Foote Family
Reunion June 6-9, 2013
My
Foote connect is rather distant, going back to my 7th
Great-Grandmother Elizabeth Foote (1654-1696), who married Daniel Belding
(Belden) (1646-1731). This family had exceptional things happen in their lives.
Daniel and Elizabeth were caught up in the Indian raid of Sept. 16, 1696 on
Deerfield, Mass. Daniel was taken prisoner but Elizabeth was killed. Daniel and
other members of the family who were not killed had a long trek ahead to
Canada. One of their daughters Sarah (1682- ) managed to survive the attack by
hiding under a pile of tobacco. Sarah and her husband Benjamin Burt were later
involved in the French Indian raid on Deerfield, Mass., Feb. 29, 1704.
I
decided to attend the reunion and meet some of the members of the Foote family.
The reunion was held in South Burlington, Vermont.
First
however, I should comment on our trip from Orleans to South Burlington. We took
our usual route through Cornwall, Ontario and then across upper New York State,
through Fort Covington, Westville, Constable, and Chateauguay to Ellensburg. At
Ellensburg we stopped for lunch at the local deli (where route 190 leaves
Highway 11) and were very pleasantly surprised. The food was great and it was
prepared fresh as it was ordered. From there we followed Highway 11 to
Champlain and then to Rouses Point where we crossed the bridge into Vermont at the
top end of Lake Champlain where it meets the Richelieu River. We then travelled
south through the Champlain Islands. The drive through the islands is very nice
for views of Lake Champlain but it is a very slow drive. We decided this time
to stop at Isle La Motte to visit Saint Anne’s Shrine. There were not many
people around at this time of year so it was very quiet. We visited the gift
shop and looked around. There is also a statue of Champlain and guide located
there. This is also the site of Fort Ste. Anne, Vermont’s oldest settlement.
After this stop we were on our way to our hotel in South Burlington.
The
first order of business after arriving at our hotel and getting settled was to
go to the family meeting room to check in and meet some of the Foote relatives.
They were very friendly, and interested that we were from Canada. At the Friday
night get together, we were introduced to the group and I had an opportunity to
point out that I had Loyalist ancestors as well as ancestors on the other side.
They also held part of their annual meeting on Friday evening.
Friday,
the organizers arranged a group bus tour to the Shelburne Museum at Shelburne,
about 20 minutes south of the hotel. In spite of the rainy weekend and the fact
that the museum involved outside walking we had a great time. The museum is a
collection of different collections that had been collected by Electra
Havemeyer Wyeth (See Wikipedia). They were all very fascinating, and if one had
a particular interest, this would be a great place to study in detail. The doll
and carriage collections were extensive. The Circus Building with its miniature
circus was outstanding. Also on site is the steamboat Ticonderoga which was
hauled there from Lake Champlain by rail. They have a video showing how it was
done.
On
Saturday we attended two genealogy lectures given by members of the family.
They were both very good. The afternoon was free so we got in the car and went
to visit Shelburne Vineyard, Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and Lake Champlain
Chocolates. At the Teddy Bear Factory we bought two bears and had a tour of the
manufacturing area. The Lake Champlain Chocolates were excellent and we did
bring some back with us. We even managed to fit in a bit of shopping at the
University Mall, near the hotel.
In
the evening, we all trouped off to the Burlington Harbor for a dinner cruise on
the Spirit of Ethan Allen III on Lake Champlain. Everyone seemed to have a good
time. We said our goodbyes, as we were off on our travels the next day.
I
had decided to travel to my home town of Princeton, Ontario to plant flowers at
the gravestones of my mother and grandparents. After leaving Burlington we
headed back towards the Champlain Islands and took the ferry to Plattsburgh,
New York and then headed across rural New York to the border crossing at
Ogdensburg. We then headed west on the 401. While the day in Princeton was a
bit wet we did manage to purchase geraniums at a local nursery and then plant
them. We also found time to visit the new library facilities for the Oxford
Branch and the Brant Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. These visit indicated
that it was time to return to do some more research at each one.
On
our arrival home the next day, our trip ended successfully!
