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Local figure

William Montgomery

William Montgomery (1789–1844) was a physician who practiced at Albright's in Orange County. He represented Orange in the state senate from 1824 to 1827 and again from 1829 to 1834. In 1835 the county's voters sent him and James S. Smith to the state constitutional convention, and the same year he was elected to Congress, where he served three terms. He died at Albright's in November 1844.

Source: Documenting the American South: North Carolina. Constitutional Convention (1835). Journal of the Convention, Called by the…

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Life and Orange County connections

Dated events connected with this person, earliest first. See these 15 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Orange County voters return Willie P. Mangum to Congress and send William Montgomery to the state Senate In the county election Willie P. Mangum carried Orange over Josiah Crudup for Congress, 1,353 to 716, and was re-elected for the district. Dr. William Montgomery won the Senate seat over Michael Holt, William McCauley led the poll for the House of Commons with 1,059 votes, and John Scott was returned for the borough of Hillsborough without opposition. People: Willie P. Mangum, William MontgomerySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 17, 1825, p. 3
  2. Orange County elects William Montgomery, Thomas H. Taylor and John Stockard to the legislature Orange County voters chose Dr. William Montgomery for the state Senate and Thomas H. Taylor and John Stockard for the House of Commons, and the town of Hillsborough returned Frederick Nash to the Commons. People: William Montgomery, Thomas H. Taylor, Frederick NashSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 19, 1829, p. 3
  3. Orange County's candidates for the Assembly and sheriff take the field By July 12, 1834, the candidates for Orange County's August 14 election were William Montgomery and Hugh Waddell for the state Senate; Joseph Allison, John Stockard, William McCauley and William R. Hall for the House of Commons; William A. Graham for the Hillsborough borough seat; and James C. Turrentine and William Nelson for sheriff. Earlier lists that summer had named Thomas D. Crane and, briefly, Burrhus Cheek for the Senate. People: William Montgomery, Hugh Waddell, William McCauley, William A. Graham, James C. Turrentine, William NelsonSearch the index · The Harbinger (Chapel Hill), July 12, 1834, p. 3
  4. Orange County sends William Montgomery to the state Senate and Joseph Allison and John Stockard to the Commons Orange County voters returned Dr. William Montgomery to the state Senate, Col. Joseph Allison and Col. John Stockard to the House of Commons, and James C. Turrentine as sheriff. Hillsborough's borough seat went to William A. Graham without opposition. People: William Montgomery, James C. Turrentine, William A. GrahamSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 20, 1834, p. 3
  5. A Hawfields muster meeting nominates convention candidates and demands their views on the religious test After a militia muster at David Mebane's in the Hawfields, a meeting chaired by Dr. James A. Craig nominated William Montgomery, James S. Smith and James Mebane for the constitutional convention, added Joseph Allison, and resolved to support no candidate who would not state his views on the 32nd article (the religious test for office) and on judges' salaries. People: William Montgomery, James Strudwick Smith, James MebaneSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, May 15, 1835, p. 3
  6. Convention candidates James S. Smith and William Montgomery publish their platforms Dr. James S. Smith published an address to Orange voters favoring the end of borough representation, election of the governor by the people and biennial sessions, while opposing any change to the 32nd article; Dr. William Montgomery published his own opposition to striking out the 32nd article and to protecting judges' salaries. Both were elected delegates on May 21. People: James Strudwick Smith, William MontgomerySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, May 15, 1835, p. 3
  7. Orange County sends physicians William Montgomery and James S. Smith to the 1835 convention Ten men were put forward at meetings around the county, and the voters chose two physicians, William Montgomery and James S. Smith. Each sided with the majority that abolished borough seats, which cost Hillsborough its own member in the House of Commons. People: Thomas Ruffin, Frederick Nash, William MontgomerySearch the index · Lefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 86 · Also: Hillsborough Recorder, May 29, 1835, p. 3
  8. James S. Smith of Orange moves to abolish borough seats at the 1835 convention At the state constitutional convention in Raleigh, James S. Smith, one of Orange County's two delegates with William Montgomery, moved on June 11, 1835, to abolish borough representation entirely; the motion failed 61 to 67. The convention's committee later recommended taking the House seat from Hillsborough, Halifax and Salisbury while keeping it for four other towns. People: William MontgomerySearch the index · Documenting the American South: Journal of the Convention ... Which Assembled in the City of Raleigh, on the 4th of June, 1835
  9. Dr. William Montgomery of Orange is elected to Congress Montgomery, a Jackson Democrat and longtime state senator for Orange, defeated Daniel A. Barringer, carrying his home county 1,501 to 900. He served three terms. People: William MontgomerySearch the index · Lefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 85 · Also: Hillsborough Recorder, August 14, 1835, p. 3
  10. An Orange County meeting nominates Willie P. Mangum for Congress Citizens of Orange County meeting at the house of a Holt across the river blamed the money crisis on Jackson's interference with the currency, called for a new Bank of the United States and nominated Willie P. Mangum for Congress against William Montgomery. Mangum declined the nomination before the month was out. People: Willie P. Mangum, William MontgomerySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, June 23, 1837, p. 3
  11. William Montgomery beats William A. Graham for Congress as Orange gives him a smaller majority Dr. William Montgomery of Orange won another term in Congress over the Whig William A. Graham, who had campaigned little while away for surgery. Orange gave Montgomery only a small majority, far below the 601 votes he had won the county by in an earlier race. People: William A. GrahamSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 18, 1837, p. 3
  12. Whig district convention at Hillsborough nominates William A. Graham, who declines, and then George W. Haywood Delegates from Wake, Person and Orange met at the Masonic Hall in Hillsborough on May 31, 1839, with Weston R. Gales in the chair, and unanimously nominated William A. Graham for Congress against Dr. William Montgomery. Graham declined for private and domestic reasons, and the convention then chose George W. Haywood of Wake, who accepted by letter from Raleigh. People: W. R (Weston R.) Gales, William A. Graham, Hugh Waddell, Giles Mebane, William MontgomerySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, June 6, 1839, p. 3
Show all 15 dated events
  1. A new post route runs from Hillsborough to Roxboro through Chalk Level A new post route between Hillsborough and Roxboro, passing through the Chalk Level neighborhood, had recently been established by July 1839, and Chalk Level residents sought a post office of their own. A Mr. Nichols of Chalk Level, proposed as postmaster, said Dr. William Montgomery had written recommending the office and him. People: William MontgomerySearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, July 18, 1839, p. 3
  2. Orange County helps re-elect William Montgomery to Congress over George W. Haywood In the congressional election of August 8, 1839, Orange County gave Dr. William Montgomery 1,513 votes to 1,343 for the Whig George W. Haywood, and Montgomery carried the Orange, Person and Wake district 2,916 to 2,553.Search the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 29, 1839, p. 3
  3. A meeting at the High Falls of Haw River demands a central division of Orange County A large meeting at the High Falls on Haw River, chaired by William Montgomery, resolved to keep petitioning the legislature for a central division of Orange County, condemned the recent attempt to tax the county $10,000 for a new court house, and pledged to support no legislative candidate who opposed division. A substitute offered by Giles Mebane to settle the question by a popular vote at the August election was voted down. People: William Montgomery, Giles MebaneHillsborough Recorder, May 5, 1842, p. 3

Named with them in the chronology

People named in the same dated entries as William Montgomery, those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.

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Start at OCPL

Books in OCPL’s Rebecca B. Wall Local History Collection whose titles, catalog subjects, or descriptions match this person. The Friends’ recommended starting points are labelled.

  • Rebecca Wall Collection · NC 929.375 CLE North and South Carolina Marriage Records From the Earliest Colonial Days to the Civil War Clemens, William Montgomery · 1973

    Nearly 7,500 marriages from North and South Carolina, roughly 1683 to 1865, compiled and edited by William Montgomery Clemens and arranged alphabetically by surname, with the brides' maiden names. First published in 1927; this is the Genealogical Publishing Company reprint of 1973, 295 pages.

Research sources

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Collections and databases

  • NC LIVE: prepared search for William Montgomery Library card An advanced search of the state’s shared databases already scoped to Orange County’s places and this subject; edit it freely, and sign in through your North Carolina library to read
  • Ancestry Library Edition In the libraryOrange County Public Library Census, birth, death and marriage records, and more, free on the public computers at OCPL libraries

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Books about William Montgomery

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Background reading at OCPL

Held in OCPL’s Rebecca B. Wall Local History Collection. Selected because their titles or catalog subjects provide wider historical context for this person; they may not discuss the Orange County person directly.

  • Background reading · Rebecca Wall Collection North and South Carolina Marriage Records: From the Earliest Colonial Days to the Civil War Clemens, William Montgomery · 1927

    Marriages in the two Carolinas from early colonial times to the Civil War, compiled and edited by William Montgomery Clemens and published in New York by E. P. Dutton in 1927; x and 295 pages. Genealogical Publishing Company reprinted it in 1973 and 1981.

    Subjects in the Library of Congress catalog record: Registers of births, etc -- North Carolina; Registers of births, etc -- South Carolina OCPL call number: NC 929.3 CLE

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