MONTGOMERYS - 1880

The Schedule--Inhabitants in _____, County of _____, State of_____ enumerated by me on the _____day of June, 1880. Enumerator_____

The numbered items requesting information for the 1880 census were more than was asked during the 1870 census.

The 1880 census schedule included a total of 26 items that the enumerator was to complete. For the purposes of perspective , the following is a list of the items for which information was solicited:

1. Name of Street
2. House Number
3. Dwelling house and number of Visitations
4. Families and order of visitations
5. Name of each person whose place of abode, on 1st day of June 1880 was in this family
6. Color-White, W; Black, N; Mulatto, Mu; Chinese, C; Indian, I
7. Sex-Male, M; Female, F.
8. Age at last birthday prior to June 1, 1880. If under 1 year give months in fractions, thus 3/12
9. If born in the Census year give the month
10. Relationship of each person in the house of this family-whether wife, son, daughter, boarder, servant or other
11. Single
12. Married
13. Widowed, /; Divorced.
14. Occupation Profession, Occupation or Trade of each person male or female Number of months this person has been employed during the Census year
15. Health
16. Is the person on the day of Enumerator's visit] sick or temporarily disabled or to be unable to attend to ordinary business or decisions? If so what is the sickness or disability?
17. Blind
18. Deaf and Dumb
19. Idiotic
20. Insane Mai(this word is unclear), Crippled, Bedridden or otherwise disabled
21. Attended school within the Census year
22. Cannot read
23. Cannot write
24. Place of birth naming the State or Territory of United States, or the Country, if of foreign birth.
25. Place of birth of the Father of this person, naming the State or Territory of the United States or the Country if of foreign birth.
26. Place of birth of Mother of this person, naming the State or Territory of the United States or the Country, if of foreign birth.

ANDREW MONTGOMERY - HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD

NAME	COLOR	SEX	AGE	RELAT- IONSHIP	MARITAL STATUS	OCCU- PATION	READ OR WRITE	POB	POB FATHER	POB MOTHER
Andrew	Blk	Male	50*	Head	Widow	Farmer	Neither read or write	S.C.	S. C.	S. C.
Alice	Blk	Female	18	Dau	Single	Housekeeper	Cld read and write	AL	S.C.	S.C.
Price	Blk	Male	16	Son	Single	Laborer	Cld not read or write	AL	S.C.	S.C.
William	Blk	Male	14	Son		Laborer	Cld not read or write	AL	S.C.	S.C.
Warner	Blk	Male	12	Son		Laborer	Cld not read or write	AL	S.C.	S.C.
Kerner	Blk	Male	8	Son		At home	Read and write	AL	S.C.	S.C.
Austin	Blk	Male	6	Son		At home	Read and write	AL	S.C.	S.C.
Mary	Blk	Female	4	Dau		At home		AL	S.C.	S.C.

*Please see narrative.

ANDREW MONTGOMERY is my paternal great grandfather. He and his wife Isabella were born in South Carolina. At the time of the 1880 Census on June 8th, the Andrew Montgomery family were inhabitants of an area called "Germany Beat #9".

There were no street names and it appears that the houses and families were numbered in order of visitations, e.g. items #3 and #4 were listed as "38"

According to the 1880 Census, Andrew is listed as 50 years of age. This number is questionable sine he was listed as 45 years of age at the time of the 1870 Census. Therefore he should have been listed as 55 years of age. The 1880 Census also reveals that Andrew was a widow. His wife Isabella apparently died between the years 1876 and June 8, 1880, the date of the census. She was 25 years of age when Mary was born in 1876. (The 1900 Census lists Mary as having been born in May of 1876).

There were five boys and two girls in the family. According to Oral history as the boys got older they left home and some of them went to sea. My grandfather and one of his brothers journeyed to South Carolina. William, my grandfather, returned to Pensacola, Florida where he settled. Though assumptions demand proof, I assume that my grandfather must have left home sometime following the 1880 Census and returned to Florida either in 1890 or 1891. (My father was born in Pensacola, Florida, September 2, 1891.) My grandfather returned to Pensacola because that was where his oldest sister Alice who was the primary care giver in the household in Monroe County, was living. Alice and her family later moved to St. Louis, MO and then on to Omaha, NE where cousin State was living.

Alice Montgomery had a son Andrew Stallworth and three daughters. Her granddaughter Addie Porter, the person from whom I got most of my information, currently resides in a nursing home in Omaha, NE.

Price Montgomery the oldest male had three children Leslie, Manerva and Hosea. According to my father they lived in Tulsa. OK. There is little known about the whereabouts of my grandfather's other siblings. I do recall hearing from my father that one of his uncles had been in the Navy and lived in Norfolk, VA.

Warner, Kerner, Austin were not heard from. I am uncertain which of the brothers traveled to South Carolina with my grandfather. It is an area that I continue to explore each visit I make to South Carolina.

Mary Montgomery was married to a Stallworth. Oral History has it that everyone knew her as "Cissy" and she had many children. She is listed as living in Monroe County at the time of the 1900 Census. She is reported to have later lived in Minter, AL and had many children.

Thomas Black Family

The Thomas Black family piqued my interest when I first observed the family in the 1880 census. What was most intriguing were the occupants of the household headed by Thomas Black. Included in the house were Blacks, Richardson, Marshall and Montgomerys. Perhaps at this time, I can put my spin on it for what its worth. Additionally I will list the family group a bit later.

The Enumerator of the Germany District was one W.A. Neal. His writing appeared to be script. Additionally, an examination of his writing of numbers had a peculiarity of its own. When writing the number "5", it appeared that the horizontal line on the 5 was either missing or incomplete. The other number "8" was also interesting. Most of the "8's" were closed at the top but there were occasions when the enumerator did not complete the task by closing the number at the top. Some of this could be attributed to the age and/or microfilming of the Census records. However there appeared to be a pattern. Hence I concluded that Thomas Black was "83" and his wife Rebecca was "59" according to the 1880 Census.

Phillis Montgomery who is listed as the mother-in-law also lived in the household. Phillis was listed as 105 years of age at the time of the 1880 Census. This would have placed her year of birth in 1775, before the Declaration of Independence and prior to the Revolutionary War. She was born in South Carolina as were both of her parents. My thoughts are that she is the mother of Rebecca though I have nothing to support this observation. She would have been 46 when Rebecca was born. Thomas (b.1779) in South Carolina, Rebecca (b.1821) in South Carolina. According to the Census information Ellen Richardson the daughter of Thomas Black was born in South Carolina in 1853. This would suggest that Thomas Black did not get to Monroe County until sometime after 1853.

Josephine Black, age 15; Ellen Richardson, age 27; Sarah Marshall, age 17, are listed as daughters of Thomas Black. Ellen Richardson and Sarah Marshall are listed as "Married". Of the three children, only Ellen could not write. The parents of Josephine, Ellen, and Sarah were born in South Carolina. It appears that Rebecca is the mother of the three girls. Josephine and Sarah were born in Alabama. Under item 15, Ellen is listed with "fever". There is no clear explanation as to what this might mean.

Sam and Linnis Montgomery also lived in the Black household. Sam 15 and Linnis 12 were born in Alabama. The father of Sam was born in South Carolina and his mother was born in Virginia. Linnis' father was born in South Carolina and his mother was born in Alabama. Both boys had attended school during the census year but only Sam could write. Both were listed as laborers. It is conceivable that Sam and Linnis are half brothers and may have had the same father but different mothers. Again, none of what is being said here is sacrosanct.

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