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a.k.a. "Purty Ol' Tom".
BIOGRAPHY:
REF: SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA FAMILIES BY DAVID B. TRIMBLE, 1974.
PER THIS DOCUMENT THE BELOW LISTED INFORMATION IS PROVIDED:
Thomas Montgomery was born about 1748 in Augusta (now Botetourt) County, Virginia. He married about 1770, Martha Crockett (see p. 55), and moved to Botetourt (now Wythe) County, Virginia, where on December 4, 1771, he bought 148 acres on the waters of New River from Walter Crockett.
In 1782 he moved to Lincoln (now Garrard) County, Kentucky, and in 1787 he sold his 148 acre farm in Virginia to William Patterson. About 1792 he moved to what is now Montgomery County, Kentucky, and about 1806 he moved to Knox (now Gibson) County, Indiana, where he lived on the southeast quarter of Section 13, Township 3, Range 12 West 29. He died about 1818.
BIOGRAPHY: Per an email from Henry A. Mounts, CMS 41, dated 12 Mar. 2001:
Thomas Montgomery, ..., was born ca. 1745 in Lancaster County, PA, and moved in infancy to Augusta (now Botecourt) County, VA. About 1767 he married Martha Crockett and moved to
Botecourt (now Wythe) County, VA where on December 4, 1771, he bought 148 acres on the waters of the New River from Walter Crockett. On Dec. 2, 1785, he received a grant of 200 acres on the waters of Peak Creek of New River from the State of Virginia. In 1787 he moved to Bourbon (now Montgomery) County, KY and then sold his 200 acre farm in Virginia to William Patterson. On Mar. 13, 1788, he bought 652 acres on the waters of Jessamine Creek in Fayette County, KY from Jacob Myers for L100. In 1806 he moved to Knox (now Gibson) County, IN, where he lived on the SE quarter of Sec.13, T3, R12W. He died about 1818...
(Ed.note: You will notice that this account differs slightly from the account attributed to the Trimble book.)
Submitted by Michael A. Montgomery, CMS 1712, on 9/6/98.
Purty Ole Tom was in the Revolutionary War. He lived on the
Crockettfarm, Shouesville, Montgomery Co., VA.
Information came from Montgomery Co., VA according to correspondence
with Brent Friedrichs, Box 34, Charter Oak, IA 51439, 712-678-3720,
email:blf@ia.frontiercomm.net, 14 Dec 1996.
According to this source Tom was born 1745, Roanoke Spring, VA,
had several children, wife is Martha Crockett.
Has note to see will of Joseph Louis Crockett, Jr.
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Thomas Montgomery was nicknamed "Purty Old Tom" which was applied to
the handsome old settler with an Irish brougue, Lt. Thomas
Montgomery, who came from the vicinity of Roanoke Springs in
Montgomery County Virginia.(2)
According to these sources Tom was born abt 1707, Roanoke Springs,
VA,had a son Joseph, but Martha Crockett is not listed as wife. In
fact, no wife is listed.
,
1. J. Vance Foster, Route 1 Box 374, Ft. Branch, IN
47648-9730,812-753-4702, FAX 812-753-4328. January 1996.
2. Turman, Robert E. "Genealogy Newspaper Columns". Edited by
Bettie Anne C. Cooke. 1987.
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Notes of Dicie Niggl, 134 Kettle Hole Rd, Bolton, MA 01740,
February1997.
The Montgomerys are among the families whose settlement and history
date back several years prior to the organization of the county. They
were prominent here for years in political and official circles. The
pioneer of this family in this county was Thomas Montgomery. He was one of
ten children and the youngest of the seven sons born to Hugh Montgomery
and wife. Hugh Montgomery was an Irishman by birth, who emigrated to
Virginia many years before the Revolutionary War. The seven sons, Thomas
among the number, served in the Revolutionary War. In 1793, Thomas
Montgomery emigrated to Kentucky and settled in a little town called Mt.
Sterling, in Montgomery County, which county, however, was not named until after he
settled there, and was so called in honor of his name (probably not
named for him in reality). Having met with reverses in Kentucky, by not
having a good title to his land, he removed to Indiana, in 1805, and
settled on section 13, township 3, range 12, on the west bank of the Black
River, in what is now known as Montgomery Township. He married, while yet a
resident of Virginia, Martha Crockett. She was the sister of Col.
Joseph Crockett, who served under Washington in the Revolutionary War. She
was also a first cousin (she was related but, perhaps, not a first
cousin -- another source claims she was a cousin of his grandfather) of the
famous Davy Crockett, of Tennessee and who so gallantly gave up his life at
the Alamo, bravely fighting for Texas independence. Thomas and Martha
Montgomery had born to them three daughters and five sons. Their sons
were Hugh, Joseph,Thomas, Isaac, Walter; the daughters were Polly,
Jennie, Patsey. Joseph married Nancy Davis in Kentucky and
emigrated with his father, as did all the other children. (History of Gibson County,
Indiana by G. R.Stormont, p.47-8.)
Thomas Montgomery and children listed in "Roster of Soldiers and
Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in Indiana, Vol II", 1980, INDAR,
p. 70.
Thomas Montgomery was born about 1745 in Roanoke County, VA. When
he was12, he defended from a block house his mother and several
other women and children, killing one Indian and wounding several
others. On someone complimenting his courage and bravery he remarked that it
was a case of necessity --"foight or doi" (in the Irish brogue). This
story was often related by "Roane" Ike Montgomery, a nephew of his, who was born
1799 and died May 14, 1900, age 91.
In 1767, he married Martha Crockett. According to a book publsihed
by the Indiana DAR, she was born in Roanoke Co, VA in 1740. Other
sources,however, say she was born as late as 1749. Her parents were
Joseph Louis Crockett, Jr. and Jeanne de Vigne. They are buried in a
small cemetery just east of Shawsville, VA off route 635.
Thomas Montgomery was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, in
Capt. John Martin's company of Brigadier General George Rogers Clark's Illinois
Regiment of Virginia State Troops. He served from Oct. 22, 1780
until Nov 26, 1782. After the war, he lived near Shawsville, VA. In 1796, he
moved to Mount Sterling, KY. The Indiana DAR's roster of Rev. War ancestors
states that Martha died in 1803, in Lexington, KY., and that Thomas
married a second time, to Caroline Anderson (another source states
that Caroline Anderson was married to Hugh Montgomery, Thomas's father
in1726).
In 1805 he went to Indiana and marked an oak tree by the spring on
what was known as the Smith Mounts farm and later the C.B. Smith farm.
He went back to KY to get his family. He did not return to IN until
1806, however, and by that time the land near the oak tree was
already occupied. So he went north, settling in a place southwest of
Owensville,IN, where he built a "rude log cabin". This land
descended to his son Walter Crockett, and was later in the possession
of Smith MillerMontgomery, son of Walter.
Thomas was known all over the region as "Purty Old Tom the Deer
Killer". He was called "Purty" on account of his upright, lithe carriage and
portly appearance. It is said that he was " straight as an
arrow". According to Tartt's "History of Gibson County", Thomas was
"a man of great endurance, was six feet in height, a great hunter,
and one well fitted to endure the trials and hardships incident to
pioneer life". He was called the "Deer Killer" because he killed
about 160 deer around the springs on the Colonel Jones farm.
Purty Old Tom died in 1818 in Gibson Co. IN. A marker at his grave
was dedicated June 18, 1922. The cemetery is located at the back of
what was then the home of Miller Montgomery, grandson. (IN Magazine of
History, Vol 18, p. 308; Pioneer History of Indiana, 1907, William Cockrum,
229-231; Hx of Gibson Co, IN, 1884, Tartt, 53; D.B. Montgomery 205-6;
additional source not listed on information)
Thomas Montgomery born 1745, Roanoke Co, VA, died 1818 Gibson Co, IN.
Married (1) 1767, Roanoke Co. VA, Martha Crockett, born 1740,
Roanoke Co, VA, died 1803, Lexington, KY, (2) Caroline Anderson.
SERVICE;
(Known as Purty Old Tom or The Deer Killer). He was one of the seven sons of
Hugh Montgomery who served as a private then Lieut. in Capt. John
Martin's Co. of Clark's Illinois Regt. of Va. State Troops on the Lake Indiana
Expedition under the command of Brig. General George Rogers Clark. A
muster roll of the Organization mentioned dated 22 Mar 1783 shows
that his services commenced 22 Oct 1780 - terminated 26 Nov1782. (Roster of
Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution buried in Indiana,
p.258, IN DAR)
The Burning of an Indiana Town Near Owensville: The last
village inhabited by the Indians in the southwestern part of Gibson
Co was located two miles west of Owensville. It was a straggling
village extending westward for about a mile, composed of wigwams and
built alongthe springs coming out of the foot of the sand hills.
The Indians were driven away late in the summer or early fall of
1807, and the wigwams burned, all except a few which were still there
in1809. The village was destroyed by Captain Jacob Warrick and
others. If there was any fighting done or Indians killed it was never known
except to those engaged in it. There were very good reasons for their silence as the
Government did not allow such acts when at peace with the Indians.
Purty Old Tom Montgomery, Capt. Warrick's father-in-law; Robert Anderson and
others living in the vicinity of Owensville ten years before the
town was laid out assisted Cpt. Warrick in driving the Indians away and
destroying their village. The village belonged to the Piankashaws and the
Indians who got away crossed the Wabash River to southern IL, which was then
Indiana Territory. The destruction of the village made the
Indians hostile and it came near bringing on war and no doubt would
have had itnot been for the second raid across the Wabash River.
After the destruction of the village, the settlers found the Indians
were coming back and prowling around at night. They were going back and
forth along the old Indian trace from the bluff to the island they
were crossing. The settlers, becoming very uneasy for fear they would be attacked and
massacred, hastily organized a company in 1807. They took the old
Indian trace early one morning for Coffee Island Ford on the Wabash River.
They rode across the ford to the west bank of the river and there
held council. Cpt. Warrick was to follow the trace and the others
were to deploy on each side of him. The old Indian fighters were
placed on the extreme left and right flanks. Purty Old Tom was on the
far left. Young Sam Anderson was carrying a large cow's horn instead
of a bugle. The signal to retreat if too many Indians were found was
to be two long blasts on the horn and a shot from a rifle. They
followed the trace to the end of a small prairie. Cpt. Warrick and
the others rode into the edge of the prairie and discovered 50-60
Indian warriors advancing east to meet them but out of reach of their
guns. They rode back into the timber. Cpt. Anderson gave the order
to retreat and they all retreated to the ford, all reaching there
about the same time except Purty OldTom. Cpt. Warrick ordered them
to cross the ford in haste but four or five old Indian fighters
stayed with Warrick to wait for Tom. Theywaited as long as they
dared and then crossed the river. They hadn't been across long when
25-30 Indians came upon the other side of the river. Bob Anderson
said ,"Tom's gone this time," but he was wrong; a man who had fought
Indians over half of old VA, all of KY and southern IN could not be
captured by Piankashaw Indians. Montgomery had got too far to the
left, when he heard the signal. He rode to the edge of the prairie
when he saw that the Indians were going into the forest and that he
was cut off from the others. He rode back into the timber and
rode for the river as fast as his horse would carry him. When he
reached the river he swam his horse across . Eight or ten Indians
had followed him to the edge of the water, and he shot at them across
the river. When thecompany at the Island heard the shot, Robert
Anderson said, "Boys, that'sTom's gun". They did not have to wait
long until Tom came riding up to the company as unconcernedly as if
he had been on a deer hunt. (PioneerHistory of Indiana, William
Cockrum, 229+)
The Tract Book at Vincennes, Indiana, shows that Thomas Montgomery
entered Section 13, Township 3 south, Range 12 west on 27 Aug 1807. (Henry A.
Mounts).
Submitted by Michael A. Montgomery, CMS 1712, on 9/6/98.
Submitted by Barbara A. Levin, CMS 1851.
Thomas, Sr. was the tenth and youngest child of Hugh Montgomery, Sr.
He was called "Purty Old Tom the Deer Killer". The "Purty" "on account of his upright, lithe carriage and portly appearance. "Deer Killer" because he killed 160 deer around the springs on the Col. Jones farm.
He was born in Roanoke County, VA and made a home for his family near theheadwaters of the Roanoke Springs not far from Shawsville, VA. In 1796he moved his entire family to Mount Sterling in Montgomery County, KY.In 1806 he again moved the entire family to Knox County which was then divided and became Gibson County, IN in 1806. It seems he brought his grown children and their families with him.
Still in Virginia, when he was 12 he defended his mother and several other women and children from an Indian raiding party. From a blockhouse he shot one Indian, killing him, and wounded several others. When complimented on his courage he said "It was a case of either "foight ordoi" (in an Irish brogue).
He fought in the Revolutionary War.
BIOGRAPHY: Per an email from Henry A. Mounts, CMS 41, dated 12 Mar. 2001:
Thomas Montgomery, ..., was born ca. 1745 in Lancaster County, PA, and moved in infancy to Augusta (now Botecourt) County, VA. About 1767 he married Martha Crockett and moved to
Botecourt (now Wythe) County, VA where on December 4, 1771, he bought 148 acres on the waters of the New River from Walter Crockett. On Dec. 2, 1785, he received a grant of 200 acres on the waters of Peak Creek of New River from the State of Virginia. In 1787 he moved to Bourbon (now Montgomery) County, KY and then sold his 200 acre farm in Virginia to William Patterson. On Mar. 13, 1788, he bought 652 acres on the waters of Jessamine Creek in Fayette County, KY from Jacob Myers for L100. In 1806 he moved to Knox (now Gibson) County, IN, where he lived on the SE quarter of Sec.13, T3, R12W. He died about 1818...
(Ed.note: You will notice that this account differs slightly from Barbara Levin's submission, but adds a lot of detail.)
|
1745 - 1818 (73 years)
