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Below is a family biography included in The History of Barry County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Hugh S. Montgomery was born in Washington County, Va., in 1828, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Scott) Montgomery, both of whom were also natives of Washington County, Va. Thomas Montgomery was born in 1791, and was a farmer. He served through the War of 1812 under Gen. Jackson, and participated in the battle of New Orleans. After the war he returned home, but in 1817 he served with Gen. Jackson in the Seminole Indian War, after which he returned to Virginia. He married in 1820, and was engaged in farming in his native county until 1829, when he sold his farm and removed to Bradley County, Tenn., where he resumed farming. For several years he served as justice of the peace of his township, but he cared very little for public life. He died on his farm in Bradley County in 1854. His wife was born in 1802, of Scotch parentage. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom, Mary A., Sarah J.(Mrs. John Hurt), Martha, Hugh S., John, Samuel and Richard, who died in 1855, reached maturity. At the age of sixteen years Hugh S. left the home of his parents to work for himself. He served an apprenticeship of three years at the gunsmith trade, with Hiram Pendergrass, of Cleveland, Tenn., after which he worked with various good workmen in different parts of the country, in order to perfect himself in his trade. In 1850 he married Elizabeth Lowery, of Bradley County, Tenn., and located in Benton, Tenn., where, together with his trade, he worked at blacksmithing, wagon making and manufacturing plows, at which he was very successful. When the financial crisis of 1857 interfered with his business in Tennessee, he sold out and removed to Barry County, Mo., settling on a farm of 100 acres on Washburn Prairie. Soon after he built a shop and was again on the road to prosperity. The war swept away all he had, except his farm and repair shop, and for a year after the close of hostilities he worked at his trade in Cassville, after which he repaired the machinery in the numerous mills of Barry and surrounding counties. By good management he has added to his land, until now he has a farm of 365 acres of well improved land, and is considered one of the leading farmers of the county. For the last few years he has turned his attention to stock raiding, and has been very successful in breeding fine stock. His wife was born in Rockingham County, Va., in 1835, and is the only one left of a family of nine children, her parents and the other children having died of consumption. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery have seven children, viz.: Thomas H., Samuel S., Hugh S., Timothy L. Elizabeth (Mrs. G. M. Brixey), Clementine and Clara. Besides rearing their own children, they have raised and educated eighteen orphan children, most of whom are married and doing well. Three of their sons, Thomas, Samuel and Hugh S., are engaged in business at Eureka Springs, Ark. The family are communicants of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. [Since above was written, we have been notified of the decease of the subject of the sketch.—Ed.]

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This family biography is one of 103 biographies included in The History of Barry County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Barry County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

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