William Montague was an Anglican cleric at

Old North Church Old North Church (officially, Christ Church in the City of Boston), at 193 Salem Street, in the North End, Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent. This phrase is related ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and St. Paul's in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

Personal life

Montague was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts on September 23, 1757 to Joseph and Sarah Henry Montague. He was graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1784. He was married to Jane Little. Their daughter, also named Jane Little Montague, was a teacher at the Mill Village School and the First Middle School in Dedham. Another daughter, Sarah Ann Montague, taught in the East Street School. She had a son who served in the Civil War as a captain in the 38th Infantry Regiment. While in England, Montague obtained the musket ball that killed

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, ...

. His son, William Henry Montague, donated it to the

New England Historic Genealogical Society The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845. NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,Samuel Seabury Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalist ...

of Connecticut. Montague was rector of

in Boston from 1787 to 1792. After traveling to London in 1790, he became the first minister ordained in America to occupy a pulpit of the English Church. In May 1777, Rev. William Clark, a Tory, was charged by the Board of Selectmen in Dedham of being a traitor to the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. He was arrested and jailed for 10 weeks on a prison ship. In June 1778,

Fisher Ames Fisher Ames (; April 9, 1758 – July 4, 1808) was a Representative in the United States Congress from the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts. He was an important leader of the Federalist Party in the House, and was noted for his ...

obtained a pass for him and Clark was allowed to leave America. It was not until 1791 that the congregation regrouped and called Montague. Montague received a salary in Dedham of £100 sterling. He remained in the Dedham church until 1818. He lived on the south side High Street, near the intersection with East Street.

Teaching career

Monatague taught in the First Middle School for three winters in 1793–94, 1794–95, and 1795–96. In 1800, he taught in Dorchester. He is said to have excelled as a teacher of mathematics.

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* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montague, William Clergy from Dedham, Massachusetts Clergy from Boston Dartmouth College alumni Educators from Dedham, Massachusetts People from South Hadley, Massachusetts 1757 births 1833 deaths 18th-century Anglican priests Military personnel from Dedham, Massachusetts People of Massachusetts in the American Revolution