WILLIAM GREEN MONTGOMERY
(1863-1943)
William, known as "Will" or "Bill" to friends and "Uncle Billy" to kin, was the youngest child of Willis & Elizabeth (Carpenter) Montgomery. According to his obituary, he was born in 1863 in "Knoxwell [sic], Tennessee" -- just 2 months after his father was killed. When he was 4, his mother moved he and his brother LPC and his sister Margaret (and possibly other siblings) to Gainesville, Texas. Then in 1892, he and his mother left Texas and made the "run" into Oklahoma where they staked out 160 acres near Foss in what was to become Custer County. Will was a true "horseman", having worked in the quarterhorse industry around eastern Oklahoma for most of his life.
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Will's obituary on the front page of The Northwestern Oklahoman newspaper on December 17, 1943, was full of interesting information, but some of it may not be correct.
For one thing, it states that his name was Willis Green Montgomery, like his father's. But his descendents tell me his first name was William, not Willis. We are looking for his birth or death certificate to confirm which name is truly correct.
Another citing in the obituary says that his father, Willis Green Montgomery, "...was killed during the Civil War.", leaving the impression he was in the military. We have not found any documentation to confirm that so far. |
Will married Alice Baker and had two children that we know of -- twins -- Ira and Iva Montgomery, a boy and a girl. It was thought that Alice died in childbirth with the twins in 1889, but that is now under question, since Will had two more children between 1889 and 1894 before marrying his second wife, Mary E. Duncan, in 1895, who bore him six more children.
WILLIAM'S CHILDREN:
Ira Montgomery (1888-?)
Iva Montgomery (1888-?)
Bertha Montgomery (King) (1892-?)
Hiram Willis Montgomery (1893-1918)
Cecil Green Montgomery (abt 1898-?)
Mabel Martice Montgomery (Tucker) (1898-1923)
Lee P. Montgomery (abt 1901-?)
James F. Montgomery (1903-1928)
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Above is a wonderful photo of William's twin children by his first wife, Alice Baker.
On the left is the baby boy Ira, and on the right, the baby girl Iva.
Graciously donated by Hester Hickey of Reydon, OK.
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The photo at left is a portion of the larger family photo taken about 1903 (which can be seen on the Willis Green Montgomery page).
Found in this photo are William G. Montgomery and his second wife Mary Ellen (Duncan) Montgomery, and (we believe), six of William's children from both marriages.
If we have the children identified properly, it means Bertha and Cecil were not present at the time of the family portrait. They would have been only about 11 and 10 respectively, so it's a mystery as to why they wouldn't have been at such an important family gathering. |
Hester Hickey of Reydon, OK graciously contributed this high school graduation announcement for William's son, Cecil G. Montgomery dated 1915.
Buried next to Will & Mary Ellen at the cemetery in Shattuck, Oklahoma are:
- Hiram Willis Montgomery (and his wife Esta)
- James F. Montgomery
- Mabel Martice (Montgomery) Tucker
- Bertha's first husband, Harry James Teten
The Mason Funeral Home in Shattuck handled W.G.'s burial, and most of the other members of the family.
According to William's obituary, Bertha and her husband John King were living in Perryton, Texas at the time of her father's death. Cecil was living in Hutchinson, Kansas (where his father was staying when he died), his daughter Iva (Montgomery) Clies was living in California, and his son Lee was in St. Louis.
(l. to r.) William Green Montgomery, Mary E.(Duncan) Montgomery, Mabel Martice Montgomery, Harry James Teten, James F. Montgomery, Esta (Newman) Montgomery, and Hiram Willis Montgomery.
Top photo scanned from the 1942 original donated by Hester Hickey, of Sayre, OK; 1998
Second photo taken at Shattuck Cemetery, July 1998 by Marilyn Montgomery
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