Montgomerys Of Charlotte County

This is the interpretation of the data collected on the Montgomery families of Charlotte County, New Brunswick. Numerous sources were consulted and all are available upon request. The facts in the database that I have compiled are often inaccurate or conflicting, prompting the following elucidation. The mass of the data and the respective sources is large and largely confusing that I have not included it here.

This report is my work I claim all rights to it. I encourage suggestions and alternate interpretations, but not wholesale copying and distribution of this report. Due credit to sources is given as I have described above, but only listed below when citing quoting from published works.

Please contact the author for source information or corrections.

William D. Romanski, 16 Boulder Road, Hopkinton, RI 02833 

William Montgomery came with his family to NewBrunswick in 1827. He was trained as a blacksmith, nail maker and filer, and with these skills took up work in St. Andrews in the shipbuilding business. In 1838 he was granted two tracts of land in the Parish of Saint Patrick (later Dumbarton) in Charlotte County totaling about 210 acres. (See Map 1: Crown Grants.) He had been living in Saint Patrick at the time of the Grant and it has been said that he and his family were there before that.

Before residing on the granted land, William Montgomery and his family lived on the west side of the Rollingdam Road close to where the United Church now stands (a few yards north, according to the Rev Charles Smith). William never owned any land here, so this spot was either rented or simply squatted on. A testament to the short time he intended to stay at the spot can be seen in the structure in which he chose to house his family. It has been told that the first house was a mere log cabin. This abode was a crudely and probably hastily constructed house, certainly a temporary measure. Family legend holds that the family moved into their newly built frame house on the Whittier Ridge Road in 1831. If this is true then the family was on the land before it was granted.

The tract of land that the Montgomery family house was on was one of two tracts granted to William. The fact that William was granted two tracts, totaling more than two hundred acres, suggests that he had serviced the crown in some way, perhaps with military service. This has yet to be determined. Nonetheless, the homestead tract was cut by the road from the Rollingdam to Whittier's Ridge. The lot was bounded by the Digdeguash River on the West, a lot granted to John Montgomery on the North, one by Matthew Lynch on the East and one by Edward Fitzmaurice on the south. This tract, known as Lots B and C in the original Survey, contained about 170 acres. This land was farmed and William resided on the north half; and taking into consideration William's trade, it is likely that he operated a small smithy here. Part of the tract near the river was sold to Henry Styles, proprietor of the Styles Mill, in 1851. William's will of 1859, bequeathed the north half of Lots B and C to his wife Mary and son James Montgomery, James to acquire the land after his mother's death, but James had moved West well before his mother's passing. I am not sure what became of this land. The south half of the lot was left by William to his son Robert, with the instruction to him to pay to his mother Mary "the sum of twenty one pounds in three yearly installments of seven pounds each, first payment to commence in six months after my death."

The second tract granted to William Montgomery was located upstream from the first. This lot, Lot 2, is of forty acres, bounded on the north by that of Samuel McFarlane, south by an M Montgomery and the west by the Digdeguash River. The eastern boundary appears to be on Crown land. The road that was run up through this area barely exists today. I have not been able to determine what became of this land.

Adjoining the northern granted tract, Lot 2, was a tract granted to William's widow Mary in 1869. This tract, known as Lot M, contained 61 acres. It seems unusual to me that not only is this family granted two original tracts, then another several years later, but that the widow of William is thus granted as well. This implies that William must have done some service to the crown, possibly military.

William Montgomery sold one hundred acres of land to his son William Montgomery, Jr., in 1841. This land is located on the same Whittier Ridge Road that William, Sr., lived on. It is bounded on the north by that of Edward Fitzmaurice, east by Matthew Lynch, south by Henry Whither (later owned by Harrison Hatch), and the west by the Road. The original grant went to David Laiton and was called Lot 1. I have not yet determined how William, Sr., came into this land. This farm was later owned and occupied by Peter Ashley.

On the north boundary of William, Sr.'s, granted land on the Whittier Ridge Road, laid a tract of 120 acres that was granted to one John Montgomery in 1839. Extraordinarily little is known about John Montgomery, although he may be William Montgomery's brother. John Montgomery had mortgaged in 1843 the land to James Hutchinson. John died about 1848 and William took over the mortgage, making payments to Hutchinson. In William's last will and testament of 1859 he leaves this land to his (William's) son John Montgomery, who stayed at this place until his death in 1920.

James Montgomery acquired 100 acres of land in 1836 from Mary, widow of James Parkinson, for the sum of sixty pounds. The tract was "clear half" of Lot 9 on the Digdeguash River originally granted to Thomas Greenlaw and located on the main road in Rollingdam, a bit south of where William and his family first stayed. This is where James and Jane Montgomery and their family resided. James sold clear half of his lot, a fourth of the original tract, to Alexander McCann in 1839. After James's death sometime between 1851 and 1861, the land passed to his widow. In 1878, widow Jane and her children John, James, Nancy (Agnes), and Sarah signed a quitclaim deed that passed ownership of the land to son Robert. Robert died in 1882, leaving the land to his son John, under the guardianship of his brother and executor of his will John. James may be a brother of William Montgomery.

Tradition has it that the Montgomerys were from County Armagh in Ireland. The name Montgomery has Scottish origins, which suggests that William Montgomery's father or grandfather was born in Scotland and settled the Northern Ireland after the English chased out (to put it mildly) the native Catholics there. This makes William Montgomery what is known as Scotch-Irish, Scots-Irish, or Black Irish. Further evidence to the Scottish origins is the fact the William and Mary Ann Montgomery had several of their children baptized by the Presbyterian Church of Saint Patrick in connection with the Church of Scotland. William was born, probably in Armagh, about 1785. He married first to a woman named Anna (some say her maiden name was Creighton) there about 1810. At least four children came of this marriage, John born about 1809 (who must have died young or remained in Ireland), Matilda Elizabeth 1811, William 1813, and Mary 1816. The children and new wife Mary Ann traveled with William to Canada in 1827. Anna died sometime between 1816, when the last known child was born, and 1827 when they left Ireland.

Before he and his three children left for New Brunswick, William Montgomery married again, this time to Mary Ann Creighton (some say Anna's sister). There exists no record of marriage in New Brunswick for William and Mary Ann, so it is safe to say they were married in Ireland. Mary Ann is said to have been born in Derry, or Londonderry, Ireland, which doesn't even border Armagh. Being so far into the past, shrouded by the veil of years, and lacking any documentation, hearsay will have to suffice if one wishes to claim any particular place of origin in Ireland. So one should take these particular suggestions with an open mind. All could be certain or all could be completely without warrant. [See the bibliography for general historic notations and the end for a complete list of sources of family information.]

If family legend is to be trusted, these four Montgomerys settled on the main road in Rollingdam near the present site of the Churches. Here two children were born to William and Mary Ann, Matilda Jane in 1829 and Nancy in 1831. After 1831 the family was living at the frame house on Whittier Ridge Road where the rest of the children were born: Margaret 1835 (died young), James Christopher 1837, Robert 1840, Margaret 1843, Rachel 1846, Rebecca 1848, John 1851, Stewart 1853, and Joseph 1858. It is also told that there was another daughter that died as an infant. Guessing from the gap in births, it could be that she was born before James Christopher.

The Children of William and Anna (Creighton?) Montgomery

Matilda Elizabeth Montgomery (b. 1811) married John Samuel McGuire in 1833. It is unknown where they resided. They had several children: Thomas 1836, Mary Jane 1837, John 1837, Charles 1840, William J 1842, Margaret Elizabeth 1840, Martha Ann 1846, Robert 1847, Samuel W 1848, Lucinda 1851 and Ella Mae 1854. Charles died in 1876 and was buried in the Elmsville Cemetery in St. Patrick. Margaret married William Reid about 1868; she died in 1909 and was buried in the Elmsville Cemetery. Robert married Clemina Leighton Graham about 1879. Samuel was married to a woman named Euphemia; he died 1898 and was buried in the Elmsville Cemetery. The lines of many of these children are unknown. Matilda Elizabeth Montgomery McGuire died in 1876 and was buried in the Elmsville Cemetery. John Samuel McGuire died in 1881 and was buried alongside his wife.

Mary Montgomery (b. 1818) is supposed to have married Levi Greenlaw, although I have been unable to find documentation of this marriage. It is supposed that they lived in Greenock, likely on land originally granted to Greenlaws. They had many children: Elmira 1836, Mary Etta 1837, Josiah 1839, Elizabeth 1842, Eleanor 1844, Lavina 1846, Ellis 1848, Lucinda 1850, Levi 1854, Sarah Alice 1856, and John E 1858. Mary Etta married James Cathcart; she died in 1915. Josiah married Naomi Greenlaw; he died in 1916. Elizabeth married Thomas Orr; she died in 1908 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Eleanor married John Scullin; she died in 1911 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Lavina married Caleb Bartlett; she died in 1888 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Lucinda married George Henry Hawthorne; she died in 1908 at Waweig in St. Croix parish. Levi married Ellen Scullin. Sarah married James Reid; she died in 1948. John married Sarah Nutter; he died in 1924. Mary Montgomery Greenlaw died in 1889 at the age of 72. Her husband Levi died some time before that.

The Levi Greenlaw farm in 1861 was 80 acres, half of which was improved, with a cash value of $1200. Levi had 1 horse, 5 milk cows, 1 working ox, 4 cattle, 27 sheep, and 4 pigs. His production was 200 pounds of pork, 400 pounds of butter, 60 pounds of wool, 18 tons of hay from 20 acres, 100 bushels of oats from 7 acres, 14 bushels of buckwheat from 1 acre, 200 bushels of potatoes from 1 1/2 acres, and $40 worth of "cloth and other home manufacture."

William Montgomery (b. 1826) first married Ann McGreedy about 1854. They lived on the Whittier Ridge, on the 100-acre tract of land sold to William by his father in 1841 as described above. They had eight children before Ann died in 1879: Mary Alice 1854, William Howard 1856, James Allen 1858, John Harvey 1860, Helena 1863, Charles E 1866, Florence A 1868, and Charlotte 1870. John married Eleanor Kelly in 1881. Particulars of the rest of the children are not known.

In 1861, William's farm contained 165 acres, of which 40 were improved, with a total value of $800. He had 1 horse, 4 milk cows, 2 cattle, 11 sheep, and 2 pigs. He had produced 300 pounds of pork, 400 pounds of butter, 32 pounds of wool, 12 tons of hay from 14 acres, 200 bushels of oats from 10 acres, 40 bushels of turnips from 1/4 acre, 100 bushels of potatoes from 1 acre, and $16 worth of "cloth and other home manufacture."

After Ann McGreedy Montgomery's death, William remarried. He married Elizabeth Jane Johnston of Richibucto, Kent County in 1881. They had three children: Stewart Colin 1882, Henry 1884 and Duncan. Stewart married Lavonia McLay in 1911. Henry died in 1951 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. William Montgomery died in 1892 of La Grippe, aged 73 years. He too is buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery.

The Children of William and Mary Ann Creighton Montgomery

Matilda Jane (b. 1829), called Jane, married William Simpson (possibly William Jacob Simpson) in 1873. It was William Simpson's second marriage, first being married to Elizabeth Crossett. William and Jane did not have any children. It is unknown when Jane died or where she was buried.

Nancy (b. 1830) married James Hewitt of McMinn in 1855. They lived on the main road in McMinn. The house, called the Homestead, is still standing. James and Nancy's son Samuel Milton, called Milton, who transferred it to his nephew Lloyd McCrum, later owned the house. Lloyd McCrum was the last family member to own the Homestead. The place is said to have a huge stone fireplace which takes up a whole wall. James and Nancy Hewitt had nine children: Rachel Jane 1856, Nancy Elizabeth 1857, Mary Emiline 1860, George Wellington 1862, James Franklin 1865, William John 1867, Robert Melvin 1868, Thomas Alexander 1871, and Samuel Milton 1878. Rachel Jane married Robert McCrum; she died in 1918 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. It was their son who owned the Homestead. Nancy Elizabeth married James McCrum; she died in 1922 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Mary Emiline married John McCracken. James Franklin married Pheobe Yates in Humboldt, California where they lived. Samuel Milton married Myrtle Roach; he died in 1951. Nancy died on the first of January 1911. It is unknown where she or her husband James Hewitt are buried, but it is likely that they were buried at the homestead.

James Christopher (b. 1830), called Christie, went out west in 1864. He likely settled in Humboldt County, California where many New Brunswickers lived. His fate is unknown. In 1861 he was the head of the old William Montgomery farm on the Whittier Ridge Road, his father having died the year before. The farm's total size was 300 acres, 25 of which were improved, with a total value of $1000. This farm encompassed both the John Montgomery grant and the adjacent William Montgomery grant. Christy had 2 horses, 5 milk cows, 1 working ox, 5 cattle, 12 sheep and 3 pigs. The output was 200 pounds of pork, 400 pounds of butter, 30 pounds of wool, 17 tons of hay from 20 acres, 8 bushels of wheat from 1/2 acre, 22 bushels of barley from 1 acre, 100 bushels of oats from 8 acres, 150 bushels of potatoes from 1 1/2 acres, and $25 worth of "Cloth and other home manufacture."

Robert Henry (b. 1840) married Amy Murphy in 1875. Robert was called "Yankee Bob" because he worked in the hemlock bark business in the Spednic Lake and Grand Lake Stream areas of Maine. Robert and Amy had two children: Lucy Ann 1877, and Christopher Emery "Christie." Christie married Elsie Hamilton; he died in 1929 and was buried at the Rollingdam United Cemetery.

Margaret (b. 1843) married Farnham Wiley. She died at Milltown, St. Stephen parish in 1899.

Rachel (b. 1846) married Thomas Cathcart in 1865. They had nine children: Margaret Jane 1866, Robert Montgomery 1868, Emma Gertrude 1870, Mary Inez 1872, William John 1873, Charlotte Elizabeth 1875, Thomas Christopher 1878, Samuel Creighton 1885, and Rachel Almeida 1887. William John died in 1895 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Mary Inez married Joseph Edward Thomas in 1920. Charlotte Elizabeth "Lottie" died in 1912 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Thomas Christopher "Christie" died in 1930 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Samuel married Annie Isabelle Ruddock in 1919. Rachel Almedia "Meda" married James W McBride in 1914. Rachel Montgomery Cathcart died in 1915 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery.

Rebecca (b. 1848), in 1871, married Robert Montgomery, son of James and Jane Montgomery, also of St. Patrick. They had three children: Edith 1870, John 1873, and Effa 1877. Edith married George French and they lived in British Columbia. John, called Willard to distinguish his from Robert's brother John, moved to West Virginia. He married a woman by the name of Bessie; they had at least two children: Howard and Helen. Effa married William McKay and they lived in Canterbury, York County, New Brunswick. Rebecca died in 1878 and Robert in 1882.

John E (b. 1851) married Mary Etta Murphy in 1875. They had two children: Minnie E in 1868 and Melvin G in 1875. Minnie married a man named Dyer. Melvin married Annie Cumberland. John died in 1920 and was buried in the Rollingdam Baptist Cemetery.

Joseph (b. 1856) married Leiola Simpson in 1882. They had six children: Plumeth Josephine 1884, Clara Vashti 1888, Pauline V 1889, Farham Wiley 1894, Gladys Cleophus 1895, and Virginia Christine 1898. Plumeth Josephine married Willard Lawson Smith in 1903; she died in 1941. Clara Vashti married Winslow Johnson in 1905; she died in 1962. Pauline V died in 1893 and was buried in Rollingdam United Cemetery. Farnham Wiley married Helen G Breen; he died in 1985 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery. Gladys Cleophus married Hosea Linton Little; she died in 1948 and was buried in the Oak Bay Cemetery. Virginia Christine married Chester G Small in 1915. Joseph died in 1931 and was buried at the Rollingdam United Cemetery.

Stewart (b. 1852) died May 18 1876 and was buried in the Rollingdam United Cemetery.

William Montgomery from Ireland died January 7, 1860 at Rollingdam. He was buried in the Rollingdam Baptist Cemetery, not far from the spot where he first settled in 1827. Mary Ann Creighton Montgomery died August 23, 1898 at Rollingdam. It is unknown where Mary Ann was buried but it is likely she rests with her husband.

James and Jane Montgomery came to New Brunswick in 1830, likely living for a time in St. Andrews. They were certainly married in Ireland (the claim of one researched that they were married in Carnmoney, Antrim is unfounded), where at least three children were born: Mary 1826, John 1828, and Margaret 1829. The other four children, Agnes, 1832, James 1834, Robert 1837, and Sarah 1841, were likely born in St. Andrews. This Montgomery family was Presbyterian as well. They lived on the west side of the Rollingdam road near McCann's corner. The corner did not exist at the time of their residence, but the name probably came from the McCann family to which James sold part of this land at that place.

The James Montgomerys first stayed in St. Andrews parish, probably the town itself; for when James purchased the land from Mary Parkinson in 1836, he was living in that parish. By 1851 he and his family were living in St. Patrick on the purchased land. James died some time between 1851 and 1861. Jane died January of 1879.

Mary (b. 1826, Ireland) married William Lewis in 1843 in Charlotte County. William was born in Sanford, Maine in 1797. Just exactly how he came to be in Charlotte County is not certain. William moved his family to Buckfield, Oxford County, Maine in 1858. They had at least four children in New Brunswick: William J 1845, Sarah 1848, James 1852 and George 1855. In Maine two more children were born: Mary Jane 1859 and Fairfield in 1862. William the father died in Buckfield in 1883. Mary Montgomery Lewis hanged herself in 1893.

John (b. 1828, Ireland) never married. Lame John, as he was called due to an amputated leg, ran a general store, probably on the main road in Rollingdam where the homestead was and where he lived. After his brother Robert's death in 1882, John, as executor of Robert's will helped in the care of Robert's three orphaned children, and was certainly legally responsible for the land. By 1891 he was living with Joseph Montgomery, William's son, in Rollingdam, with Effie, Robert's daughter (see below). John died in 1895.

Margaret (b. 1829, Ireland) married Lawrence Grant in 1849. They lived in the St. David parish. They had seven children: Edward 1849, William 1852, James 1854, Mary 1856, Jane 1858, Sarah 1862, and Patrick 1868. Little is known of this family. Edward's wife was named Annie; they had two children: Charles Edward 1873, and Lawrence Edward 1891, who both died young. They lived in Calais, Maine. Patrick married Annie Clark in 1889 and had four children: Arthur 1892, Emma 1896, Gladys 1898, and Edward 1908. Margaret died sometime before 1881 and Lawrence sometime after 1881.

Agnes (b. 1832) married John McLain and lived in Milltown.

James (b. 1834, New Brunswick) is said to have been born in Chamcook in St. Andrews. He married Izetta Collins Lever about 1860. They had twelve children: Margaret 1861, Mary 1867, Anna M 1869, Margaret 1871, Jane C 1872, Jessie 1874, Moses Lever 1875, Elizabeth Olive 1877, Carrie E 1878, James Benjamin 1879, Bertha 1881, Josephine 1883, John 1885, and Alice 1887. It is likely that two Margarets are the same person and records are inconsistent. Anna M died at Milltown, St. Stephen, in 1896 aged 27 years. Jessie died at Milltown in 1910, aged 36 years. Moses Lever married in 1908 to Ethel Clark. They had nine children. Moses died in 1942. James died in 1890 at Milltown, of blood poisoning. He was 56 years old. Izetta died in 1908 at Milltown at the age of 60.

James was the head of the family farm in the 1861 census. The farm was described as being of 20 acres improved and 30 acres unimproved, with a total value of $200. He was at that time in possession of 1 horse, 2 milk cows, 1 cow, 2 sheep, and 1 pig. His stores included 150 pounds of pork, 100 pounds of butter, 7 pounds of wool, 5 tons of hay from 5 acres, 50 bushels of oats from 2 acres, 8 bushels of buckwheat from a half of an acre, 100 bushels of potatoes from 1 acre.

Robert (b. 1839, New Brunswick) married Rebecca Montgomery, daughter of William Montgomery and Anna Creighton, in 1871 Rebecca (b. 1848), in 1871. They had three children: Edith 1870, John 1873, and Effa 1877. Edith married George French and they lived in British Columbia. John, called Willard to distinguish his from Robert's brother John, moved to West Virginia. He married a woman by the name of Bessie; they had at least two children: Howard and Helen. Effa married William McKay and they lived in Canterbury, York County, New Brunswick. Rebecca died in 1878 and Robert in 1882. After the death of Robert and Rebecca, the children were raised by their Uncle John Montgomery, Robert's brother. Robert's last will and testament was signed the first of September 1878, which left all his "real estate and personal property" to his three children. The real estate was, of course, the original tract sold to James on the Rollingdam Road near McCann's corner.

Sarah (b. 1841, New Brunswick) was unmarried as of 1881. What became of her is unknown. There are two more possible children of James and Jane Montgomery. Jane Montgomery was born in New Brunswick in 1830. She was living in St. Stephen parish as a servant in the Thomas Abbott family in 1851. Eliza Montgomery was born about 1831 in New Brunswick. In 1851 she was lodging with the Cyrus Young family, who lived near the Abbotts mentioned above. If these are daughters of James and Jane Montgomery, their birth dates are consistent with James and Jane's arrival in the Province in 1830.

William Lewis was born in Sanford, Maine in 1797, to James and Elizabeth (Clay) Lewis. His family moved to Buckfield, Maine (in Oxford County) in 1801. It isn't clear exactly how it came to pass that William was in Charlotte County to marry Mary in 1843. One suggestion evokes William's grandfather William Lewis. This William Lewis was a sea captain who, consequently, was lost at sear during the American Revolution. Perhaps William too was involved in the sea trade, which would surely have brought him to St. Andrews, a thriving port of call during the nineteenth century.

Nonetheless, William and Mary Lewis settled in Rollingdam. There four children were born: William J. 18 September 1844, Sarah, 1847, James Montgomery 19 April 1851, George W 19 March 1855. Upon the death of his father in about 1858, William sold his property in Rollingdam and removed his family to Buckfield. Resettling in Buckfield, to the family were born two more children: Mary Jane June 1858 or 1859, and Fairfield 25 October 1862.

The date of William Lewis's death is open to debate. He certainly died in Buckfield. That town's own vital records give two dates: 2 February 1883 and 2 May 1883. William's headstone bears another date yet, July 1879. Mary, being reportedly despondent for some time, hanged herself from the stair banister 5 October 1893. She is buried with her headstone facing away from the others in the cemetery, indicating suicide.

William J (b. 1844), a farmer, married Alice H Starbird. They had children: Annie 1868, Ellen 1871, and William A 1878. William J died 16 July 1915, having cut his own throat with a straight razor.

Sarah (b. 1847) persuadably died very young. It is unknown whether she died in New Brunswick or Maine. James Montgomery (b. 1851), also a farmer, married Eunice Jane Dudley. They had three sons Charlie, Harry and Wilbur. They had at least one daughter, Maud who married Charles Farrar. Charles and Maud Farrar had at least one daughter Clara who married Harold Henry; these are the parents of Shirley Redden.

George W (b. 1855) never married. He hanged himself in his brother James's barn 24 April 1923.

Mary Jane (b. 1858) declared intentions to marry James Hodgdon in March of 1876. They had a daughter, Lottie, who was born in September of that year. Mary Jane married William Miller in 1882, who turned out to be an abusive husband. Mary Jane died 26 November 1920 in Sterling, Connecticut, where she lived with her daughter Lottie and son-in-law.

Fairfield (b. 1862) married Almira Hodgdon in 1888, who was the sister of the James Hodgdon mentioned above. The marriage ended in divorce, suit brought by Fairfield against his wife for adultery. Fairfield remarried in 1900 to Mary Lord. They had two children who died as infants. Mary died shortly after that. Fairfield froze to death in an abandoned barn in which he had taken shelter, presumably during a snowstorm, while he was making his way on foot from Buckfield to adjacent Paris. His body was found several months after he had died, but it is estimated that he died 15 December 1925.

It is remarkable that in one family there are three suicides mother Mary, William, and George W, not to mention the tragic freezing death of Fairfield. Shirley's grandfather Charles Farrar always had said that there was a "deep streak of melancholia running in the family," and it must have been in the Montgomerys, Mary at least. Shirley notes that her great-grandfather, James Montgomery Lewis, was the only normal one in the bunch. There certainly seems to be an argument for that.

James was described as a tall thin, sandy-haired man with a fair complexion. He was a good sport and had a good sense of humor. He had asthma, which surely contributed the pneumonia to which he succumbed in 1919. James and his wife Eunice had four children: Maud, Charlie, Harry and Wilbur. Maud married Charles Farra. Charles died during the flu Epidemic following World War I, a mere month after he married. Harry survived both his two children and his wife. Harry served in the war in France. During a gas attack, he gave his mask to another soldier who didn't have one. This proved Harry's undoing. Wilbur married Villa Thurston, had five children, and lived to a ripe old age.

John Montgomery appears in few records. He was granted a 120-acre tract of land in St. Patrick in 1839 on the Digdeguash River, known as Lot D. When he mortgaged the property to James Hutchinson in 1843 (for the sum of thirty-seven pounds, ten shillings), John was living in St. Stephen parish. He died about 1848. This is when William Montgomery took over the mortgage (for the sum of thirty-five pounds, plus interest).

It is possible that the two stray Montgomery women, Jane and Eliza, who appeared in the 1851 census of St. Stephen (as described in the family of James and Jane Montgomery), were in fact the daughters of John Montgomery. Since John lived in the St. Stephen parish near the end of his life, perhaps he was survived by Jane and Eliza.

William, James-and likely John-Montgomery were all born in Ulster Ireland in the late seventeen hundreds. It is likely that their parents of grandparents were born in Scotland and had immigrated to Ireland at the behest of the Crown. There was a clan of Hiberno-Norman Montgomerys from Cork, but MacLysaght claims that they are probably extinct.

The Montgomerys are said to be an Anglo-Norman tribe, Roger de Montgomery coming to the British Isles with William the Conqueror in 1066. The Norman location of the Montgomerys is historically Lisieux, Normandy. (D B Montgomery further states that the name may be of Danish or Swedish extraction.) The family derives its name from the castle Ste Foi de Montgomerie at that place. It is said that the name can be traced back to a Roman commander called Gomericus.

King William made Roger de Montgomery Earl of Shropshire and Shrewsbury, and Roger's invasion of a part of Wales left his mark by the county there called Montgomery. Robert, as descendant of Roger was granted land at Eaglesham in Renfrewshire, and thus the Montgomerys made their way to Scotland.

Sources:

Clan Montgomery, Eliectricscotland.com A Genealogical History of the Montgomerys and Their Descendants, Montgomery, D B, J P Co, Publisher,Owens, IN, 1903. Montgomery, Scotclans.com The Surnames of Ireland, MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Academic Press, Dublin, Portland, OR, 1999.