Ransom Montgomery

Ransom Montgomery (1806 – December 6, 1884) was an American slave, the only slave owned by the state of Georgia, and the second black person to own property in Atlanta.

Ransom Montgomery
Born1806 (1806)
Georgia
DiedDecember 6, 1884(1884-12-06) (aged 77–78)
Atlanta, Georgia
Resting placeOakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia
NationalityAmerican
RelativesAndrew (brother)

Early life

Montgomery moved to Atlanta when he was 12 years old.[1][2][3]

Heroic action and consequence

The slave, Ransom Montgomery, first rose to public attention in July 1849 when he was manning a ferry boat near a wooden bridge that spanned the Chattahoochee River. Montgomery noticed that the bridge was on fire and a train traveling over the bridge was in danger of catching fire. He was able to quickly extinguish the fire. As a reward for his act, the government-owned Western and Atlantic Railroad purchased him from his master, H. B. Y. Montgomery, for $1250.[4][3][5] Although then legally owned by Georgia, he was essentially treated as a freedman.[6]

By an act of the State legislature,[3][7] Montgomery was awarded $562.50 and a monthly stipend for life,[5] as well as a plot of land (located next to the Macon roundhouse), where he was allowed to work as a food and beverage vendor.[3] In September, 1884, he was made custodian of the original Atlanta City Hall at a rate of $15 monthly.[7][5]

Montgomery's brother, Andrew Montgomery, was a prominent Methodist minister in Atlanta's black community.[1] Lemuel Grant gifted the Montgomeries land on which to build a church. The church and his home were burned down in the 1864 Battle of Atlanta during Sherman's March to the Sea. Following the war, he rebuilt his house, and the Montgomery brothers purchased another plot of land on Sweet Auburn (now Auburn Avenue), and founded the Big Bethel AME Church, the oldest African-American church in Atlanta at the site.[1] The Montgomery brothers became respected leaders in their community in the 19th century.[6]

Mishap and death

In 1881, Montgomery fell while climbing stairs in present-day Vine City. He successfully sued the city of Atlanta for neglecting to maintain the stairway,[8] at which point he was turned out from his house by the city.[9][10] Following this, he never fully recovered his health. Montgomery died in Thomasville Heights on December 6, 1884 and was buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery.[1] Henry Dickerson McDaniel, the governor of Georgia at the time, paid for Montgomery's burial costs.[5]

Legacy

Montgomery Ferry Road in Morningside/Lenox Park is named for Ransom Montgomery.

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References
  1. Kaemmerlen, Cathy J. (October 29, 2007). "Ransom Montgomery: A Hero". The Historic Oakland Cemetery of Atlanta: Speaking Stones. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 1625844204. Retrieved January 8, 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. Carter, Edward R. (1894). The Black Side. p. 13. Retrieved January 8, 2020 – via Google Books.
  3. The Black Side. A Partial History of the Business, Religious and Educational Side of the Negro in Atlanta, GA.; Carter, E. R.; Blunt Press; (October 7, 2008); p. 13; ISBN 978-1443753234; via Amazon – accessed January 15, 2020
  4. Roberta Hughes Wright (1996). Lay Down Body: Living History in African American Cemeteries. Visible Ink Press. p. 126. ISBN 0787606510.
  5. Ransom Montgomery; "The Youth's Companion," v. 72; January 7, 1898; magazine; edited by Willis, Nathaniel, and Ford, Daniel Sharp; (1898); accessed January 15, 2020; pp. 44-45;
  6. Atlanta, Cradle of the New South: Race and Remembering in the Civil War's Aftermath; Link, William A.; UNC Press Books; (2013); p. 160; ISBN 9781469607764; via Amazon – accessed January 15, 2020
  7. J. Johnston (1883). Acts Passed by the General Assembly of Georgia. Harrison and Co. p. 688.
  8. Edward O. Jenkins (1886). Reports of Cases in Law and Equity, Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia at Atlanta. Georgia Supreme Court. p. 777.
  9. State of Georgia Passed Resolution...; newspaper obituary; via Find-A-Grave.com online; accessed January 15, 2020
  10. Paralysis of the Heart; newspaper obituary; via Find-A-Grave.com online; accessed January 15, 2020
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