Queen Catharine Montour was a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and French woman, who served as the matriarch and namesake of Montour Falls, New York. A heroine who led her people to safety to Fort Niagara at the end of the American Revolution when her village and other Haudenosaunee settlements were being desecrated, Montour inspired author Cynthia G. Neale to write the historical novel, Catharine, Queen of the Tumbling Waters. The book eventually made its way into the hands of one of Catharine Montour’s descendants, Jaime L. Montour.

Join us for this unique talk as Cynthia G. Neale discusses the inspiration behind her novel and Jaime L. Montour shares her lineage journey and how Neale’s book helped her on her path to ensure that the Montour name, as well as the Six Nations, continue to rise with voice, healing, and purpose.

Cynthia G. Neale is the author of several plays, stories, and novels including Catharine, Queen of the Tumbling Waters and the four-part Irish Dresser series. She holds a B.A. in Writing and Literature from Vermont College.

Jaime L. Montour is a paralegal, Life & Wellness Coach, and Knowledge Keeper from Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation No. 40 in Ontario, Canada. She is one of the few known descendants of Queen Catharine Montour.

Registration is recommended, but not required.

This is an in-person program that will also be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@RochesterPublicLibraryNY/streams 

This event is presented by the Local History & Genealogy Division and supported by Fleet Feet with a corporate sponsorship through Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library.