Montgomery

Town Creek Indian Mound

The original site of Town Creek Indian Mound has been extensively excavated and restored by archaeologists. Today, you can experience the reconstruction of Pee Dee Culture dating back to 1000 to 1600 AD. The Indian Mound is open year-round and includes a platform mound, circular mortuary house, sacred square ground, and a reconstructed ceremonial center.

New York City Coal Philanthropist Diedin Montgomery County, North Carolina

The New River Gorge Mine ca 1890/1900. Apparently, the Fayette County, West Virginia investment was ongoing during 1888 because Fayette County was the first county to produce more than a million tons of coal in a single year, and the total amount of coal production for the entire state for that year was 5,498,800 tons. Just slightly less than one-fifth of the all coal produced in West Virginia during 1888 was produced in the Fayette County mines, most of them located deep within in the New River Gorge along the Chesapeake & Ohio mainline. When John Halstead of New York City died in 1899, he was in North Carolina where his last will and testament was probated, with New York listed as the Surrogate Court. He bequeathed much of his estate fo Hannah Werbert “who became a member of my mother’s household about the year 1848.”

Interestingly enough, he bequeathed $300 to the perpetual care of his burial plot in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Also, he gave largely to New York Charities and real estate interests. Apparently, his coal property in West Virginia interlocked with plans to purchase the Black Diamond Mine. West Virginia Coal Mines (1899) mentions Peter Cooper of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, founded by him in New York City (chartered in 1857). Cooper was also named in Halstead’s will with specific instructions. The Annual Report of the Company dated May 31, 1900 recorded a gift of valuable coal lands in West Virginia, given by the late John Halstead, estimated to be worth between $200,000 and $300,000. Andrew Carnegie was also part of the same coal enterprise on the site of the Muskingum River. The genealogy lesson here is to read old documents, particularly wills and estates, then research the persons mentioned. The inventories list a vast storehouse of information and provide clues as to the occupation, family members, in-laws, relatives in other places, and the neighborhood.

Names of Families in Montgomery County Wills and Estates

The county was formed in 1779 from Anson County. It was named after Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War General who was killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. Later, in 1841 the part of Montgomery County west of the Pee Dee River became Stanly County.

Indexes to Probate Records

Wills and Estates 1868 to 1905

Images of Wills and Estates 1843 to 1868

Images of Wills and Estates 1868 to 1905