Thomas Harrison Montgomery
| Thomas Harrison Montgomery | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 27, 1830 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 4, 1905 (aged 75) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Resting place | Church of St. James the Less |
| Nationality | American |
| Children | 9, incl. Thomas H. Montgomery, Jr., James Alan Montgomery |
| Parent(s) | James Montgomery, Mary Harrison White |
| Relatives | Samuel George Morton (father-in-law) |
Thomas Harrison Montgomery (February 27, 1830 – April 4, 1905) was an American businessman and writer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was best known for his genealogical and historical writings and his presidency of the American Fire Insurance Company, which he held for over 20 years until his death.
Thomas Harrison Montgomery was born in Philadelphia on February 27, 1830, the second son of reverend James Montgomery, D.D. and Mary Harrison White, and was baptized at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, where his father was then rector, April 7, 1830, by his great-grandfather, Bishop William White. His father died when Thomas was four, and he was raised by his mother. He attended grammar school in Philadelphia, and later attended some lectures at the Franklin Institute but was largely taught by his mother and self-educated. He early acquired the habit of expressing his thoughts on matters that came under his observation, by the writing of a journal which he began at the age of fifteen years.
On March 23, 1847, he found his first job in the large drug establishment of Charles Ellis & Company, in connection with which he took a course in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, 1848-9, and 1850-1, receiving his diploma from that institution April 4, 1851. In January, 1852, in partnership with his friend, Samuel E. Shinn, under the firm name of Montgomery & Shinn, he bought out a drug store, but ill health compelled him to abandon the business two years later. On his removal to Germantown, 1856, he began his genealogical studies, which resulted in the publication of the History and Pedigree of Montgomery, 1863. During this period he devoted much time to study and ecclesiastical and charitable work. He was rector’s warden of the Church of Holy Cross, Germantown, 1856, and later member of the vestry of St. Luke’s Church until his removal from Germantown. He also conducted for several years a Bible class for young men, which he had organized.
During his residence in Germantown, Montgomery became associated with the family of physician and anthropologist Samuel George Morton, and in 1860, married his daughter, Anna Morton. At the outbreak of the Civil War, though the state of his health would not permit him to go to the front, he drilled with the troops then being recruited. In 1863 he was elected secretary of the Enterprise Insurance Company; became its vice president, 1864, and a director, 1866; thus becoming identified with the business wherein he achieved especial distinction by organizing and placing upon a safe financial basis the insurance institutions of Philadelphia and vicinity.
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