My First Family of Shelby County


Some of the first families in Shelby Co., were those in the Low Dutch Tract that straddles Henry Co.  It was about 10,000 acres purchased from Squire Boone in 1784.  Settlement became permanent in 1786.  A town: Banta Town came into existence, which was later changed to Pleasureville.


     Families included: Comingore, Vories, Shuck, Banta, Vanisdal, Demaree (Demarest), Bank, Montfort, Mason, Spade, Cozine, Cosart, and Brewer.  The spelling varied somewhat at the time and over time.
     I am related to Banta, Demarest, Montfort and Brewer.  Many of these families came from Holland in the mid 1600s to New York and then New Jersey and the Hudson Valley.  A cluster of them combined with some French families went next to Pennsylvania and then down to Harrodsville, Kentucky and finally to Shelby County.  Some moved on to Indiana and Missouri after that.  My Bantas ended up in California some generations later.

 

Ralph J. Turner,  fourth great grandson of Abraham Banta.
 

 

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