More about Waightstill Avery Montgomery

Photocopy of a photocopy
W. A., Mary, and Hugh
Montgomery

(This information was found in Collin County Families, in an article written by James Ray Montgomery, W.A. Montgomery’s great-grandson.)

Waightstill Avery Montgomery left Burke, North Carolina, in 1857. He was 23. He left North Carolina because the best farmland had been taken and he could buy land in Texas at low prices.

Frying Pan Ranch
--upon which at least a part
of the Montgomery family farm was located

Waightstill settled near his relatives, the Largents, east of Pot Rack Creek (south of Blue Ridge). He married Mary Elizabeth Largent on 6 September 1858 and raised eleven children there.

After the Civil War (see the post Waightstill Avery Montgomery—Civil War Veteran), he resumed farming until 1886. He and his eldest son, William (Billy), opened a mercantile store in Fayburgh. (My granddad Carl Buford Gaines was born in “Fayburg”. That probably means he was born on the farm just a couple of miles east of Fayburg. This article also reveals that Carl Buford's nickname was "Tom".)

Montgomery Family Cemetery

Mary died 6 May 1897 (she is buried in the Montgomery Family cemetery). Waightstill moved to Durant, Indian Territory, where he owned some lots. He helped lay out some of the town sites. (My question about this is: did he go to Durant and then have his family follow him there, or did he follow his family there? Several of his children were living in the Durant area when he died. And my mother and her sisters were born in this area, Bryan County: Lillie and Bonnie in Kemp, Helen and Esther—Mom—in Albany.)

James Montgomery relates that Waightstill like to get maps and go treasure hunting, looking for gold that had been buried during the Civil War.

Waightstill's and Mary's
monument

Waightstill died 30 March 1908 at his daughter’s home in Durant. “He was returned by wagon to the farm near Fayburgh, a trip of about seventy miles over very bad roads.” He was buried in the Montgomery Family cemetery, beside Mary, two daughters (Martha and Mary) and his son Dudley, all of whom died before he did.

[Fayburgh was a community south of Blue Ridge, named by a Captain Bristol when he applied for a Post Office. He named it after his daughter, Fay. The Post Office was established 4 Mar 1884. The spelling of the town was changed to Fayburg, 6 Nov 1893. The Post Office was discontinued on 15 May 1926 and Fayburg disappeared.]