Nancy Jane Apple "Jenny"

i.

Ivan Montague Born on 12 Oct 1899 in Delcarbo, Indiana. Ivan died on 6 Aug 1900.

ii.

(Thomas) Earl Montague (1900-1958), married Edna Faye Watson. 

iii.

Walter Sylvester Montague (1902-), married Genevieve Lewis.

iv.

Arthur Montague (1904-1979), married Merle Ruby Hall.

v.

Ethel Marie Montague  Born on 29 Feb 1908 in Shelburn, Indian.  Ethel Marie married Paul Edward Crooks. Paul Edward died in Jan 1987.  Aunt Ethel died in '91 ?

vi.

Kenneth Ray Montague (1913- 2002) - married Iris McGinnis.  They had Shirley Rae Montague.

vii.

Vivian Lucile Montague (1915-1973), married William Lynn Ratcliffe (my maternal grandparents)

Below is some personal information on the siblings of Erastus "Ray" Montague who were my mother's great aunts and uncles.

Sister to Erastus Montague:  Louisa Ellen.  Born in 1872.  Notes from Barbara Ratcliffe Smith:  "From what I can gather, Louisa Ellen (known as "Aunt Lou" in Mom's family) must have been the "live wire" of the family.  From the pictures in the album of Aunt Lou, one would gather she had a zest for life - the family nut.  Aunt Lou married first a man named Sankey.  They had 2 children, Mildred &  Lyle.  The Sankey family had a boarder named Charlie Tudor.  Louisa divorced Sankey and married Tudor.  Their children were Mary Montague Tudor, Clara Avis Tudor, Henrietta Isabell Tudor and Charles Franklin Tudor.  Mary's picture appears in the album inscribed to Aunt Ethel "Your Dixie cousin, 1923".  Somewhere along the line the family moved to Montgomery, Alabama.  Aunt Ethel said she last saw Aunt Lou when she was about ten years old.  That would have been around 1918.  Aunt Lou died March 13, 1925."

Sister to Erastus:  Flora May MONTAGUE. Born on 30 May 1875 in Henry Co., IN. Flora May died in Sullivan Co., IN on 21 Jul 1947, she was 72.  On 14 Aug 1892 when Flora May was 17, she married Ruben FROMENT. Born on 11 Feb 1866. Ruben died on 1 Jan 1953, he was 86.

Some notes from Barbara Ratcliffe Smith on "Aunt Flo":  "Flora May was always called "Aunt Flo" in our family.  I can only remember seeing her once, though I probably saw her at times when I was too young to remember.  She was a very large woman, as was her mother, Henrietta Lloyd.  By the time I knew her she was elderly and white haired.  I made the comment to Aunt Ethel once that she and Henrietta were certainly huge women, and Aunt Ethel became offended, sniffed and said that they were "stately" not huge.  As I understand it, Flora May was against my Grandpa Ray marrying Grandma Jennie, and did her best to prevent it.  Supposedly, Grandpa had a girlfriend in Terre Haute who was more high class.  As it turned out, Grandpa's morals weren't all that high class, so maybe Flo had delusions of grandeur.  Flora May married Reuben Froment.  They lived in Shelburn throughout their lives.  Their children were Gladys Eulalie, Emmett Verl, Helen Marjorie, Joseph Franklin and Dorrance V.  Gladys Eulalie became deaf after an attack of Scarlet Fever when she was young.  She attended the deaf school in Indianapolis, and married Claude Perkins whom she met at the school.  They lived on a farm near Lafayette.  She took my cousin Margaret, daughter of Uncle Earl, under her wing when Margaret was diagnosed as deaf and sent her to the Indiana State School for the Deaf in Indianapolis."   Flora May and her husband are buried in Sullivan county, IN and their tombstone is above.

Florence Montague Froment and Reuben Froment had the following children:

Brother to Erastus "Ray" Montague,  David Dunreith, born 1881 married first to Mary Engle.  Notes from Barbara Ratcliffe Smith.  "They had a daughter named Vivian.  (I think this is who grandma named mom after).  Mary died sometime before 1910, for in that year David married Alta Jewell.  They had 4 children - Doris, Gilbert, Howard and Robert.  Aunt Ethel and I attended a memorial service for Gilbert in Terre Haute in 1990 and I met his sister Doris. 

Around 1921, "Uncle Dunn" was getting off the inter-urban streetcar in Shelburn, slipped and fell on his head.  He turned out to have amnesia. According to family tradition, Alta took this opportunity to have David committed to the insane asylum in Evansville.  In those days it was much easier for a person to commit someone else.  After David recovered he wrote all the family members to get him out of Evansville, but such an undertaking required hiring a lawyer and no one in the family had the money to do so.  In 1922 David died at the asylum and they brought the body back to Shelburn.  Aunt Ethel said the undertaker told them his body was covered with bruises.  Whether he died of natural causes or not I never found out, he could have been beaten to death.  In those days it took more money than coal miners had to investigate this kind of affair. 

According to Aunt Ethel, Vivian, (daughter of David Dunreith) never spoke to the rest of the Montague's again because they hadn't helped her dad get out of the asylum.

Brother to Erastus "Ray" Montague, James Otis MONTAGUE. Born on 11 Jan 1884 in Sullivan Co., IN. James Otis died in Acton, AL.  On 12 Dec 1901 when James Otis was 17, he married Ida HIGHFIELD.  Notes from Barbara Ratcliffe Smith's research:  Not too much is known about James.  According to Sullivan County records, he married Ida Highfield in 1901.  At one time he went to Virginia to work, according to Aunt Ethel, was laid off and wired Grandpa Ray for some money to come home.  At some point he moved to Alabama.  Aunt Ethel said he was married twice.  He had 2 children - Thomas Baxter and Liberty Bond.  Liberty Bond must have been born at the time of the First World War.  Some parents really had patriotic fervor.  James died in Acton, Alabama.

They had the following children:

i.

Linda Arlene Montague - I was five years old when Daddy died. Don't really remember too much, but have a few memories. Can remember him shelling nuts on the floor and he would give them to me. When he got very sick, the ambulance came and took him to the hospital. They had to cut the two little evergreen shrubs out to get him in the ambulance. Then after the funeral, there were all kinds of ribbons brought home from the flower arrangements, and Mary shared them with me. Only one she really wanted was purple and yellow, and of course, anything Mary wanted I wanted too. 

The uncles that I knew the best was Uncle Walter and Uncle Kenny. Used to go over and visit Aunt Ethel and Uncle Jack when I was a little girl. I dearly loved Uncle Walter and Aunt Jen. Loved to play at their house. Rick, their son, had the neatest butterfly collection that I would drool over. Of course, Rick has been gone a long time.

I am not surprised that there has not been anything written about Earl. Kind of like the age difference that I share with my family. You are in the same position.

I left Farmersburg, Indiana when I was 18 years young for Columbia, Mo. and have never looked back. Have been here 30 years and love it. When mom was alive, always made the annual trip back home for her birthday on July 11. Don't think I ever missed her birthday. Now that she has been gone, find it harder and harder to go back. Still miss her so much.

First cousin,

Linda Montague Gilbert

On Right is a photo of Amy, Rachel, Myself, Rita and Brenda Montague, grandchildren of Earl "Thomas" Montague, brother to my maternal grandmother., May 2003

ii.

Charlotte Lucille Montague; Charlotte's middle name is for my maternal grandmother, Vivian Lucile Montague Ratcliffe. 

iii.

Margaret Ann Montague married William Bearhope and had Brenda, Rita, Amy, Janice and Rachel., from Brenda about her dad William Bearhope: He was extremely intelligent, very artistic, and loved his children.  He also loved his great nieces and nephews.  He loved to hunt, fish, farm, work with wood, and in general be outdoors.  He had a great sense of humor, and often played practical jokes on us kids.  We always fell for the fake door knock and would go running to the front door to see who was there.  He would laugh a great big belly laugh.  I miss his crinkling green eyes.  Pictures here are right, Margaret Montague, top left, myself and Margaret Montague and on left is Brenda Montague.  Margaret Montague is a daughter of Earl Thomas Montague and Brenda is one of her daughters, the rest are above.

iv.

David George Montague March 26, 1938 - May 6, 1982; David died of a heart attack @ 44 yrs old. David married _________ and had Michael, Mitchell and Teresa Montague.

v.

Mary Lorene Montague - My sis Char remembers going out to see Grandpa Ray on the river when she was young. They visited, never lived there.  Grandpa Ray died from the knife wound but she remembers hearing people tell daddy that it was an awful fight. Ray was sliced up pretty bad and he had 2 or 3 boats but all of them were either destroyed or let loose. He had no way to get to help. It was also very hot and he had laid in the 100' for 2 days before any one came by to see him. He was supposed to be a bootlegger in addition to fisherman. Even the co. deputies would row out to see him on the weekends.  I guess Grandpa Ray was a pretty big man. I know my dad was 6' and back then that was extremely TALL!!  Most men were around 5' 8" or so. My brother Dave was 6'1" and my brother Bob is 6'4". I am 5'9", the tallest girl in my immediate family. Ethel and Arthur were tall also. I know Uncle Walter and Uncle Kenny were not. Uncle Kenny looked more and more like Grandma Jennie by the time of his death.  Think my dad was buried on my sister Char's birthday. Feb. 8, '32 I am not sure. I was 13, almost 14 when he died. My mom was in bed with pneumonia when he died and I can remember Aunt Ethel was very upset that she was not at the hospital when he went.

vi.

Robert Earl Montague "Bob"

vii.

Leigh Montague - still born

i.

Rick Montague, died young, hit by drunk driver.