MSGenWeb Library Slave Narrative Project

From the WPA Slave Narratives:
J. P. T. Montgomery, Born 1854

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.

Personal observation and knowledge, also family of personality.

Transcribed by Linda Durr Rudd

Mississippi Narratives
Prepared by
The Federal Writer's Project of
The Works Progress Administration
For the State of Mississippi

"If you teach them where they come from, they won't need as much help finding where they are going!"

Cordelia Carothers " Aunt Dee" Geoghegan (1894-1987)

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Project Manager: Ann Allen Geoghegan

State Coordinator

Assistant State Coordinators and

Transcriptionists: Ann Allen Geoghegan, Debbie Leftwich, and

Rose Diamond and Linda Durr Rudd

Banner designed by: Melissa McCoy-Bell

Unknown worker photograph provided by L. Stephen Bell Photography, and family photo albums of Karen Schweikle, Lucy Gray and Jens Burkhart.