Franklin County, Florida
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Franklin County, Florida |
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By Marjorie (Margie) Catherine YARN SHIRLEY Joseph J. MONTGOMERY was born 20 May 1868 in Vada (Early County) Georgia. He was the only child of Edward W. MONTGOMERY and Chellea Louise OLIVER, who was born in Vada. All the other children, older and younger than he, were born in Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia, He married Sarah Jane Catherine WILLIAMS. The parents of Sarah Jane Catherine WILLIAMS are listed on her Catholic baptismal record as Thomas WILLIAMS and Catherine WILLIAMS. A verbal statement from my mother, Sadie Catherine MONTGOMERY, daughter of Joseph J. MONTGOMERY, was that his grandparents were Thomas WILLIAMS and Ann McCONNEY. In fifty years of research, I have found no McCONNEY anywhere who relates to this family. My mother, Sadie Catherine MONTGOMERY was placed in an orphanage at such a young age, she had little or no contact with family and the name McCONNEY is just not reliable. I understand, from researching and talking with older members of the MONTGOMERY family who knew the Joseph MONTGOMERY family that Sarah Jane Catherine WILLIAMS had a sister two years older who she died as a result of severe body burns from a fire. Her name was Mary Elizabeth WILLIAMS. She was born 12 April 1871 in Apalachicola (Franklin) Florida. She died in 1880 at the age of nine years. Her baptismal certificate from the St. Patrick's Catholic Church lists her parents as Thomas WILLIAMS and Catherine. When searching for her grave site to place a marker, I was astonished to find that the name of the person in the grave is not listed on the record but, rather, the person who paid for the burial site. His name was Jack WILLSON. Further research led me to find a picture of Sarah Jane Catherine WILLIAMS hanging on the wall of a hardware store (now sold). My cousin, LLOYD OLIVER MONTGOMERY was gracious enough to ask the owner, whom he knew well, to let him a make copy of that picture which I now treasure. It shows Sarah Jane Catherine WILLIAMS, who was “left an orphan” and taken into the home to be raised by the WILLSON Family. The home was on St. Vincent’s Island. My great aunt Dena (Maudene) MONTGOMERY BOBE took me out into her front yard on the beach at Indian Pass, pointed into the direction of the island, now a bird sanctuary, and said, “that is where the Willsons lived and raised your great grandmother.” Joseph James MONTGOMERY made a living at anything he could, mainly as a fisherman. He also gathered the resin from pine trees and sold it to make turpentine, gathered honey for market, and loaded lumber on barges going north. He was away from home a great deal of the time. At the death of his wife Sarah Jane Catherine at childbirth in 1911, the children were left mostly to fend for themselves. Their mother died in June and the oldest child, Bertha Louise, married in November of the same year. In 1923, Joseph left to go fishing, but he did not return. On 20 December, one month later, his body washed ashore, wrapped around the motor of his boat. The orphaned children were then split up. My mother, Sadie Catherine , her brother, Lloyd Oliver, and three year old little Cora Kathleen (“Cody”) were placed in an orphanage called Home of the Friendless in Moblie, Alabama. Ida Mae, who for whatever reason was not on the scene nor privileged to the signing of the papers turning the children over to the orphanage, on finding out they were gone, was so enraged that she hocked her wedding rings (which signifies that she was married, evidently for the first time, and away from home) went by bus to “buy” her siblings out of the orphanage. She only had enough money to satisfy the nuns in the “purchasing” of her brother, Lloyd Oliver. They refused to let my mother, Sadie Catherine and little “Cody” go. There they remained until they were each sixteen years of age and then only allowed to leave with the signing of a contract that they would enter another Catholic institution. My mother, being the older of the two sisters, was the first to go and she was assigned to go to St. Joseph Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. It was here that she met my father, who was studying mortuary science and would eventually teach it at night while working during the day. The mortuary services then also ran an ambulance service, and it was here in the hospital that he met my mother. If the records of that orphanage are still on file, I would love to see them. My mother and her sister never were given packages sent to them by their older sisters, Bertha and Ida Mae. When Bertha made a trip to bring the girls home to Apalachicola for two weeks vacation from the orphanage, she inquired as to why her sisters were not given their birthday gifts and other packages and was told that the nuns did all they could to make the orphanage live up to its name, Home of the Friendless. HUSB:
Edward W. MONTGOMERY WIFE:
Chellea Louisa OLIVER NOTE: Anyone with ANY information of Chellea Louise(a)] OLIVER, please contact Marjorie YARN SHIRLEY through Margie.Shirley@comcast.net. Thank You. CHILDREN: 1. [M] George Walter MONTGOMERY, born 8 April 1858, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia; married Sarah [“Sallie”] Tibotha WHIGHAM, 4 Feb 1884; Died 9 June 1928-30 2. [M] Edwin Hiram MONTGOMERY, born 4 June 1860, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia; child, died in infancy 3.[M] Joseph James MONTGOMERY, born 25 Apr 1862, Vada (Early) Georgia; married Sadie Catherine WILLIAMS, 10 Sept. 1891. He died at sea and body washed ashore 23 Dec 1920 in Apalachicola (Franklin) Florida. He is buried in Apalachicola (Franklin) Florida in an unmarked grave. Marker will be placed 2005 by grandaughter, Marjorie Catherine YARN SHIRLEY. His wife is buried next to him. She died in childbirth and baby Joseph MONTGOMERY also died. They are buried in same casket.
4.[M] Charles Gaines MONTGOMERY, born 26 Jan 1864, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia; married Frances Garnett RUSSELL; died 12 Jan 1918, Apalachicola (Franklin) Florida 5.[F] Julia Lenora MONTGOMERY, born 23 Jan 1865, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia; married George HOUSTON, 10 April 1884, Apalachicola (Franklin) Florida; died 5 Feb 1920. Another account (verbal) states she died in 1928. 6.[F] M. Nellie MONTGOMERY, born 4 Mar 1866, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia; married Lemuel HUMPHRIES; died 23 Dec 1920-8 7. [M] John S. MONTGOMERY, born 30 Sep 1867, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia; married Bessie WELCH; died 11 June 1944, Wewahitchka (Gulf) Florida
SOURCES: 1866 City Census, Apalachicola (Franklin) Florida; Personal Bible of Maudene (Deena) BOBE and verbal conversation with her. 1850 Decatur County Georgia Census. Will of Sarah Penelope BRETT MONTGOMERY, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia found in Bainbridge library, Book A, 1858, pages 155-159. Submitted
by Marjorie (Margie) Catherine YARN SHIRLEY, 13 July 2005, Margie.Shirley@comcast.net
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George W. MONTGOMERY WIFE:
Sarah “Sallie” WHIGHAM CHILDREN: 1.
[m] George W. MONTGOMERY 2.
[f] Mary Jewel MONTGOMERY 3.
[m] Clarence Oliver MONTGOMERY 4.
[f] Thelma Audrey MONTGOMERY 5.
[f[ Henrietta Louise MONTGOMERY
6 [f] Alma Lenora MONTGOMERY 7
[m] Asa Granberry MONTGOMERY 8
[m] George Leonard MONTGOMERY 9
[f] Doris Juanita MONTGOMERY Marjorie Nell CHILDS, born 20 December 1932 Submitted by Marjorie (Margie) Catherine YARN SHIRLEY, 4 and 13 July 2005, Margie.Shirley@comcast.net HUSB: George G. GAINES Born: About 1815 Marr: 19 March 1843, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia WIFE:
Henrietta MONTGOMERY, dau of Sarah Penelope BRETT MONTGOMERY 1. [M] William I. GAINES, born 1844, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia 2. [M[ George G. GAINES, born 1846, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia 3. [M] Charles I. GAINES, born 1848, Bainbridge (Decatur) Georgia
SOURCES: Decatur County, Georgia, Marriage Book A, Page 56. Will of Sarah Penelope BRETT MONTGOMERY, Book B, 1858, Decatur County, Georgia Submitted by Marjorie (Margie) Catherine YARN SHIRLEY, 6 July 2005, Margie.Shirley@comcast.net |
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Mary Catherine ANDERSON, daughter of Victor Raymond ANDERSON and Bertha Louise MONTGOMERY Born:
16 Feb 1916, Apalachicola (Franklin) Florida Their Children: 1.[M] Patrick Kenneth SIRMON, born 17 May 1941, Mobile, Alabama 2.[F] Suzanne Marion SIRMON, born 17 Nov 1943, Mobile, Alabama 3.[F] Mary Jean SIRMON, born 4 Dec 1945, Port St. Joe (Gulf) Florida 4.[M] Thomas Forbes SIRMON, born 28 Sept 1955, Mobile, Alabama Information obtained from personal family records, records from St. Patricks Catholic Church, Apalachicola, Florida, and from Mary Jean NOBLE who lived a short time in Roswell, Georgia and moved to Mobile, Alabama. Patrick K. SIRMON married Sarah Jean LAVIOLETT Suaanne M. SIRMON married (1) Robert BELL, (2) Stan DOUGHTRY, 3 ? Mary Jean SIRMON married Anthony Lee NOBLE Thomas Forbes SIRMON married Julie BULL Submitted by Marjorie (Margie) Catherine YARN SHIRLEY, 6 July 2005, Margie.Shirley@comcast.net |
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