Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects The 'Madegood Family' Edward Howard Montgomery

"The Fairfield Daily Ledger"
Fairfield, Iowa
Friday, May 8, 1925
Front Page and Page 5

NO. 10--EDWARD HOWARD MONTGOMERY

Friends, don't be too hasty about expressing or feeling your sympathy for this honest toiler. Please be advised that this is not a recent picture of Edward Howard Montgomery but dates back many years--when he was poor, but honest. The callouses he wore on his hands then have long since disappeared, so there's no reason for any sob stuff, for Monty now lolls in the luxurious lap of vast wealth, as exemplified by a Ford sedan.

Yeah, this is Monty making delivery of a busy day's orders 'long about sixteen years ago. He looks tired and worn out, for it had been an exceedingly busy day in the flower business--five orders had come in, one of 'em was cancelled and he was unable to fill another, but he is now delivering the other three.

'Twas the most natural thing in the world for Edward Howard to go into the flower business. He always had flowers at home--took a lot of interest and pride in growing them, and considered it fun. This was while he was working at the cigar makers trade. Cigar making business didn't make much of a hit with him; Monty didn't believe in burning his money up, nor in encouraging others to do so, so he quit making cigars. Used to sell a few of his choice flowers once in a while that he grew at home. This set him thinking.

"If people are willing to pay for flowers looks to me like 'twould be a mighty profitable business," reflected Monty. "All the expense there is connected with the business is a few cents for seed. Gosh, looks like big money! And the work's just play too."

Now, a chap in that state of mind is likely to go through with his hunch, so we soon find Edward Howard embarked in the florist business and boasting five little hot-houses for growing his product and a wheel-barrow for delivering it. Sometimes he would dream that some day maybe he might boast one of those fancy Ford trucks to replace his wheel-barrow, but the dream seemed a bit wild and he stuck to the old hand bus. Came a day, as the movie titles say, when Monty decided to plunge. Harry Smith had an old blind horse. Monty bought him, though Harry pretty nearly gave the horse away--something like $150. Monty managed to secure somewhere a rig which was sufficiently decrepit to blend with the horse, and the newspapers gave him a writeup on his growing business and delivery service. One day a passing Ford gave the old horse such a fright he actually ran away and broke up the rig. So Monty got him a Ford delivery truck--but he didn't buy it of Harry Smith.

'Twas about ten years ago Edward Howard completed his present elaborate greenhouses and other equipment, and really got into the flower business in earnest. Then about three years ago he opened his down town store, which you will all agree has some class.

Monly (sic) specialized on carnations and chrysanthemums. He's got a Hollander chap working for him who came from Holland just a few years ago and who admits being a prince or something of the royal family. Also this bird had the good fortune to stand as guard over one Wilhelm Hohenzollern, late lamented kaiser. We know some American buck privates who'd give their right eyes for that job. Anyway, this fellow is a real florist, and what he doesn't know about growing flowers, Monty does. So, between the two of them they're producing flowers inviting enough to make most of the young fellows say it with flowers to their sweethearts. Monty goes frequently to Minneapolis, Chicago and Kansas City and works a little while in the big greenhouses there just to get big town experience and ideas, and he always comes back loaded.

Just now the greenhouses are looking like a fairyland. Getting ready for the big annual Mother's Day business. Lot of people don't seem to be able to remember their mothers until just about the time the flowers are all gone, so Monty expects his usual rush next Saturday and Sunday. Anyway, if he does happen to have flowers left it doesn't matter because the city florists always take everything he had to sell them.

Pretty nice for a fellow to be in a business where he can strew flowers along life's pathway for people--expecially, at so much per strew. Not that Monty doesn't frequently strew a few anyway without being paid for them. But as a rule he expects a bit of compensation for brightening your home, or that of some one else. For now that Edward Howard Montgomery has climbed into the capitalistic class he has grown somewhat sentimental. He never sees a fellow pushing a wheel-barrow but he hands him a bunch of flowers; his own old wheelbarrow occupies an honored spot in the rear of his greenhouses and is covered with blooming forget-me-nots, while Bill, the old blind horse, lies in a peaceful grave near with a cluster of Sweet Williams growing about it.