A Genealogical History of the Montgomerys and Their Descendants

by David B. Montgomery

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 edition. ... CHAPTER XII. THOMAS MONTGOMERY, SR, OR "PURTY OLD TOM MONTGOMERY THE DEER KILLER," BORN 1745. In the preceding chapters we have given some account of nine children of Hugh Montgomery, Sr. We now take up the tenth and youngest, Thomas Montgomery, known all over Gibson county in his day as "Purty Old Tom the Deer Killer." The prefix "Purty" was attached to his name on account of his upright, lithe carriage and portly appearance. It is said that he was straight as an arrow. The "Deer Killer" came from the fact that he killed 160 deer around the springs on the Colonel Jones farm, now owned by Lientenant Wm. Jones, his great-grandson. This was on the south-west quarter of section 12, town 3, range 12 west. He came to Indiana in 1805 and marked an oak tree by the spring on what has for a long time been known as the Smith Mounts farm; then the Thomas A. Mounts, and now (1902) as the C. B. Smith farm--south-east quarter of section 24, town 3, range 12 west. He then returned to Mount Sterling, in Montgomery county, Ky., in order to bring his family to Indiana; but for some reason he did not return to Indiana until 1806. When he arrived at the quarter-section on which he had marked the oak tree he found the land occupied by a man, in a rail pen for a house, by the name of Hamer --now known as Henbner. George Henbner of near Poseyville, Ind., is a descendant of that man. So "Purty Old Tom" drove on north to those springs a little south-west of Owensville and made a temporary stop on the Jones land above referred to. It appears that he did not desire this land, as shortly afterward he moved a little south-east to the south-east quarter of section 13, town 3, range 12 west, and entered that land in 1807. This was 95 years ago. This land descended to...

470 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 2010