Memorials › SGT Robert Claude "R.C." Montgomery

SGT Robert Claude "R.C." Montgomery

14 Jul 1915 – 24 Feb 2003

Birth14 Jul 1915
Death24 Feb 2003
CemeteryAztec Cemetery
Aztec , San Juan County , New Mexico , USA
Added byTexas Reiver on 31 Jan 2020
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28977210

Bio

Robert Claude "R.C." Montgomery Family Background and Early Life Robert Claude Montgomery, known as R.C., was born into a lineage of resilience and frontier initiative. His father, Frank Montgomery (1886–1980), was the son of Robert Common Montgomery (1854–1940) and Sarah Elizabeth Phillips (1858–1936), tracing Scotch-Irish roots back to Augusta County, Virginia, migrating through Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas in search of fertile land and opportunity. Frank was raised in Whitewright, Texas, a small agricultural town shaped by post-Reconstruction development and the rise of East Texas cotton farming. Growing up on a family farm, Frank absorbed values of hard work, faith, and civic responsibility—traits he instilled in his children, including R.C. Frank married Dona Gay Chitwood (1891–1985) in 1912. R.C. grew up with several siblings, sharing his childhood with his older sister Mary Clarice Montgomery (1916–2010) and his twin sisters Theda Gay Montgomery (1928–2017) and Marcella Mae Montgomery (1928–1929), the latter of whom tragically died in infancy. Another sister, Janett Montgomery (1934–1934), was also lost shortly after birth. Together, these siblings were raised in a close-knit family under the guidance of Frank and Dona, and their lives were shaped by both the joys and hardships of early 20th-century rural Texas and New Mexico. R.C.'s early childhood in Whitewright was shaped by significant events, including surviving the devastating 1919 Whitewright (Canaan) Cyclone, which destroyed many homes in the area. The Montgomery family opened their property to neighbors in need, leaving R.C. with early lessons in resilience, compassion, and community service. Migration to New Mexico and Ranching Life In the early 1920s, Frank moved his family to Corona, Lincoln County, New Mexico, seeking a drier climate for Dona's asthma and new ranching opportunities. Frank became a cattle rancher, managing livestock across rugged high-desert terrain, enduring extreme weather, and building a reputation for honesty, reliability, and hard work. Later, the family relocated to Flora Vista, San Juan County, New Mexico, and eventually acquired a ranch near Bayfield, Colorado. These moves aligned with broader patterns of southwestern settlement during the 1920s and 1930s, as families sought fertile land and more secure livelihoods. R.C. grew up in this ranching environment, learning the skills, discipline, and independence that would guide his adult life. After finally selling the Bayfield ranch, R.C. and his family spent his later years living and ranching in Lindrith, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Lindrith was a small, historically homesteaded community in the high northern New Mexico mesas. The Montgomery family purchased the already established Collins ranch, in a region typical of the frontier-style ranching and farming life R.C. had always known, offering open land for livestock and the rural, self-reliant lifestyle the family valued. Draft Registration and Military Service In 1940, R.C. registered for the draft while living in Flora Vista. He was self-employed, 6 feet tall, weighed 165 pounds, had a dark complexion, brown hair, and gray eyes. His father Frank was listed as next of kin. On 30 July 1942, at age 27, R.C. enlisted in the U.S. Army at Santa Fe, New Mexico. He served as a Private and later attained the rank of Sergeant during World War II. He was single, had completed four years of college, and worked as a general farmer. His military service reflected the contributions of New Mexico residents to the national mobilization and the balancing of rural livelihoods with duty abroad. Marriage and Family Life After the war, R.C. married Mildred Ellen Petross (1917–2002) in April 1946 in San Juan County, New Mexico. They had one daughter, Jo Nell Montgomery (1947–2005), born in Farmington. By 1950, the family had settled in Aztec, New Mexico, where R.C. lived for a good many years. Later Life, Death, and Legacy R.C. Montgomery outlived both parents—Frank in 1980 and Dona in 1985—and endured the loss of his wife Mildred in 2002. He passed away on 24 February 2003 at age 87 and was interred at Community Cemetery in Aztec, New Mexico. R.C.'s life bridged nearly nine decades of American history, spanning rural Texas and New Mexico farms, frontier-style ranching in Colorado, World War II military service, and mid-century life in the Four Corners region. His upbringing under Frank Montgomery's guidance instilled resilience, faith, and a deep sense of community. Through every move and challenge—from natural disasters in East Texas to the demands of ranching and war—R.C. embodied the pioneering values, work ethic, and family devotion of his Scotch-Irish frontier heritage, leaving a lasting legacy in the Southwest. Primary Sources 1. Birth & Death Records • Texas Birth Records: Robert Claude Montgomery, 14 Jul 1915, Whitewright, Grayson, Texas • New Mexico Death Records: Robert Claude Montgomery, 24 Feb 2003, Aztec, San Juan, New Mexico 2. U.S. Federal Census Records • 1920 Census: Justice Precinct 2, Fannin, Texas • 1930 Census: Varney, Torrance, New Mexico • 1940 Census: Flora Vista, San Juan, New Mexico • 1950 Census: Aztec, San Juan, New Mexico 3. Military Records • WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1940: R.C. Montgomery, Flora Vista, San Juan, NM • U.S. Army Enlistment Records, 30 Jul 1942, Santa Fe, NM • U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775–2006: R.C. Montgomery, Sgt, WWII, Community Cemetery, Aztec, NM 4. Marriage Records • Marriage of R.C. Montgomery and Mildred Ellen Petross, Apr 1946, San Juan County, NM 5. Family Records / Obituaries • Montgomery family obituaries and cemetery records (Frank Montgomery, Dona Gay Chitwood, Mildred Ellen Petross) ⸻ Secondary / Contextual Sources 1. Family histories and local histories of Grayson County, TX, and San Juan County, NM 2. Historical accounts of East Texas cotton country and New Mexico ranching communities 3. Records of the 1919 Whitewright (Canaan) Cyclone Obituary R.C. was born on July 14, 1915 and passed away on Monday, February 24, 2003. R.C. was a resident of Lindrith, New Mexico.

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