Scope and Content Note
The papers of the Montgomery family record the activities of five generations of the family and also include two smaller groups of papers belonging to the Peck and Perkins families that were merged with the Montgomery family by the marriage of George Redington Montgomery to Helen M. Perkins in 1907. The collection spans the years 1771-1974, with the bulk of the material from 1858 to 1974, and is organized into three series: Peck Family Papers, Perkins Family Papers, and Montgomery Family Papers . Included are correspondence, speeches and writings, financial papers, newspaper clippings, a large assemblage of miscellany, and a special segment of correspondence and papers relating to the work of the Inter-allied Commission on Mandates in Turkey (King-Crane Commission) after World War I and the Armenia-America Society.
The Peck Family Papers are primarily those of Frank Henry Peck, a maternal cousin of Helen Perkins Montgomery. Although the Peck Family Papers cover the years 1771-1946, most are concentrated within the period 1856-1864 and consist of correspondence between Frank Peck and his mother and brother. The letters written between 1856 and 1857 are concerned with his first job as a teacher following his graduation from Yale University. The first of the Civil War letters, written in the spring of 1862 after he had joined the 12th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, reflect the anxiety and trepidation that the new recruit felt in anticipation of his first encounter with the enemy. Later letters contain accounts of troop activities and reconnoitering expeditions, and the letters of April 19 and 30 and May 4, 1862, describe in detail the bombardment of Fort Jackson and Fort Saint Philip, and finally, the capitulation of the city of New Orleans. Some of the letters written during this period are good sources for impressions and accounts of the military occupation of New Orleans.
The Perkins Family Papers span the years 1832-1953, but the nucleus of the series is the Civil War correspondence of Newton William Perkins written between 1861 and 1866. Perkins, the father of Helen Perkins Montgomery, was a colonel and later brevet major with the 13th Connecticut Infantry Regiment. His letters, written from on board various ships and from different camps, trace the movement of his regiment from Connecticut to New Orleans and back to Washington, D.C., and Virginia as changes were made in the strategy of the war. The letters also recount his daily duties and experiences and describe the general hardships endured by the soldiers. Some regimental muster rolls and papers from his service as provost marshal are included in the collection.
The series of Montgomery Family Papers extend from 1858 to 1974 and are centered around George Redington Montgomery and Marshall Hugh Montgomery. The closeness that existed between the members of the family is reflected in family correspondence forming about one third of the series. The letters generally relate to family matters, but also touch on other areas. Emily Redington Montgomery's letters to her children are significant for their glimpses of Turkey during the awakening of national consciousness among the countries of the Ottoman Empire. They contain references to the treatment of non-Muslims, mention uprisings in various towns, and provide insight into the difficulties of operating a Christian mission school in Turkey during the reign of Abdul-Hamid II, Sultan of the Turks. George Redington Montgomery's letters to his family during 1918-1919 report his observations on America's participation in the Paris Peace Conference after World War I and comment on the attitudes and objectives of the Allied Powers at the conference.
The bulk of the general correspondence in the Montgomery Family Papers series consists of letters received and a few copies of letters sent by George Redington Montgomery; Mary Borglum (daughter of Giles Foster Montgomery and Emily Redington Montgomery) and her husband, Gutzon Borglum; and Marshall Hugh Montgomery. Those of George Montgomery relate to the development of his career and to his church activities. Correspondents include James Trowbridge, Robert Lansing, John L. Franklin, Ernest Gallaudet Draper, Eugene Meyer, Homer S. Cummings, and Henry Cabot Lodge (1850-1924). Most of Mary's letters are to and from friends, although some of the later ones pertain to her financial problems. The letters of Marshall are a commentary on his standing in the community. They show his support of community and public service projects, his participation in local government, and his interest in local history.
The business papers in the Montgomery Family Papers contain correspondence and printed matter covering the thirty years Marshall Hugh Montgomery served as a dealer in securities on Wall Street where he pioneered the use of repurchase agreements. For the most part, the papers contain little information on specific financial dealings. Those representing his years with D. W. Rich & Company are mainly letters exchanged with members of the firm while he was on military leave during the World War II. The letters kept him abreast of developments in the office and up to date on his financial interests in the company. The papers accumulated during his years with Aubrey G. Langston & Company are more typical of the kinds of activities and duties he performed with the company. There are telex messages, internal correspondence, notices of meetings of financial associations, lists of banks and corporations for which Aubrey G. Langston & Company purchased securities, and drafts of business letters, including two that explain how repurchase agreements worked.
The subject files in the Montgomery Family Papers relate to Turkey. In May 1919 George Rediington Montgomery was authorized to accompany Henry Churchill King and Charles Richard Crane on a trip to Turkey to study political and economic conditions and to ascertain the views of the people regarding the settlement of the Near Eastern question. The papers of the King-Crane Commission consist primarily of the notes he took at the towns where the commission heard testimony. Some working papers used in preparing the commission's report and a copy of the report as published in the December 2, 1922, issue of Editor and Publisher are also included in the collection.
The treatment of the Armenians and other Christians was a recurring problem prior to and during the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The question of a homeland for the Armenians arose again following the defeat of Turkey and the need to settle the situation in the Near East at the end of World War I. In 1920 the Armenia-America Society was formed to secure American support for the Armenian cause. George Redington Montgomery became its director. His collection of Armenia-America Society papers documents the activities of that organization in the United States and abroad, including the final appeal of the society to the Lausanne Conference of 1923 and the trip of George Montgomery to Russia on behalf of the Armenians.
The miscellany section of the Montgomery Family Papers contains an extensive record of the family's activities. It includes newspaper clippings about members of the family, their scholastic records, memorabilia from high school and college days, diplomas, military papers, and other personal material.