Montgomery Meglone of Lexington, 31 June 1808- 17 August 1840

Not much is known about Montgomery Meglone of Lexington other than his marriage to Maria Sharpe on 29 March 1837. Montgomery and Maria had two children before his death: Whitney William and Mary Morton (who married John Hutchison). Maria, Whitney, and Mary are mentioned in other posts here.

Montgomery so far has not been found in any city directory or other city records other than the 1840 census where he has been mistakenly indexed as “Meglone Montgomery” or "Montgomery Magland." His specific occupation remains a mystery, as does his cause of death. Any will or estate appraisal has not yet been located if any ever existed. He is listed as being employed in commerce in the 1840 census, and has his young son and daughter as well as his wife in the home, and no slaves. It should be noted here for that census source that Ancestry.com still mistakenly has the city of Lexington listed in "Edmonson" County rather than Fayette as it should be. I have made requests in years past for them to correct this error, but it still has not been corrected.

Since at this period of time (ca. 1840) there are no other Meglone families in Lexington (at least that have been found yet), it can be assumed that this Montgomery is likely a son of Hugh and Mary Meglone who arrived in Lexington in approximately 1806-07. It is presumed that Montgomery was born in Lexington after their arrival and before Hugh’s death in 1811. His only birth record found so far is the transcription from the Meglone-Walden Bible record (from Kentucky Pioneer and Court Records by H.K. McAdams).

I believe that it is most likely that Montgomery was some type of merchant (clerk or shop owner) and that it may be possible that he originally owned the property where his wife Maria later ran a boarding house after his death. This will have to be determined by examining any deeds that might be able to be found. Some deeds may involve Maria’s second husband Atterson Lewis Walden, who will be discussed in another post (see Maria Sharpe Meglone).


Records I have on Montgomery Meglone include:

Digital copy of 1840 Lexington KY census (as of December 2009 Ancestry.com still has Lexington listed under the wrong county for 1840- Edmonson instead of Fayette).

Digital copy of the marriage record for Montgomery and Maria Sharpe (newspaper). The KY Gazette 6 April 1837, “MARRIED-- On Wednesday evening, the 29th ult., by the Rev. Edward Stevenson, Mr. MONTGOMERY MEGLONE to Miss MARIA SHARPE, all of this city.”

Transcriptions of the Meglone-Walden family bible records confirming Maria Sharpe Meglone Walden’s marriage to Montgomery as well as the births of their son and daughter, and confirmation of Maria’s marriage to Atterson Lewis Walden.


Speculations:

Could Montgomery’s given name alone imply a connection between the Meglone family and a Montgomery family, furthering the likelihood that the Meglone family was of Scottish origin?

Could the marriage of Montgomery's daughter Mary Morton Meglone to John Hutchison be the connection to stories on the Hugh Meglone Milton family side? H.M. Milton II’s Milton Family History describes the story of how a cousin who was married to a Hutchison managed to deprive Martha McIntyre Milton out of her grandmother Meglone’s inheritance. Martha McIntyre Milton was the daughter of Martha Meglone and Benjamin McIntyre. Her mother died shortly after her birth and she was then raised by her Meglone grandmother. If Martha Meglone was a sister to Montgomery, then his daughter Mary would have been first cousin to my Martha McIntyre Milton.


Current Research:

Researching Presbyterian church records of Lexington for older records with any mention of the Meglone family. I believe that it is likely the Meglones attended a church such as the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington because of the good probability that they were Scottish and that they were a prosperous merchant family. According to an article in the Kentucky Register, the upper classes of Lexington (including merchants) tended to favor the Episcopal church and the Presbyterian churches that did not follow the “revival” style preachings that were becoming all the rage in more rural areas. If the Meglones were Scottish, it is most likely they would either be Catholic or Presbyterian rather than Episcopal. If they followed the social trend of attending church within their social class, then the First Presbyterian Church would be the first place to check for records. The church was within walking distance of the store owned by Hugh Meglone and Daniel Halstead on Cheapside. It is believed the Hugh Meglone home was in the vicinity of the store and church. Since newspaper records provide the name of the man who performed the marriage of Montgomery and Maria, further research on this man may determine if he was a pastor at a local church. Further research into that church’s older records (if they exist) may add more to the Meglone family story.

I am currently tracking church records and hope to look at them in person if there is a chance they could contain valuable information.