Chicago, Illinois 1889-1896
5/6/2023
Chapter XX Montagues of Chicago, Il
Sections in the Chapter:
1. How We Found the Montague’s in Chicago………………….…p.1
2. The Four Peters and How We Refer to Them………………….p.2
3. How Are We Related?..........................................................p.2
4. Ann and Michael Montague and their Family in Ireland…...p.4
5. Michael’s Parents and Siblings in Ireland…………………...…. p.6
6. Frank Montague………………………….………………………………..p.7
7. Daniel Montague………………………..………………………………….p.8
8. Bridget Montague Schneider………………………………………...p.20
9. Thomas Montague …………………………………………………….…p.22
10. Michael Montague ………………………….………………………...p.32
11. John Montague …………………………………………………….…...p 33
12. Peter Montague……………………….…………………………….…..p.33
13. Alice Montague……………………….………………………………...p.34
14. Chicago City Directory Information…………………………….p.35
15. Cemetery Information……………………………………………….p.35
16. Open Questions………………………………………………………..p.35
If your name is Bailey, Carlson, Connolly, Dockum, Farrell, Fleming, Frawley, Hammar, Hallbeck, Haynes, Hillstom, Lambert, Laughlin, Mackey, Maidment, Monahan, O’Neil, Pfoh, Schonk, Schneider, Sheehan, Waller, tell us if we are related! We include this section on our website in hopes that one of the succeeding generations has an interest in genealogy and can tell us more and indeed answer our open questions.
Section 1. How We Found the Montague’s in Chicago
We would like to give a big shout out to Michael Laughlin, the third “Papa Mike” and grandson of the immigrant Michael Montague for his help with valuable information and of course the wonderful picture of “Papa Mike.” The family appears to stay in the Chicago vicinity and nearby Aurora, Wilmette and Worth Township though later members begin to move to many other locations including Los Angeles California, Iowa, Texas, Massachusetts, and Belgium.
We stumbled across the Chicago Montagues while looking for Peter Montague from County Derry Ireland who finally settled in San Francisco California. We put the information on San Francisco Peter on our website: www.montaguesofderry.com and that is how we came in contact with Peter from Tyrone. The Chicago Montague’s are from County Tyrone as Peter so nicely shows in the following section. A very big thank you to Peter Montague originally from County Tyrone in Ireland. Peter lives in Belfast today and he provided a lot of information on how we are connected.
Section 2. The Four Peters and How We Refer to Them
There are four Peter Montagues mentioned throughout this section. To minimize confusion we refer to them as:
1. San Francisco Peter who was born June 26, 1872 in County Derry Ireland to parents Patrick and Kitty Kelly Montague. Patrick was born in 1837. Peter is one of five children. We do not know where he is buried nor when he died.
2. Chicago Peter was born February 20, 1872 in Derroar, County Tyrone to Michael and Ann Montague. He is one of nine children and is buried with many of his siblings in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Chicago.
3. Tyrone Peter is mentioned in Section One above and provided a lot of information that helped solved many issues though there are still many to be solved.
4. Young Peter is the son of Daniel Montague born in Chicago and died at age two months and is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Chicago.
Section 3. How Are We Related?
We don’t know is the short answer. Tyrone Peter has very hard evidence that the Chicago Montagues all hail from County Tyrone in Ireland. Specifically, townland Derroar. On the other hand, San Francisco Peter Montague is the grandson of James McTeague born 1797 and son of Patrick Montague born 1837. San Francisco Peter and his father and grandfather are all from County Derry in Ireland; specifically, townland Disart in the Draperstown area of Magherafelt. This much we know!
Geographically, Tyrone is adjacent to Derry on its southern border as this map shows. It is 23 driving miles from Dungannon in County Tyrone to Draperstown in County Derry.
The information we have is that San Francisco Peter, and the rest of our family, hails from the Barony of Loughinsholin located in County Derry, Northern Ireland. Historically, the area of land that forms Loughinsholin has changed control several times throughout history. Without going into all the historical changes, the last change involved the Counties of Tyrone and Derry. The barony of Loughinsholin upon creation was originally part of County Tyrone, and in the survey of 1609, the map for the area shows it divided into two sections; the first of which contains the ancient Irish districts of "Killetragh" “Tomlagh", "Tarraghter", and "Melannagh" The second of which contained the ancient districts of "Glanconkeyne" and "Clandonel."
In 1613 however as part of the Charter of Londonderry, most of the barony except for the south-western portion consisting of Tarraghter and Melanagh, was incorporated into the new county of Londonderry. The remainder, which remained in County Tyrone, along with the barony of Mountjoy was amalgamated with that of Dungannon. Prior to 1613 and the creation of County Londonderry, the barony of Loughinsholin, like that of Coleraine, Keenaght, and Tirkeeran, was divided up into "proportions" for the survey carried out in 1609. The names and extent of these proportions were recited in the grant of the new county to The Honourable Irish Society. The estates of three of the great twelve London livery companies had their centres in the barony: the Drapers' Company in present-day Moneymore; the Salters' Company in Magherafelt; and the Vintners' Company in Bellaghy.
San Francisco Peter Montague is from Magherafelt as are the McTeagues/Montague’s from County Derry that we know of and are related to. The walking distance from Magherafelt and Derrora is considerably less than 20 driving miles mentioned above increasing the likelihood that the families were in contact before their ships sailed to America. The longtime family rumor is that the “Red Montagues” lived on one side of the Mountain and the “Black Montagues” lived on the other. Could this rumor date back the 1600’s when the barony was split? While these family rumors are often stated in fanciful language, we have found there is always a kernel of truth to them.
We do not know how we are related to the Montague’s in Chicago but strongly suspect we are. It is likely that San Francisco Peter Montague, stayed with some of these folks at some point on his journey that eventually took him to San Francisco, California and back to Chicago, Illinois where he may be buried. Peter would have been either 12 or 15 years old when he immigrated in 1884 or 87 and he does not appear in any USA Census until 1910 in San Francisco. Where is he during this time? We suspect he is in Chicago with the Montague clan.
San Francisco Peter was born in Ireland in 1872. All the Montagues in Chicago were born in Derroar, County Tyrone Ireland between 1859 and 1872. Based on the closeness in age they should have known each other in Ireland. Two additional ties are:
1. Cornelius Montague, son of Daniel Montague from County Tyrone, appears in the
1920 USA Census as a son to Peter Montague in San Francisco. This would have been just a few years after his father Daniel’s death. It is the only time Cornelius appears in the census with Peter in San Francisco.
2. Thomas Montague’s wife Catherine Sheehan is buried in Peter’s family burial plot in
San Francisco along with her sister Alice Sheehan; Catherine Sheehan Montague and Peter had to have had a close relationship one would think.
We do know all the Chicago Montague’s are buried in cemeteries controlled by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicago. Perhaps Michael Montague, the father of those buried in Mt Olivet, was a brother to Hugh Patrick Montague (immigrated to Passaic NJ) and a son of John Montague born 1795? It is clear that Michael and Ann were born in Ireland as were the people buried in these graves. We do know a Michael Montague was a witness on our relative’s death certificates in Ireland. Is this the same Michael Montague that is the question? Again, the short answer is we do not know.