Did my ancestor go from being a business owner to becoming a medical doctor late in his life? Or had I found two separate people?
William Claude Montgomery (1883-1939), my 1st cousin 3X removed, was the first-born child of Samuel Henderson Montgomery and Marie Etienette Soffray Montgomery. I immediately thought of Claude, as he was known, when I considered this week’s writing assignment. Time was the subject. Detailing an instance when one had used a timeline in genealogy research was one suggestion. Another idea given was to feature an ancestor who had been a clock- or watchmaker.
Claude had been a watchmaker, I remembered.
I had thought this would be a very simple story to write, illustrated with photos of him and his jewelry store—photos that had been forwarded to me by one of his descendants. Instead, writing this piece created a bit of angst on my part and necessitated quite a bit of additional research. I was even to the point of giving serious consideration to the possibility that I had confused this ancestor with someone else.
I began to doubt the legitimacy of my previous research when I discovered an obituary for “Dr. W. C. Montgomery,” seen below:
Caddo County News. Cyril, Oklahoma. November 9, 1939
“W.C.” and (William) Claude were one and the same, right? There was no other child of Sam Montgomery with the initials “W.C.” The dates of birth and death corresponded. The married names of the sisters listed as survivors were identical. But how then to explain the disparity in occupations? The person described in the obituary was referred to as “Dr. W.C. Henderson” and had been an optometrist. No mention was made in this obituary of the deceased having been a watchmaker or owning a jewelry store.
I was very confused.
I then discovered this small paid advertisement placed in the the local newspaper:
Claude was then both a watchmaker/jeweler and jewelry store proprietor, and he was also an optometrist.
It seems I had gotten wound up for no reason.
Written for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge: Week 41-“What the Timeline Shows.” PROMPT: Timelines are great for putting events in context and spotting gaps in your research. What is something you’ve discovered using a timeline? (Or, any clock- or watchmakers in the family?)
