This post is part of an ongoing series, sharing the first draft of my Revised Callin Family History.
Theodore Montgomery is the 20th person in a descendant report beginning with the earliest known ancestor of our Callin family, (1.) James Callin. This descendant report uses the Register Style of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society.
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Fourth Generation
20. Theodore Montgomery (Elizabeth Callen-3, James "2nd"-2, James "1st"-1) was born on 12 Sep 1826 in Richland County, Ohio. Theodore was eight years old when his mother, Elizabeth, died. His father, Caleb, remarried two years later, and in 1837 moved with his new wife and children to Fulton County, Indiana. Caleb chose a location in a heavy wooded district six miles east of Rochester and built a farm there. He lived to see the town grow from a mere trading post into a flourishing town of over two thousand people. As a boy, Theodore helped his father clearing and cultivating fields of grain. His education was very limited, as the school facilities were very meager, and his time was significantly spent in hard manual labor.
According to Theodore’s obituary in the Rochester Sentinel of 2 Apr 1904:
“At the age of 20 he enlisted with Indiana's first regiment and served one year in the Mexican War of 1847. At a celebration of Washington's Birthday at Matamoras, Mexico, he received injuries from the bursting of a cannon that remained with him through life. After the war he returned to Rochester and took up the trade of cabinet making, and in 1846 was united in marriage to Margaret Wilson, of Henry county, Indiana, who still survives. A few years after the young couple made an overland journey to California in search of wealth. The trip occupied six months and was full of adventure and hardship, but the two years of gold mining that followed was profitable enough to offset the rigors of the long journey, and they started for home by steamship from San Francisco, via Panama to New York, the voyage lasting 21 days. Then they made an overland trip to Indianapolis and came up the Michigan pike to Rochester by stage coach. Mr. Montgomery then purchased the farm where he has since resided.”
Theodore Montgomery and Margaret Wilson were actually married on 11 Mar 1849 in Fulton County, Indiana. Margaret Wilson, daughter of Isaac Wilson, was born on 14 Nov 1831 in Indiana. (Her obituary names her father as Isaac; Theodore's biographical sketch named her parents as Matthew and Margaret Wilson, "who were natives of Kentucky.")
To quote from another story in the Fulton County Handbook:
Accompanied by a party of about 50 people from Fulton County, organized and led by Hulings Miller, they went to California for gold. Others in the party included John Trimble, William Trimble, Peter King, John Irvin, five Kennedy boys, Aley Putterbaugh, Horace Wilson, George Surguy and his father, James Edwards and Theodore Montgomery.
It cost each family about $150 to go. They had to buy a yoke of oxen for $30 and a wagon which cost about $35. They were five months on the road. Most of the party returned to Indiana later, with the exception of Horace Wilson, who was killed by Indians. Only one or two men from this county returned home with any large amount of money. A few came back with $300 or $400 but many came back with nothing. Theodore Montgomery is reported to have returned with $5,000, the largest amount. Many formed bad habits, returning worse than penniless.
The successful couple appeared on the Census in Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana in 1850, with their eldest son, and they most likely made their trip to California soon thereafter, remaining in Rochester where they raised the rest of their family.
Later in their lives, Theodore and Margaret made a tour through all the Western States and Territories, spending the summer of 1882 on the Pacific Coast, visiting points of interest, and renewing old memories of early struggles in the Golden State. Theodore died on 1 Apr 1904 at his home after several months of illness and was buried in the Rochester IOOF Cemetery.
Margaret went to live in the home of her youngest son, Lee. Her granddaughter, Clara Montgomery Murphy, had died in a fire in 1908 while building a bonfire of leaves, and for years after, Margaret would warn the family of the dangers of fire. Yet, despite her caution, Marget was kindling a fire at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday night, while she was alone in the house, and her clothing caught fire. The family suspected that since she avoided using kerosene, she may have been using a lit piece of paper, which caught on her dress.
No one heard her cry out, but Margaret ran to an adjoining pump house and jumped into a tub of water, where she was found later by her granddaughter, Freda, who had been in the barn. Freda called for Lee, who was also at the barn, and they assisted Margaret to bed and called Rochester physicians. Margaret's entire body, with the exception of the instep of one foot, and around one eye, was badly burned, the only part of her clothing left was what was bunched around her waist.
Margaret retained consciousness until about an hour before her death, when she became delirious. Immediately following the accident, Lee summoned the members of the family, practically all of whom arrived before Margaret passed away at 10:40. The date was 7 July 1916. She was buried with her husband.
Theodore Montgomery and Margaret Wilson had five children:
67 i. Francis Caleb Montgomery, born 14 Oct 1850, Rochester, Fulton, Indiana; married Elizabeth Ellis, 16 Mar 1876, Fulton County, Indiana; died 15 Jul 1925, Rochester.
68 ii. Commodore Wilson Montgomery, born 11 Dec 1854, Indiana; married Alla M Shoup, 7 Jun 1877, Fulton County, Indiana; died 26 Mar 1904.
69 iii. Orbra Fitch Montgomery, born 3 Oct 1858, Fulton County, Indiana; married Amanda Thompson "Madge" Taylor, 2 Oct 1901, Rochester, Fulton, Indiana; died 9 Sep 1918, Rochester .
iv. Clara Elizabeth Montgomery was born on 10 Oct 1859 in Indiana, died on 5 Nov 1872 at the age of 13 and was buried in Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana.
70 v. Owen Lee Montgomery, born 30 Mar 1868, Rochester, Fulton, Indiana; married Attis Pendleton, 16 Oct 1892, Rochester; married Luella Edna Stahl, 26 Jun 1895, Winamac, Pulaski County, Indiana; married Elizabeth A "Bessie" McCarter, 16 Nov 1901, Rochester; married Jessie Marie Rhodes, 1 Sep 1920, Rochester; died 23 Jul 1945, Rochester.
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