November 10, 1996
HALL/HARPER/EALY/COOPER/MONTAGUE/WOOLRIDGE
HISTORY
Written by
Marcus L. Hall/TN
THIS IS AN ACCOUNT OF A FAMILY LIVING IN THE SOUTH AS FOUND
by the author. The information found here is not a pretty picture as others maybe. This is the collective history of a Black/Indian family living in Fayette County, Somerville, Tennessee wearing a family name with honor and dignity.
The information contained in this file can be downloaded by anyone who pleases without the permission of the author, so feel free to do so.
The Hall family of west Tennessee, in Somerville is a family of mixed heritage. We have had the fortune of experiencing life with a better perspective of life itself. We realize that life is too short to hate anyone, and from our experience, we can say that to hate someone else is to hate a part of ourselves.
The Hall name is given to us from German descent. In the south, most European settlers bought and owned slaves. This is the case with us; the farthest I have been able to trace is to a slave owner named Dan Hall. Dan owned a tract of land in north Fayette County which became known as the Hall plantation.
The stories that were told to me by my father and grandfather is that Dan had a son named Cornelius Hall by a slave woman. Because he was half White and half Black (mulatto), he was too a slave. From what I gather, Cornelius was rebellious. He came and went as he pleased. I believe Dan was a decent guy because in those days, rebellious slave were beaten and sometimes killed. When things got too rough for Dan, he sold Cornelius to another slave owner. From what I understand, Cornelius was sold four times in his life; each time, he remarried and therefor had four wives and four sets of children in his life.
One of the wives of Cornelius was Julia Harper. To that union, a son was born named Dennis Hall. Dennis too was born a slave. He married his first wife in the late 1860’s. To that union was born Dennis Jr.. Dennis first wife passed away and he then married Lou Ealy. To that union was born Samuel, George, Katie, Julia, and Robert Hall. In 1986, the theme in the south was “Home coming ‘86”. On the grounds of the Dennis Hall estate (not the same Dennis as previously mentioned) emerged the Home coming ‘86 family reunion. The Fayette Falcon, the oldest newspaper in west Tennessee reported a motorcade two miles in length from Arkansas made its way to the reunion. These were the Ealy descendants. One of the Ealy’s by the name of Richard was the mayor of a small town in Arkansas called Conway.
Right after slavery had ended, Ben Hall [Dan’s White son] came to his Black nephew, Dennis’ house and acknowledged his kinship. They visited each other many times after that. Samuel Hall married Hattie Montague. She was the daughter of Rhodes Montague (Civil War) and Caroline (Calline )Cooper(Rhode’s second wife). I believe that Caroline was a full-blood Cherokee Indian. From this union, some of the Halls in the south have Indian features and blue and gray eyes. Rhodes and Caroline were blessed with the following children: Abbe (WWI), Mattie, Jenny, Willie, Hattie, and Henry, these are the ones I can name. There was also William (Butney) and John Chester (Johnny) Montague by Rhode’s first wife.
Samuel and Hattie had born to them, Dennis, (the one that hosted the family reunion) Cliffie (WWII), Samuel Jr.(WWII), Annie Mae, and Mattie Ola, Julia and John Sydney Hall.
George and Jenny had born to them, Mable, George Jr. and Leroy Hall, b. 1/6/09.
Records have shown that there are at least three marriages between the Halls and Montagues.
Dan Hall...... ______
Cornelius Hall...... Julia Harper
Dennis Hall...... Lou Ealy
George Hall...... Jenny C. Montague
Leroy Hall...... Vera Woolridge
Evans Hall...... Magnolia Johnson
Marcus Hall...... Tracy Tuggle
Leroy Hall married Vera Woolridge, b. 8/4/17, and was born Evans, 4/30/39, Laverne, b. 1941, Roy, b. 1943 Paul, b. 1945, and Aquilla Hall, b. 1947.
Evans Hall, my father married Magnolia Johnson, b. 5/3/48 and was born me, Marcus, 10/14/70, Kerry, b. 11/24/71 , and Lucas Hall, b. 7/23/78.
Lewis Lee Harris Jr. married Aquilla Hall and was born Gabriel L. Harris, 6/17/78.
The name Montague is a name of interest; it is a royal
name and an old one at that. The first Montague known was a
warrior named Drogo de Montagu, written in Latin Montecuto or
Mont Acuto and Montacute
Drogo’s name means Dragon of the Mountain Peak, and that he was. The name Montague was prominent in Normandy, France. It’s seated at Montagules, Bois in the Coutances district. There are mountains, castles, fortresses, and towns with the name Montague.
Drogo was born c1040 in Normandy, France. He invaded England in 1066 with William the Conqueror. After winning the War of Hastings, he was awarded with several manors in Somerset county. His original castle was at Montacute, Somersetshire south of Ilchester. Their barony was at Shepton Montacute. The hamlets of Shepton, Knolle and Stoney Stoke were all held by Drogo’s descendants until the time of Henry VIII.
Drogo’s descendants were:
The eight in lineal descent was Sir Simon de Montacute, whom married Aufricia, daughter of Fergus, King of the Isle of Man, whom was descended from Orry, King of Denmark.
Sir William Montague, the grandson of Sir Simon was the Earl of Salisbury. He held the tittles of Earl of Salisbury, King of Man, and Lord of Dembigh.
Sir Simon’s grandson, Sir Edward Montague married Alice, granddaughter of King Edward I. I am not sure because of a change or difference in spelling of the name Montague to Montagu whether or not he was the same that was elected Pope at Rome. If so, he was also a warrior and governor of Castle Werk.
Queen Elizabeth was a Montague from her father Henry VIII and her mother Anne Bolyn. The virgin Queen Elizabeth was a Montague through her grandmother, Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV, whom was the grandson of William Montague.
James VI of Scotland whom was also James I of England was a Montague by both his parents, Lord Henry Dernly and Mary Queen of Scots.
Richard III was also of Montague descent and was his nephew Edward V whom was King of England, but never crowned.
Then there was Pierre Guerin de Montaigu, Grand Master of the Knights of St. John of Jeruslem in 1208.
Then we have Gilles Aycelin de Montaigut, Archbiship of Rouen (founder of the college of Montagu at Paris.
During the rein of James I, Peter Montague, b 1603 and his wife Eleanor immigrated to America in 1621 at age 18. He settled somewhere near upper Folk, VA on the north bank of the Rappahannock River. There he is also buried. He was one of the first teacher here in America. He also served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, 1651 to 1658.
The descendants of Peter Montague remained in VA until Latane’ Montague moved to Grainville County, NC, in 1759. Latane’ Montague’s grandson, Young came to Fayette County Tennessee in 1826. The Montagues in Fayette County Tennessee descended from this family.
Peter Montague 1603-1659
Peter Montague 1638-1702
William Montague 1670-1761
Abrahame Montague 1701-1740
Latane’ Montague 1731-1812
Young Montague 1765-1846
Young Montague 1796-1868
Again, the slave element played an important role in the race of the Montague family. ABEBCIAI Montague was close to a slave and a mixed race child was born. That child’s name is unknown to me. The son of that slave child was my great, great, great, grandfather named Rhodes Montague. Rhodes Montague married an Indian woman of the Cherokee named Caroline Cooper Montague (parents unknown). Rhodes and his brother Henry were civil war vets. for the north. My family often tells the story of their flight home after the war. They walked on a camp of rebel soldiers. They stopped and observed for awhile. Henry, convinced that the war was over and that things were different, he proceeded on with his journey. Rhodes buried himself under the leaves that had fallen from the trees. The next morning when he awoke from sleep, he noticed that it had snowed that night. He would tell his family that he was warm under the leaves. After he made it home, he realized that his brother had never made it home. They never saw him again.
My great, great uncle Abbe Montague b April 23,1894 was the son of Rhodes and Carolins. Abbe was a World War I vet. and he lived to be 100 years old. He died June 8,1994.
There was an article written in the Fayette Falcon, in 1995, I think, titled “Black Schoolhouses Flourished Here More Than a Century Ago,” written by Paulene Keller. In the article she mentioned that many Black Americans came to Fayette County with their slave masters from North Carolina and Virginia. She also mentioned that the names were the same as whites because there were affairs between the master and his slaves.
It is said there is a line of Irish blood running through our veins. For three generations, we have been raised by our fathers as Black/Indians. A lot of our lives have been based on the teachings of our grandmother, Caroline Montague.
Caroline used to tell her children and grandchildren that she was born the year the Negro was freed. She was born 1862 and died in 1938.
This is the history of the Hall, Harper, Ealy, Cooper, and Montague family as I found it and the way it was told to me.
All men are created equal, the only difference in the races is skin color, hair texture, and a way of thinking.
The Montague name has greatness in it, for it is the name worn by Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, Lords, Knights, Barons, Counts, a Pope, and even the first President of the United States.
Taking a step back for a second, this is what I found on January 25, 2004 at the main Library in Memphis, Tennessee.
Rhodes Montague 69 B
Caroline 47 B
Abbe 15 B
Willie 13 Mu
Geo Hall 30 B
Jennie 25 B
Mable 4 B
Geo Jr. 2 B
Roy 1 B
John Wooldridge 25 B
Luvenia 21 B
Gussie B
Reba B
Samuel Hall 33 B
Hattie 28 B
Addie M. 5 B
A. D. 3 B
Mattie O. 6 B
Dennis Hall 68 B
Lou 61 B
Robert 21 B
This information was found on the 1910 census records. A library worker told me that in those days the census taker would write your race down as he thought it to be. Then you had people like Dr. Walter Plecker in Virginia that would change and Indian’s race to black. Members of the KKK would burn down courthouses where records were kept to keep tribes from claiming what was theirs.
This piece of information was found in the Soundex files
Abb Montague 30 B E.D. 8 Sheet 10 Vol. 28
Magnolia 30 B
Lucy Hall 60 B
Beatrice 15 B
Ogie 15 B
Mary Duns 20 B
Also I saw the name Frank Whitthorn, listed as Mu (Mulatto). No father was listed. I have heard from the family that his father was Fish Whitthorn. Many said he was white. This is the thing. Aunt Mable told me before she died that Fish and Caroline Montague were brother and sister.
ABEBCIAI
Secret Code
January 26, 2004 Last Updated