Montague Worldwide Family Reunion 2010 Report
Friday, June 18
We had reservations at a colonial tavern for the Friday evening meet-and-greet. It was the Kings Arms Tavern , 416 East Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185. Linda and John Turner were our hosts for the evening. Along with myself, we had Ann Palmer, Marianne Hughes, and Joanne St.Claire sharing the experience. We were served by people in costume and character of colonial Williamsburg. Our server explained many of the customs of the era, and were were treated to many of the local taste treats of the day. A lady minstrel entertained us with banjo, flute and drum tunes. and a variety of stories. The conversation was lively and continued well into the evening. It's informal, cozy and friendly. The food was very good and a wide variety of beverages are available. Here's a link to their website
http://www.history.org/visit/diningexperience/kingsarms/
Unfortunately I had to leave before dark because I was unfamiliar with the area and had to find Bob Montague's "Sandwich on the Rappahannock" home in Urbanna, where I would be lodging for the weekend. It was a very long trip, traveling 1525 miles on my Harley Davidson motorcycle to attend. It waas a welcome site to see bob's smiling face greet me at my destination.
Saturday, June 19
Saturday morning I rose about 6am and enjoyed a bit of quiet time roaming the grounds of Sandwich. The property includes 6 acres with a number of buildings and features. We had a light breakfast then took a walking tour of downtown Urbanna. It's a beautiful town with a lot of very old buildings. This is truly "Where it all began" for America. Following the land tour, Bob took me on a water tour on his cabin cruiser. The boat is of 1950's vintage with a beautiful mahogany topside. We toured the Rappahannock River out to the Chesapeake bay, then into several of the rivers that feed the bay. I've never been out on this large of a water mass before, so it was a pretty big deal for me. It's no wonder that when I call Bob, he is often out on the water enjoying the bay.
At Noon we had a lunch at Bob Montague's home at 131 Virginia St., Urbanna, Va. provided by the MFA and Bob. It was a very tasty affair consisting of local crab salads, ham salad, roast beef sandwiches (of course), and drinks. Before and after lunch family members were treated to a tour of the historic residence. Built in 1752, Sandwich was originally a customs house catering to the tobacco trade with England. Urbanna was a major port for receiving goods from England and shipping tobacco out. Following the Revolution the customs house was turned into a private residence. The home was originally owned by one of our Montague ancestors, Andrew Jackson Montague, who was a governor of Virginia (1902-06) and a US Representative from 1913-37
Following lunch, Bob lead us on a tour of Christchurch cemetery where many of our Montague Ancestors are buried. We will also visited the site of Peter 1's grave, driving to the site in Bob's 1952 Pontiac Station Wagon. The site is in a very remote location in Lancaster County. There are several graves on the site behind the ruins of a home that was very large for the era. A marker was erected on the site in 1903 to commemorate the accomplishments of Peter Montague and mark the site of his final resting place. The original marker has long been eroded beyond identification by to ravages of time. It was a high point in my life to stand on the same ground that my ancestor from 1603 stood. There is some doubt that this is actually Peter's grave, but given the evidence, I'm inclined to believe this was his final home.
6:30 PM ~ Banquet: For Saturday night, we have a private room at the Williamsburg Lodge (The James Room) We had 20 people attending the banquet. Again we were so busy talking with each other that the banquet stretched into several hours. The food was marvelous and the service was outstanding. The Williamsburg Lodge is a dining experience, not simply a meal. Many of the people had been touring Colonial Williamsburg, and had stories to tell of their adventures. Those of us that had spent the day in Urbanna had stories to share with them about our adventure. Following the banquet, some of the members went on the Williamsburg Ghost tour, while others followed Bob on a tour of some of the significant older homes in the area of the Lodge. It was a very long day for me and was good to return to Sandwich to relax a bit before retiring.
The Banquet was held at the :
Williamsburg Lodge
136 East Francis Street
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
http://www.history.org/visit/diningExperience/lodge/index.cfm
Sunday, June 20
Frankly, I could have done better at choosing the venue for Sunday's meetings. We had a very difficult time finding the place, finally stopping to ask directions in the area. The hall was very nice and had all of the facilities we needed for the day. I'll post the minutes of the family meeting here in the near future.
Monday, June 21
Go have some fun, see the sites, tours museums, amusement parks. We'll see you in 2015