its work in progress but will list sources.
Thanks Barbara Whiteside
my line is from both of Hendrick Bantas two wives...
Charity Banta Montfort is from his first marriage to Rachel Brower.
Her half brother, John is from the marriage of Hendrick and Antie Demarest and would marry Polly Riker.
A son from Charity [Francis Jr.] and a daughter from John [Marya/Polly] would marry and I descend a son of this marriage, David W. Montfort.
The Family of Francis Montfort Sr
Francis was born in 1746 and moved to York County, PA about 1767. He married Geertje Banta, daughter of Hendrick Banta 3rd and his first wife Rachel Brower, before 1768 when their first child, Rachel, was born. Geertje was always known by the name Charity, and I will refer to her by that name in this journal.
He probably moved to Kentucky about 1785-86, in the spring, and seems to have first settled in Mercer County, Kentucky where his youngest two children, Jacob [1787] and Sarah [1789] were born. Several sources give the last two childrens birthplace as being in Mercer County, KY, including the original journals of the Shaker Society at Pleasant Hill, KY [Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY], as both Jacob and Sarah were members of the religious society.
Following his father in law to Henry/Shelby County, Kentucky, he was part of the Low Dutch Company that formed there by 1790 and received his 200 acre allotment as part of the company. This land sits next to the site of the current location of the Six Mile Meeting House just outside the town of Pleasureville in Henry County, KY. His name and signature appear in the "MINUTE BOOK 1790-1831 and ACCOUNT BOOK 1784-1813 OF THE LOW DUTCH COLONY OF SHELBY COUNTY, KENTUCKY" found in the Jayne Beers Collection of the Filson Historical Society archives MSS A B415.
He would eventually sell this 200 acres and purchase a smaller lot where he lived with his son John Calvin till Francis' death in the spring of 1825. In lieu of caring for his father, John Calvin would eventually inherit this piece of property.
In February while still on the original farm, Francis and Charity walked over to the farm of his wife's half brother, John Banta, to listen to the Shaker missionaries from Ohio talk about their society and encourage those attending to join with them. This ended up being the first organized Shaker meeting in the state of Kentucky with 300 in attendance in the afternoon gathering and another 200 attending the evening meeting in the Banta barn. Francis was not impressed. Perhaps he questioned turning over his property to the Shakers, perhaps it was the part about being celibate, who's to know? But he did not join and was very upset when his wife did.
Francis and Charity had been married about thirty eight [38] years when she left him to become a member of the Shakers. Along with her she took their youngest child, Sarah, who also joined the society at the age of 16. Besides Sarah, they had eight [8] other children, Rachel married by this time to John Voris and having numerous children; Catherine who had married Francis Voris; Marya the wife of Stephen Terhune; Charity wife of Cornelius Luyster; Henry who had married his cousin Catherine Montfort and moved to Ohio; John Calvin married to his first wife, Nancy Agnes Mitchell; Francis who had married his half first cousin, Polly Banta, daughter of John Banta; Jacob who had just recently married his half first cousin, Margaret/Peggy Banta, daughter of Cornelius.
Of the nine children he fathered, four would follow their mother in to the Shaker society, Sarah in 1805, Francis Jr in 1806, Jacob in 1809 and Rachel in 1810. All but Sarah brought into the society, their wives, husband and children.
When writing his will, Francis seems to have made a point of leaving out of it his wife Charity, though he did mention all nine of the children, including those who followed her into the Shakers. I think there are two reasons for his leaving her out, though she outlived him by three years. One is anger. He was still angry that she left his side to become a Shaker. The other is about any property left to Charity. It would automatically have been taken into the communal property of the Shakers. This seems bolstered by the fact that property left to the four children who followed her into the society, were left property held by their father in Indiana. I am not up on law, let alone laws governing this time frame, but it would seem more difficult for the Shakers to acquire property from their members that was left to them in another state.
Francis died at the home of his son John Calvin, or so it appears and was probably buried on the family farm a bit to the north of Pleasureville. He died the 22nd of April, 1825 in Henry County, KY.
He probably moved to Kentucky about 1785-86, in the spring, and seems to have first settled in Mercer County, Kentucky where his youngest two children, Jacob [1787] and Sarah [1789] were born. Several sources give the last two childrens birthplace as being in Mercer County, KY, including the original journals of the Shaker Society at Pleasant Hill, KY [Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY], as both Jacob and Sarah were members of the religious society.
Following his father in law to Henry/Shelby County, Kentucky, he was part of the Low Dutch Company that formed there by 1790 and received his 200 acre allotment as part of the company. This land sits next to the site of the current location of the Six Mile Meeting House just outside the town of Pleasureville in Henry County, KY. His name and signature appear in the "MINUTE BOOK 1790-1831 and ACCOUNT BOOK 1784-1813 OF THE LOW DUTCH COLONY OF SHELBY COUNTY, KENTUCKY" found in the Jayne Beers Collection of the Filson Historical Society archives MSS A B415.
He would eventually sell this 200 acres and purchase a smaller lot where he lived with his son John Calvin till Francis' death in the spring of 1825. In lieu of caring for his father, John Calvin would eventually inherit this piece of property.
In February while still on the original farm, Francis and Charity walked over to the farm of his wife's half brother, John Banta, to listen to the Shaker missionaries from Ohio talk about their society and encourage those attending to join with them. This ended up being the first organized Shaker meeting in the state of Kentucky with 300 in attendance in the afternoon gathering and another 200 attending the evening meeting in the Banta barn. Francis was not impressed. Perhaps he questioned turning over his property to the Shakers, perhaps it was the part about being celibate, who's to know? But he did not join and was very upset when his wife did.
Francis and Charity had been married about thirty eight [38] years when she left him to become a member of the Shakers. Along with her she took their youngest child, Sarah, who also joined the society at the age of 16. Besides Sarah, they had eight [8] other children, Rachel married by this time to John Voris and having numerous children; Catherine who had married Francis Voris; Marya the wife of Stephen Terhune; Charity wife of Cornelius Luyster; Henry who had married his cousin Catherine Montfort and moved to Ohio; John Calvin married to his first wife, Nancy Agnes Mitchell; Francis who had married his half first cousin, Polly Banta, daughter of John Banta; Jacob who had just recently married his half first cousin, Margaret/Peggy Banta, daughter of Cornelius.
Of the nine children he fathered, four would follow their mother in to the Shaker society, Sarah in 1805, Francis Jr in 1806, Jacob in 1809 and Rachel in 1810. All but Sarah brought into the society, their wives, husband and children.
When writing his will, Francis seems to have made a point of leaving out of it his wife Charity, though he did mention all nine of the children, including those who followed her into the Shakers. I think there are two reasons for his leaving her out, though she outlived him by three years. One is anger. He was still angry that she left his side to become a Shaker. The other is about any property left to Charity. It would automatically have been taken into the communal property of the Shakers. This seems bolstered by the fact that property left to the four children who followed her into the society, were left property held by their father in Indiana. I am not up on law, let alone laws governing this time frame, but it would seem more difficult for the Shakers to acquire property from their members that was left to them in another state.
Francis died at the home of his son John Calvin, or so it appears and was probably buried on the family farm a bit to the north of Pleasureville. He died the 22nd of April, 1825 in Henry County, KY.
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