Florence Elizabeth Montgomery

Other Events and Attributes:

• Family Search ID: KZS4-ZXL
• Residence: 1900, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA; Ward 9
• Residence: 1910, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA; Ward 12
• Residence: 1920, Post, Allamakee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1 Jan 1925, Postville, Allamakee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1930, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, USA
• Residence: 1936, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, USA
• Residence: 1 Apr 1940, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, USA

Notes:

Florence Montgomery was born in a Chicago district near Maxwell Street that housed many newly arrived immigrants. The Hull House was a famous Settlement House where newly arrived foreigners could learn many cultural things. While she may never have visited there as a child she had the same outlook as parent did for their first generation children: "People could do and be anything they wanted if they were willing to work toward that goal." She only went through tenth grade before her father, David Montgomery felt she did not need more education and had her go to work at Goldblatt's Department Store on Maxwell Street. He entire $2.50 a week paycheck had to be brought home.

Even as a small child she was encouraged to sing "a capella" in her church. She was a member of the United Brethern church which did not believe in jewelry or any adornment. Women wore dainty white caps in church. Mother did not even own a wedding ring for many years. She had hoped to be a trained nurse but her father was very strict about how she dressed and he considered nurses to be fallen women. On time she said she bought a pale yellow blouse for fifty cents of her pay. When she brought it home, David Montgomery flew into a rage saying only women of the streets wore anything but white blouses. He then tore it into shreds.

Even after we moved to Iowa and to Minnesota she continued to study voice until late 30's. She sang with outstanding musicians and orchestra in Minneapolis. In 1935, when I had been injured in an auto accident, Florence was down at the auditorium singing with the Minneapolis Symphony. She was an extremely proud woman, strong minded and out-spoken. She could be loveable or feared.
It was hard to believe she was only about 4 feet 10 or 11 inches tall as she would say she's stand toe to toe with anyone and fight it out. She was indominable.

She too was an avid reader but thought reading fiction a waste of time. Most of her "library" contained philpsophical, psychological and religious ideas. She often quoted these, one favorite from 1922 was "The Mind in the Making" by Robinson. She finally gave me a copy she'd found in 1960's. Forty years later that book was just as relevant and remains so today. She also had no patience with "game playing." I do remember a time when she and Dad had friends and would play Pinochle. However, Dad loved to play two or three hand game of Cribbage. I enjoyed playing with him also but to Florence such games were a waste of time. She did enjoy gardening when she was younger and had beautiful Day Lily and Iris garden.

She had great prejudices when younger that were fueled by her fathers hatred of Roman Catholics. In her last years she mellowed greatly, had several Catholic friends that she would drive around to make holy pilgrimages to various churches. Then even at the end she accepted friendship of one of the nuns who took care of patients in Nursing Home where she died. She was born on Dec. 2, the same day and month as General Richard Montgomery and she died on Dec. 31, exactly one hundred ninety six years after him almost to the hour. He died of bullet wound outside Lower Quebec City while she died of Congestive heart failure after suffering for years from angina.She'd like being compared to this American hero of the Revolutionary War.

I am certain each of her children would remember her differently as she was a complex human being who was talented, witty, dramatic, demanding, moody, beligerant, generous, hospitalable, gracious, dignified and proud. While her stature was tiny, her ego and pride were gigantic. Al of her children were forced to live in her shadow as none could live up to her "self-portrait."


Buried:
Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery

Florence married Ira Perry Hinman on 12 Jun 1912 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA. Ira was born on 13 Oct 1890 in Bellevue, Jackson, Iowa, USA; died on 9 Nov 1955 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, USA; was buried in 1955 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• CMSI Member: 1313
• Family Search ID: G7R7-54J
• Residence: 1 Jan 1925, Postville, Allamakee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1930, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, USA
• Residence: 1940, Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
• Residence: 1944, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha, South Dakota, USA
• Residence: 2000, Punta Gorda, Charlotte, Florida, USA

Notes:

Sources are from Genealogy of the Puritans by R.R.Hinman; History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfiled, Jacobus and Barbour Collection Woodbury, CT, Vital Rec. as well as Historical Families of Ancient Woodbury.

GEDCOM diskette submitted 20 May 1995; added to database on 20 Jun 1995; also contains information on the following CMS members:
CMS 55 - Nancy High
CMS 417 - Jane R. Porter
CMS 487 - Robert S. Flinn
CMS 1237 - Mary Louise Wilson Troy
CMS 1405 - Arnold Kendrick Stewart
CMS 1489 - Roger Bolton Montgomery

Florence married Chester Harold Paull on 31 Aug 1939 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, USA. Chester was born on 17 May 1907 in Fort Howard, Brown, Wisconsin, USA; died on 2 Mar 1995 in Port Charlotte, Charlotte, Florida, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]