W B Montgomery

MONTGOMERY

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 3/20/2009 at 00:47:09

W B Montgomery, who is well known as a worthy and respected citizen of Boone, claims Ohio as the state of his nativity, his birth having occurred in Belmont county, August 22, 1830. His father, David M was a native of Virginia and had a brother who served in the war of 1812. David Montgomery attained to a ripe old age, passing away in 1872. He married Harriet E McBee a native of Mary land and her death occurred in 1883. They were the parents of ten children: Mary A now deceased, W B of this review, Hammond, Harriet E and Ruth all now deceased, Leah the wife of Joseph Linaberry of Platte county, Nebraska, John who was killed in the army, Robert who makes his home in Illinois, Hampton who is also deceased and Hannah who is a widow and resides in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1860 the family removed from Ohio to Illinois.
Mr Montgomery of this review pursued his education in the schools of the Buckeye state and continued under the parental rood until 1849, when he went to Washington county, Ohio there entering into partnership for the raising of tobacco. After a year, however he began freighting between Columbus, Ohio and Baltimore, Maryland, following that pursuit for two years. In September 1852 he went to Bureau county, Illinois, where he worked on a farm and in chopping wood during the winter. In the succeeding year he took charge of a large farm which he managed for one season, but continued his agricultural pursuits until 1859. After a year spent in Iowa he again removed to a farm and was identified with agricultural interests until 1867, when he came to Boone, Iowa. Here he engaged in the livery business for nine years but in 1876 he purchased a farm and gave his attention to its cultivation and improvement till 1886, when he rented his land and went to the pacific coast. He also went to the Black Hills and was engaged in mining for a year, after which he returned to Boone county. For the three succeeding years he was again engaged in farming but in 1890 took up his abode in Boone, where he has since engaged in the manufacture and sale of medicine
On February 6, 1854, Mr Montgomery was united in marriage Nancy E Mercer, who was born in Bureau county, Illinois December 22, 1836 and died January 18, 1902. She was a daughter of Ellis Mercer, a native of Pennsylvania. In the family were six children, two of whom died when they were small. The survivors are: Mary J the wife of C C Connell a plumber of Boone, E O who is connected wit the Sinclair Packing Company of Cedar Rapids having charge of he stock yards in Boone, W U who makes his home in Boone, but is connected with the theatrical business and F L who was born July 7, 1873, and is now superintending the manufacture of the Seminole Indian medicines, extracts, etc.
Mr Montgomery of his review is manager of the Seminole Medicine Company and manufactures a full line of staple medicines, having a large business in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. He employs thirty men upon the road and has six employees in Boone to assist him in his manufacturing interests here. His volume of business amounts to forty thousand dollars annually. Mr Montgomery is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a successful and enterprising man, who has a large circle of friends in Boone county, His son who is associated with him in business married Edna C Epperson, who was born in Iowa, October 25, 1879, and is a daughter of P J and Phoebe (Jewel) Epperson. They have one child, Florence E who was born April 29, 1900. F L Montgomery hold membership relations with the Knights of the Maccabees.

1902 Boone County History Book