1887 Address of Logan Russell Montgomery:

Update: The graphic below was misdated. It  from the 1897 Polk Directory, but at the time of this article’s original posting 1897 was still the earliest date establishing the presence of Logan Russell Montgomery and family in Indianapolis. But we have now found proof re-establishing the Montgomery family’s arrival in 1887. The 1887 PCD does list Russell Logan Montgomery and his son Russell Montgomery. Both appear living at 373 North West Street. Russell is employed as a laborer working at Earnshaw & Taylor. Earnshaw & Taylor was a lumber company specializing in Coil Elm Hoop Works (the making of ‘hoops’ needed in the making of barrels & cask).

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1887 Indianapolis address of the former slave, and grandfather of Myrtle Montgomery Williams.

The 1887 Polk City Directory list "Montgomery Russell L," as living at 178 Agnes Street in Indianapolis. It indicates that he is a 'laborer' at the time. (upper red arrow) The Polk directories are helpful in verifying some facts but limited in many regards. They are not reliable as stand alone sources for verifying identities. This record does establish the earliest known address and possible record of the arrival (latest date of...) of Russell outside of marriage and birth records.

Of the Montgomery's in this listing Wm. (William) C. Montgomery interest me because we know that Russell had an older brother named William, but we don't know what happened to him. Did he stay in Kentucky? Or migrate with Russell and possibly other siblings and neighbors? We can assume that this William is African-American (see below) because he is living in the segregated portion of Indianapolis, 476 west North Street, and the distance between his address and Russell's is such that would make it worthwhile to look deeper at the possibilities.

Housing in Indianapolis was segregated by race in the 1880s. In some cases it was also segregated by nationality, Slovenians, and religion, Jewish. This segregation was dictated by social stigma and taboos as well as ordinances and law. It could also be dictated by group identity and safety needs. While the identity of neighborhoods might not have been forced by explicit laws it was seldom totally voluntary.

The address of Russell is within the boundaries of the African-American neighborhood. There may have been exception to the segregation, but they would be so rare that an assumption of race would be reasonable as well as probable. We can even consider that the assumption that the race of this Russell is African-American is more probable than the assumption that he is 'our Logan Russell Montgomery. There could always be two Logan Russell Montgomery's.

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Who is who in this article:

• Logan Russell Montgomery is a former slave and the grandfather of Myrtle Montgomery Williams.

3552 N. Salem: Viola Gertrude Williams’ last residence:

In 1964 Mr. Williams's mother, Viola, was staying with her daughter Lora Murray (formerly Williams-Montgomery) when she died of a heart attack brought on by a myocardial infarction. Viola was the widow of Walter Alvin Williams who had died in 1930. Viola re-married after the death of Walter.

At this point I cannot determine who else was living at this residence in 1964, but so far this is the earliest, still standing, residence of the Montgomery-Williams family I can find.

I have discovered 27 addresses in Indianapolis where the family has lived since 1880. I've visited most of them and only three are still standing; this one and the last two locations that Mr. Williams lived at in the 70s and at the time of his death in 1999.

In the case of two houses, churches now stand on the property (N. West Street and N. Columbia). Two more would have been in the general area of the end zone of the Crispus Attucks High School's football field. As for the remainder most of them were located in areas where the entire neighborhood is gone, such as Lockfield Gardens and the surrounding area.

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Who’s who in this article:

• Viola Gertrud (Bell-Williams) Langford is the mother of James Francis Williams. (Walter Alvin Williams was his father.)
• Lora (Williams-Montgomery) Murray is the daughter of Viola and sister of James. Lora was married to James R. Montgomery, the brother of  Myrtle Montgomery, the wife of James Williams.
• The descendants of James & Myrtle Williams and the descendants of Lora & James R. Montgomery are what’s called ‘double-cousins’.
• James and Myrtle (Montgomery) Williams are the focal point of this project.

Need some help on some information.

James Frances Williams family lived:

1935 to at least 1940 lived at 571 Locke Street
194? to 1960 Where*
1960 to about 1963 at 2557 Columbia
1964 to ???? at 250 W. 44th Street
19?? to 1999 at 711 E. 34th Street.
* Before living in Lockefield Gardens James & Myrtle at 571 Locke St., but when did they move in and out of Lockefield Gardens.
I'm sure I got some dates wrong, so please let me know.

Pictured: Carl & Jodi on the porch on Columbia.

Visit 'Montgomery Williams Family Places' interactive map using this link: http://www.communitywalk.com/location_info/2004070/13274450

Logan Russell Montgomery: 11th Street area in 1915 and 1931:

Russell Montgomery lived on west 11th Street in 1915 and in 1931 at the time of his death. The stretch of 11th street that he lived on no longer exist, having been replaced by the expansion of the Crispus Attucks campus after 1945. When Russell lived on 11th street in 1915 CAHS had not even been built. (It was built in 1927.) The campus expansion didn’t occur until after 1945. Long after Russell’s death.

-click on the pictures to enlarge and view them-

2017 map view of the area.

Today, what remains of 11th street where Logan Russell Montgomery once lived is just a half block section from Brooks Street to the edge of the Crispus Attucks High School campus. Russell's house would have been in this stretch, on the right, just on the CAHS campus.

In 1915 CAHS was not yet built. 11th street continued on from here uninterrupted all the way past Senate Avenue.

-click on the pictures to enlarge and view them-

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Who is Russell Montgomery?

Russell was born a slave in Adair County Kentucky. He moved his family to Indianapolis about 1900. He is the grandmother of Myrtle E. Montgomery (wife of James Francis Williams), the focal points of this project. (the Montgomery/Williams Project)