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Notes for Edward Paul Montgomery

As told by Irene (Montgomery) Shelhamer;

Edward Paul Montgomery with wife, Maggie and children, Irene, Gertrude, Burt and Frank, left Illinois about 1895-96. It was a very cold winter morning as they left on the train to Pasac, Missouri, where Edward had rented farm ground. It was a hard trip for Maggie, leaving her mother and 9 brothers and sisters. She was the only one of her family to leave Illinois.

The first year in Pasac, Missouri was bad, as all but Frank, a 7 month old nursing baby, had typhoid fever, from impure drinking water. Also that year had crop failure. Grandmother Anna Burrell came to help care for us for awhile. She wasn't well, and soon after going home she had to go to New York to care for her mother. Grandmother Burrell died soon after that.

The family, then moved to Adrian, Missouri, and the following year Metta was born, 9 September 1897. Edward worked at several jobs, it was a very hard time as most people had small farms and no one had hired help. The family again moved, this time to Kansas City, Kansas, where Edward worked at Armour Packing Plant. The family lived close to the river. Maggie's health wasn't good, so the family moved again, this time to Sheffield, part of Kansas City, and Edward worked for Sheffield Iron Works. The winters were terrible and Edward caught bad colds, going from the terrible heat around the hot steel and then going out in the cold. He had spots on his lungs - in those days, anything ailing your lungs was thought to be TB, so doctors advised him to go to Colorado to the higher climate and thin air. The family stayed in Kansas City while he went to Colorado, around January 1898. The family stayed alone until early July, then took the long train journey, which was hard on all of them. Metta was about 1 1/2 years old. Maggie and the 5 children arrived in Chama, New Mexico about noon. Irene was about 10 years old, but left the train to go get sandwiches for everyone. While she was getting the sandwiches, the train switched on down the track to the depot to change engines.
Finally they arrived in Arboles, Colorado, where Edward had a place for the family. Railroad men had told him the train was running late. He had a stove, but hadn't gotten it yet. When the train arrived, he was not there to meet his family. Sam Jones cared for Maggie and the children until Edward got to the depot.

Edward and family squatted on a homestead on the Piedra north of Arboles and built a small log house.

Maggie was sick, expecting another child, and needed to be close to a doctor. Irene, Gertrude and Burt, also needed to be in school and Edward needed a job, so the family moved to Pagosa Junction. Nellie was born 12 March 1900 at Pagosa Junction. The next move was to Bayfield where the family lived that summer; moved back to Pagosa Junction where there was a big saw mill and a good doctor. Eventually the family moved to Bayfield, where Edward bought the "old home place" which was 160 acres for $40.00 from Mr. Brown. Ted was born 22 July 1902 and Monta was born 7 August 1904. Maggie died 11 August 1904, 4 days after Maggie was born. Irene was 13 and Gertrude was 12, leaving them to raise their younger siblings.

Edward did a lot of building in Bayfield, including the first hotel. The hotel was damaged in the flood of 1911, which flooded the town of Bayfield. Edward also did logging with draft horses, ranched, and was the first Deputy Sheriff in Bayfield.

Edward and Burt traded from Pagosa to Aztec, New Mexico in the early 1900's, trading lumber for fruit.

One time when Edward was bringing the family to Bayfield, at Cat Creek they bogged down and had to unload everything from the wagon. It took them 3 days cribbing up before they could get out.

Irene, Gertrude, Burt, Frank and Metta all stayed in the Bayfield area and were ranchers, Ted died as a young man, Nellie moved to Illinois and Monta moved to Oregon.

Source: Notes by Irene Montgomery Shelhamer.

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