William Thornton Montgomery (abt. 1843 - 1909)

Born about Feb 1843 in Warren, Mississippi, United States

Died 3 Jul 1909 at about age 66 in Mound Bayou, Bolivar, Mississippi, United States

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Biography

William Montgomery is Notable.

This profile is part of the Mound Bayou, Mississippi One Place Study.

Ordinary Seaman William Montgomery served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 15 Jul 1863
Side: USA
Regiment(s): USS Carondelet

Original Settler of Mound Bayou

William Thornton Montgomery, inventor, entrepreneur, developer. He helped develop a small North Dakota town named Lithia and was a prominent figure in the early development of Mound Bayou, Mississippi.

William Thornton Montgomery aka Thornton Montgomery, was born enslaved in 1843 on the Hurricane Plantation. He was the eldest son of Benjamin Thornton Montgomery and Mary Lewis. ^[1]

Thornton enlisted in the Civil War as an ordinary seaman on 15 July 1863 in Palmyra Bend MS. He served on the vessel named Carondelet. ^[2][3]

Muster Date Vessel

Dec 31, 1863 Carondelet

Mar 31, 1864 Carondelet

Jun 30, 1864 Carondelet

Sep 30, 1864 Carondelet

North Dakota

His father Benjamin died in 1877. The Montgomerys sold the land back to the Davises and Thornton headed north to Dakota Territory to raise wheat. Author Janet Sharp Hermann writes, “...land was cheap and it was said that a man was judged by his skill and industriousness rather than by the color of his skin. By 1884 Thornton had settled south of (the) new Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad(s). There, surrounded by Scandinavian homesteaders, (he) prospered, enlarging his holdings from the original 640 acres to 1,020 acres.” See the article about W. T. Montgomery: Dakota Datebook Archive May 1, 2022

Mound Bayou

Around 1899 he returned to Mississippi to help develop Mound Bayou. He worked along side his brother Isaiah in the Mayor's office and became an Alderman. He also became the director and vice president of the Bank of Mound Bayou alongside Charles Banks.

Death

He passed away in 1909 in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. He is buried in Mound Bayou Cemetery.^[4] His obituary is here: Obituary

Slave Owner

• Joseph Emory Davis

Sources

1. ↑ "United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874"
   Citing bank Vicksburg, Warren, Mississippi, United States, NARA microfilm publication M816 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1970); FHL microfilm 928,584.
   FamilySearch Record: NSYD-QQT (accessed 12 June 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HT-D4L4-LND
   Benjamin T Montgomery birth in Davis Bend Miss
2. ↑ Military: "Web: US, African American Civil War Sailor Index, 1861-1865"
   Soldiers and Sailors Database. Sailors. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-sailors.htm: accessed 13 July 2014; URL: http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-sailors-detail.htm?sailorId=MON0055
   Ancestry Record 9748 #41983 (accessed 26 May 2023)
   Name: William T. Montgomery; Race: Negro (Black); Height: 5' 7"; Birth Year: abt 1843; Birth Place: Hurricane, Mississippi; Age: 20; Enlistment Date: 15 Jul 1863; Enlistment Place: Palmyra Bend MS; Term of Enlistment: 1; Rating: Ordinary Seaman; Muster Date: 31 Mar 1864; Vessel: Carondelet.
3. ↑ https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-sailors-detail.htm?sailorId=MON0055
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26437850/william-t-montgomery: accessed 18 August 2022), memorial page for William T Montgomery (Feb 1843–3 Jul 1909), Find a Grave Memorial ID 26437850, citing Mound Bayou Cemetery, Mound Bayou, Bolivar County, Mississippi, USA; Maintained by Michelle Woodham (contributor 46636907).

• Mississippi Encyclopedia: William Thornton Montgomery