Mark, I have some more information on James Montgomery who was associated with Denis Nevill in a deed for 1000 arpents on Cole's Creek, 29 July 1794. Maybe it will help you and other Jeff. Co. researchers looking for the Montgomery surname. As you know, the French and Spanish spellings of some of our surnames were quite a bit different from the English spellings. Through a comparison of several records, Ruth Nevels, who is also a member of this list, and I assembled information about Denis Nevill and related families, including Montgomery, in the Natchez Territory in the 1790s and in the area of Bayou Boef / Bayou Robert, Louisiana (later Opelousas and Rapides Parish) in the late 1790s and early 1800s. A little background on Denis Nevill may help you sort information about James Montgomery who was associated with him in the area that became Jefferson Co., Miss. Although Denis Nevill and families who were connected with him, including James Montgomery, can be found in Catholic church records related to the Miss. and La. areas where they lived, we don't know if he and the families related to him had been Catholic before they came to the Spanish Natchez Territory. At one time, the area of Cole's Creek was under the New Orleans diocese, and I think later, Baton Rouge, so you might be able to learn more about James Montgomery in the 1790s and early 1800s through the Southwest La. diocese records. Denis Nevill came to Cole's Creek by way of Fayette Co., Pennsylvania and Nelson Co., Ky. He and his wife Helen Brown were said to be natives of Ireland in the marriage certificate of their daughter Margaret Nevill, who m. 15 Sept. 1814 to James Rezin Bowie, son of Rezin and Elve Johns [Elve Catesby Jones] Bowie of Georgia (Appendix A, Southwest La. Records, Vol. 2-A, by Rev. Donald J. Hebert). James was Rezin's confirmation name taken the day before he married Margaret Nevill; he and his family used the name Rezin/Reason Pleasant Bowie. He was the brother of Jim Bowie who died at the Alamo. James Montgomery who was in the 29 July 1794 deed with Denis Nevill for land on Cole's Creek may have been the son-in-law of Denis Nevill or he may have been the father James Montgomery who married Denis Nevill's daughter Elizabeth. In the book Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Records is the following information (I added info. in brackets): 30 Sept., 1793, Elizabett Newbell [Elizabeth Nevill], daughter of Thomas [Denis] and Helena Braun [Helen Brown], married Santiago Mongumbre [James Montgomery], son of Santiago and Catarina ____ [James and Catherine _____ ]. Wit.: Patricio Conoly and Juan Sauvage. [End of citation] Those who are used to records from the Spanish days probably know Santiago is the equivalent of James, but I had to use an antique Spanish-English dictionary to learn that. The names in brackets are also confirmed through La. baptismal and marriage records of James and Elizabeth Nevill Montgomery's children (Southwest La. Records by Rev. Donald Hebert). I don't know why Thomas Nevill is given as the husband of Helena Braun (Brown) in the above marriage record. In all other records, Helen Brown's husband is Denis Nevill. It's possible Thomas was Denis's confirmation name. James Montgomery who m. Elizabeth Nevill would have been the brother-in-law of Rezin Pleasant Bowie and his wife Margaret Nevill (Rezin and Margaret's daughter, Elvie Ann Nevill Moore, lived at Port Gibson where she helped collect money to build St. Joseph's Catholic Church in 1849). It is possible James Montgomery may have also had Ga. ties. A while back I corresponded with a descendant of James and Elizabeth Nevill Montgomery, and her information showed that James was born in Ga., but she did not have a source she could verify for that info. She said she was going to do some more research to try to learn if her Montgomery group actually did have Ga. roots, but I haven't heard any more from her on this subject. I will try to get in touch with her to see if she has learned anything new. If the Montgomery family associated with Denis Nevill on Cole's Creek in Jeff. Co., MS did have Ga. roots, they may have moved with the Bowies, who went from Ga. to the Cumberland area on the border of what is now Franklin and Simpson Co., Ky. and Sumner Co., TN before moving to the La. area across the river from the Natchez Territory. In his marriage certificate, James Rezin [Pleasant] Bowie, who m. Margaret Nevill, said he was born in the Cumberland in Tanesi [Tennessee). Some people who live in the border area of KY and Sumner Co., TN have a friendly rivalry about whether Jim Bowie, Rezin's brother, was born on the KY side or the TN side of the state line. (I think KY has the stronger claim to Jim--at least, they have "Jim Bowie Days" every year in either Franklin or Simpson Co., KY). Montgomery Co., TN is next to Sumner Co. and is named for an early TN pioneer. Some of the Montgomery Co., TN residents owned land on Cole's Creek and in old Greenville, Jefferson Co., MS in the very early 1800s (Green, Stewart, and Geo., Joseph, and John Nevill-not Denis Nevill's crew, believe it or not!). It's is possible James Montgomery was related to the TN Montgomery group. Many of the families associated with Denis Nevill originated in Maryland or Pennsylvania (including the Bowies). Perhaps, James Montgomery's family did, too. Based on my Nevels family research, I know the route to Cole's Creek was pretty circuitous for some families who lived there. I have documentation of the above details I have summarized and will be glad to forward any of it if you think it will help you untangle some of the Montgomery line. Jan ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2001 9:07 PM Subject: Re: [MSJEFFER-L] Montgomery, Nevill > Jan, > > I checked my genealogy program and I don't have anything on James and > Catherine Montgomery, and by extension, their son James. (I'm surprised > because most of my 1790s, early Natchez files, form the basis of my > Montgomery research, and I thought they were fairly complete). As an early > planter, and with few Montgomerys in the area, James ought to stand out. > Since he bought land in 1794, he must have been at least in his 20s or 30s, > so he would have been born in the 1760s or 70s. > > The 1790s and early 1800s are when the five Montgomery brothers came to > Natchez. Their brother James was not one of them, so I'm wondering about your > mystery James. As far as I know, they were the earliest Montgomery settlers > in the area. > > My Rev. William Montgomery line is incomplete, so I wouldn't recognize > whether he had a brother James or not. He settled in the area in 1811, but > did missionary work in the territory as early as 1800. > > This is worth following-up, so I've printed your email and will dig further > into it. Your James may be a clue to the missing Montgomery families we've > been searching for. > > Mark > > > ==== MSJEFFER Mailing List ==== > "Happiness is a genealogist who just found their lost ancestor." > >