Montgomery, Joshua P. T.

Submitted by Ann Geoghegan (See also the Slave Narrative on J. P. T. Montgomery)

J. P. T. Montgomery was born in Claiborne County, Miss., in 1854. Though a slave he was permitted to accompany the children of his owner to school and was taught the rudiments of English as they passed along over them. He moved to Port Gibson, Miss., in 1866, and from there to Hurricane, Warren County, Miss., where he had the opportunity to take a course of private instructions under Mary Virginia Montgomery. He also took instructions under three of four other well known tutors. He studied law in the office of Capt. J. J. Whitney, an ex-Confederate soldier and State Senator from Jefferson County and was admitted to the bar at the May term, Circuit Court 1881. Judge J. B. Chrisman was at this time presiding in this district, and Judge G. W. Shackford, Major J. W. Reed and Michael Howard comprised the committee by which he was examined. Added to his qualifications as a lawyer, Joshua Montgomery was a practical engineer and a civil engineer, and many of the boundary lines between properties in this neighborhood were defined by him. He came to Mound Bayou 1887-88 and bought a small farm just out of town and some real estate within the corporate limits. He held the position of City Attorney until his death -- 1913.