Father: John Nelson MONTGOMERY
Mother: Amanda Harriet SPRINGSTEAD
Family 1:
Cora Belle STEWART
- Bessie MONTGOMERY
- Charlie MONTGOMERY
_Robert MONTGOMERY _
_Thomas MONTGOMERY _|_Mary WHITE ________
_John Harper MONTGOMERY _|
| | _John HARPER Col.___
| |_Rebecca HARPER ____|_Miriam THOMPSON ___
_John Nelson MONTGOMERY _____|
| | ____________________
| | ____________________|____________________
| |_Melinda PLATT __________|
| | ____________________
| |____________________|____________________
|
|--Allan Lee MONTGOMERY
|
| ____________________
| ____________________|____________________
| _________________________|
| | | ____________________
| | |____________________|____________________
|_Amanda Harriet SPRINGSTEAD _|
| ____________________
| ____________________|____________________
|_________________________|
| ____________________
|____________________|____________________
INDEX
Notes
Below is the text of three letters written by Alan Lee Montgomery to his half-brother, Jame
s Ivor Montgomery, around the time of their father's death in 1908. The letters were the onl
y glimpse of "Lee" and his sisters, and of Lee's children, until receipt of the Obituary of B
essie, Lee's daughter, in 2005, by the G-Grandson of James Ivor, Willliam J. Montgomery 4 (Ja
mes Robert 3, Ward Pease 2, James Ivor 1).
In the letters, Alan tells his brother: He moved to Arkansas from Iowa in January 1907 wit
h his family and his father, John Nelson Montgomery; both he and his father suffered from as
thma; their Father passed away (letter 2); he had two children, Bessie (married to Mr. Grup
e) and Charlie, 7 years old; he lived in the town of Siloam Springs on a rented acre with ho
use and orchard; Bessie lived with her husband (Otto) on a farm six miles out of Siloam Sprin
gs on the Illinois River; details of getting their father's body back to Iowa and who paid f
or same and why; and more.
"Siloam Springs, Ark
9-16-(19)08
My Dear Brother,
Excuse me if I do not write much of a letter this time for Father is dying & I am watching hi
m & writing, too.
My God, Ivor I am surprised at what you have written me. What are they made of? Are they s
o much wrapped up in the almighty dollar that they have forgotten that they are only fles
h & blood? Ivor, you have my sincere sympathy. I only hope they will see their foolish mist
ake before it is irreparable.
Well, we came here 1 year ago last Jan(uary). I had the asthma so bad in Iowa I had to get o
ut so came down here. I do not have it as bad here although am not well by any means. Fathe
r has been very hearty since we came here but he has just naturally broke down. He is stil
l conscious but can hardly speak a word audible but lets me know what he wants by gesture. H
e wants me right by him all the time. He has been sick since two weeks ago last Friday. H
e cannot last long. Poor old Father. How I will miss him. The girls want him sent back to t
he Falls. But I do not know what I can do yet for I just have not got the money & do not kno
w whether I can get it here or not. I would willingly pay all if I could. It seems to me th
ey ought to help a little. I wish you were able to come for I think you would be better here
.
More next time.
Your Loving Bro.
Lee"
__________________
"Siloam Springs, Ark
9-27-08
My Dear Brother,
I read your most welcome letter day before yesterday. Was very glad to hear from you, but so
rry you are so poorly. I hope you are much better now.
Well Ivor, poor Father is gone. He died at 10 min to 8 o'clock, Sat. the 19th. He was sic
k just 3 weeks. He made up his mind he was going to die right from the start . . . and oh, h
ow he did suffer and long for it to be over with. I never want to see anybody go through wha
t he did again. The Dr. said he was just simply wore out. He would not take but very littl
e medicine and ate practically nothing, living principally on milk. He was well and hearty u
p to the time he was taken sick. He was conscious up to a few hours before his death. Poo
r Father, how I miss him. He wanted me to take care of him all the time. Nobody could ehand
le him, he thought, like Lee. I think I undressed & went to bed just twice in 3 weeks. Bu
t I was only doing my duty. I only wish I could have done more for him. So on last Monda
y I sent the remains back to Iowa Falls to be laid at rest beside of Mother/ God bless them.
Ella came down and stayed a few days but returned home about a week before he died. Minnie lo
st their youngest girl about that time. Ella reached home just in time for the funeral. Sh
e was 19 years old and graduated last June. She had I think what the Doctor called peritonit
is.
Well, Ivor, I like it here very well. We have a fine climate, splendid water. While commo
n labor is not quite as high here being from $1.00 to $1.50, skilled labor is fully as good o
r better. I have got at Carpenter work $2.50 to $2.75 all summer when there was work. It ha
s been a little dull here this summer for the apple crop was almost a failure & that mean
s a whole lot here.
Well, I must close. It is nearly 10 o'clock.
Write soon,
Your loving brother,
A.L.M."
(Denoted answered on October 6, 1908, by J. Ivor)
__________________
"Siloam Springs, Ark.
11-1-1908
J. Ivor Montgomery
My Dear Brother,
I rec'd your welcome letter some little time ago, but have been very busy & neglected answeri
ng sooner. We are well as usual. I hope this may find you much improved. Father is burie
d beside Mother in the Iowa Falls cemetery. Yes, I rec'd a card from Ella's girl saying he
r Ma came home sick, but that is the last word I have had direct from them. Not one word sin
ce I sent Father up there.
You ask me to tell you all about my family. Well, we have but 2 children. Bessie, the girl
, is married & lives here. She is a bright little girl. She married a man by the name of Gr
upe. He has a farm here about 6 miles from town on the Illinois River. Then, we have 1 boy
, 7 years old. We call him Charlie. He is a chip off the old block.
We came here 1 year ago last Jan. mostly on account of my asthma. Yes, I like it here very w
ell. While the soil is not as good as Iowa, the climate more than makes up the difference
. My asthma is not as near as bad as it was in Iowa.
This is quite a fruit country, but the late frost got us last Spring. The peaches were not o
ver 1/2 crop & the apples at most a total failure. So, times have been dull this summer.
I live in town on a rented place. I pay $8.00 per month rent for a house & 1 acre of groun
d with orchard on. Father's sickness and funeral cost me over $100.00 but if I have any he
alth I will try & wiggle out after a while. No, the other children did not pay anything bu
t the express from here to Iowa Falls, about $21.00, and they hated to do that. I am very so
rry the asthma troubles you so. I wish you were here. I do not believe you would be so bad
. I do not do much of anything for mine any more, although I am up from 1 to 2 hours most ev
ery night. I do not have it so hard as I did up north. Father was delighted with the climat
e here. He enjoyed it so much.
Well, it is past my bedtime, so will have to close for this time.
Write soon, from your loving brother,
Lee"
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