Sarah Ann (Blunt) Montgomery (abt. 1834 - 1909)

Born about 1834 in Illinois, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of William P Hess — married 1850 in Monongalia, Virginia, United States

Wife of Squire Montgomery — married 22 Mar 1863 in Albany, Linn, Oregon

Died 18 Nov 1909 at about age 75 in Marion, Oregon, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Samee Lee [send private message]

Biography

Birth
Sarah Ann Blunt aka Blount was born 3 January 1834 in Illinois,^{[1][2][3][4][5]}
the daughter of Lavina Morgan and Henry Blunt.

1850 US Census
District 37, Monongalia County, Virginia^[2]

James Morgan, 81, b Virginia, farmer

Lavina Blunt, 44, b Virginia

Sarah A Blunt, 16, b Illinois

Monongalia County was formed in 1776 when Virginia's remote District of West Augusta was divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania and Monongalia, all named for their most prominent rivers. It became part of West Virginia when it became a state in 1863.^[6]

1850 Marriage
Sarah Ann Blunt and William P Hess married 22 December 1850 in Monongalia, Virginia by Rev. Caleb S. Price.^[3][7]

They had a daughter in born in 1852: Harriet Hess ^[8]

1850 - Sarah Blunt & William R Hess Marriage

By 1858, Sarah was widowed and living in Virginia with daughter Harriett and her widowed mother, Lavina Blunt, when Lavina's brother, Nathan Morgan, returned from Oregon to take them to Indiana to join Lavina's sisters, Juliette Dawson and Lucinda McDermit, and their families.^[9]

1860 US Census
Pike Township, Marion, Indiana^[8]

John R Dawson, 43, farmer; his wife and 6 children

Nathan S Morgan 44, b Virginia, carpenter

Jenna Blunt, 50, b Illinois, seamstress [Lavina?]

[Sarah] Ann Hess, 28, b Illinois, seamstress

Harriet Hess, 7, b Virginia

1861 The Oregon Trail
In 1861, Sarah Hess, along with her mother Lavina and daughter Harriett, her uncle Nathan Morgan, and the families of Lavina's sisters, the Dawsons and McDermits, left Indiana on a train of covered wagons to join other Morgan families who had made a similar trip to Albany, Oregon in 1851.^[9]

1863 Marriage
Sarah Ann Hess and Squire Montgomery married 22 March 1863 in Albany, Oregon by Rev. Reuben Coleman Hill.^[4][10] They lived in what was known as the Montgomery home on 5th Street between Calapooia and Vine in Albany, Oregon.^[10]

1863 - Squire Montgomery and Sarah (Blunt) Hess Marriage

They had at least six children born in Oregon:^[11][12]

1. Mamie/Mary Montgomery (1864-after 1909)^[11][12][13]
2. Peter Montgomery (1866-before 1909)^[11]
3. Cena (Montgomery) Cummins Dannals Smith (1869-1924)^{[10][11][12][13][14]}
4. Lynia Montgomery (1869-before 1909)^[12]
5. Cassie Montgomery (1871-before 1903)^[12]
6. James F "Pete" Montgomery (1876-after 1909)^[12][10]

Squire Montgomery had at least three children from his first marriage to Susan A Comley: ^[15]

1. William Spratt Montgomery ^[16]
2. Jennings Ballanger “Jinks” Montgomery^[17]
3. Margaret Montgomery (1859-_)^[8]

1863 Death of grandmother Roxena Blunt
Roxena Blunt died 13 April 1863. She named her 12 children, including Henry and Sarah (Blunt) Butler, who were listed as deceased. Sarah Montgomery, as her father Henry's heir, received $263 from her grandmother's estate on 19 March 1866.^[5]

1863 - Will of Roxena Blunt (List of Heirs dated 1864)

An excerpt from a document in Roxena Blunt's probate papers says,

"Squire Montgomery and Sarah A Montgomery, formerly Sarah A Blunt, daughter of Henry Blunt, her father and Lavina Blunt her mother, and subsequently Sarah A Hess, but now the said Sarah A Montgomery, present wife of the said Squire Montgomery...said Sarah A Montgmery, as daughter, heir, legatee, devisee, of the said Henry Blunt, her father aforesaid, late of the state of Illinois but now deceased..." ^[5]

1870 US Census
Albany, Linn, Oregon^[11]

Squire Montgomery, 38, b Kentucky, livery stable

Blenda [Sarah] Montgomery, 33, b Illinois

Hattie Montgomery, 18, b Virginia

Jennings Montgomery, 16, b Kentucky

Spratt Montgomery, 14, b Kentucky

Mary Montgomery, 6, b Oregon

Peter Montgomery, 4, b Oregon

Sina Montgomery, 1, b Oregon

Nathan Morgan, 54, b Virginia

1877 Death of husband Squire
Squire Montgomery, 45, died 23 January 1877 in Albany, Oregon.

1877- Death of Squire Montgomery

1880 US Census
Ferry Street, Albany, Linn, Oregon^[12]

Sarah E [A] Montgomery, 44, b Illinois

Harriet V Montgomery, 28, b Virginia, daughter

Mamie Montgomery, 15, b Oregon, daughter

Lynia Montgomery, 11, b Oregon, daughter

Cassie Montgomery, 9, b Oregon, daughter

James F Montgomery, 4, b Oregon, son

1900 US Census
Albany, Linn, Oregon^[13]

Sarah Montgomery, 66, b Illinois Jan 1834, 6 children, 5 living, widow

Harriette V Montgomery, 48, b West Virginia Apr 1852, daughter

Mamie L Montgomery, 36, Jan 1864 , daughter, compositor

Sina C Cummins, 30, b Oregon Jun 1869, daughter, widow, 2 children. 1 living

Walter R Cummins, 11, b Oregon Nov 1888, grandson, at school

In about 1904, Sarah and her daughter moved to Salem, Marion, Oregon, where Harriet died at home on 29 Sep 1906. Her obituary says her body was returned to Albany and burial was in the "family lot in the city cemetery." ^[18]

1909 Death and Burial
Sarah A Montgomery, 75, died at the home of Rev. Rufus Thompson on 18 November 1909 in Salem, Marion, Oregon.^{[19][20][21][1]}Her funeral was held in the same building where she was married in 1863 to Squire Montgomery by Dr. Hill, the father of Rev. Thompson; burial in city cemetery (now named Riverside Cemetery, Albany, Linn County, Oregon).^[22]

She was survived by three children: Miss Mae Montgomery, Cena Cummins and James "Pete" Montgomery, also a step son, Spratt Montgomery.^[10]

1909 - Sarah Montgomery - Oregon Death Certificate

Sarah Montgomery Obituary^[10]

1909 - Sarah Montgomery Obituary

Mrs. Montgomery's Funeral ^[23]

1909 - Mrs. Montgomery's Funeral

Research Notes

Re: Sarah's father
Daughter Mamie Montgomery, the informant on Sarah's death certificate, mistakenly reported Sarah's father's name as John Blount. The correct name of the father is Henry Blunt.^[1]

Re: Sarah's grandfather
The probate papers of Sarah's grandmother Roxena Blunt mistakenly says, "...John Blunt grandfather of the said Sarah A Montgomery aforesaid and father of the said Henry Blunt, all now deceased..." ^[5]The correct name of the grandfather is Charles Blunt.

Re: Blunt/Blount
The majority of sources for father Henry's entire family spells their surname "Blunt." The publication "Descendants of Col Morgan Morgan" spells Lavina Morgan's married name as "Blount" ^[9]and that misspelling continued after their move to Oregon. It's unknown how Sarah and her mother spelled their own name.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. Oregon, U.S., State Deaths, 1864-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021. Original data: Oregon Death Records, 1864-1970. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Archives.[1]
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8D6-N5S : 4 April 2020), Sarah A Blunt in household of James Morgan, Monongalia county, Monongalia, Virginia, United States; citing family 1, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "West Virginia Marriages, 1853-1970." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2008, 2009. Digital images of originals housed in County Courthouses in various counties throughout West Virginia. Marriage records.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Ancestry.com. Oregon, Biographical and Other Index Card File, 1700s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Oregon, Biographical and Other Cards. Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon.[2]
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} 1863; Ancestry.com. Wisconsin, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1987 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2015. Original data: Wisconsin County, District and Probate Courts. [3]
6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monongalia County, West Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.(accessed August 27, 2022).
7. ↑ Ancestry.com. West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785-1971 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.[4]
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4FB-HF4 : 19 March 2020), Jenna Blunt in entry for John R Dawson, 1860.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Morgan, French, "Descendants of Col Morgan Morgan", 1950, Washington, D.C. pages 301-309; This "Covered Wagon" story posted on ancestry.com. 4 Feb 2012 by Tom Wilcox [5]
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5} Albany Democrat, Albany, Oregon, 26 Nov 1909, Sarah Montgomery Obituary
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4} "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MF8B-W1V : 19 March 2020), Blenda Montgomery in entry for Squire Montgomery, 1870.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNCL-9SL : 16 July 2017), Sarah E Montgomery, Albany, Linn, Oregon, United States; citing enumeration district ED 69, sheet 315B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,082.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNCL-9SL : 16 July 2017), Sarah E Montgomery, Albany, Linn, Oregon, United States; citing enumeration district ED 69, sheet 315B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,082.
14. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188851336/sina-c-dannals_cummins_smith: accessed 13 January 2024), memorial page for Sina C Montgomery Dannals Cummins Smith (Jun 1869–11 Mar 1924), Find A Grave: Memorial #188851336, citing Riverside Cemetery, Albany, Linn County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by Diane (contributor 47117903).
15. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29081058/susan-a-montgomery: accessed 13 January 2024), memorial page for Susan A Comley Montgomery (4 Feb 1835-2 Apr 1863), Find A Grave: Memorial #29081058, citing Riverside Cemetery, Albany, Linn County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by STEPHANIE RALEY (contributor 49971791).
16. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64461346/william-sprat-montgomery: accessed 13 January 2024), memorial page for William Sprat Montgomery (20 Jun 1855–7 Aug 1926), Find A Grave: Memorial #64461346, citing Hillcrest Cemetery, La Grande, Union County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by Dan & Barbara (contributor 47033260).
17. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43268698/jennings-ballanger-montgomery: accessed 13 January 2024), memorial page for Jennings Ballanger “Jinks” Montgomery (1853–1890), Find A Grave: Memorial #43268698, citing Grandview Cemetery, La Grande, Union County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by Patricia (contributor 47025855).
18. ↑ Albany Democrat Albany, Oregon · Friday, October 05, 1906
19. ↑ "Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZH9-V79 : 11 December 2014), Sarah A. Montgomery, 18 Nov 1909; from "Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2000); citing Marion, Oregon, certificate number 3192, Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Salem.
20. ↑ Oregon State Library; Oregon Death Index 1903-1920 Begin Hughes John; Reel Title: Oregon Death Index M-Z; Year Range: 1903-1920. Source Information Ancestry.com. Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
21. ↑ Ancestry.com. Oregon, U.S., Death Index, 1898-2008 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.Original data: State of Oregon. Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998. Salem, OR, USA: Oregon State Archives and Records Center.[6]
22. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/263040031/sarah-ann-montgomery: accessed 13 January 2024), memorial page for Sarah Ann Blount Montgomery (1834–18 Nov 1909), Find a Grave Memorial ID 263040031, citing Riverside Cemetery, Albany, Linn County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by sameelee (contributor 48534864).
23. ↑ Albany Democrat, Albany, Oregon, 26 Nov 1909