Margaret
Montgomery
1773-1854
Margaret Montgomery was born in
South Carolina in 1773. Her father, John, had emigrated from Ireland in 1735.
He married shipboard, then he and his wife settled first in Pennsylvania and
then moved to North Carolina. He also acquired land in South Carolina.
Margaret married Owen Shannon in
Wilkes County, Georgia on October 12, 1792. Both Owen and his father had served
in the American Revolution and received bounty land in Georgia for their
service.
In 1822, Margaret and Owen moved
to Pecan Point on the Red River, and in 1824 they moved to the area of San
Augustine, Texas. In 1827, they settled on a league of land granted to Austin’s
second colony by the Mexican Government, and Owen established a trading post,
calling it "Montgomery"—his wife’s maiden name. His son, Jacob
Shannon, had a league of land five miles west of Owen’s property and already
established a trading post that he called "Shannon".
Owen died about 1834. Tradition
and some old settlers around Montgomery say Owen was buried on the north bank
of Town Creek where his trading post was located. Margaret continued to run the
trading post in Montgomery until she became ill and went to stay with her son,
Jacob. She died at his home in 1854 and was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery
near Dobbin.
Since there was no county, state
or national record as to the exact place of burial for Owen, Margaret
Montgomery Chapter, NSDAR was granted permission to place a marker to his
memory in the "Old Cemetery" in Montgomery, Texas.
In 1959, the Margaret Montgomery
Chapter, NSDAR placed a marker on Margaret Montgomery’s grave.