Montie Gue Swinson was born September 2, 1883, in the house built by his father, near Maple Hill, NC, in Onslow County. He was the fifth son, of seven, born to Jesse Swinson and Calestia Ann Batts. Jesse was the son of James Swinson and Rebecca Marshburn. Calestia was the daughter of Owen Gurganus and Tamma Batts. I believe she was born and raised in Duplin County, NC.

Very little is known of Montie’s childhood, but he probably played and fought with his brothers when he was smaller, as all boys do. As he grew older, he probably explored the woods, creeks, and streams around his home on the Ten Mile Creek. Of course, as he grew older, he was expected to help with the chores and in the fields.

He told his children he served during the Spanish-American War, walking from his home in Maple Hill to Southport, near Wilmington, NC, to enlist. He tried to apply for a pension for his service in later life only to be told there was no record of his service. Apparently, the records had burned.

On July 12, 1902, at the age of 19, he married Barbara Susan Horne, daughter of Henry Nickolus Horne and Susan Jones, from Cypress Creek, just over the county line in Duplin. Montie and Barbara lived on land deeded to them by Jesse and Calestia. Their property was located behind the old home place, which still stands on Swinson Rd., on the Ten Mile. He and Barbara had ten children between 1903 and 1916:

Kater was born May 2, 1903

Zilla (Zillie) was born Feb. 14, 1905

Vann, called JC, was born Nov. 15, 1907

France was born Aug. 3, 1909

Frank was born Aug. 10, 1910

Minnie was born July 9, 1913

Cyrus was born Feb. 18, 1916

Barbara survived the birth of Cyrus by a little over two weeks. She died on Mar 5, 1916 and is buried in the Swinson family cemetery on Gurganus Rd. in Onslow County.

After Barbara’s death, Montie packed up his children and moved from the Ten Mile, returning infrequently to visit his brothers over the years. It’s known that he lived and farmed in Onslow, Duplin and Jones counties. It was in Jones County that he married for the second time on Dec 3, 1917. His bride was 16-year old Lucy Chase, daughter of Ammie Belford Chase and Annie Southerland. Three children were born to Montie and Lucy between 1918 and 1921:

Lloyd was born Sep. 13, 1918

Viola was born Oct. 17, 1919

Carrie was born Feb. 14, 1921

Pregnant with their fourth child, Lucy died from complications on Feb. 5, 1923. They were living in Tuckahoe Township at the time and she is buried in the Pleasant Hill Christian Church cemetery, in Jones County.

Nothing is known at this time concerning Montie’s third marriage, to Lola Hall. There were no children from their marriage and they divorced. It’s assumed he remained in the Jones County area, or returned if he moved, because it was there he married Lillie Leora Marshburn on Sep. 17, 1935 in Trenton, NC. Lillie, my grandmother, was the daughter of Cagie Edgar Marshburn and Narcissus Miranda Williams. She was probably born and raised on the Nine Mile, near Catharine's Lake, in Onslow County. She was 17-years old at the time of her marriage and was under the guardianship of her brother Hubert. D.H. Heritage, Justice of the Peace, officiated and the attending witnesses were Mary L. Haywood and Swindell Pollock. Montie and Lillie had 10 children:

Lillian was born Jan. 18, 1937

Bernice was born Sep. 22, 1939

Montie Gue, Jr. was born Dec. 16, 1940

Marvin Ray was born Dec. 25, 1942

Shirley Ann was born May 16, 1940

Eddie Russell, my father, was born Nov. 7, 1946

Jimmie Ray was born Dec. 18, 1948

Darlene was born Nov. 23, 1951

Patti Sue was born Oct. 5, 1953

Ronnie was born May 22, 1955.

Montie owned and farmed quite a bit of land during his life. Due to unknown difficulties, he had to sell off most of his land and spent the remainder of his life as a sharecropper, moving his household from place to place to farm for others. My father has memories of living in many places during his childhood from Beulaville to Richlands, and in Jones, Onslow, Duplin and Lenoir Counties. At one time, Montie drove wagons of turpentine to Wilmington. The round trip took approximately 3 weeks. Only late in life, with most of his children grown and his health failing, did Montie return to the Nine Mile/Ten Mile area of Onslow County. He and my grandmother moved into a trailer beside the house of her sister, Bertha Crews, on Nine Mile Rd.

I have a few pictures and no memories of my grandfather as he only lived for three years after my birth. He died in Morehead City, Carteret County, NC on June 14, 1970. He's buried between his second wife, Lucy, and their daughter Carrie, in the cemetery behind the Pleasant Hill Christian Church in Jones County, NC.