John Montgomery Sr. (abt. 1717 - abt. 1795)

Born about 1717 in Ireland

Husband of Esther (Houston) Montgomery — married 2 Jul 1738 in New Providence, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died about 1795 at about age 78 in Rockbridge, Virginia, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Janet Harrington [send private message], Gail Kamenish [send private message], and Ian Winton [send private message]

Biography

Big Y700 YDNA Haplogroup J-FT22093 Earliest Known Ancestor.

John Montgomery was married to Esther Houston 2 Jul 1738 by Rev. Johann C. Stoever, Jr. in Earl Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They had the following children: Isabella, James, Dorcas, Margaret "Molly" Nancy, Alexander, Robert, Esther Houston, Ann, Jane and Mary. John Russell Montgomery's research shows that In 1754, they acquired Borden Tract; Beverley Patent SW, 247 1/2 acres, adjoining 150 acres Augusta, Virginia. In 1779 they transferred ownership of their Augusta County Virginia property to their son James Montgomery. In 1780, James Montgomery sold the property to brothers William and Alexander Seawright. After disposing of their property, no further record of John and Esther has been found in Augusta County Virginia which appears to indicate that they moved from the area. On February 2, 1782 a John Montgomery went to the Virginia Land Office and purchased Treasury Warrants # 8187 and # 8188 for 800 and 1283 acres respectively. John and Esther Houston Montgomery's son Robert Montgomery used Treasury Warrant # 8187 to acquire 2 tracts of land in Washington County Virginia: the 1st - 80 acres "adjoining the land he now lives” in Washington County Virginia along the South Fork of the Holston River, and the 2nd - 520 acres, also in Washington County at the time, but today this property falls into Lee County VA which was formed in 1792 from part of Washington County. Robert Montgomery’s twice use of treasury warrant #8187 suggests that the John Montgomery who purchased the Virginia Treasury Warrants in 1782 might be his father.

The 1782 Washington County Virginia Tax list shows a Robert Montgomery and a John Montgomery, Senior listed together in Alexander Montgomery's tax precinct along with 3 other children of John and Esther: Mary [Montgomery] Edmondson (widow of Lt. Robert Edmondson), Capt. John Lowry [wife Dorcas Montgomery], and John McCroskey [wife Ann Montgomery]. Alexander Montgomery [wife Sarah Alexander], the precinct Captain, was also a son of John and Esther. This collection of 5 Montgomery siblings adds weight to the belief that the John Montgomery, Senior, shown together on the tax list in the same precinct is likely their father. Additionally, Alexander McNutt, Moses Edmiston (Edmondson), and John Montgomery all appear on both the VA Treasury Warrant ledger dated 2 Feb. 1782 and on the 1782 Washington County Virginia Tax List in Alexander Montgomery's Precinct. This suggests that John Montgomery, Senior together with Alexander McNutt and Moses Edmiston of Washington County, Virginia all went together on 2nd Feb. 1782 to the Virginia Land Office to purchase their Treasury Warrants. After the 1782 tax list, no further record of John Montgomery and Alexander Montgomery are found in Washington County, Virginia. By 1783, after the end of the Revolutionary War, three of John and Esther's children moved down to Washington County, Tennessee (then North Carolina Territory). These 3 were Esther Montgomery and her husband Rev. Samuel Doak, Alexander Montgomery and his wife Sarah Alexander, and James Montgomery and his wife Margaret Weir. 1783 land records show these 3 couples living close to each other in Captain John Milliken’s Precinct in Washington County, Tennessee. It is possible that John and Esther went down to Tennessee with them as well and were living there in the household of one of their children when they died.

Children of Esther Houston and John Montgomery:

+ 1. Isabella Montgomery, b. 1740, Earl Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, d. Aft 1805, Rockbridge, Virginia (Age > 66 years), married William Henry Harrison Buchanan

+ 2. James Montgomery, b. 1740, Earl Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, d. 1809, Blount County, Tennessee (Age 69 years), married Margaret Weir

+ 3. Margaret Nancy "Molly" Montgomery, b. 1742, Earl Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, d. 27 Jan 1778, Glade Springs, Washington County, Virginia (Age 36 years), married William Edmiston

+ 4. Alexander Montgomery, b. 1750, Augusta County, Virginia, d. 13 Jul 1830, Limestone, Alabama (Age 80 years), married Sarah Alexander

+ 5. John Montgomery, Jr, b. 05 Dec 1752, Borden Tract/Augusta County, Virginia, d. 02 Feb 1819, Deerfield, Augusta, Virginia (Age 66 years)

+ 6. Esther Houston Montgomery, b. 27 Feb 1755, Augusta County, Virginia, d. 03 Jul 1807, Washington County, Tennessee (Age 52 years), married Reverend Samuel Doak

+ 7. Dorcas Montgomery, b. 1758, Augusta County, Virginia, d. 29 Dec 1834, Washington County, Virginia (Age 76 years), married John Lowry

+ 8. Ann Houston Montgomery, b. 15 Aug 1760, Augusta County, Virginia, d. 13 Mar 1829, Sevier, Tennessee (Age 68 years), married John Blair McCroskey

+ 9. Jane Jean Montgomery, b. 11 Sep 1761, Augusta County, Virginia, d. 11 Feb 1843, Gosport, Owen, Indiana (Age 81 years), married Samuel Black Newell

+ 10. Robert Montgomery, b. 1764, Augusta County, Virginia, d. 03 Oct 1813, Washington County, Virginia (Age 49 years), married Sarah Colville

+ 11. Mary Montgomery, wife of Lt Robert Edmiston, who was part of the Virginia Militia and was killed at the 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina. Robert Edmiston was the brother of her sister Margaret's husband William Edmiston. Robert's will in Washington County, VA named his wife Mary and brother-in-law Alexander Montgomery. She married second David Lowry and they lived and both died in Washington County, Virginia. No issue.

DNA Note

Descendants of 2 sons of John Montgomery have the J-FT18892 mutation, it's parent mutation J-FT22093, grandparent mutation J-FTT146 and great grandparent J-Z35783. Based on trees and DNA for other J-Z35783 descendants, the Earliest Probable Founder of [[1]] is Alexander Montgomery 1305-1388.

DNA results indicate that John and his son James have the J-FT18892 mutation, but descendants of his son Alexander have a further mutation J-FT168713. The descendants with Haplogroup J-FT18892 include Eric Montgomery, James Montgomery, John Russell Montgomery, Jimmie Montgomery, and Carl Montgomery.

Three descendants of James' grandson James Montgomery who married Priscilla Elliot have the more recent mutation J-FT15244 as well as J-FT18892, J-FT22093, J-FTT146 and J-Z35783. These are James Montgomery, Jimmie Montgomery, and Carl Montgomery.

Two descendants of John Montgomery's son Alexander and 2x great grandson Robert Craig Montgomery have the more recent mutation J-FT168713 as well as J-FT18892, J-FT22093, J-FT15244 and J-Z35794. One of these is John Russell Montgomery. Alexander is the Earliest Possible Founder and Robert Craig Montgomery is the most recent possible Founder of theJ-FT168713 mutation.

The J-FT18892 mutation is shared with 2 descendants of John Montgomery and Martha Montgomery and a descendant of John Montgomery b 1700 and Martha Finley. This indicates that they share a common Montgomery ancestor. Further big Y testing of Montgomery men in Scotland and Ireland with known lineage will further clarify relationships to Alexander Montgomery 1305-1388.

Sources

• 1790 Personal C Tax List/Augusta, Virginia
• Marriage record for John Mountgomery and Esther Hueston in Lancaster County Pennsylvania
• Notable Southern Families, Volume 2, Page 184+ Esther Houston family
• New!! Scottish Links Discovered by Susan Vaughan Montgomery Hoffman
• Notable Southern Families, Armstrong, Zella, Lookout Publishing Company; Chattanooga, TN, 1922, Volume II page 241+
• John and Esther Montgomery, 1719-1973, Anderson, Beulah Henry, Brazos Printing Company; Maryville, Blount, Tennessee,USA 1974, John Houston, pages 22-23.
• Will E Parham Papers RE: Montgomerys, Parham, Will E, McClung Library, Knoxville, Tennessee, Montgomery notes prepared by Will E Parham, kept on file at the McClung Library in Knoxville, TN.
• Egle's Notes and Queries of Pennsylvania, 1700s-1800s, Egle, William Henry, 1896-1900, Annual Volume 1899, Notes and Queries - IX, Page 38.
• Email from Erick Dale Montgomery, Montgomery, Erick Dale, (Location: Augusta, Georgia, USA; Date: 20 May 2015;).
• Genealogical History of the Montgomerys and their Descendants, Montgomery, David B, J P Cox; Owensville, Indiana; 1903 p 322+
• Egle's Notes and Queries of Pennsylvania, 1700s-1800s_Stoever, Egle, WIlliam Henry, (Name: Date: 1896;;), Marriages performed by Johann Stoever.
• Alexander Montgomery Research Report posted at Ancestry.com

See also

• FamilySearch Person: LZ6N-RJN: John Montgomery (1717-1795).
• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #49716818 (accessed 28 October 2023)
  Memorial page for John Montgomery Sr. (1717-1795), citing New Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Raphine, Rockbridge County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by Mander (contributor 47110820).

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to John Russell Montgomery for his research on land and tax records for John Montgomery and his family detailed in the biography.
• Thank you to Janet Harrington for creating Montgomery-2651 on 14 Aug 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Janet and others.