William Thornton Montgomery

An image of a scrapbook page with a black and white photo of William Thornton Montgomery on it. William is an an African American man of slender build and short curly hair. He has a full moustache and goatee, is wearing a three piece suit and glasses.
Photo from the Milburn J. Crowe Photograph Album of William Thornton Montgomery ca. 1865. Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.[1]

William Thornton Montgomery (February 1843 – July 3, 1909) was an American freedman, businessman, farmer, and community leader, best known for his contributions to agriculture and his advocacy for African American empowerment. Born into slavery on Joseph Davis' Hurricane plantation in Warren County, Mississippi, in February 1843, Montgomery was the eldest son of Benjamin Thornton Montgomery and Mary Montgomery. He grew up alongside his younger brother, Isaiah Montgomery, who later founded Mound Bayou, Mississippi, an all-black community.[2]

  1. ^ "Crowe (Milburn J.) Photograph Album". Mississippi Department of Archives & History.
  2. ^ Herbert G. Ruffin II, “Davis Bend, Mississippi (1865-1887),” Black Past.org, accessed March 15, 2024, http://www.blackpast.org/aah/davis-bend-mississippi-1865-1887.