Memorial Day weekend will be a weekend of historical events in Adair County.
A tour of the Trabue-Russell house, a genealogy program, cemetery dedications, and a celebration at Shiloh Christian Church will take place.
The Francis Montgomery Family settled in the Joppa and Ozark community in approximately 1805. Francis Montgomery, Sr. brought his family here and purchased land where they constructed a plantation and were able to farm and hunt to feed their family.
Descendents of the Montgomery family founded Shiloh Christian Church in 1875. The land that the church sits on was originally donated by Thomas P. Johnson and the Montgomery family donated the wood. Jasper Bryant did the carpentry and Quintellian “Kint” Montgomery built the first pulpit.
On Saturday, May 24, the Montgomery Family’s Applied Genealogy weekend will begin with a tour of the historic Trabue Russell home at 11 a.m. The program will then move to the Adair County Genealogy and History Center at noon. Lunch will be provided at no charge, but reservations do need to be made by contacting the center.
Crista Gimbal, the granddaughter of Quintellian “Kint” Montgomery, will present a slide show on the genealogy of the Montgomery family. There will be many sources available for viewing on the family as well a dedication of plaques that are being placed in the Montgomery Family Pioneer Cemetery off Hwy 92 in the Joppa community.
The Montgomery Family Pioneer Cemetery has recently been updated with new landscaping and signage. Gimbal has been working on this project for over two years and is excited to see it come to fruition.
On Sunday, May 25, homecoming and the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Shiloh Christian Church, the oldest operational Christian Church in Adair County according to Pastor Randy Young, will take place starting at 10:30 a.m. It will begin with church service, followed by a slide show presentation by Gimbal and dedication of the Shiloh cemetery plaque.
A “potluck” style meal will be provided and then Heaven Bound will have a gospel singing. Everyone is invited to attended.
At the conclusion of the events at the church, anyone willing is invited to the Frances and Mary Smith Montgomery cemetery on Keen Wilson Road. The cemetery has suffered damage and overgrowth. Gimbal intends to preserve anything possible from that cemetery.
The weekend is being dedicated in memory of Phil Hanna, who played an instrumental role in the genealogy center. Hanna generously shared his knowledge and helped many who were interested in researching their family history.
By Amy Pike
newsroom2@adairvoice.com
