James D. Montgomery was an early resident of both Clark and Scott County IN. He had a
large family and many of his descendants still live in these areas. He was born 10 Sep
1824 in IN and died 31 May 1889. He married Mary Jane Green, daughter of William C. Green
and Sophia Denton, in Clark County on 08 Feb 1851.
The identity of his father, however, is somewhat of a mystery. There are two main schools
of thought. The first group identifies his parents as John Montgomery b. 16 Apr 1782 and
his wife Sarah ? b. 16 Apr 1782. John is the son of William Montgomery b. 1754 and his
wife Mary Johnston. This is largely based on an LDS submission made by Mr. Christian
Badger of Jeffersonville. Mr. Badger is a name sake of another Christian Badger, b. Abt.
1819, who was married to Lereen M. Green, a sister of Mary Jane Green.
I was able to contact Mr. Badger a few years ago. Unfortunately, he was not able to
remember where he got the information that John Montgomery was the father of James D.
Montgomery. He said that it might have been in a Green family folder at the Scottsburg
library. I have not had the opportunity to search for it and I would appreciate the
information if anyone can find it.
The other school of thought is based on information provided by Mrs. Cleona Surber of
Scottsburg, who is a descendant of James D. Montgomery. She indicated that she found a
slip of paper in a deceased aunt's sewing drawer stating that Robert Montgomery
(another son of William Montgomery and Mary Johnston) was the father of James Daniel
Montgomery.
I have investigated this problem for several years, and still have no definitive answer.
However, I have made many interesting discoveries along the way. My position has shifted
several times based on these discoveries.
I will present some of the relevant facts for anyone who is interested in this question.
First, we have to look at the pre-1850 census records to see if they have a son in the
right age range. First John then Robert moved to Oldham Co. KY where they are presumed to
have died. In the 1830 census John does have 1 male child in the 5-10 year age range,
which would be consistent with James D. However, it is likely that this child would have
been born in KY and James D. indicates that he was born in Indiana. In the 1840 census of
Oldham County Robert has a male child in the 10-15 range which could be consistent with
James D., and this child would have been born before the move to KY.
We also have to look at the birthplace of James' parents. In the 1880 census, James
states that his father was born in PA. This would fit either John or Robert. He also
states that his mother was born in IN (which is unlikely). John's wife, Sarah was
born in PA, and James should have known that. Robert has three known wives. James'
mother would have been the second wife Nancy Dunbar McNew whom he married in 1823. It is
likely that she died while James was young, and he may not have known much about her.
Another point to consider is relationships to the Green family. John Montgomery did have
a grandson who was married into the Green family. Thomas Montgomery was the son of
John's son William Montgomery b. 22 Oct 1803 and Polly Crim. Thomas married Martha
Missouri Green on 27 Mar 1851 in Jefferson County. Robert had a step-son who married into
the Green family. Robert's third wife was Elizabeth Crim Wheeler, the sister of Polly
Crim and the widow of Layton Wheeler. Elizabeth was also the mother of Josiah Wheeler who
married Harriett Elizabeth Green, another sister of Mary Jane Green.
Robert has one additional connection to the Green family. The third wife of William C.
Green was Priscilla McNew LeMaster, the widow of Abraham LeMaster. Robert's first
wife was Elizabeth McNew, and I have not been able to identify her parents. His second
wife was Nancy Dunbar McNew the widow of Willis McNew, the brother of Priscilla McNew. It
is obvious that Robert would have known William C. Green through this relationship.
Finally, we need to consider the names of the children of James D. Montgomery. James did
have children named both John Harvey and Robert. However, his use of the name Harvey is
significant. Harvey was an uncommon name for that time. There were only 10 people named
Harvey in all of Clark County in the 1850 census, but Robert Montgomery also had a son
named Harvey Montgomery.
I am interested in input from anyone interested in or connected to these families.
Warren