Historical Connection
The Montague lineage traces thirty documented generations from the present day back to Drogo de Montagu (1040-1086), a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, spanning 941 years of continuous genealogical record. The family originated in Montaigu-les-Bois, Manche, Normandy, France—the very place from which their surname derives. Following the Norman Conquest, Drogo was granted lands in Somerset, establishing the English branch of the Montagu dynasty that would produce Barons, Earls, Knights of the Realm, and a King of the Isle of Man across seven centuries of medieval English history.
The direct line includes John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, who was executed in 1400 for his role in the Epiphany Rising against Henry IV. This execution fundamentally altered the family's trajectory: his son Richard Montagu (1389-1429) established a cadet branch in Boveney, Berkshire, maintaining the ancestral arms—Argent, three fusils conjoined in fess gules, between three roundels sable—for five centuries. Richard Montagu (1614-1681) immigrated to Colonial Massachusetts in the 1640s, establishing the American branch that continues unbroken to the present generation.
Documented Ancestry
End of Documented Record
Historical Note
The Montague lineage traces thirty documented generations spanning 941 years (1040–1981), from Drogo de Montagu—a Norman knight who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066—through medieval English nobility to the present day. Born in Montaigu-les-Bois, Normandy, Drogo was a trusted companion of Robert, Earl of Mortain (William the Conqueror's favorite brother) and participated in the Norman invasion force that conquered England. Following the victory at Hastings, Drogo was granted extensive lands in Somerset, where he established the English Montagu dynasty.
Through succeeding generations, the family served English monarchs as Barons, Earls, Sheriffs, and Knights of the Realm. Sir William de Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1301–1344) was King of the Isle of Man and a founding Knight of the Order of the Garter under Edward III. His great-grandson, John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (1357–1400), was beheaded for treason after the Epiphany Rising against Henry IV—an execution that fundamentally altered the family's course.
Following the execution, John's son Richard Montagu established a cadet branch in Boveney, Berkshire, maintaining the ancestral arms that confirmed their descent from the ancient Montagu family. Richard Montagu (1614–1681) immigrated to Colonial Massachusetts in the 1640s, establishing the American branch that continues to Terry Christopher Montague in the present generation.
House of Slayton
Slayton Lineage (Maternal Surname Line)
End of Documented Record
Characteristics of the Slaytons
Contemporary observers and family chroniclers consistently described the Slaytons as practical, industrious, and self-reliant. The greatest number were farmers—often notably successful ones—frequently establishing large orchards and improving the land wherever they settled. Mechanical aptitude was common; many were skilled tradesmen, inventors, carpenters, blacksmiths, and engineers. Several entered professional callings as physicians, dentists, ministers, and teachers, yet few sought prominence for its own sake.
The family was widely regarded as law-abiding and peaceable. No tradition exists of Slaytons being habitual litigants or criminals, and literacy was nearly universal among them. Musical ability—particularly vocal music—appears repeatedly in family accounts. Large families were characteristic, and the Slaytons were noted for domestic stability, long marriages, and strong kinship ties across generations.
Origin of the Name
The precise origin of the surname Slayton was already uncertain to nineteenth-century researchers. Extensive correspondence with record keepers in England, Scotland, and Wales failed to identify a definitive place of origin. Early American records show the name appearing as Slaton and Slayton interchangeably, with the spelling stabilizing after approximately 1760 among the descendants of Thomas Slayton of Brookfield, Massachusetts.
Family tradition held that all Slaytons retaining the letter “y” were related, a belief largely supported by surviving New England records. Several theories were proposed, including derivation from occupational surnames such as Slater or from English or Scottish place-names, but none could be conclusively proven. By the late eighteenth century, the spelling Slayton had become firmly fixed among the principal New England line, distinguishing it from other, unrelated Slaton families.
