Book

The Story of Montague Co., TX - Its Past and Present (Fenoglio)
(C. Avis Catalog entry #468)

Fenoglio, Melvin, Montague Historical Society. Dallas, TX:  Curtis Media Corp., 1989

p. 91

A few people began moving into the area starting around 1854.  Mrs. Lydia C. Jones in a letter to a sister in Hedley, Texas, described the area.  Here are excerpts of her story:  "I was born in Marion, Illinois, in 1843 and moved to Montague County, Texas, in 1854.  We lived in Montague.  At that time there was only one store in Montague, it being owned and conducted in  a wagon bed by John Cox.  Later a hotel was put in by George Cox and a saloon by somebody named Avis.  Then John Cox built a two-room log house and ran his store in one room and lived in the other..."

Some early day settlers, in addition to those already mentioned, were John and W. A. (Uncle Bud) Morris, Thad and Joseph C. Bryant, Jeff, William T. and Talton Barnes, D. S. Hagler, W. T. Waybourn, W. D., Jeff, and David Lee Jameson, Felix J. Covey, S. F. Maines, Dr. J. E. Stinson, James M. Grigsby, G. W. Alcorn, Levi Walker, John F., W. J., and Granville T. Bone, David Barefoot, James P. Doughty, James R. Covey, David Avis, S. O. Arnold, John Scandland, John and George McFarland, Jesse T. and James T. Pollard, John Davis, John Brumley, and William W. Covey.

p. 855

WEBB FAMILY
F1083

Jacob Webb was probably born in Sullivan Co., Tn., 25 Dec., 1798.  Before 1830, he and several siblings and other residents of said county moved west to Cole Co., Mo.  Here his first wife, Eleanor, died in late 1837 or early 1838, for on 17 May, 1838, he married Elizabeth Wray.  About 1859, Jacob and Elizabeth and several other families, including his daughter Narcissa and her husband, John R. McElroy, and their children migrated to Montague Co..  They settled near Forestburg.  Jacob obtained a land patent for 160 acres on 22 May, 1873.
Children of this couple, all born in Mo. were, Mahala Katherine mar. 1859 David Avis and after his death she mar. C. C. White.  All are buried Montague cemetery.  Mary Elizabeth mar. 1861 Dory Booher; Missouri; Benjamin mar. Sarah Ann Gray and lived Limestone Co., Tx; George; Samuel; John R. 1878 mar. Nancy Blylock.  
Jacob died 16 Oct, 1875 and Elizabeth 6 April, 1902.  Both are buried Perryman Cemetery, Forestburg.

By Mrs. William (Jean) McNutt, Jr. 
 

TENNESSEANS IN THE CIVIL WAR
(C. Avis Catalog entry #289)     


Volume 2  p. 351

Confederate:   

J. R. Rudd, Pvt, G Co.  37th Infantry
Joseph Rudd, Pvt, D Co.  9th Infantry

The Conger Family of America (Leonard)
(C. Avis Catalog entry #651)

The Ross information in the book follows.  The bulk of the Conger information is not included.

p. 282 - 285
Hannah Conger 
b. 2-5-1747  Woodbridge, NJ
d. 4-15-1820
daugther of John Conger and Zipporah
married Arthur Ross

Lizzie Conger
b. abt 1742
d. abt 1796
daugther of John Conger and Zipporah
married Nicholas Ross

Will of John Conger (dated 2-7-1784) mentions Hannah Ross as one of his daughters and grandaughter Jane Ross, daugther of Nicholas.

John Conger
b. abt 1734 Rowan Co., NC
d. 3-22-1806
m1. Judith Moores
m2. Mary Ross
b. 1-28-1751 Rowan Co., NC
d. 1-4-1795
daughter of Isaac Ross and Jean Brown

Mary Ross' tombstone "Mary Conger, deceast on Jan the 4th 1795.  Was born Jan the 28d 1751".  This Mary was Mary Ross daughter of Isaac and Jean (Brown) Ross, who married John Conger, Jr. son of John Conger (b. 1708).

A letter from John B. Conger dated 1839 is quoted:
"Uncle Isaac Ross's family are all no more, pretty much, and the children are taking steps to keep all the negroes in slavery.  Also the same Margaret A. Reed's estate (the daughter of Uncle Isaac, formerly Mrs. Archer).  She has 230 slaves, and willed them to Dr. Stephen Duncan and Zubulan Butler, with a idea of having them sent to Liberia.
Eli K. Ross is living in Louisana, on the Ouchita River, and doing no good.  'I am building a fine house on my plantation on the Mississippi River, where I plan to spend the remainder of my days.  I have 14,000 acres of rich bottom land and some equally rich above.  More than 300 negroes, as likey as I ever saw.  Will get probably 2,000 bales of cotton, wbich, together with sales of cord-wood to steamboats, should make an income this year of about $130,000.  With all this a man is not <?> happy'"

Pioneer Sketches (G. W. Cox 1911)
(C. Avis Catalog entry #142)

p. 17

First Child Born in Montague

There was a man by the name of David Avis boarded at our house; he sold groceries and also whiskey.  He courted and married a Miss Webb, a sister of J. R. Webb who now lives between Mallard and Forestburg.  He moved and lived in a log house that stood west of the court house.  There is an old house now where it stood, on the corner of west block of the square.  There was born to them a son.  I remember going with my mother to see the baby.  He was about the first baby I had seen since I was a babe.  Some of the readers know Jim Avis, he was the baby.  There was four children born to that home, at that place, two boys and two girls.  Jim, Frank, Mary and Nanie Bell.  In a few years, Avis died, so in the event of time there was another man boarding at our house by the name of C. C. White.  When he came here he was old Bro. W. R. Baker's dry goods clerk, and he married the widdow Avis.  He went into the mercantile business.  He, as may of my readers know, became very wealthy; both men's remains now lie in the old Montague cemetry.  The woman is still alive as far as I know.

Garrett:  1000 Years from Normandy (Edward R. Garrett)
(C. Avis Catalog entry #122)

p. 209-210

Presley Garrett b. ca. 1765-70, died before November 1844 Gibson County, Indiana,
 married Elizabeth _____. They had ten children:
1. William Garrett b. ca. 1788 North Carolina, d. ca. 1866 Hopkins County, Texas. Married Susannah _____ b. 1796 North Carolina. They had fifteen children.
2. Amos Garrett b. ca. 1791.
3. Shubal Garrett b. ca. 1793 North Carolina or Kentucky, d. 14 September 1864, buried Gibson County, Indiana.
4. Elizabeth Garrett b. ca. 1804 married 24 February 1820 Gibson County, Indiana.
5. James M. Garrett b. ca. 1806 married 5 August 1831.
6. Sarah Garrett.
7. Anna Garrett.
8. Harrison Garrett b, ca. 1812 Indiana.
9. Rebecca Garrett married 8 December 1824 Gibson County, Indiana.
10. John H. Garrett d. before 1846 Gibson County, Indiana, John had three children:
Elizabeth, Thomas P., and John, Jr., and all three went to Hopkins County, Texas.

William Garrett (son of Presley Garrett and Elizabeth) b. ca. 1788 North Carolina, d. ca. 1866 Hopkins County, Texas, married Susannah b. 1796 North Carolina. In addition to Indiana and Texas, they lived for awhile in Alabama. They had fifteen children:
1. Jesse Garrett b. ca, 1811.
2. Elijah Garrett b. ca. 1812.
3. Elisha James Garrett b. ca. 1813.
4. Mary Garrett b. ca. 1814, d. 12 February 1883. Married Duckworth.
5. Elizabeth Garrett married Runnels or Reynolds. He was born 7 July 1805, d. 17 September 1857.
6. Presley Garrett.
7. John Garrett b. ca. 1821 Alabama married first cousin Elizabeth Garrett b. ca. 1821 Gibson County, Indiana.
8. James Garrett.
9. William H. Garrett b, ca. 1827 Alabama, moved to Texas.
10. Sarah Garrett married Proctor.
11. Jane Garrett married Meadows.
12. Martha Jane Garrett b. ca. 1834 married Harrington.
13. Arminda Garrett b. ca. 1837 Indiana married Welch-Medders.
14. S.T. Garrett married Huggins.
15. Lucinda Garrett b. ca. 1839 Indiana married Clifton, moved to Texas.

John Garrett (son of William Garrett and Susannah) b. ca. 1821 Alabama married 16 
September 1841 Elizabeth Garrett b. ca. 1821 Gibson County, Indiana. Her parents were 
Shubal Garrett and Martha White. William and Shubal were brothers. They had ten
children: 
1. Elizabeth Jane Garrett b. 31 October 1842 Arkansas, d. May 1931 Hopkins County, Texas. Married second cousin Jessie Columbus Garrett 28 March 1885 Hopkins County, Texas.
2. William L. Garrett b. ca. 1844 Texas.
3. James M. Garrett b. ca. 1846 Texas.
4. Levi J. Garrett b. ca. 1847 Texas.
5. Elijah Garrett b. ca. 1849 Texas.
6. Emaline Garrett b. ca. 1850 Texas,
7. Lucinda Garrett b. 1852 Texas.
8. Frank Garrett b. ca. 1853 Texas.
9. Ripley Garrett b. ca. 1855 Texas.
10. Martha Garrett b. ca. 1859 Texas.
(in household in 1860 was Silas L. Garrett age 22 b. Tennessee.)

Elizabeth Jane Garrett (daughter of John Garrett and Elizabeth Garrett) b. 31 October 1842 Arkansas, d. May 1931 Hopkins County, Texas. Married 28 March 1865 Hopkins County, Texas to second cousin Jessie Columbus Garrett b. 19 June l840 Tennessee, d. 5 April 1919, Hopkins County. Texas. They had eleven children, all born in the same house in Hopkins County, Texas.
1. Silas Lafavet Garrett b. 12 May 1866, d. 23 October 1866.
2. William Elijah Garrett b. 31 July 1867, d. 26 November 1920.
3. John Presley Garrett b, 20 December 1868, d. 26 January 1944,
4. Martha Alice Elizabeth Garrett b. 21 February 1870, d. 28 March 1909.
5. Mary Lucinda Garrett b. 9 September 1871, d. 17 December 1872.
6. Cordelia Chestaner Garrett b. 1 February 1873, d. 23 October 1913,
7. Rachel Melessia Garrett b. 15 December 1875, d. 6 July 1940.
8. Sarah Kathryn (Kittie) Garrett b. 17 June 1877.
9. Charles David Garrett b. 12 January 1879, d. 7 October 1679.
10. Emma Lovdella Garrett b. 12 October 1880.
11. Lawrence Sullivan Ross Garrett b, 31 December 1885, d. 23 September 1968.

Martha Alice Elizabeth Garrett (daughter of Elizabeth Jane Garrett and Jessie Columbus Garrett) b. 21 February 1870, d. 28 March 1909, married James David Blount on 28 February 1892 Hopkins County, Texas. They had seven children, one of which was Alice Leona Blount who married Sidney Evin Manning on 23 November 1917 in Clebourne, Johnson County, Texas. They had eight children, one of which was James Arvin Manning b. 27 March 1922 Hood County, Texas.

James Manning contributed data for this report. Also contributing were Mrs. Patricia (Garrett) Arthaud of Treaton, Missouri, and Mrs. Emma (Garrett) McNeal of Tolleson, Arizona, James Manning lives in Haven, Kansas.