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Ancient Armstrong Ancestors

24/10/2015

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Genetic evidence and more rigorous research methods are currently challenging the origin myths & legends of several clan surnames.  We continue to explore this theme with more remarkable results from the Armstrong Y-DNA project reviewed alongside published academic works.

Many historians claimed the Viking occupation of the remote Orkney and Shetland Islands in the 9th century had largely supplanted the indigenous population.  However, recent "People of the British Isles" research found that only 25% of Orcadian DNA was of Viking origin.   

So, what does a Y-DNA testee in the Orkney Islands have in common with the Armstrong Clan?  They share a specific genetic marker, or SNP, that suggests a direct paternal line to a common ancestor who seems likely to have lived during, or pre, the Iron Age (about 700BC).  Is this more evidence that our clan's ancestors were of ancient indigenous Scottish stock?  Association members can read the whole story in the Armstrong News 81.
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The Armstrongs of Riccarton Mill, Castleton

24/10/2015

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How many people have ancestors who lived & worked for over 200 years in the same historic 18th century Mill?

​One new member of the Armstrong Clan Association can!

The earliest record of a meal mill at Riccarton, Castleton dates from 1611, and a new mill was built in 1718 for William Elliot, the tenant of RIccarton Farm, whose granddaughter Christian Elliot married Thomas Armstrong of Sorbie, and she moved back to the Mill after his death.  The Elliot family held the tenancy of the Mill until 1766, when it passed to the widowed Christian Armstrong and remained in the hands of the Armstrongs for nearly 200 years

The Mill then passed down the Armstrong family, with visits by Sir Walter Scott, legends of hidden gold sovereigns nearby, and gifts from the Duke of Buccleugh over the years.  The Armstrongs bought the Mill in 1919, and the family lived there until 1944.  Jane Armstrong was one of the last of the line to live at the Mill, and her daughter recalls this special family history & memories in issue 81 of the Armstrong News.
1899 OS Map of Riccarton Mill, Castleton
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Gilnockie Tower In Canonbie & District "Day Of The Region"

24/10/2015

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Gilnockie Tower Video DroneGilnockie Tower Video Drone
Gilnockie Tower was open for visitors as part of Canonbie & District Residents Association's "Day of the Region" on 6 September 2016.  A local Piper climbed the Tower and played a selection of bag-pipe music from the outside walkway.  Meanwhile, a photographic drone  took aerial pictures and video of the Tower - we have a video clip on the Gilnockie Tower page courtesy of Trevor at TCH AirPhotos, 

56 people visited the Tower and the Association's Clan Room where the Association's founder, Ted Armstrong, was on hand to explain the history of the Tower and Association.  

The Tower is now closed to visitors until Easter 2016.  We are hopeful that we will then be able to provide a full season of tours in 2016.  Members can read more in Armstrong News issue 81.

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Armstrong Stories From Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Canada, Australia And The USA

1/5/2015

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Issue 80 also carries a wide selection of Armstrong stories from around the world.

Starting close to the Clan's homeland of Scotland, the harsh treatment of the widow Elizabeth Armstrong of Sorbietrees by the Dukes of Buccleugh, and her eviction from the family's farm, attracted scathing critiscism.  An extract from the "Scottish Leader" dated 19 April 1894 tells her story.

Around the same time, William Henry Armstrong matriculated from Massachusetts State College.  He graduated in 1899, and went on to earn degrees from Harvard University before joining the US Army and mapping the new US teritory of Puerto Rico.  This issue tells his life story, and reveals the remarkable monument he left to his Alma Mater.

The six-pound Armstrong gun was designed by Sir William Armstrong and manufactured in England beginning in 1855.  This issue includes photographs of an Armstrong gun in New Zealand, where they were used in 1861.

This issue also tells the story of two  Armstrong pioneers.  One, Thomas Armstrong settled in Mersea, Canada in 1855, where he raised a large family.  The other, Adam Pearson Armstrong, born 1788 in Edinburgh, lost an eye fighting at the Battle of Waterloo and emigrated to Western Australia in 1829 with his 6 children.  

John Armstrong was born on the Isle of Man and died in Washington DC from wounds recieved fighting for the Union in the Civil War. Members of The Armstrong Clan Association found his records while researching their own families, and "adopted" him.  As they said, "after all, he is an Armstrong".  John Armstrong's story is told in Issue 80.

Issue 80 of the Armstrong News is available to all members of the Armstrong Clan Association.
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Mr. Turner at Gilnockie

1/5/2015

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You may know of J.M.W Turner as the eccentric English landscape painter, commemorated in the recent movie Mr. Turner. But did you know that among his works there are several sketches and a watercoulour painting of Gilnockie Tower?

The 1832 watercolour painting was named "Johnnie Armstrong's Tower", and an engraving was used in “The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott Volume 2”.

Issue 80 of The Armstrong News includes an article on these works, and is available to all members of the Armstrong Clan Association.
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A Real Family Tree

1/5/2013

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This month's Armstrong News includes a real Armstrong Family Tree, detailing the descendants of James Armstrong (1666) and Mary Yeates. This branch of the clan originated in Scotland, before migrating to Ireland and onwards to America.  There's even a footnote that links the family to Col. Edward McCarty,an officer in the Revolutionary Army under George Washington who was present at the surrender of Lord Conwallis.  

The provenance of this tree is uncertain, but parts of the tree have been verified from Parish Records.  A full transcription is included in Issue 76 of The Armstrong News, available to Association members.

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