A Box of Treasures

Do you ever wondered what happened to all the family treasures? The photo albums, the diaries, the box of papers, the mementos from Russia that one of your ancestors must surely have collected? Was it thrown away? Did it burn in a fire? Was it disposed of in an estate sale?

Most of us will never know if there was such a collection and what might have happened to it. But I have a collection of photographs, letters, and documents that Carl (or Carey) James Montgomery collected going back to the 1820s. I work at a museum, and when we had our air conditioner replaced last winter, the tech gave me this box that he found in a house that he flipped. He had decided it was too valuable to throw away, but he didn't know what to do with it. And now, dear reader, I am asking if you might be the one who is looking for this box of treasures (and not even know it).

Carey James Montgomery was born on 2 February 1906 in Kansas City, Kans., to William Thomas Montgomery (1863-1906) and Mattie Belle Calhoun (b. 1867). William's parents were Alexander and Oney Montgomery. He changed his name to Carl James Montgomery at some point. He collected early photographs and jotted down family information going back to the 1820s for some lines. In the 1930s he went to prison for forgery and was pardoned by the governor of State of Kansas in 1938. He saved letters from family members in the late 1930s. And then he was drafted into the army for World War II. After about 1940, there is nothing else in the box. I know that he returned to Wichita and died there in 1997. Did he lose interest in genealogy during the war and stop adding to his box of treasures? Did he lose track of the box while he was in the service?

This box deserves an owner who would love the treasures inside. I've started a tree on Ancestry to try to find a good owner. I think it should go to a descendant of William and Mattie Belle Montgomery, if possible. If you would be a good owner, leave a comment below about how I can get in touch with you.