Their child: |
Individuals in this page: |
Their parents: |
||
Peter Montross |
{ |
|||
{ |
& |
|||
Leah Mabie |
{ |
Peter
Montross (Peter, Emmetje) was probably born on May 27,
1742, perhaps near the village of Roslyn Harbor on Long Island, New York TA10, MU5. This date of birth was inferred by his
age at the time of his death, which was carved on his gravestone. Peter Montross and Harman Montross
appeared on a 1760 muster roll as privates in “His Majestyes Third Company of
Meletia in North Batalion in the County of Westchester” in New York, under the
command of Captain Jacobus Teller VE9.
The Upper Battalion was commanded by Colonel William Willet, Lieutenant Colonel
James Verplanck, and Major Pierre Van Cortland VE9. Peter Montross and David Montross also
appeared on a 1760 muster roll as privates in “His Majestyes fifth Company of
Melitia in the North Battalion In the County of West Chester” in New York,
under the command of Captain Anonyas Rogers VE9.
The Upper Battalion was commanded by Colonel William Willet, Lieutenant Colonel
James Verplanck, and Major Pierre Van Cortland VE9. They served alongside Jeremiah Maybie,
Fredrick Maybie, John Maybie, William Maybie, Jacob Maybe, and Symon Maybe,
Daniel Secored, John Secord, and Peter Secord VE9.
He
married Leah Mabie in about the year 1767 TA10.
While at Jacob Griffin’s home on August 15 or 23, 1775, Peter agreed to the
Articles of Association TA10, FO4,
which stated FO4:
Persuaded
that the salvation of the rights and liberties of America depend, under God, on
the firm union of its inhabitants in a vigorous prosecution of the measures
necessary for its safety, and convinced of the necessity of preventing the
anarchy and confusion that attend the dissolution of the powers of Government,
we, the freeholders and inhabitants of Dutchess County, and Province of New
York, being greatly alarmed at the avowed designs of the Ministry to raise a
revenue in America, and shocked by the bloody scenes now acting in the
Massachusetts Bay, do, in the most solemn manner, resolve never to become
slaves, and do associate, under all the ties of religion, honour, and love to
our Country, to adopt, and endeavour to carry into execution, whatever measures
may be recommended by the Continental Congress, or resolved upon by our
Provincial Convention, for the purpose of preserving our Constitution, and
opposing the execution of the several arbitrary and oppressive acts of the
British Parliament, until a reconciliation between Great Britain and America,
on constitutional principles, which we most ardently desire, can be obtained;
and that we will in all things follow the advice of our General Committee
respecting the purposes aforesaid, the preservation of peace and good order,
and the safety of individuals and private property.
He was a taxpayer on
the Philipse Patent of Dutchess (later Putnam) County in 1777 HI6, TA10, where his land was east of the Hudson
River, and was held by Beverley and Susannah (Philipse) Robinson TA10. Despite signing his name to the pledge
of 1775, Peter Montross served as a private under Lieutenant Colonel Beverley
(also spelled Beverly) Robinson’s Loyal American Regiment CL1, BR4. The men in this regiment were loyal to
the crown. His name was recorded on several muster rolls, always with
Lieutenant Colonel Beverly Robinson and Lieutenant Thomas Henderson; his first
appearance may have been on a roll that, while undated, probably occurred in
November or December of 1777, because a notation for one of the privates stated
that this man had deserted on November 1 BR4.
The notation for Peter Montross indicated that he was “On Command at Eagles’s”,
although the last word is difficult to read, and may have been “Englis’s”, or
something else entirely BR4.
Next, Peter was on a
muster roll dated December 30, 1777 in Haerlem, and again in Haerlem in April
1778 BR4. While the rest of his company was in
Flushing Fly on August 27, 1778, Peter was listed as “sick at Haerlem” on that
date, and he was “on Command at Haerlem” in October 1778, when his company was
at the “Camp at Flushing Fly” BR4. He
was listed on a muster roll dated January 1779, and on March 6, 1779 when
Robinson and Henderson were in Harlem Heights, New York, a notation appeared to
read that Peter was “absent at New York”, although the first word was cramped
and faded BR4. An undated muster roll which was
positioned after the muster roll from March 6 stated that Peter was absent
because he was “sick at Harlem” BR4.
He was listed on a roll from November 1779 with no location mentioned, in April
1780 in Bloomingdale, “on duty” in June 1780 and August 1780 in New York, and
on an undated roll when Lieutenant Colonel Robinson’s men were in Flushing
(this may have been a muster roll which occurred in September or October of
1780) BR4. In October 1780, when the rest of
Lieutenant Henderson’s men were in New York, Peter was marked as absent because
he was sick BR4. On June 18, 1781, he was in Flushing CL1, BR4, and on August 16,
1781, he was in Little Bloomingdale, where the notation read that he was on
duty BR4. They relocated to McGowans Pass by September 27, 1781, and they were
in Flushing Fly on November 25, 1781 BR4. Peter was on duty
in January 1782 in Flushing Fly, and he and his company were in Brooklyn on May
11, 1782, at Camp Bedford Heights on July 1, 1782, and in New York on September
11, 1782 BR4. He was sick in New York on October 24, 1782, and was in
Flushing on January 20 and March 3, 1783, but in Norwich on July 1, 1783, and
in Camp New Town Heights on August 22, 1783 BR4.
After
the Revolutionary War, his
estate was confiscated NE15, and
he and thousands of other Loyalists were evacuated by ships to Nova Scotia,
under the direction of Sir Guy Carleton RA9, TA10. Fleets of ships sailed north in April, June, and October 1783 RA9, TA10, transporting between thirty and
thirty-five thousand Loyalists RA9.
The Montross family may have evacuated on one of the twelve ships which
launched on October 15 and anchored at Parrtown at the mouth of the St. John
River, which is now called St. John TA10.
Aside from passage for themselves, their cattle, and their horses, the refugees
were provided with land, clothing, medicine, millstones, gristmill and sawmill
supplies, farming equipment, window glass, and one year’s supply of provisions,
supplemented the following two years by two-thirds, and then one-third of a
year’s supply of provisions RA9. If
they did disembark at Parrtown, they should have also been afforded shingles,
bricks, and five hundred feet of boards, to construct a home RA9.
The following year,
Nova Scotia was partitioned, from which the province of New Brunswick was
created, and shortly after, St. Anne’s Point, which was renamed to Fredericton,
became its capital TA10.
Peter utilized the St. John River as a road system to travel northwest from Parrtown to
Fredericton, and from there, six miles northeast on the narrower Nashwaak
River, until it divided into two branches TA10. Peter chose the
eastern tributary, called the Penniac Creek TA10, WR1 (which is also known
as the Little Nashwaak) which he claimed to have discovered WR1. A 1785 petition for
land from Peter Montross, Peter Johnson, Lawrance Johnson, and Joseph Griffin
to Thomas Carleton, Esquire, Governor and Commander in Chief for the Province
of New Brunswick, and its subsequent reply (which has been transcribed directly
below the transcription of the petition) stated PR12:
That your Petitioners
have served His Majesty in the late Loyal American Regiment commanded by
Colonel Beverly Robinson, and on their being disbanded expected to settle on
the Lands allowed them by his Majesty but having continued a long time without
receiving any, and after repeated searches for unlocated Land to settle on,
Your Petitioners did find a large Tract on the Little Nashwalk, bordering on
Lands assigned the Maryland Loyalists.
That Your Petitioners
have built on the said Lands, and have been clearing and improving the same for
several Months past and intended to settle there as soon as the Ice would
permit them to remove their Families Provisions & not doubting but on
Application, they could obtain from Your Excellency, a Grant for the same
That Your Petitioners
are informed that certain Gentlemen have applied for, and Obtained from Your
Excellency, an Order of Survey, to Locate the Lands above mentioned, which will
be to the great loss and Damage of Your Petitioners should the Lands they have
improved, be included in the said Order of Survey, particularly one of us who
has a wife and seven Children
Your Petitioners
therefore most humbly pray that Your Excellency will take their Case into
Consideration, And allow them to Occupy the Lands they have improved, and hold
the same in such proportion as they are intitled to receive from his Majesty.
And Grant them such further relief in the premisses, as to Your Excellencys
Superior Wisdom shall seem meet And they as in Duty bound will ever pray.
Ordered – that if it
shall appear that the Petitioners have truly stated the facts they are to be
considered as intitled to a preference, and may be included with such others as
shall have their lands assigned them in that tract. Note – the Petitioners are
to attend the Council with such others as may be interested in the proposed
settlement – the first sitting after the 26th Instant. 18th Januy 1785.
The
petition for land was successful, and Peter was granted the first of thirty-one
lots on the Penniac land tract on May 8, 1789; the combined acreage for these
lots totaled 14,885 acres, and Peter’s lot was 262 acres TA10. On July 8, 1788,
Peter’s son, Levi, also petitioned Thomas Carleton for land “on the Penniake
Creek near the lot of his said Father Peter Montross” PR12. The Montross family
remained at the Penniac settlement for less than a decade TA10. He journeyed
roughly 940 miles southwest to the Long Point settlement on Lake Erie near
Charlotteville, Norfolk County, Ontario, soon after his petition for land was
approved on July 26, 1797 and confirmed on July 31 of that year UP1. Four hundred acres
were granted to Peter, and two hundred acres were granted to each of his
children who were of age, in the Province, and did not already have land UP1. A transcription of
the petition follows UP1:
To His Honor Peter
Russell Es of Administrator of the Government of the Province of Upper Canada…
in Council -
The Petition of Peter
Montross for himself and in behalf of his Wife and Nine Children viz: Levi,
Margaret, Silas, Anderson, Simon, Hannah, Fanny, Peter, and Amy –
Humbly &
Respectfully Sheweth,
That your Petitioner
has been a good and faithful Servant to His Majesty during the whole of the
late American War, and was in His Majesty’s Loyal American Regiment, commanded
by Col. Beverly Robinson, that in consequence of such attachment to His
Majesty’s Service, your Petitioner was driven from his family and possessions,
and suffered much hardship and losses; your Petitioner further states to your
Honor in Council, that having honestly obtained his discharge, he went to New
Brunswick and there settled with his family, having there laboured for these
thirteen years past, and not being any longer able to support so large a family
was induced to remove hither, and to sell all the improvements made by your
Petitioner on the two hundred acres of land which were granted to him there,
for a very trivial and Small Sum. Your Petitioner therefore prays your Honor in
Council will be pleased to take into consideration his situation and that of
his family and grant him & his Wife and Children such portions of land as
they may be thought to deserve at Long Point in order that he your Petitioner
may without delay be making further provision for the Maintenance and support
of his family – And in duty bound will ever pray – Peter Montross
Newark July 26th 1797
Another
petition for land was received on May 23, 1798, and after it was reviewed, it
was “Ordered that the Prayer of this Petitioner be granted by enrolling the
Petitioner a U.E. Loyalist, and grant 200 acres to his wife Leah Maybee as the
Daughter of a U.E. Loyalist” UP1. A transcription of Peter’s petition for
additional land follows UP1:
To His Honor Peter
Russel, Esquire: President administering the Government of upper Canada… In Council
–
The Petition of Peter
montross of Charlotteville Humbly sheweth –
That your Petitioner
is a native of the late Province of New York & lived on the north River;
that at the beginning of the american war, he joined the corps of Royal [this
word did actually state “Royal”, as opposed to “Loyal”] americans commanded by
Col Robinson, and at the Peace went to Nova Scotia; that in the month of July
last, he came to this Province with his family, which consists of a wife and
nine children – that his wife’s name is Leah and is Daughter of the late Simon
Mabee U.E. & sister of the late Frederick Mabee, whose widow Lavinia Mabee
now lives in the Settlement of Long Point and that his wife had also a Brother
called Simon a captain in a Corps of American Loyalists, who was hung by the
Rebels for his accachment [attachment] and services to Government Your
Petitioner has received 400 acres of Land, for which he is thank ful, but
having never been admitted to the List of U.E’ (not knowing of any
Commissioners sitting for that purpose / nor has his wife received any Land He
respectfully prays your Honor would be pleased to allow his name to be enrolled
as a U.E., and to grant his wife 200 acres, as an American Loyalist – her
aforementioned Brother Frederick having received Lands as such – and your
Petitioner as in [the previous two words were illegible, and resembled the
letters “aun”, with a faint dot over the last letter] duty bound will ever pray
Unfortunately,
his first four-hundred-acre parcel of land was inconveniently positioned in
Haldimand County, which was adjacent to the eastern border of Norfolk County TA10. He was granted Lots
two and four, Concession Six, in Walpole Township, Haldimand County, on May 17,
1802, and so he gave up two hundred acres when he exchanged those lots with his
relative, Peter Teeple for Lot One, Range Two in Charlotteville, which was just
two hundred acres TA10, MU6. A deed dated August 14, 1804 stated
that on February 1, 1804, Peter Teeple, Esquire paid fifty pounds to Peter
Montross, Yeoman, of Charlottesville, Norfolk County, Upper Canada and his
wife, Leah, for four hundred acres at “Lots number two and four in the Sixth
Concession” in Walpole Township, Norfolk County LA10. Leah released her
dower to Peter Teeple on March 13, 1804 LA10. Another deed dated
September 5, 1804, stated that on February 1, 1804, Peter Montross, Yeoman of
Charlotteville, paid fifty pounds to Peter and Lydia Teeple for two hundred
acres of land at Lot One in the Second Range of Charlotteville, Norfolk County LA10. Lydia Teeple also
released her dower on March 13, 1804 LA10. The village of St.
Williams, less than one mile from the northern shore of Lake Erie, is presently
located where Peter’s new lot existed, and Leah’s two hundred-acre parcel was
nine miles northeast of this TA10.
He
and Leah were involved in three land transactions on March 1, 1806; they sold
twenty-five acres apiece to Levi Montross and Simon Montross for five shillings
each, and fifty acres for twenty pounds to Jacob Morrison LA10, TA10,
MU6.
Leah released her dower to the fifty-acre parcel of Lot One in the Second Range
to Jacob Morrison FR4, and on March 11, 1806 she released her
dower for the other two parcels, as well LA10. Jacob Morrison’s
parcel was located north of that of Levi’s, and Levi’s was north of Simon’s
parcel MU6. Ninety-eight of the remaining one hundred acres were
sold for five pounds to their son, Peter, on June 10, 1809, but the residual
two acres were granted to Peter as well, on October 7, 1831 TA10, MU6.
He died at age ninety-one years and three months on
August 27, 1833 and was buried on his final two acres in what is now
called Johnson Cemetery, in St. Williams, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada TA10, MU5. A photograph of his gravestone was taken
by Elon Hoover in 2009. His gravestone was engraved with, “In memory of Peter Montross Sen. who departed this life
August 27th 1833.
aged 91 years & 3 months.”
Leah Mabie (Simon) was the daughter of Simon Mabee, according to the petition for
land from Peter Montross dated May 23, 1798 UP1:
The Petition of Peter montross of
Charlotteville Humbly sheweth… his wife’s name is Leah and is Daughter of the
late Simon Mabee U.E. & sister of the late Frederick Mabee, whose widow
Lavinia Mabee now lives in the Settlement of Long Point and that his wife had
also a Brother called Simon a captain in a Corps of American Loyalists, who was
hung by the Rebels for his accachment [attachment] and services to Government…
Leah Mabee may have
been born on October 31, 1750 TA10, MU5 near Ossining in Westchester County, New York MU5. Based on her age at the time of her
death, which was engraved on her headstone, she was born in October or November
of 1751, and if her death occurred on March 13, 1835, then her birthdate was
probably October 31, 1751.
She was the mother
of Levi (or Levy RE18), Margaret, Silas, Anderson, Simon,
Hannah, Fanny (also called Frances), Peter, and Amy UP1, TA10, RE18, as well as Susannah and Leah, who both
died at a young age TA10, MU6.
Levi, Margaret, Silas, Anderson, and Phoebe Amy were born in the years 1768
through 1776 at Philipstown, Dutchess County, New York, while Simon was born in
1780 in Nassau County MU6.
Frances (Fanny) was born in 1784 in St. John, New Brunswick, and Susannah,
Leah, Hannah, and Peter were born in the years 1786 through 1793 at Penniac,
New Brunswick MU6.
“Leagh Mabee, Spinster, Wife of Peter Montross” and Peter
Montross sold her parcel of two hundred acres at Lot Seventeen in the Seventh
Concession in Charlotteville Township to Simon Mabee (her nephew MU6) of
Oxford West Township, Oxford County, for sixty pounds on September 10, 1808 LA10, TA10, MU6. The deed was witnessed by Silas Montross, who was
called an innkeeper LA10. Leah died at age eighty-four years and four months on March 13, 1835 in Charlotteville, Norfolk County, and was
buried in Johnson Cemetery in St. Williams, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada TA10, MU5. A
photograph of her gravestone was taken by Elon Hoover in 2009, but is only
partially legible, and her name cannot be discerned in the photograph. The
epitaph stated, “In memory of… who departed this life March… 1835 aged 83 years
4 months & 13 days.”, and there is a possibility it may have stated, “In memory of Leah… wife of Peter Montross Sen. who departed
this life March… 1835 aged 83 years 4 months & 13 days.” Her age appeared
to be “83” in the photograph of the headstone, rather than “84”. The
gravestones of both Peter and Leah, which had the same distinctive shape,
featured matching willow trees in the center arch.