History and genealogy of Peter Montague, of Nansemond and ...

68 DESCENDANTS OF PETER MONTAGUE.
were two churches in the parish, Upper and Lower Piscatoway. No
records of the parish have been found. # Nov. 21, 1738, Abraham
Montague was appointed by the court, constable for Essex Co. April
16, 1739, he was appointed court surveyor of roads. He was an
active member of the church of which his wife's father was the pastor
and he was a vestryman of that church. He//, in June or July, 1740,
in Essex. His will was dated May 3, 1740, and was proved Sept.
16, 1740, and mentions his wife Charlotte, his brother William Mon-
tague, and his children in the order as given below. His wife, Mrs.
Charlotte Montague, d. in 1746 or 1747. She left a will, dated Jan'y
25, 1746, proved July 22, 1747, in which she mentions the names of
her children as given below. The Co. records of Middlesex have "a
bond dated June 22, 1754, from Abraham Montague, Latane Mon-
tague and Frances Montague to Lewis Montague eldest son and heir
at law of his mother Charlotte Montague, for the deliverv of certain
negroes devised by Rev. Lewis Latane to his daughter, Mrs. Char-
lotte Montague to descend to the said Lewis." Also Feb. 19, 1755,
" an acknowledgement to Lewis Montague of having received certain
negroes devised by Rev. Lewis Latane to his daughter Mrs. Charlotte
Montague, signed by Henry Vass, William Montague, Abraham and
Latane Montague.
* " Rev. Lewis Latane was the first minister of this parish of whom there is any record-
He was a Huguenot, and fled from France to England, after the revocation of the Edict of
Nantes, Oct., 1685, where he remained until the year 1700. He arrived in Va. March 5, 1701,
and was installed as pastor of the Essex church April 5, 1701. He was a member of the convention
of the clergy of Va., held in the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg,
April 8, 1 719. After he had ministered to the parish for 16 years, an attempt was made on
the part of the Vestry to displace him, and for no reason, except that he could not speak
English plainly. Mr. Latane seems to have been a quiet man, moving on in the even tenor
of his way, but feeling keenly the injustice done him by the Vestry. He felt aggrieved that
after preaching for them so many years, the objection should be made at so late a day. He
was on one occasion riding Avith one of his parishioners, when the subject of his removal was
talked over by them. The other expressed his sorrow but thought it better, on the ground
that Mr. Latane's sermons were rendered unintelligible by his foreign brogue. Before separ-
ating, they came to the minister's gate. "Go by," he said, "and get something to drink,"
which was readily agreed to. This he said to prove him. " Now," said the minister, " you
can readily understand me when I tempt you to do wrong, but you cannot understand me
when I counsel you to do right." He was three times married. Of his first two wives no
records exist. His third was Mary Dean, a relative and protegee of William Beverley of
Blandfield, Essex. He died in 1732, leaving one son John, and five daughters. In his will
three daughters are mentioned as " C," " P," and " S." Perhaps there is no instance to be
found in Va. where a whole family have been more remarkable for truth and fidelity in all
their dealings and character. John, his only surviving son, married a Miss Mary Allen ;
William, his only surviving son married Miss Ann Waring, leaving a large number of sons
and daughters. His daughter Lucy, third in descent from Rev. Mr. Latane, married Mr.
Payne Waring of Essex. His daughter Mary married Mr. John Temple, one of whose sons
was the minister of South Farnham, Essex, in 1857."— [Bishop Meade.] Of the church