Montgomery Gano Buckner
1871-1931
Source: Churches of Christ, Brown, 1904, p.238
The Life of M. Gano Buckner
Montgomery Gano Buckner was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, on February 7, 1871. He was the son of John Willis Buckner (1841-1904) and Mary Eliza Gano (1848-1877). His maternal grandfather was John Allen Gano (1805-1887), the great Kentucky preacher of the Christian movement.
Montgomery went to Pennsylvania, where he was educated at Pennsylvania Medical College. As a medical practitioner, he returned to his Kentucky home and practiced medicine for four years. However, this was not his field of choice, as, like his grandfather, the ministry of Jesus pulled on his heart. With that, he entered Kentucky University and graduated from the College of the Bible.
After graduation, one of his first works was with the Christian church at Washington, Mason County, Kentucky. While in this ministry, he met and married his wife, Mary Elsie Cassidy (1879-1939), on April 5, 1899. The couple had one child, Allen Marion Buckner (1900-1950).
The great preacher and writer John Augustus Williams was a Christian church minister at Harrodsburg for many years. When it was time to lay down his preaching mantel, young Dr. M. Gano Buckner seemed the obvious choice. The family moved to Harrodsburg, where they stayed and worked for several years.
In the Spring of 1903, the Buckners traveled to Europe and the Middle East. His travels took him to London, England; Athens, Greece; Constantinople, Turkey; Jerusalem, Palestine; Cairo, Egypt; and Naples, Italy.
In 1907, the Buckners moved to Mansfield, Ohio, to take up the work there. After only a year, a call came from Owensboro, Kentucky, where Richard Henry Crossfield had preached for many years. The older preacher had been invited to take the presidency of Transylvania University in Lexington, where, beginning in 1908, he served for the next thirteen years and was later President of the College of the Bible. With his move from Owensboro, the Buckners moved to that city to take the lead in the Christian Church there.
While in Owensboro, he became a Rotarian and served as President of the Rotary Club for many years. This cast him in the public eye in a significant way. In 1928, he was named Vice-President of Central Trust Company, a local banking corporation.
In 1929, while in Owensboro, Montgomery had a near-death experience. One day, while with friends on a fishing trip in the nearby Ohio River, the boat they were traveling in capsized, and with much effort, his friends managed to get him to land. Upon the banks, he appeared to have died. They worked hard with him, and he was finally revived. The incident made the local newspapers.
In January 1931, M. Gano Buckner suffered a heart attack, and many were concerned if he would survive. The family went to his Owensboro home to see him. He managed to continue for several months until he succumbed to his illness on July 25, 1931. His body was taken to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky for burial.
-Scott Harp, 08.26.2024
Newspaper Clippings
The Lexington Herald, Lexington, Kentucky
Saturday, January 15,
1898, page 5
The Daily Democrat, Winchester, Kentucky
Friday, February 25, 1898, page 3
The Lexington Herald, Lexington, Kentucky
Sunday, March 19, 1899, page 6
The Mt. Sterling Advocate, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky
Tuesday, April 11, 1899, page 11
The Lexington Herald, Lexington, Kentucky
Tuesday, August 21, 1900, page 6
Harrodsburg Democrat, Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Friday, July 18, 1902, p.1
The Evening Bulletin, Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Wednesday, April 16, 1902, page 3
The Harrodsburg Herald, Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Thursday, February 12, 1903, page 4
Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington, Kentucky
Saturday, September 3,
1904, page 3
R. M. Gano Visit To Harrodsburg
The Harrodsburg Herald, Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Thursday, June 6, 1905, page 5
The Bourbon News, Paris, Kentucky
Tuesday, September 9,
1908, page 4
News Journal, Mansfield, Ohio
September 28, 1908, page 7
The Public Ledger, Maysville, Kentucky,
Monday, June 21, 1909, page 4
Owensboro, KY, Messenger_Inquirer_1928_05_11_12, FRIDAY
The Kentucky Post, Covington, Kentucky
Saturday, October 21, 1916, page 4
Lancaster Eagle Gazette, Lancaster, Ohio
Thursday, November 11, 1917, page 4
Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington, Kentucky
Monday, January 19, 1931, page 3
Directions To Grave
The Buckner family plot is in the Machpelah Cemetery in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. East of Lexington, Kentucky, take I-64 to Mt. Sterling exit, (Maysville Rd. (Hwy. 460). Head into town. Turn left on E. Locust St. (Co. Rd. 713) and you will head up a hill and see Macpelah Cemetery on both sides of the street. You will want to go to your left into the oldest part of the cemetery. Go all the way to the rear of the cemetery where the Buckners are in the edge of the section just inside the drive. GPS below is of the actual grave location.
GPS Location
38°03'30.8"N 83°55'58.1"W
or D.d. 38.058558, -83.932792
Mary C. Buckner
1879-1939
M. Gano Buckner
1871-1931
Photos Taken 06.26.2024
Webpage Produced 08.24.2024
Courtesy Of Scott Harp
www.TheRestorationMovement.com
Special Recognition: After searching the Machepelah Cemetery a few years ago, once again I visited Mt. Sterling and was determined to find the grave once and for all. Contacting the office, I had it confirmed that the grave was in the area I was looking. I finally found the grave after a bit of a walk. This was while I was on a Restoration Movement work trip in June, 2024. This was the first day of our event. Later that evening I had the honor of standing behind the pulpit at Upper Spencer where Raccoon John Smith preached many years ago. The exciting thing is that I was able to talk about Smith and his great life of preaching the gospel.