The Second Sat in May...

is upon us and I'll be glad when it's done and gone. The big race at Churchill Downs is late afternoon on May 3rd and by Sunday we locals are hoping the hoopla is finished, the celebs have gone home and the gas prices have gone down from the current $3.75-$3.89 range that had been with us for about two weeks now. We rank right up there with California on gas prices it seems.

My goal to put together the descendants of the Montforts that came to Kentucky with the Low Dutch Colony is proceeding quite well. Now to make the charts to show each and every one that I've managed to locate. That is going to take some time and patience and hope I've got the patience to finish it. I am working now on the line of John Calvin, son of Francis Sr and Charity Banta Montfort....his line has proven to be very prolific and challenging.

I have found descendants for a cousin living now in Florida, David Quinn. I found in him the same off the wall sense of humor as some other Montforts I have had the privilege to meet. I had first learned about David when I stopped at the Jefferson County Historical Building in Madison, IN and found a letter of inquiry about his ancestor, Henry Monfort, son of Jacob and Margaret/Peggy Banta Monfort. I shot off a letter as soon as I returned home and was sad when it was returned a week later. When I got an email from him about 4 months ago.....you can imagine my surprise. A very fast reply got us started on his line of the family and I hope we get to meet at the next gathering of our Dutch cousins.

Tom Wylie is another cousin..and have been able to give him his Montfort family and start a friendship with him and his wife, Joanie. He and Joanie came to the Dutch cousins gathering in 2007 and it was great to get to put a face with a name finally.

I am working with Craig Montfort to figure out which of the Montforts is his. I have an idea it goes back to one in Ohio, based on the naming pattern used for the children of Jacobus and Leah Banta Monfoort. Montforts directly connected with Hendrick Banta 3rd, ALWAYS have a son named for the patriarch of the Low Dutch who came into Kentucky and this pattern follows for Jacobus Montfort and his wife, Leah Banta, daughter of Hendrick Banta 3rd. This Jacobus was the son of Peter and Margrietje Haff Monfoort and a brother to my Jan [Kniertje Marston] Monfoort. I am hoping Craig and I can come to an agreement and find proof that I am correct.

The next Gathering of Dutch Cousins has been set for the last weekend in Sept of 2009, at Harrodsburg, KY with one day at Shakertown about 7 miles away. More details will be coming as plans are set and I will post them here on my blog. Diana Davis and I are planning the event at Shakertown and so much of it we want to show off as our direct ancestor was one of the first of the Shakers to join the religious society in 1805 and early 1806.

It looks like we may be in for a bumpy ride later today, weatherwise..just hoping the storms die down by the time they reach us here in Kentuckiana. Cousins out west of us have had a hard time with tornadoes, straight line wind damage, hail and heavy rain and hope to hear all are okay. I see me writing several messages later today to make sure of that.

Barbara Whiteside