Armstrong Family History

Roots Researches

The Association's Armstrong News publishes many member's enquiries, asking for more information to help research their roots. We can answer many questions using our database of Armstrong records, and these enquiries often lead to helpful exchanges of information between members.

This website now has "Discussion Forums" in the member's area, and we encourage members to exchange information through those forums: it helps other members with similar interests, and may attract some unexpected information from a fellow member.

These are some of the current "roots enquiries" Those marked with * indicate that this is an abridged version the full version of which is available to members

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 90 May 2020

2664 Raymond traces his ancestry back to United Empire Loyalist JESSE Armstrong (~1745-1827). According to a Lower Canada (later Quebec) land petition in which he related his movements and military contributions prior to leaving the American Colonies in 1777 Jesse abandoned his farm in New York “to seek refuge under His Majesty’s arms” and left his family in Poughkeepsie, although it is unclear whether that is where his farm had been. For the next 6 years he served the Loyalist cause in various capacities before leaving for Lower Canada in 1783 with a group of Loyalists, living first in Sorel, then on land in the Bays of Chaleur and Gaspe. However, he found the land too poor there and in about 1789 moved to the Masquinonge area where he and his sons farmed and where most remained for some decades. His family, most of whom remained in Quebec, can then be traced in great detail through census, church and other records. Raymond’s ancestors can be traced with certainty to his gg grandfather OSCAR A* (1823-1903) through his grandfather JOSEPH VICTOR (1880-1948) and great grandfather ALFRED (1849-1910) who by 1885 had moved to Montreal. While there is little doubt Oscar descended from Jesse, there is no direct evidence as to who his father was, but it was probably CHARLES (1796-1878), son of DAVID (~1775-1850), son of Jesse. It is also unknown who Jesse Armstrong’s parents were or where his Armstrong ancestors came from to the USA. The only evidence for their origins is in much later Canadian census records, and they are not consistent. Thus, if anyone has evidence concerning either Jesse’s or Oscar’s parentage Raymond we would be delighted to have it.

5171/6061 Once again we have two buses arriving at the same time but with current embarkation being in Australia and England! Both Lyndon and David have a common ancestor of DAVID C1719/25 of Knarsdale NBL ENG. He married Hannah KIRTI(O)N in July 1750. Lyndon and David then have another two generations before the split. JOHN A* (1750) at Town Green Knarsdale who married Isabel LINTON followed by another JOHN A* (1784) of Intack, Knarsdale who married Mary ROBINSON in 1810 and produced 10 children JOHN (1811), THOMAS (1814), ANNE (1816), ROBERT (1819), HUGH (1819), DAVID (1821), WILLIAM (1824), MARY (1827), MARK (1831) and possibly ISABEL. Lyndon’s Robert married Sarah BALES in 1850 at Gretna Green and produced 7 children including JOSEPH (1860) who was born in West Herrington Co Durham, ENG. Joseph married Margaret Anne PARKER at Sunderland DUR in 1883 and produced five children there before emigration to Australia, Lyndon’s grandfather JOSEPH STANLEY A* (1890). David’s line is through Hugh Who married Isabella IONS in Houghton-le-Spring DUR in 1856. Son WILLIAM EDWARD, David’s grandfather, was born in Houghton-le-Spring in 1864. At present our difficulty lies with confirming David’s (C1719) birth and parents. There is a possible death for David Armstrong, but without looking at the film it is only pure supposition, no age is listed in the record. It appears to be the only David buried Knarsdale during that time period. David believes that one can progress to the earlier Knarsdale settlement, as the Armstrong seem to have moved there around and then stayed as shepherds, farmers and miner/farmers for close on 200 years. He cites David's father as John, born at Williamston in Knarsdale in 1701. This comment is fair enough but it is only a supposition and not a citation or primary evidence. Maybe you can find something that can be!

6053 New member Claire has given us a real ‘spider’s web’ pedigree! Amongst her Dodd ancestor there are four different lines of Armstrongs! We pick up the first one as Claire’s Great G Grandmother FRANCES ANN (1852) born at Oakshaw, Bewcastle NBL who married Joseph FOSTER in 1870 (more on him later). Her ancestors run through MATTHEW (1816) of Snouts, Bewcastle who married Frances LEE, his father THOMAS (1789) of Kirklinton CUM who married Ann DODGSON. Thomas’s father was MATTHEW (C1749) of Tinnisburnfoot, Castleton ROX SCO. Thomas (1789) had 10 children including Matthew. Another was ANN (1818) who married John Potts in 1811 and produced Rosanna in 1843. You might wonder where this is going but we have now got back to a Dodd (William 1843) who married Rosanna in 1874, producing Thomas Walter Dodd who married Mary Foster in 1906. Yes, you’ve got it…. who was the daughter of Joseph and Frances Anne! We’re not finished yet! William Dodd (1843) also had Armstrong blood as his parents were William (1809) and ISABELLA A* (1811) of Falstone NBL. Her father was WILLIAM (1783) of Roxburghshire SCO and his wife Jane SCOTT. His parents were WILLIAM (1746) of Canonbie DFS SCO and Margaret CARRUTHERS. This goes on… William Dodd’s parents were Walter (1765) and ….. MARY A* of Longcleughside, CUL ENG She had a sibling JOHN (1787). Her parents were JOHN (C1715) and Janet MURRAY. Well…. the Dodds weren’t finished as Walter’s parents were John (C1720) and JANE A* born 1738 at Kershopefoot.!! If your ancestors are tangled somewhere in this web I’m sure Claire would like to get in contact. Just email us.

5269/3490 It is first worth looking back to the Roots entry in Issue 86 May 2018 where we ask for primary evidence that CHRISTOPHER Armstrong (1754) of Harelawhill Canonbie DFS SCO was the man who married Elizabeth Dick on 1 December 1775 in Dalkeith, Midlothian, SCO… well we’ve got it! New member Shellie has provided irrefutable evidence that this was so. This means that we can now take this line back two further generations. Christopher’s father was JOHN A* (1718) born Harelawhill who married Grizel SCOTT. Their other children were CHRISTOPHER (1705), DAVID (1708), HELEN 1712, THOMAS (1717) and GEORGE (1720). John’s father, another Christopher (c1679) married Jean Little. Anyone connect with any of the above?

5241/5267 Linda and Ian are both descended from JAMES “BEDAD” A*. His nickname Bedad is said to have been the result of his overuse of the word as a euphemistic oath! A very detailed Australian immigration record records his arrival in New South Wales in 1839, age 48 (thus born 1791), a farm labourer, native of Magheraculmonay, Fermanagh, father ROBERT a tailor, mother Isabella; his mother’s maiden name is said to have been NETHERY but there does not seem to be any primary evidence for that. The immigration record names his wife as JANE, age 41, father Thomas Johnston surveyor, mother Kitty; it also names 8 children by name and age, the eldest being 23, although a baptism record suggests he was 26. While attempts have been made to trace James’ ancestors further back, as usual there is little in primary records to support these efforts. Fermanagh parish records record a marriage of a James Armstrong and Jane Johnston in 1810, the likely baptisms of five of their children, the eldest in January 1813, and the marriage in 1837 of a daughter who arrived in New South Wales with her husband one year before her family. Australian records for James and his family are abundant, but they raise a significant mystery concerning his birth year which has not been found in any Irish record. It might be thought that his age at immigration as the earliest evidence is likely to be the most accurate, except that if the 1810 marriage and 1813 baptism records are correct Jane’s age on immigration cannot be right, raising doubts about the accuracy of James’ age as well. The inscription on her gravestone, age 70 in 1862, computes to a 1792 birth year that is consistent with a marriage in 1810, but means she was 47 on immigration. Just 2 years after their immigration an original 1841 Census record signed by James in Wollongong, Australia, which records only the name of the head of the household and then the gender and age ranges of each person in the household, appears to match this family; it records James’ age as being 60+, and thus supports a birth year of 1781 or earlier, and his wife’s as between 45 and 60, which is consistent with her age at death. A birth record for his youngest daughter confirms 1810 as the year of his first marriage, and appears to say he was 88 at her birth in 1868, and thus supports a birth year of 1780, not impossible but on the unlikely side, although a note on his 1880 death certificate also states that he was 30 when he married his first wife Jane Johnston. However, his death records provide quite varying death ages and thus birth years that compute to an even less likely age on the birth of his youngest daughter. His death certificate states he was 96 when he married Alice McReady, which was in 1866, and thus gives a birth year of 1770, age on birth of his daughter of 98, and age at death of 110, but also it and his gravestone and obituary state he was 107, which would have made him 93 on his 2nd marriage in 1866, and 95 on the birth of his daughter in 1968. All in all it is a good lesson in the fallibility of the primary records we all rely on so heavily! A question that arises is: did James after his arrival in Australia decide to present himself as older than he actually was, beginning with the 1841 Census? If for whatever reason he did so, he may have not kept his story straight, and thus stated varying ages on different occasions. If anyone can shed any further light on the birth, parents or marriage of James “Bedad” A* Linda and Ian would be most appreciative.

2668 Patrice traces his ancestry back to JOHN Armstrong, born 1782 in Stanhope, Durham, England, died Quebec City Nov 15, 1861. John married Isabella MARTIN in 1816 in Bishop Wearmouth, Durham, England (now appears to be part of Sunderland), and they had two sons born in Sunderland, Durham, England: JOHN A* born 1816, Patrice’s ancestor, and WILLIAM MARTIN A* born Feb 7, 1818. They then immigrated to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, sometime before the birth of their daughter ELIZABETH Dec 12, 1819. John senior and junior were both Protestant, but John junior married a Roman Catholic, Catherine DORAN, in 1851 in Quebec City, and all their children were baptized Roman Catholic, including Patrice’s great great grandfather EDWARD WILLIAM A*, born 3 weeks prior to his baptism on Sept 29, 1853, in Notre Dame Cathedral, Quebec City. Patrice’s great grandfather EDWARD WILLIAM A* and grandfather ERNEST A* were likewise baptized in Quebec City. John Armstrong senior’s descendants can be traced in some detail in Quebec records, but his origins are not at all clear. The earliest fairly certain record for him is a military discharge in 1810 that states his age (28, thus born 1782), birthplace (Stanhope) and trade (Blacksmith), all of which are consistent with Quebec records. His two sons were also blacksmiths. There is no birth record on Ancestry for John senior that clearly matches the known details but among the several possibilities is a John Armstrong born July 2, 1782 (place not stated), baptized July 16, 1788 in Sunderland, Durham, England, parents John and Ann. This could be him as the family certainly could have moved between his birth and baptism, and John was in Sunderland by the time he married in 1816. If anyone can provide further evidence that these were John’s parents, or has any other information about John senior’s parents, Patrice would of course be delighted.

4446, Brandon who has two Armstrong lines. His grandmother was DORIS J A*, dau of IVAN L. A* & Mabel Elizabeth HUNT of NE.   Ivan L. A* was the youngest child of JOSEPH A* b 1856 IN d NE & Floretta E HURLBUT b 1863 IA d NE. Joseph A*s parents were WILLIAM A* b Abt 1798 Ireland & Hannah SINGER b 1830 OH who mar 1845 IN. William A* & Hannah had another son named JOHN b Abt 1847 IN. As usual we are stuck with William A* b Ireland.
Brandon's great-grandmother Mabel E Hunt was the dau of Frederick "Frank" M Hunt b 1882 NE & IRENE OLIVE Armstrong, b 1883 IA. Irene Olive A* was the eldest child of STARRETT IRWIN A* b 1854 OH d NE & Amanda I GLASGOW (Glasgo) b 1864 IA, mar 1883 IA. Starrett's marriage record names his parents as GEORGE & MARYANN Armstrong.
Starrett Irwin A* was the son of GEORGE A* b Abt 1810 OH d 1868 in Licking Co., OH & Mary Ann (or Maryann) who d bef 1860 OH. Using the 1850 census, George A* was the son of JOSHUA A* b Abt 1772 PA, and his siblings were MARGARET possibly married Daniel CLARK 1840 OH; Mary; CHARITY married William PARR 1840 OH, and Rachel.   Joshua A* was in Licking Co OH as early as 1820 and we know he had more children than we have been able to identify. We think his wife was named Elizabeth maiden name unknown. We could sure use some help here.

8031 Charles, who is a descendant of the Armstrongs of Barbados. He is the grandson of Charles O'Neal b 1891 & Helen St Aubyn Gill, son of JOSEPH CAVE A* b 1856 & Sarah Josephine WATERMAN b 1859, son of JOHN CHARLES A* b 1804 d 1872 & his 3rd wife, Mary Rebecca WATERMAN, son of JOHN A* b 1778 d 1804 & Ann BRIGSTOCK, son of JOHN A* b Abt 1745 d 1793 & Susanna GREENIDGE, son of SAMUEL A* b 1706 d 1761 & Elizabeth JORDAN, son of SAMUEL A* Jr b Abt 1690 d 1712 & Ann TAVERNER, son of SAMUEL A* Sr b Abt 1670 d 1723 & unknown spouse, son of EDWARD A* b Abt 1640 possibly England d bef 1685 Barbados & Anne JONES b Abt 1640 of Monmouth, Wales, who d Bef 13 Mar 1685.

7079 Ed travels back 5 gens to reach his Armstrong ancestor who was MARY Armstrong b 1785 Middleton-in-Teesdale, Durham, England, d 1852 Illinois, wife of John LEEKLEY b 1781 Middleton-in-Teesdale, Durham d 1839 Jo Daviess Co., Illinois. They married in 1802 and had 11 children all born in the same parish, Durham.
Mary A* was the dau of MARK Armstrong b 1762 of Middleside, chr Middleton-in-Teesdale, Durham, d 1787 Middeton, Durham England & Elizabeth PINKEY, who m 1785 Middleton-in-Teesdale, Durham. They had two other children: JOHN A* 1787-1787 and MARK A*, a mining agent b 1788 d 1862 Durham, m Margaret BOWREN in 1812. They had 9 children between 1812 and 1836 all born in Durham or Westmorland, England: BETTY, GEORGE, MARK, JOHN, ELIZABETH, JONATHAN, WILLIAM, MARY, and MARGARET.
Mark A*'s parents were JOHN A* [b Bef 1743] & Elizabeth, her maiden name is not known, of Middleside, Durham. Middleton-in-Teesdale, Bishop's Transcripts tell us they had at least four children including Mark b 1762 the oldest found, MARY b 1764, BENJAMIN who was buried 1764 [his age was not stated], and GEORGE b 1772.   Now it certainly appears that we are missing children born after 1764 and before 1772, and possibly more.
We also found two possible death records in the Bishop's Transcripts, a John Armstrong of Middleton, buried 1784 and Elizabeth Armstrong, widow of Middleton buried 1787.
When and where were John A* & Elizabeth actually born / died / and married. We are stuck here. Help wanted!

4449 Ellen who travels back 4 generations to her A* ancestor, NANCY ANN GIBSON A* b 1803-1874 NC, who mar George Tucker COGGIN 1801-1857 NC. Nancy was the eldest child of JOSEPH A* 1771-1840 NC & Margaret "Peggy" WATSON 1780-1841 NC. Other children of Joseph A* & Margaret Watson also named in Joseph's Will dated 23 May 1839 were: JAMES WATSON A* 1805 NC d 1868 GA, MARY ANN A* mar Jesse P. PARKER, PARTHENIA A* mar John B. LEATHERS. Joseph's will also named his father as WILLIAM A*, and a brother also named WILLIAM A*.
Joseph's parents were WILLIAM A* b 1745 PA d 1814 NC & Nancy Ann GIBSON 1750-1833. Willam A*. William's will dated 26 Aug 1808 proved Nov Term 1814, names wife Nancy, eldest son JOSEPH A*, sons WILLIAM A* and JAMES A*, daus ISABELLA A* and MARGARET A*, also, grandsons JESSE A* and JAMES WATSON A*.
William A* was the son of Capt. JOSEPH A* 1711 Ireland d 1761 Hamilton, Cumberland Co., PA & Jennet STEWART. Thank goodness Capt. Joseph A* of Hamilton, also left a will. The Will was dated 3 Sep 1760, proved 20 Jan 1761. In it he names wife Jennet, eldest son JOHN A*, sons THOMAS, JOSEPH, JAMES and WILLIAM, daus CATHERINE A* mar James CURRIE, and MARGARET A* unmarried in 1760.
There are some who think Capt Joseph A* was the son of JOHN A* & Susanna, of Fermanagh, but we need documents to prove it. Help needed!!

7063-7064, 8036, 8000 & 8049 Welcome new members Deanna, Deborah, Marian & Cecile. Their common ancestor is SAMUEL A* b 1742 Northern Ireland d Bef 11 Sep 1809 SC & Mary Ann (thought to be BOYD). Samuel A* (Sr) Will dated 26 Aug 1809, proved 11 Sep 1809 Abbeville Co., SC, did not name his wife, and included names the following children: JOHN, DAVID, MATTHEW, WILLIAM, HUGH, JAMES, Martha FURLONG, Mary EMMERSON and SAMUEL Jr. Deanna, Deborah & Marian through son David A* (Wife not known), and Cecile through son Samuel A* Jr
7063 Deanna, 8036 Deborah & 8000 Marian all three descend from JAMES CALVIN EUGENE Armstrong b 1869 MS d TX & Ozella Adeline MEARS b 1878 TX, Deanna & Deborah from son ARTHUR LEROY Armstrong. and Marian from dau ETHEL Armstrong.
James Calvin Eugene A* is the son of DAVID ALEXANDER A* and his 3rd wife Mary Ann Eleanor MYERS.
David Alexander A* m 1st Elizabeth MURPHY Abt 1835 and had 7 children: JOHN L. A* b 1836 AL, RUFUS L. A* b 1839 AL, ELVIRA E. A* b abt 1842 AL, ALBARTUS A* b 1844 AL, ADOLPHUS A* b 1846 MS, MINERVA ELDORA A* b 1848 MS, and LOUIS A* b ABT 1851 in MS
He m 2nd Mandone BURDINE 1855 Monroe Co MS and had one child, WESLEY A* b 1856 MS
He married 3rd Mary Ann Eleanor MYERS 1864 in Itawamba Co., MS, and had 4 more children in Monroe Co., MS: JOSEPH P. A* b Abt 1865, MADORA A* b Abt 1868 , JAMES CALVIN EUGENE A* [7063, 8036 & 8000's ancestor] and Mittie BELL A* b Abt 1872.
David Alexander A* was the son of DAVID A* b between 1768-1774 SC d Abt 1849 AL and his wife whose name is not known, who was a son of SAMUEL A* b 1742 Ireland d 1809 SC & Mary Ann (thought to be Boyd) 1744-1841
8049 Cecile descends from Samuel A* & wife Mary Ann (thought to be Boyd) through son Samuel A* Jr b Abt   d Bef 4 Jun 1823 SC & Mary Ann RUSSELL. Samuel A* Jr and his brother David A* were named Executors in their father Samuel's Will dated 26 Aug 1809, Proved 11 Sep 1809 in Abbeville Co., SC. The final accounting of the estate did not occur until much later (at least 1831) apparently after Samuel Jr's death believed to have been before 4 Jun 1823 when Samuel Huston was appointed Administrator for the remaining estate. The accounting includes by name some of Samuel Jr's children, including at least 2 minors MATILDA V. & AMADA. Since the family continued to use the same names, it has us pulling out our hair trying to determine who was the child of who. Help!
Using census records for 1800 thru 1820, Samuel A* Jr had at least 7 children 5 females & 2 males born between 1791 and 1820, 6 under 16 still in the household on 7 Aug 1820.
One of the sons most likely being DAVID A* b Abt 1800 SC who d 1869 IL.   This David Armstrong (1800-1869) married at least twice, first Elizabeth, and 2nd in 1859 (Mrs) Catharine WILLIAMS. There is a marriage record for the 2nd marriage. Cecile descends from David A* & and his 1st wife Elizabeth b 1796 VA d 1858 probably IL and believes that Elizabeth's maiden name was Williams and that Catharine was her sister-in-law, her maiden name SIMMERMAN, widow of John Q. WILLIAMS.
David's son LUTHER A* b 1822 SC d 1865 IL & Elizabeth (Randle) RANDALL, Luther's son JASPER N. A* b 1852 IL & Parlee BRADSHAW b 1860 IL, and Jasper's son WILLIAM COLUMBUS A* b 1878 IL & Maude M BURROUGHS b 1881 IL.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

7065 Sharon whose grandfather was CLIFFORD MCKINLEY A* 1897 CA d OR & Deva LaPearl MOORMAN. He was the son of ELMER CHALKLEY A* b 1861 IN d OR & Charlotte Elma BURGESS. Elmer's parents were THOMAS A* b 1832 OH d IN & Sarah Josephine LIPSEY. Thomas A* was the son of SAMUEL A* b 1800 d 1853 Columbiana Co OH & his 2nd wife Elizabeth COPE, who was the son of JAMES A* 1758 Bucks Co PA d Bef 19 Feb 1822 Columbiana Co OH & Ruth BENNETT his 1st wife. James A* married 2nd Deborah HOLMES in 1812 in OH. We are very fortunate that James & Ruth were Quakers and Quakers kept records. Their children were: AMELIA EMILY b 1785 mar Jonah (Morlan) MORELAND, JOHN W. b 1786 mar Sarah BEAL, JAMES b 1788 mar Mary HEALD, JOSEPH b 1789, PHEBE b 1791 mar Jonathan MARSH, SARAH b 1793 mar Nathan HOLE, BENNETT b 1795 mar Elizabeth CRAIG, RUTH b 1798, SAMUEL b 1800 mar 1st in 1821 Anna WALTON, 2nd in 1828 Elizabeth COPE, NATHAN H., b 1802 mar Rebecca COPE.
We strongly believe that James was the son of SAMUEL A* b Bef 1737 of Bedminster, Bucks Co., PA d 1784 Chester Co., PA, & hw Jane. Samuel's birth date is not really known but is estimated to be at least before 1737 assuming he was at least 21 when James was born. It is likely that he was born much closer to 1700. We have Samuel A*'s of the Township of East Fallowfied, Chester Co., PA, will dtd 24 May 1783 proved 13 Mar 1784, which names his wife Jane, son-in-law Robert Mckelheney, son John, dau Mary and son James who we believe married Ruth Bennett.
We know Samuel had brothers also of Bucks Co., and that his father was still alive in 1750, but have no clue as to who his father was. This is based on the will of his brother Joseph A* of Bedminster, dated 4 Aug 1750, proved 11 Oct 1750. In his will he names Sister AGNES [who mar William CREIGHTON] and child JEAN CREIGHTON, Brother-in-law James McMullin, nephew Christopher Hues (Hughes), Lawful Heirs of brother WILLIAM A* deceased, brother JAMES A*, and brother SAMUEL A* of Bedminster, making Samuel A* his sole executor and requiring him to provide for their father for life.
We know that William A* (the brother) died intestate in 1740 Bucks Co. PA, and William A* who is thought to be his son b Abt 1700 (mar Mary JOHNSON), also died intestate in 1784 Bucks Co., PA. We are still searching for these two Administrations of the estates.
Help wanted!!

7095 & 7097-7099 Sarah's family comes from Alabama, where her great-grandfather ALBERT A* was b 1873, and married Tish Ann WHITEHEAD in 1896. Albert A* was the son of JAMES F. A* b 1851 & Patsy E HENDERSON. James F. A*'s parents were JAMES W. A* b 1818 & Mary Ann CLEGHORN. We do not have direct documentation, but strongly suspect he was the son of MAXIMILLIAN C. A* b Abt 1780 PA d Jun 1858 AL & Elizabeth VEAZEY, as he is living next door to them in 1840. The 1840 census image shows next door on the other side is John Cleghorn [thought to be Mary's father], then M.C. [thought to be his brother Maxmillian C Jr], followed by JOHN A* & WILLIAM G. A* also thought to be brothers. Now Maximillian C. * the senior used several different names i.e. M.C. Sr, Mackey, and possibly Madison. Can any of you help us sort this family out ??
Also, Sarah thinks Maximillian b Abt 1780 PA is the son of MARTIN A* b Abt 1748 PA d 1809 Hancock Co GA & Mary Ann KUYKENDALL, but again documentation is lacking.

6067 Darren is related to WILLIAM Armstrong who was one of four Armstrong drowned in a tragic Newbiggin fishing disaster in 1851 (See NEWS 83 November 2016) leaving a wife and two sons. Born in 1824 he married Eleanor BOWRAM (sometime Brown) 6 October 6 1844 at St. Mary’s Woodhorn NBL. His father, also WILLIAM Armstrong, was born in 1803 in Cresswell NBL England. He had married Eleanor TAYLOR in 1821 at Woodhorn. William’s parents were ROBERT Armstrong and Ann ROBSON married at Woodhorn in 1786. They had at least seven children. A possible birth date for Robert is 1758… but this is where we need some help!

6072 Debbie has both English and Scottish connections in her pedigree. Her grandfather JOHN was born in Lockerbie SCO in 1915 and married Elizabeth CARTMEL in Carlisle CMB ENG. However the next three Armstrong ancestors are Roberts! ROBERT WILLIAM was born in Carlisle in 1888 and married Margaret BELL in 1915. His father ROBERT was born in 1855 in Carlisle and married Elizabeth KEW there in 1880. From the 1861 Census in Carlisle his parents are Robert (b. C1826) in Scotland and Ann (b. C1829) in Wigton CBL. From birth certificates extracted by Debbie Ann’s maiden name was VITTIE (Vitty). Searching both English and Scottish registers even using Mc or Mac in front of Vittie there are no matches for a marriage. That’s the brick wall! Perhaps they didn’t get married at all! Robert might have been found in Nichol Forest, which is on the Borders, in 1851 but again giving just Scotland as his place of birth. There are one or two possibilities in the Canonbie area of Scotland but no proof that it is the correct Robert. Any ideas?

6065 Yvan first contact with the Armstrongs is through his g g grandfather Stuart CLARKE (1840) who married SARAH ANNE Armstrong (1842). The marriage was found at the Parish Church of Preston, Lancashire ENG on 30 January 1864. Her father was named as SIMON and Sarah gave her age as 20. Having this information we were able to locate her in the 1851 Census aged 19 living with her uncle. Unfortunately it just gave her birthplace as Ireland! As these two entries had some discrepancy we searched both English and Irish records for Simon but came up with nothing. Now getting a bit desperate we started looking ‘sideways’ for any other information that might help. First a witness at the marriage was a Jane Monaghan and second Sarah’s uncle’s name was Hugh Montgomery. We traced Jane, aged 26, ‘a worker’ living with her mother and family living in Preston and all marked as being born in just ‘Ireland’. We tried to find an Armstrong connection through the Montgomery family - no luck. We did find the family in the 1851 Census - Hugh was missing. It added children for a total of 6. The only possibly relevant information is that one of Hugh's sons, George, was said in the 1881 Census to have been born in Belfast, Ireland, and we found a marriage for Hugh Montgomery and Mary Anne Bryson in Ballymacarrett parish, Belfast in 1838. Since the head of the household in 1851, and presumably mother of at least some of the children, was Jane, that would mean Mary Anne died & Hugh remarried, unless the 1838 marriage was for a different Hugh. Also, the oldest child, Sarah (whose record is thoroughly smudged in the 1861 Census but whose father was Hugh) was born about 1833, Hugh may have married 3 times. Hugh Montgomery seems to have been a very common name, but we did not manage to find a marriage for a Hugh M to a Jane, and no likely one before the birth of Sarah. So, there are 2 potential wives of Hugh who COULD have been Armstrongs, but no proof.... Jane could be the only wife, and the marriage to Anne Bryson a totally different Hugh Montgomery.

6070 Catriona is doing some follow up work on her Armstrong pedigree after he mother sadly passed away. However things proved to be rather difficult as he mother had committed it all to her head and only sketchy amounts and hearsay to family members. Fortunately when all the bits were put together the pedigree was established through six generations comprising KILNERS, RIPLEYS and HUMES until we find Catriona’s gg grandfather Thomas Dodds HUME (1827) who had the good sense to marry MARY Armstrong (1827) not that we found any evidence of it. This scenario all takes place on the Borders at Berwick on Tweed. Bearing in mind that Berwick has, in the course of history change affinity to either England and Scotland 13 times, it would appear that this would cause a bit of a nightmare! The Censuses for England right from 1841 established that Berwick was theirs, so there was no problem in tracing the family through all the surnames. Margaret in both 1851, 1861 and 1871 was listed as a Mariner’s or Sailor’s wife and not surprisingly Thomas was not at home. He eventually qualified as a Master Mariner and died in St Petersburg, Russia in 1873. A significant factor comes to light in the 1851 census where she is living with her young daughter and brother ROBERT A aged 22. This helped to pin her down in 1841 where she is found in Berwick with her brother and two other Armstrongs. CHRISTIAN (female) aged 80-84 and ELIZABETH aged 40-44. Usually this causes genealogists lots of headaches as there is no relationship to four occupants mentioned. Moving on the last column which in normal circumstances is pretty useless as it variably says ‘Y’ as being the County of birth. However on this occasion it did help as by Christian and Elizabeth in says ‘N’ and the enumerator has added an ‘S’ in the last column meaning Scotland! At this stage it was a case of taking a chance that the entry in 1841 showed three generations, children and possibly mother and grandmother. Fortunately this has (nearly) proved to be correct showing Christian Weatherstone (1760) and Robert A*, of Chirnside, Berwickshire, SCO as the parents of JAMES (1797) and ELIZABETH (1794). No marriage has been found. It all looks fairly clear until one realises that for the Census to show this Elizabeth as the mother of two children she would have been unmarried. On the memorial stone of Christian and Elizabeth it is added that she died aged 52. This is confirmed in the GRO index for the March Quarter of 1848 putting her birth at 1796. Could it be that she was the wife of James A* and not his sister?

6068/5230 Ellis was up for testing the system when the only Armstrongs he could produce were his mother and his grandparents although he was unsure when he was born. The saving grace was the word ‘Langholm’ SCO! So we gave it a go and not only came up with his four times great grandparents but also a kindred spirit in the form of a member in Australia five generations back in his line – conveniently both called William! Of great interest is that all generations lived in a fairly small area and were all involved in the textile industry which was so prevalent in that area until a generation or so ago. Ellis’ grandmother, AGNES ELLIOTT CROSBIE A*, was born in Langholm SCO in 1903. She had siblings JANET C (1892), ISABELLA SCOTT (1895), LAWRENCE H (1897) CHARLES (1899) and MARGARET L O (1900)
Her parents were JOHN SCOTT A*(1870) and Agnes Elliott LAMB (1873). John had three siblings WILLIAM (1866), CHARLES (1873) and MARGARET LINTON (1876). Their parents were CHARLES A* (C1839) born Langholm and Isabella SCOTT (1873). Charles had three siblings JANET (1843), TENIOS (1845) and ELLEN (1848). Their parents were ADAM (1819) born Langholm who married Charlotte YOUNG in Langholm in 1841. Adam’s parents were WILLIAM (1870) and Elizabeth MURRAY (1785) who were married in LANGHOLM in 1817. This is the link up with 5230 through son JOHN LAIDLAW (1821). William’s parents were Adam (1765-1807) born Langholm who married Margaret LAIDLAW (1769-1864) in Langholm in 1790.

2670 Debra can trace her ancestry to ALEXANDER A*, born in Fermanagh, Ireland, about 1790 based on three Canadian Census entries (1851, 1861 and 1871, Mosa, Middlesex), although his death record in 1879 and gravestone make him much older, giving birth years of 1783 and 1771 respectively. He married Mary CRAWFORD in 1822 (according to a census entry); she was born about 1801 in Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Ireland and died in 1877 in Mosa Township, being buried with Alexander in Wardsville Municipal Cemetery. Alexander and Mary had two children in Ireland, both baptized in Magheracross Parish Church, Fermanagh: FRANCES (Fanny) baptized 13 July 1822 and CHARLES (Debra’s ancestor) baptized 30 October 1824. The family emigrated about 1828 to Canada where they had seven more children: ALEXANDER born shortly after their arrival, JOHN born 1832, WILLIAM born 1835, Hugh born 1841, JAMES born 1843, MARGARET b. 1844 (although her relationship is not certain as her last name may have been CARR), and ROBERT born 1848. All but Alexander jr. were said to have been born in Mosa Township, Middlesex County, Ontario where Alexander sr. was homesteading by 1834. Most of the family remained in Mosa their whole life farming on property their father acquired or additional property they acquired. Charles started out farming in Mosa, as did Frances’ husband Joseph GRAHAM, but both ended up selling their Mosa land and buying property in nearby Euphemia Township where Debra’s ancestors ROBERT JAMES A* was born in 1867 and his daughter ROSA ALICE A* in 1909. Debra would be pleased to hear from anyone else who can trace their ancestry to Alexander or who can shed light on Alexander’s ancestors.

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 89 November 2019

4476 Eli travels back five generations to James A Holland who was the son of William HOLLAND b Abt 1815 New Jersey & CATHERINE A* b Abt 1815 of Cecil Co., Maryland [MD]. William Holland and Catherine A* married 6 Apr 1837 in Cecil Co. MD. Using the Will of WILLIAM A* of Cecil Co MD dated 28 Jun 1837, proved 14 Jul 1837, Catherine A* was most likely the dau of WILLIAM A* b Abt 1788 MD d 1837 MD & Anna D. boothe b Abt 1791 DE d 1872 MD. This will names wife Ann D. A* and children AMANDA [m Samuel Mackey], SUSAN [m William S Huston], JANE, SARAH [m 1st Elkanah D Mackey, m 2d Richard G Mackey], ELIZABETH, James, CATHERINE [m William Holland], Mary [m Jacob McConnell], MARTHA [m John Huston], WALTER [m1st Hannah, m 2nd Emma Hall] and WILLIAM [m Mary Jane Smith]. Wife Ann D A* & John K. Boothe were executors. The History of the Rock Presbyterian Church in Cecil County, MD, by Rev. J.H. John, Oxford PA, 1872 Appendix D, Persons Buried in the Stone Graveyard, Lewisville, Chester Co., PA, pg 32, lists William Armstrong d 29 Jun 1837, Age 46 years, 7 days, and Anna D. Armstrong d5 Apr 1872, Age 81 years 1 mo 14 days. William A* maybe son of WILLIAM A* b 1754 d 1826 Cecil Co MD, based on the Will of William A* of North Milford, Cecil Co., MD dtd 20 Feb 1822, proved 23 Jan 1826. William's wife who we think was Susanna predeceased him, and the will names children JAMES, SARAH CARSON, MARTHA MARSHEL, ANN MCCRACKEN, SUSANN MCEMONE or MACMONE, RACHEL MACMONEGAL or maybe Munigan, and William. Son William was executor. Needless to say the handwriting was very difficult to decipher some of the daughters married names. The History of the Rock Presbyterian Church in Cecil County, MD, also lists William Armstrong d 20 Jan 1826 Age 72 years and Susanna Armstrong d 19 Feb 1818, Age 64 years. We also have Cecil Co., MD marriage records for Sarah A* to Robert Carson 5 Sep 1797, Racheal A* to James W. Munigan [Monegal?], Ann A* to James McCracken 29 Jun 1803, but have not found the others. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
7033 Amy's great-grandfather was Horace Brady (Robison) ROBINSON b 1849 Academia, Pennsylvania [PA] d Oil City, PA, an Engineer, who married Nancy Wilson 30 Sep 1887 Port Royal PA. Horace was the son of John ROBINSON 1822-1884 & SARAH ANN A* b 1819 Juniata, PA, d 1892 Milford Twp PA, who married 1845 Lewistown, PA, Sarah Ann A* is the dau of ROBERT A* b Abt 1788 d Bef 1830 & Catherine "Kitty" REYNOLDS b bet 1791-1794. They married 23 Jun 1814 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Mifflintown, Juniata Co., PA. They stayed in Juanita Co. where they had 5 children, all baptized in the same church where they married. The children were: MARY JANE 1816-1857, WILSON LAIRD, MARGARET ROBISON b Abt 1817 d Bef 1892, m Noah Abraham ELDER, SARAH ANN A* [Amy's ancestor], ROBERT A* b Abt 1823, and JESSE A* b Abt 1824. We are pretty sure this Robert A* is the same as the Robert A* b 1788, d 27 Jan 1825 in his 37th year, who is buried at Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery in Mifflintown. We are still looking for more on Catherine. We are also looking for the parents of Robert A*. We could sure use your help.
7026 Beth's great-grandfather was GEORGE ARMSTRONG Still b Abt 1870 South Caroline [SC] and he was the son of Samuel Hutchins STILL 1812-1872 SC & Ellen Rebecca HAIR b 1830 SC. Samuel & Ellen mostly lived in Blackville, Barnwell Co., SC where they raised their children. Samuel Hutchins Still was the eldest son of JosephStill (1784-1863) & ELIZABETH ISABELLA A* (1789-1865) The next oldest son was Andrew Armstrong Still b 1820 Morgan Co., Georgia [GA] and d in Pike Co., Arkansas [AR]. Since we found a marriage record in Morgan Co., Georgia on 15 June 1806 between Joseph Still & Elizabeth Armstrong, it stands to reason Samuel was probably b in GA also. Joseph Still and family were living in Barnwell Co SC by 1830, and in Missouri, Pike Co., Arkansas [AR] in 1850 & 1860. It appears that Joseph & his wife accompanied or followed their son Andrew Armstrong Still to AR. According to the 1850 & 1860 census he was b in SC. Beth believes he died in 1863, but we are not sure. We started with the marriage record that says Joseph Still's wife was Elizabeth Armstrong, but both censuses give her name as ISABELLA. In 1850 she is 60 b in SC & in 1860 she is 71 b in GA. She died in 1865 and is buried in Lafayette Co., MO. Her headstone has her name as [intial only] “I." Still born 23 Jan 1789 died 1 May 1865, Age 76 yrs 3 ms & 8 days. There are several Still descendants that have Armstrong as their middle name. To further complicate things some of the descendants [sometimes in the same immediate family] used the surname Stell. Can any of you having Georgia or South Carolina families help us out here???
7072-7074 Welcome new family members 7072-7074. Carleen, John & Mikayla. Carleen’s grandparents were Matthew LESTER & MARY JANE A* who was the dau of WILLIAM FRANCIS "FRANK" A* b 4 Aug 1890 Churchville, Monroe Co., New York [NY] & Lula M. MAUL b Abt 1893 NY. Frank's specific birth date is shown because there is another William Francis "Frank" A* b 27 Sep 1889 Pittsford, Monroe Co., NY [son of William Harrison A* & Sarah Stebbins] and the two are often confused. William Francis "Frank" A* & Lula lived in Erie Co., NY when Mary Jane and brother WILLIAM F. A* were born. William Francis "Frank" A* was the son of John A* b Abt Sep 1842 Canada [according to the 1900 census] and his 2nd wife [m 1883], Margaret DICK, b 23 Mar 1858 Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland [both died in Genesee Co., NY]. We believe John's first wife was NAOMI but have not found their marriage record and there is no indication that they had any children. John A* & Margaret Dick had 4 children in Genesee Co., NY, ANNA S. A* b Abt 1885, JOHN THOMAS A* b 1886, TOWNSEND A* b 1887, m Elizabeth nee Thress SNECK, and WILLIAM FRANCIS "FRANK" A* According to the 1900 census, John A* emigrated to the US in 1860 and was naturalized. Here we have a Canadian brick wall. We could sure use your help.
0849/5467 Linda 's great-grandfather was James Elmo Harkins b 1871 AL, who m 1897, CALEDONIA DORA "CALLIE" A* b 1878 Benton Co AR. Caledonia's parents were JACKSON CALVIN A* b 1851 Benton Co., AR, d Navarro Co., TX & Minerva Alice RITTER, who m 1874 in Benton Co., AR. They moved from AR to Texas, finally settling in Navarro Co. TX. Jackson & Minerva had 11 children: MARY ETTA, CALDONIA DORA, NANCY B., ELIJAH WILLIAM "LIGE", MOSES, GEORGE PRUITT, MYRTLE, JOHN, SOLOMON, AARON POSEY, AND JACKSON CALVIN JR. Jackson Calvin A* was the eldest child of ELIJAH WILLIAM A* b 1824 MO, d 1907 Benton Co AR and his 2nd wife Sarah Adorcas MAHURIN. Elijah William A* married 4 times: he m 1st Abt 1841 Sarah Elizabeth MORGAN (1830-1844): m2nd Abt 1849 in Benton Co., AR, Sarah Adorcas MAHURIN b 1826 IL, His 2nd, Her 2nd: m3rd 28 Oct 1875 Benton Co., AR, Nancy Ann MORGAN 1826-1884, and m4th 1 Apr 1888 Benton Co., AR, Mary Jane MCQUISITION b 1846 TN. In all he had 13 children, one child by his 1st, 3rd and 4th spouses, and possibly 10 by his 2nd spouse. We think Elijah is the son of SOLOMON A* b Abt 1790 VA d KY & Ann DOSS b Abt 1793 KY, and this is where we are stuck. Solomon A*'s War of 1812 pension record, says he was a Pvt in Capt Atkinson's Company, KY Militia, a resident of Texas in 1850, Age 84 yrs in the 1871 affidavit, that he died 1879 Benton Co AR, and that his wife's maiden name was Anne Doss. The 1850 census Smith Co., TX, gives us some of their children: Solomon A*, head, 60M VA, Farmer, Anna, wife 57M KY, Elizabeth, dau 18 MO, James, son, 16 MO, Eda, dau 14 MO, Jackson, son, 12 MO, Edmund, son, 8 AR, and John F., son 6 AR. In 1870 Solomon A* 84, is visiting or living with Elijah and wife Sarah Adorcas and family. In 1860 Elijah, wife Sarah Adorcas, and children are living next door to the William A* & Lydia (Edge) family. This William is thought to be William Warfield A* also a son of Solomon A* & Ann Doss.We have no primary evidence that actually says they were the parents of Elijah, can one of you help us with more on Solomon A* & Ann Doss?
0908 (4429, 5470) William's great grandparents were Robert Michael STACK b Bef 1850 VT d 1899 IL & SALENA MAY A* b 1864 KY d IL. Salena May A* was the dau of ROBERT HENRY A* b 1838 KY d IL & Mary Jane CUNNINGHAM who is also an A* descendant. Robert Henry A* descends from the Armstrong of the Catawba as follows: He was the son of JOSEPH A* b 1799 KY d 1871 KY & his 2nd wife, Charlotte MAY (1812-1893) 4429's ancestor, son of ROBERT A* b 1757 VA d 1814 KY & Mary MCAFEE (1770-1836). If Robert A* was born 1757 he was the son of JOHN A* b 1732 Scotland d 1801 KY & most likely Catherine MCDONALD his 1st wife (b 1727 DE d Aft her father's death (His will dtd May 1757), rather than her younger sister, Priscilla McDonald, his 2nd wife b 1734 DE d 1818 KY. John A* was the son of WILLIAM A* b 1703 Scotland d Aft 1750 US & Susanna BLYTHE b Abt 1703 Cumberland, England, 5470's ancestors, son of JOHN A* & Janet CARRUTHERS of Dumfries-shire, Scotland. Now let's take a look at Mary Jane Cunningham b 1841 KY d IL, who is the dau of John Jefferson Cunningham b 1809 KY d 1858 KY & Martha "Patsy" Lyen (Lyon) b 1817 KY. John Jefferson Cunningham was the son of Francis CUNNINGHAM b Abt 1782 VA d 1839 KY & JANE (JENNY/JANEY) Armstrong b 1782 KY d 1855 KY. Jane A* was the dau of ALEXANDER A* b Abt 1752 VA d 1833 IN & Abigail ARNOLD. Alexander A* was the son of son of WILLIAM A* Sr b 1733 Scotland d 1813 KY & his wife Catherine (Catrina). son of William A* & Susanna Blythe, so we are still with the Armstrongs of the Catawaba line.
8018 Pauline is the grand-dau of Charles Cisna A* 1879 Perry Co., PA & Mabel PANNEBAKER b 1886 PA, son of JAMES ALEXANDER A* b 1845 Perry Co., PA & Mary Ellen GRAHAM b 1846 PA. James Alexander A* was the youngest child of HARKNESS A* b Abt 1805 PA & Martha Magdelina BERRIER b 1807 PA Harkness is a very usual name and as far as we can determine there is only one Armstrong named Harkness anywhere. We believe Harkness A* was named for his mother's family and is the son of JOHN A* whose birth & death are not known & Margaret Harkness b Abt 1769, mar 1 Nov 1791 in Perry Co., PA. We are still searching for any documentation to support this, and also, searching for the parents of John A*. Using wills, we are pretty sure that John's siblings were WILLIAM A* who d Bef 28 Apr 1815 Cumberland Co., PA (his will was dated 28 May 1813 naming the other four siblings), ALEXANDER A* may have married Mary MURRAY in 1781, JANE (JEAN) A* who married possibly Joseph NELSON in 1789, and ELIZABETH A* who married an unknown Henry, all were of Cumberland Co., which is now Perry Co., PA in the 1780s & 1790s. Pauline's 2nd A* line is that Margaret Harkness is the dau of David Harkness b Abt 1742 PA d Bef 22 Jun 1797 & ANN A* b Abt 1738 PA d Abt 1792 PA mar 28 Mar 1767 Cumberland Co., PA and that Ann A* is the dau of George A* b Abt 1713 Ireland d Bef 8 Feb 1798 Miflin Co., PA. George A*s will dtd 4 Mar 1791, proven 8 Feb 1798 names daus Ann [m David Harkness] and Sarah [m \ Gordon], grand children: Margaret Harkness and Mary Harkness and Margaret Gordon, John Gordon, George Gordon, William Gordon, Elizabeth Gordon and Alexander Gordon. It also names George A* son of Alexander Armstrong who is believed to be his brother. The final executors of the will when proven were John McCord and John Kistler. It should be noted that John McCord married Mary Harkness dau of David Harkness & Ann A*, and that John Kistler married Margaret Gordon dau of Sarah Armstrong Gordon. Both marriages occurred after the Will was written. Does anyone have any documents that could help us with George A*?
5263/3203 Wayne takes us right back to March 1776 with the birth of Thomas A* at Hindlee, Southdean Roxborough, Scotland who married Jane Renwick in 1797 at Falstone Northumberland. Thomas’ father was Francis. He married Helen Brydon in Jan 1769 and she died later that year (Oct 1769) aged 23. He then married Helen Telfer in Sept 1771. Two adjacent graves in Castleton Cemetery read: “Here lyes Francis Armstrong in Fairlones who died Oct Y 9 1735 aged 63 years. And Adam his son who died Febry. 13 1736 aged 30 and John his son who died Febry. 10 1736 aged 23 and Margaret his daughter who died May -3 1719 aged 10 years, also Bef(s)ie GLENDINNING spouse to the said Francis who died Sep 13 1749 aged 63.” “Here lyes Mary NIXON spouse to William ARMSTRONG in Fairlones she died Aug 1747 aged 28 also the said William he died - July 1766 aged 56 also Helen BUYD(BRYD?) Spouse to FRANCIS Armstrong in Fairlones she died Octr. 18 1769 aged 23 years.” We know that William b1710 who married Mary Nixon was a son of Francis Armstrong & Bessie Glendinning. Speculating here, but it seems that if I am Francis Armstrong and my wife Helen Brydon dies at age 23 later in the same year of our marriage (1769) and my father has died a few years earlier (1766) then I’m likely to bury her with my father and mother. So the speculation is that Francis Armstrong (who married Helen Brydon and then Helen Telfer) was a son of William Armstrong (b 1710) & Mary Nixon. Thomas Armstrong (who married Jane Renwick) was likely the son of Francis Armstrong (who married Helen Brydon and then Helen Telfer), however the mother is not mentioned on the birth record so we can’t be certain that Helen Telfer was actually the mother. But it seems likely.
5264 Dian picks up her first Armstrong three generations back when ELIZABETH MARGARET BATTEN (1872) married Francis LUNDIE. Her parents were ANDREW A* (1847) Cowandilla SA and Margaret COLES (1845). The interesting bit is the father of Andrew, SAMUEL (C1814-1887) who married Elizabeth TEAGUE. Samuel arrived on the convict ship Henry Porcher in 1836. From various documents we have concluded that his place of birth was Neilston, Renfrewshire SCO. He was Court Martialed in 1832 in Canada at Kingston at the northern tip of the Great Lakes. There was certainly unrest there about that time which would account for British Army being there. He was sent to Bermuda after his court martial but refused to work so he was sent away. He was sentenced to 7 years for a 3 day desertion which seems harsh! Perhaps other aspects of his service record, or his reactions when he was brought in, were taken into account. Whilst there is no primary evidence of Samuel’s birth in Neilston there is an ANDREW Armstrong and Mary CROSIER with evidence of the baptisms of three children with parents of that name in Neilston, Renfrewshire: ANDREW 1816, ALEXANDER 1819 and MARY 1822. It is however worthy of note that Samuel’s eldest child was a daughter MARY ANNE, and his 2nd eldest, a son, was ANDREW, which lends some support to the supposition that his parents were Andrew Armstrong and Mary Crosier.
6037/6005 Sandeha, they say if you wait long enough two buses come along at once! This is the case here where we have a new member from last year (See Roots 88 6005) whose ancestor is the brother of AGNES HIRD Armstrong. I also have two other pedigrees from members of long ago (1979 and 1987) but they are connected to your 4x great grandfather via another route. However the caveat to all this is that the next three generations come from separate sources which are not primary but appear to be very sound. In addition the 1841 Census, not available in the 1970/80s is primary evidence and confirms the former information. One has to get lucky sometimes with the link being justified by the use of fairly unique forenames and that is the case here. (Although Agnes’s brother’s second forename is a bit mysterious! We’ll come to that later.) Agnes Hird’s father is cited as WILLIAM A* born in Newcastle in 1783 who married Dorothy ATKINSON. (Atkinson appears in the naming process of the early members). Her father was Robert Hird Atkinson, Curate of St Nicolas Newcastle. William was an agent and died in 1860. William’s father is believed to have been JAMES, born at Heddon on the Wall NBL in 1754, a farmer and land agent who married Hannah SHIELD and died in 1826. The only scant information we have on his father is that his name was WILLIAM yeoman farmer of Catton in Allendale NBL born C1712 who married another Hannah Shield (the first being the daughter of John the elder Hannah Shield’s father’s son James (!)). There is also the record of a John Armstrong of Catton dying in 1758 who may have been Williams’s father. Now for the ‘head scratching’ bit….. Agnes’s brother was Hugh CLAYTON A* born 20/12/1814 three years after Agnes. In fact the name was liked so much that his son and grandson were called the same! Where did the Clayton name come from? It certainly wasn’t a family name as far as we know. However the name of Hugh Clayton is believed to be connected to the Hugh Clayton who was prominent in the redevelopment of Newcastle in the 1800s - Clayton Street. The family business was listed as Clayton and Armstrong of 117 Northumberland Street in Wards Directory of 1857-58, and in 1861-62 as at Eldon Row.
6039 (Claire) and 6042 (Cathryn) are another case of two buses arriving at the same time but even closer with only two members in between! They have a common ancestor in BENJAMIN A* born in 1771 in Stoke Newington, London whose parents were JOHN and Hannah. Benjamin’s first marriage was to Sarah NODEN at Bishops Gate, London in 1792. Through this line Claire has four other Armstrong generations namely GEORGE (1809) who married Ann JONES in 1833, their son WALTER JONES A* who married Eliza Ann LOBJOIT in 1857. Their son WALTER GEORGE A* (1859) married in 1896 Elisabeth Hannah CURTIS who produced MARGARET MARY DIGNAM A* in 1899. After Sarah Noden’s death in 1842 Benjamin married Mary Ann BIDDICK in 1844. After this the pedigree is not straightforward! He was 73 when he married Mary Ann. The 1861 census states that he had two children Benjamin 11, and Mary Ann 10. Both these children would have been born before the marriage and when his first wife was still alive. If they were her children she would have been about 74 when she gave birth. The clincher is in Benjamin’s will where he mentions his wife’s children Benjamin and Mary Ann Biddick. One could suppose that they were Benjamin’s natural children conceived out of wedlock when his first wife was still alive but unlikely! The only other point to bear in mind that a trace of Mary Ann Biddick could not be found apart from her daughter’s birth in Shoreditch in 1841 when her maiden name was given as MITCHELL. There is no trace of the birth of Benjamin Biddick at all! It’s just strange that his stepfather has a similar name which was not overtly common. Whatever they adopted his name and they were Armstrongs in the 1851 Census and were still Armstrongs in the 1861 one. It would seem that Benjamin was well off and BEN B.(1839) took over the housing rent business after his mother. He married Caroline BRADLEY in 1864 in Islington, London and the name was continued through BENJAMIN JOHN A* (1874) born in Stoke Newington who married Florence Jackson in 1898. They are Cathryn’s great grandparents.
6043 New member David has Irish roots starting with his grandfather JOHN ALEXANDER A* who was born in Dublin in 1880. His father was JOHN BARRY A* born in Kings Co, Ireland C1854. He married in Celbridge Ireland Isabelle Currie STOCKS in 1879. John’s father was also JOHN. This is where the problem starts as we can find no record of John’s (1854) birth. There is one possibility being a John Alexander A* of Leitrim, Killracken who married Charlotte Elisabeth Armstrong in Killeshandra, Co Cork on 11 August 1856. John A’s father’s name is given as William. Help needed on this one!
6044 Little did Tom know when he joined that he would dovetail in with one of the best researched areas we have in the UK, namely Bewcastle! He presented us with 8 generations and a partial one and we have been able to increase this to ten with a lot of added information. Tom’s Armstrong link is through his mother. His grandfather was WILLIAM ANDERSON A* (1869). His father JOSEPH FORSTER A*(1841) had married Elizabeth Jane ANDERSON. The generations proceed through JOHN A* (1796) who married Elizabeth ATKINSON, LEONARD A* 1759 who married Ann FORSTER, WILLIAM (1724) who married Jane DODD, LEONARD (1696) who married Elizabeth CLARK. We then get back to WILLIAM A* was born before 1656 in of Steppings, Belbank, Bewcastle, Cumberland. He died in 1702. He married (1) Margaret WAUGH on 12 Nov 1691 in Simonburn, Northumberland, She was born before 1675 in/of Simonburn, Northumberland. He married (2) MARY She died before 21 Jul 1686 in Bewcastle, Cumberland, England. William’s father was GEORGE was born before 1623 in of Steppings. He married twice with his first wife dying before 1679. William had a brother John (1644) by George’s first wife and George 1679 as a half-brother.
6046 Pat has a proved pedigree which goes back to Dr JOHN Armstrong of Guildford in 1721. Her grandfather was ARCHIBALD WOOD A* (1881) born in Stockwell, London and married (1914) Teressa FARNON. He was the son of FRANCIS BUSFIELD A* (1849) of Hemsworth, Yorkshire, ENG who married (1878) Edith DEVERILL. His father Rev Charles Edward A* born in Bombay, India and married (1838) May Anne Clayton. His father was also CHARLES EDWARD A* born 1783 in/of, Twyford, Berkshire, ENG. He married Dorothea WOOD on 23 Jan 1804 in London. Father CHARLES A* was the son of John Armstrong (1721) and Mary GIBBS was born on 24 Jul 1750 in Twyford, Berkshire. Charles was one of eleven children, the others being born in Godalming, Surrey, ENG. John was possibly the son of RICHARD Armstrong of Guildford, Surrey, ENG who according to Burke’s ‘Landed Gentry of Great Britain… ‘settled at Guildford’ and was ‘the son of David A* Advocate of Edinburgh and grandson of David Armstrong of Kirtleton’ The latter is part of ongoing research and we are coming close to proving neither of these statements are correct and that there is no primary evidence at present as to Richard being the father of John. This will be followed up in more detail in the next NEWS.
6052 Alison has a line running through Langholm SCO ending with GEORGE A* who was born there in 1784 who married Ada SHIRLEY. His father was also GEORGE (1835), a master shoemaker, who married Jessie TEAR in Langholm in1871. WILLIAM (1812) was George’s father, who married Margaret HUTCHISON in 1833 again at Langholm. Easy so far. William’s father THOMAS (1782), who married Agnes DAWSON, has proved more difficult due to the fact that on two censuses his birthplace is given as ‘England’ and one as Langholm. He was a joiner along with his father. Nothing with any credence can be obtained as to Thomas’ actual birthplace. The only other information is on Thomas’ death certificate. It would appear on Ancestry there has been a lot of wild speculation relating to his father George who appears on the certificate who was a sergeant in the Royal Artillery. It would then appear that he was immediately related to a George who was a Chelsea Pensioner who was born in Carlisle in 1734! The first thing there is that George was in the Foot Regiment and not Artillery and second, although possible, is unlikely to be Thomas’ father (48 at birth). Can anyone give us more information on George?
6056 Michael has his Armstrongs well embedded in Manchester ENG and also has Josephs in six generations!Grandfather NORMAN was born in 1882 and married Janet Hope ROBINSON. His father JOSEPH was born in 1846 and married Harriet ROBINSON. He was a cotton broker. His father JOSEPH, a cotton dealer was born in 1790 and married twice. First Eliza DODD in 1816 and then Jane HILTON in 1825. Again his father was JOSEPH born 18 March 1770 and was married in Manchester to Elizabeth WALKER in 1789. His occupation is given as a wine merchant. His parents were JOSEPH and Ann (Nancy) COOK(e) who were married on 27 April 1761 at St Mary’s Manchester. Joseph died in 1786. So far we have drawn a blank on Joseph’s birthplace and only have unsubstantiated evidence this was in 1733. This is where you can possibly help!
6057/3350 New member Amanda is joining long time member Jane at her brick wall in Newby, Carlisle CUM at BENJAMIN A* born there C1789 who gave his place of birth in the 1851 Census as Newby Gill, Cumberland, ENG. The problem is tracing his parents which then might link up a supposed grandfather BENJAMIN A* who was born C1729 and died in Irthington in 1799. He married Catherine LAMB in 1754 at Irthington and they had 12 children: JOSEPH (1753), ANN (1756), JOHN (1758), died in infancy, CATHERINE and DINAH (1763) could have been twins but likely a double baptism with an elder sibling, ELIZABETH (1765), JOHN (1768), THOMAS (1770), RICHARD (1773), RICHARD (1775), this was no doubt using the same name as his earlier deceased brother, MARY (1781) and JANE (1786). However if Catherine was, say, 20 when she was married she would have produced her last child at 53 which is stretching it a bit, and Benjamin would have been 58! However the BTs list all the children with parents Benjamin and Catherine. Maybe it was a case of late baptisms. This would then leave us with four sons who could have produced the missing link. Indeed Jane is mentioned in Catherine’s (died 1806) (Will 1806) as an executrix. The last mention of Joseph is at a mass baptism on 8 June 1786 which included his children JOHN and ISABELLA. The other three sons are mentioned in Catherine’s Will. “…to my late son Thomas’s two children each one pound and ten shillings”, names unknown. “…..to my son John five pounds, to my son Richard ten pounds”. What we now need to know is the name of Thomas’ two children and the names of any children that John and Richard had as well as additional ones born to Joseph. The records don’t turn up any Benjamins, but maybe you can help!
8017 Marge’s mother was MARJORIE FAY A* dau of ROBERT EUSTACE A* b 1886 Chesterfield Co., SC d Georgia & Marye Cora “Mae" THOMSON. Robert Eustace A* was the son of JOHN AUGUSTUS "Gus" A* b 1865 Chesterfield Co., SC d Richland Co SC & Sallie P BLAKENEY, who was the son of JOHN Armstrong b Abt 1835 Belfast NI d SC & Mary Anne MCMANUS b 1837 SC. John A* & Mary Anne McManus lived in Chesterfield Co., SC were they had five children. RICHARD MCMANUS A* b 1862 m Della JONES, JOHN AUGUSTUS A* 8017's ancestor, MARY Ellen A* b 1868 m William Preston MCMANUS, ANNA ELIZABETH "Lizzie" A* b 1869 m George Crawford MCMANUS, brother of William Preston, and HARRIET KENNA "Hattie" A* b 1872 m William C West. John A* emigrated to the US bef 1870, leaving at least two brothers and one sister behind in Belfast. (1) His brother ROBERT A* Coach maker of Belfast, NI b Bet 1841-1845 Belfast. later the owner of Northern Belfast Coach Factory, married two times, 1st Margaret MCNEILLY in 1864, 2nd Catherine TAYLOR in 1874, and had 11 children. (2) His brother GEORGE A* b Bef 6 Oct 1850 Belfast, married Mary HUTCHINSON in 1872 co Antrim, and later moved to Enfield, Middlesex, England, where he was a horse dealer. George A* d Bef 1901 probably in Enfield. (3) His sister CHARLOTTE WYLIE A* b Abt 1853 Belfast, m Thomas W LEITCH in 1877 Belfast and they had 13 children together. Family lore also says there are three other brothers, FRANK, BEN and TOM that came to America and that the family did not hear from them again. Their father was JOHN Armstrong, a Blacksmith of Belfast, NI [possibly b Abt 1813 d Abt 1867] and hw possibly ELEANOR, if we have found the correct baptism record for son GEORGE A*. We are still searching for more documentation for John A*'s birth, death & marriage. If you can help us fill in any blanks, US, Ireland or England, please let us know.
8013 Tim’s first four generations are very straightforward his great grandfather ALFRED IRWIN A* (7/28/1910-7/30/1986) being born in Saginaw MI USA as was Alfred’s father IRWIN ROSS A* (7/23/1884-1/24/1956) who married Mildred A WICKMAN (11/14/1890-3/20/1947). The mystery begins with his father HENRY ALFRED Armstrong (7/19/1852-6/13/1937) who was born in London, England and whose mother’s name was Mary Light. However warning bells began to ring when we found Henry’s birth in the GRO indexes as being 1853 and his mother’s maiden name was Smith! So we went on a search
in the Censuses for Henry Alfred but the best we came up was the one in Hampshire under Henry A A* in 1871. Right age right and place of birth. Tried 1861 with the two derivatives and then as desperate measures tried Henry by itself and came up with right age right birthplace and the head of house is a Thomas LIGHT! They live in Hampshire! The entry says that Henry is Thomas’s son! All censuses should show relationship to the head but in cases like this it quite often refers to others above the said person in the list and in this case that’s Thomas’s wife who is a Light but isn’t a Mary! So in his living memory his mother always had the surname of Light so that’s why a Light is on his death cert…. but it’s not Mary it’s Lucy (not a particularly common name and isn’t the shortened version of anything). Still… where does the Armstrong bit come in and the maiden name of Smith on HAA’s Birth cert? So we thought let’s look at this lot in 1871 as Henry, if we had it right, was elsewhere…. And he was, but up pops Hannah ARMSTRONG aged 22. She is listed as Thomas’s daughter in law but she can’t be as she’s unmarried. He meant stepdaughter as daughter ‘in law’ is what a stepdaughter is. So off on a hunt for HANNAH A. where was she in 1861 – nowhere that we can find but she appears in 1851 as a nurse child living with another family. There is no record in the GRO indexes of her birth but as this was in 1839 in the early years of registration it wasn’t a legal requirement. (A 'nurse child' can mean a number of things, from informally adopted or fostered, to temporarily 'farmed out' to close kin, or family friends or near neighbours or private individuals who offered a service at what must have been (in this family's circumstances) a very low price.) Sadly no other clues nothing remotely like it in the GRO indexes and of course although it was not an offence to register a birth until 1874 although the majority of people did (luckily!). Thomas Light first married to an Elizabeth Dawhine in 1824 and significantly on his christening 29 Apr 1798 his mother’s name is given as Mary Light! We still hadn’t got back to an Armstrong so we went for broke looking for a Lucy Smith who married an Armstrong, There was only one and that was in Hampshire. Lucy Smith married THOMAS Armstrong (Showing him to be of ‘full age’.) 07 Aug 1848 Southampton, Hampshire, England. His father being named as ROBERT. Of course there was still the problem of how Lucy Armstrong became Lucy Light. This is solved by the following marriage entry for Southampton in Sep 1857 showing Thomas Light marrying Lucy Smith.  She used her maiden name! One would have thought with Lucy marrying again we would have hard evidence of Thomas’ death. There is none although as Thomas is stated to be a shipwright he may well have died at sea. There again as H A A* was born in London he might have died there but it would appear that Hannah being a nurse child in 1851 there was something that wasn’t right although it could just be that Thomas and Lucy were in London for some reason while Hannah was left in Hampshire. Of course it could have meant that Lucy split with Robert and had a bigamous marriage with T Little as she used her maiden name! We certainly need to know more about Robert, Thomas’ father. Can you help?

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 88 May 2019

*4457, 4459-4463 Karen's grandparents were DAVID ELI A* b Detroit & Geraldine CAROLAN. He was the son of DAVID LANDY A* b 1884 Tennessee [TN] & Ione Stamper b Kentucky [KY]. His parents were ANDREW J. A* b 1857 Montgomery Co., TN & Sallie C HALL b 1864. They mar 1881 and in addition to David Landy A* had 8 other children. Andrew J. A* was the son of DAVID H. A*b Abt 1829 Christian Co., KY & Clementine Angeline HARRIS b Abt 1835 TN. They married 1853 Trigg Co., KY, and in addition to Andrew J. A* had 3 other children. David H. A*'s parents were ANDREW A* b Abt 1800 & Almira MCCOY b Abt 1812 KY. This Andrew A* according to census records was born in either North or South Caroline and lived in Kentucky and Tennessee. Andrew A* & Almira McCoy had 14 children all born in KY. As you can see there are lots of holes that need to be filled. When and where did Andrew A* & Almira McCoy marry? When and where was Andrew A* born and who were his parents? After searching for years, now we have Y-DNA that indicates, Andrew A*'s mother may have been a Massey who married an Armstrong, or a MASSEY widow who married an Armstrong. We are hoping one of you may have something to help us find more.
*4474 Jim's parents are Dexter Newton & MARGUERITE A*. She is the dau of JAMES HARDING A* b 1882 Kings Co., Nova Scotia [NS] & Ada Jane BROWN b 1881 Massachusetts [MA] He was the eldest child of ARTHUR WELLESLEY A* b 1853 Kings Co., NS, d MA & his 1st wife, Marie HUGUENIN b 1848 Switzerland, d 1889 MA. He is the son of JAMES LESTER A* 1810-1872 NS & Irene Elizabeth HARDING 1812-1894. They m 1831 in Wolfville, Kings Co NS, and they had 11 children probably all born at Wolfville. James Lester A* is son of JOHN A* b Abt 1785 NS d Bef 1841 NS & Esther POTTER b 1787 Annapolis Co., NS who after the death of John A* married 2nd Stephen TAYLOR as his 5th wife. Esther d 1851 Annapolis Co., NS. We are still searching for John A*'s birth and death records as well as his marriage to Esther Potter. We could sure use your help.
6007 Lucy’s Armstrong connection is through her great great grandmother WILHELMINA MARIA who was born in Bristol, GLOS Eng in 1846. She married Henry GREEN. Her siblings were Richard Acland (1843), Frances Eliza Garnett (1841) (died unmarried) and ROSE (1847) (died unmarried). Their parents were Rev. GEORGE Armstrong (1792) and Frances ACLAND (1806) married in Bristol in 1840. This was George’s second marriage.
“A memoir of the late Rev. George Armstrong with extracts from his journals and correspondence” by Robert Henderson, was published July 1859. From this and other sparse Irish records other information was gleaned. George was born 1792 July 26 in Drogheda, Louth, Ireland. His mother died early and he was raised by his grandfather at Flower Hill, Navan, County Meath, IRE. Neither parents nor grandfather he was raised with are named in the Memoirs. He shared a birthday with his daughter Rose. His brother ANDREW, 1788-1870: was referenced as brother in the Table of contents of the Memoirs. Death: 1870 Dec 31 Drogheda age 83. A transcription adds parish (Stamullin) and address – Kilsharvan. George married (Unknown) DOBBS in July 1816 and she died 10 September 1837.They had two children GEORGE (1817-1854), who had an illegitimate daughter EMILY, and JANE. Details about her are unknown. There is a lot of tantalising information here…. can you get us further?
6013 Ian joined us with an opening sentence. “Dora Reid Rickerby (his grandmother) was the widow of Thomas Rickerby, butcher. According to family she was born an Armstrong in 1888”. I think this is the least information we have ever had when trying to build Armstrong pedigrees! At least we found very quickly that he did have Armstrong blood. (If we hadn’t he would have been in for a refund of dues!) and our luck was in as we bumped into the Haltwhistle Armstrongs who we hold a lot of information about. We start with ROBERT A* C1732-1733 in of Haltwhistle, NBL, Eng. He married Anne HAVELOCK on 07 May 1761 in Holy Cross, Haltwhistle. They had five children: ANN (1762), WILLIAM (1768), JANE (1770), ISAAC (1773), ELIZABETH (1775) and GEORGE (1778). William married an unknown Margaret and they had one child ROBERT (1784) born in Haltwhistle who married Eleanor LOWES (daughter of John Lowes and ELEANOR Armstrong) in Haltwhistle in 1823. They had eight children. The first ROBERT (1826 1907) in Hotbank, Ridley, Haltwhistle. He married Mary Ann BOWES (1847 in Dalston, CUL on 26 Oct 1865 in Deptford.) They had twelve children the first of whom was WILLIAM ROBERT (1867) in Dalston. He married Euphemia CUTTER (1867). Ian’s grandmother Doraa Reid (1888) was their child.
*7024 Peter traces his Armstrong ancestry through his mother to his great great great grandfather JAMES A*, who married Jane WATSON in Dromore Parish, County Down, Church of Ireland, Nov. 21, 1836. James A*’s parents have been guessed to be ROBERT A* and Hannah STARR, who married May 25, 1797, in Drung, County Cavan, and had a son JAMES baptized May 18, 1800, in Drung; however, no documentary evidence has been found to support this. James A* and Jane had at least five children all born in Dromore, County Down. James Henry A*, Peter’s gg grandfather, married Esther (Essy) BAKER (father William) August 10, 1867, in Banbridge County Down, and had two children in Banbridge (WILLIAM 1868, HENRY 1872) before moving to Glasgow, Scotland (as did James Henry’s brother Robert at about the same time). Five more children were born in Glenboig, Landward of New Monkland, Glasgow. JOHN 1875 A*, Peter’s great grandfather, married Florence Mary Mclean Sept 28, 1900 in Glasgow, where JOHN ALEXANDER A* was born June 12, 1901. John 1875 A*, wife Florence and son John Alexander emigrated to Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA, arriving May 30, 1902, and were followed there by the rest of John 1875’s family in 1903,1904 and 1920 John and Florence had five more children in Plymouth. John 1875 A* had been a constable in Glasgow and became Chief of Police in Plymouth in 1915, and in 1930 in nearby Marshfield, a position he held until his death in 1936. Florence also died in 1936, and their son John Alexander A* returned to the family home in Plymouth and remained there to his death in 1971. The records for Peter’s Armstrong family are thus excellent back to 1836, but he would be pleased if anyone could shed light on the Irish parentage of his GGG grandfather James A*.
*2651 Sophie can trace her Irish Armstrong roots through an entirely male line. Her great grandfather ROBERT JOHN A* emigrated in 1881 from Ireland to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia as a one year old with his parents and seven older siblings. Robert John A* married Sarah Annie DYER in Sydney in 1911, and both died and were buried in Sydney in 1954. Baptisms of Robert John A*, born 1880 Feb 25, and all of his siblings have been found in the records of St. Marys Church, Ardess, County Fermanagh, Ireland, as have civil birth records for most, residence Drumgivery, District of Ederney, Irvinestown, County Fermanagh, parents JAMES A* and Anne GRAHAM. There is a likely marriage for James A* and Anne Graham in Magheraculmoney, Enniskillen, Fermanagh 1858 Oct 29, James father being also JAMES, both farmers. Ardess and Drumgivery are both in Magheraculmoney Parish. James A* jr’s NSW death record in 1894 states his mother’s name as ELIZABETH and his gravestone gives his age as 77, death 1894 Dec 3. There is thus a likely birth for James A* jr 1818 Aug 16, father James A* mother Elizabeth, and a possible burial for James A* sr 1851 Jan 22, age 74, both in the records of St. Marys Church, Ardess, address Tulnagin (Tullanaginn?, also in Magheraculmoney). No marriage record for James A* sr and Elizabeth has been found. Can anyone shed further light on these Irish James Armstrongs and perhaps confirm that all these relationships are correct?
5259 Leachelle’s grandparents were English born but emigrated to Australia. JAMES A* was born in Distington CUL in 1899 and in 1912 married Gladys BECK in Glen Yarra VIC Australia. She was also of English descent. James’s father was JOHN, born 25/07/1858 in Mayport CUM and married Jane SKELTON in 1887 in Cockermouth CUL. His previous wife Isabella had died. Both he and his father were mariners which considerably helped tracing his father’s place of birth as consecutive census entries just stated ‘Scotland’. John’s father FRANCIS was born 23/01/1830 and resided at Watchill , Canonbie, SCO. This discovery was made on Francis’s Master Mariner Certificate information. On 27/10/1849 he married Agnes CAMERON of Maryport in Cross-Canonbie CUL (Which all adds to the confusion!). Father THOMAS C1800 had married Sarah FLETCHER in Plumbland CUL in 1820. Any connections with this line?
6005 Lindsay presented us with information that barely go back to his grandfather but we have been able to potentially get him five more generations. His father GEOFFREY CORTLANT A* was born in Bromley but died in Johannesberg RSA where Lindsay was born. Lindsay’s grandfather was HUGH CLAYTON A* born 1874 in Tynemouth NBL who married Nora Macmahon MAHON in Camberwell SRY in 1903. He was one of three generations named Hugh Clayton. His father was born in 1844 in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1844 who married Lydia HUTCHINSON in 1873, his father also being born in Newcastle born in 1814 and marrying Elizabeth Eleanor MATHER in 1840. All this is backed up by primary evidence but the next three generations come from different sources which are not primary but appear to be very sound. Hugh Clayton’s (1814) father is cited as WILLIAM A* born in Newcastle in 1783 who married Dorothy ATKINSON. He was an agent and died in 1860. William’s father is believed to have been JAMES, born at Heddon on the Wall NBL in 1754, a farmer and land agent who married Hannah SHIELD and died in 1826. The only scant information we have on his father is that his name was WILLIAM yeoman farmer of Catton in Allendale NBL born C1712 who married another Hannah SHIELD (the first being the daughter of JOHN the elder Hannah Shield’s father’s son James (!)). There is also the record of a John A*of Catton dying in 1758 who may have been William’s father. Can anyone produce primary evidence to confirm these last three generations?
1786 We have managed to put one or two things together to increase Neil’s pedigree by three generations. It starts with JOHN A* of Bewcastle born C1720 who married his second wife Jane DAVIDSON in 1773. (He died aged 92). Son JOSEPH was born in 1779 at Mossedge, Hethersgil CUL and married Mary ELLIOTT in 1803. Their son, who married Margaret MURRAY, was born in Stapleton CUL in 1803. Their son HENRY, born 1834 in Nicol Forest CUL, married Sarah ELLIOTT of Bewcastle. Son JOHN (1864- 1946) was born in Nicol Forest and married Jane POTTS (1864-1926). Their daughter Sarah Jane 17/06/1895 married George Armstrong Ritson, Neil’s grandfather. We are now looking for the Armstrong part of the Ritson line!
5256 Simon has given us another branch of the offspring of the well documented branch of WILLIAM A* born probably in Northumberland ENG in 1724 (according to his burial in 1782 in Scotchcoultard, Henshaw NBL). He married Elizabeth KIRK in 1754 in Haltwhistle NBL. Son SAMUEL was baptised 02 Aug 1758 in Burnhead, Haltwhistle. He married Hannah ELLIOT in 1785 and son JOHN was born in 1789. He came to Melbourne, VIC, AUS (his wife Elizabeth Wilkinson had died in 1827) on the "Melbourne" leaving Liverpool and arriving in Melbourne on 3 November 1857 at the age of 64. Son JOHN WILKINSON A*(1825) came to Australia with brother PETER on the clipper "Asia" 28 May 1853 before their father. John married Mary TEASDALE, a widow from CUL, ENG and son GEORGE JOHN was born in 1857 in Sebastopol, VIC, AUS. He married Annie LAMBERT in 1886 and Simon’s great grandfather JOHN ROBERT was born in 1889. There are a number of theories as to the ancestors of William A* (1724). What we are looking for is some hard primary evidence.
4292 Tom’s grandfather George William TODD (1887) married MARGARET ANNA Armstrong (1890) in Canton, St. Lawrence Co, New York, USA in 1820. She was the daughter of NATHANIEL ARCHIBALD A* born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, USA in 1870. His wife was Adelia M. VANDEMARK (1870) of Lancaster, Fairfield Co., Ohio, USA. They had one other child MARIAN NATALIE (1902). Their parents were JAMES FOWKES A* (Born in Oct 1840 in Germantown, Montgomery Co., Ohio, USA) and Anna Marian KIRKPATRICK. She was born in 1845 in Ohio, USA. James’s father was more than likely ARCHIBALD S ARMSTRONG possibly born about 1781 in Ireland. He died C1850-1860. He married <no name>. She died before Jan 1840. He married (2) Mary (widow) DOUGLASS on 05 Jan 1840 in Montgomery Co., Ohio, USA. She was born about 1797 in England. She died on 13 Jun 1890 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, USA. We are pretty certain of this line up to Archibald but some more evidence would be helpful. Although it is likely that he came from Ireland we have found nothing to prove this. Your help is needed on this one!
2655 Vic came up with a conundrum which had us scratching our heads for some time but it has now been unravelled! He was certain of his descent from his great grandfather EDWARD born C1852 in Surrey ENG who married Katherine MURPHY in 1880 at Walworth, SRY. Son Edwin Edward was born in 1883 in London and married Elizabeth Amelia WAKEHAM in 1908. In the 1881 Census for St. Mary’s, Newington Edward and his wife were living at Little Park Place and his occupation listed as a fish curer. An 1851 Census for St. Mary’s Newington lists a family comprising HENRY A* (1818), a shoemaker, married to Elizabeth (born 1824), an ironer, with sons HENRY (born C1844), JOHN (C1846), THOMAS (C1848) and WILLIAM (1850) living on Neptune Street. The elder Henry and Elizabeth were born in Lambeth and the children were all born in Newington. This then lead to the search for a marriage of Henry to Elizabeth. An April 1841 Marriage Certificate shows a Henry marrying Elizabeth Frances Hardy in St. Johns, Lambeth. These naturally were assumed to be the parents listed in the 1851 Census at which time Edward would not have been born. Henry’s occupation is as a groom, the same as that of his father. This started to raise suspicions as to this being the right marriage but there wasn’t another remotely possible. So moving onto the 1861 Census for Trinity, Newington, Surrey showing an Edward (born C1852) and Thomas (C1849) living as “Nurse Children” on Thomas Street with John Neal and Sarah Hammond (C1825 in Newington). Occupation of John: fish salesman. Moreover in 1851 for Rodney Place, in St. Mary’s Newington, lists a Henry Armstrong born in 1843 in Newington living with grandmother, Mary Hammond, a widow. Was this a double entry for Henry? Also the 1841 Census for St. Mary’s, Newington shows Mary (born C1808), Sarah (C1827) and Elizabeth (C1824) Hammond in the same household. . From the UK birth certificates it shows Elizabeth HAMMOND to be the mother of John (born in Rodney Row, New Kent Road Oct. 1845), Thomas (New Street, Sept. 1847) and FREDERICK (Neptune Place, Aug. 1851) all born in Newington with father listed as Henry Armstrong (a shoemaker). Birth certificates for Henry and Edward were not located although Frederick was born close to the date of Edward and they might be one and the same person. There is no evidence for a marriage of Elizabeth Hammond and Henry. Henry’s baptism (4 January 1818 St Mary’s Newington) shows him to be the son of GEORGE A*, a fisherman, and Catherine. It is possible that George was born in Southwark, SRY in 1795 the son of JARVIS and Ann A*. There are still some unanswered questions here. Can you help?
*4348 Barbe's grandparents were Robert E.P. HOOVER b 1892 Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania [PA] & MILDRED HALLOCK A* b 1892 New Jersey [NJ]. Mildred Hallock A* was the dau of ADDISON ALEXANDER A* (1859 -1883), a Physician, & Harriet W COOLBAUGH (1862-1946) His parents were HALLOCK A* b 1823 Orange Co., New York [NY], d Bradford Co. PA, a Presbyterian Minister & Mary Matilda BRONSON b 1832 NY d 1890 Bradford Co., PA, who m 1851 PA. Together they had 6 children. Rev. Hallock A* was the son of JAMES THOMPSON A* b 1797 Orange Co., NY d 1883 NY, & Ruth HALLOCK 1800-1878. His parents were JAMES A* 1762-1825 & Martha HALSTEAD 1764-1831, who married 1785 Orange Co., NY. They had at least 10 children. James A* was the son of ROBERT A* b 1730 Orange Co., NY d Bef 22 Sep 1773 Orange Co NY & Margaret THOMPSON b 1734 NY, who married 1759 Orange Co., NY. Together they had at least 6 children. Robert A*'s parents were FRANCIS A* b Abt 1695 Ireland d 1783 Orange Co., NY & Deborah LATTIMORE b Abt 1695 Ireland d Abt 1760 NY, who married 1721 Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Francis A* left a will in Orange Co., NY dated 1 Sep 1781, which was proved 25 Feb 1783. Through common ancestors Francis A* & Deborah Lattimore, 4348 is related to 5421 a descendant from their son David A* & Ann Nancy Miller, and 4242 a descendant from their dau Mary A* who married Anthony Swarthout. We could sure use some help since we are still stuck at "Who are the parents of Francis A* b 1695?”
*4366 Lise who is the dau of JOHN CHACE A* & Helga EVENSEN, grand-dau of GEORGE SIMPSON A* b 1886 NY & Dorothy Chace MILLER b 1893 NJ. George Simpson A*'s parents were GEORGE SIMPSON A* b Abt 1853 NY & Lucy FISHER b Abt 1863 NY, who married in Kings Co NY in 1882. They also had a dau CLARA L. A* b 1883 Kings Co., NY.   This George Simpson A* died in Cedar Rapids, Iowa while visiting somebody. This is our brick wall. We have no idea of why George S A* was in Cedar Rapids, because the family was residing in NYC. His obituary says he was visiting and that he was a resident in Brooklyn for 35 yrs. Census records show his parents born Scotland & Ireland in 1900, Ireland & Ireland in 1910. Who are the parents of George Simpson A*??
*4395 Don is the son of KENNETH LEE A* & Alta Cleo GREATHOUSE, grand-son of BURTON CHARLES A* b 1899 Crawford Co., Pennsylvania [PA] & Jessie May STERLING. Burton Charles A* was the son of JAMES ALBERT A* b 1868 Crawford Co., PA & Mary Bromley b Abt 1867 PA. James Albert A*'s parents were JOHN A* b Abt 1830 d 1891 PA & Lydia Mcclelland b Abt 1829 PA. Together they had 5 other children all born Crawford Co., PA. John A* (1830-1891) was the son of JOSEPH A* (1794-1867 PA) & Rosanna REYNOLDS b Abt 1800 PA. What we know about this Joseph A* is he left a will in Crawford Co., PA dated 8 Mar 1850, proved & registered 8 Apr 1853 which named sons, daughters and a grand-dau. Needless to say we could use your help filling in all the missing items here and help us document the parents of Joseph A*.1757-1852.
*4400 Alice [related 4415] Alice's parents are Alvin M Kinslow & LULA CORNELIA A*. She is the dau of STERLING WEBSTER A* b 1866 Polk Co MO, & Theresa Alice "Ressie" VANDERFORD. Her parents are JAMES A* b 1830 TN & his 2nd wife Sarah Clementine DONNELL b 1844 Polk Co MO, who married 1863 in MO. James & Sarah had 5 other children all born in Polk Co., MO. James A* is the son of SAMUEL A* b 1791 TN d 1867 Polk Co MO & Margaret SPROUL b 1804 d 1882 Polk Co MO. Samuel and Margaret married 1823 in Hawkins Co., TN. Samuel's will dated 2 Oct 1866 proved 7 Jun 1867 names his wife Margaret, and all six children. We are searching for Samuel's parents. Alice has a document that is a deed in Hawkins County in which James A*. of Caney Creek, names Samuel as his son. In the deed, it was required that Samuel care for Mary (James' wife). Mary may or may not have been Samuel's mother. This James A* Sr apparently died bet 1820-1825 in Hawkins Co., TN. Can anyone help us find out more about this James A*, when he was born, who he married, how many children they had???? Anything would be greatly appreciated.
*4415 Janet [related 4400]. Janet also descends from Samuel A* & Margaret Sproul through their son Abner A* b 1828 TN, who married 1860 Knox Co TN, Mary Frances Karnes b 1837 TN. Abner & Mary had at least 8 children all born in MO.
*4416 Sue has to travel a long way back to reach her Armstrong ancestor who is JANE A* b Abt 1697 Ireland d 1789, the dau of JAMES A* who married Robert MEANS b Abt 1689 Ireland, d 1769 Falmouth (now Portland) Maine [ME]. We know for sure that an Armstrong family of six [and probably more than one A* family], arrived from Ireland in approximately Aug of 1717 on one of five ships, first landing in Boston. We believe the family The son John A* became a prominent member and elder of the First Church in Falmouth. Possibly married Rebecca THOMAS Abt 28 Jul 1724.Son JAMES A* & hw Mary had a son THOMAS A* b 25 Dec 1717 in Ireland [if he was born in Ireland it would have to have been 1716], son JOHN A* b 9 Mar 1719 in Falmouth and son JAMES b 25 Apr 1721 in Falmouth. Son SIMON A* had a dau ELIZABETH A* baptized 29 Apr 1729 whose mother was not named. Son-in-law, Robert Means and his wife Jane A* had two children. We have a marriage record for Simon A* & Isabell WHITELY of Rehoboth, married 13 Mar 1726-1727 [sic 1727] in Rehoboth, Massachusetts by Rev John Greenwood. We know Simon A* acknowledged the covenant of the First Church in Falmouth 20 Apr 1729, followed by the bapt of dau ELIZABETH A* 29 Apr 1729. We also, have Simon A* & Mary COCKS, Intent to marry 14 Nov 1745 in Falmouth ME. We are hoping that one of you might have more about the father we believe to be James Armstrong b Abt 1667 Ireland d 1725.
*4418 Beth's mother was EILEEN A* dau of WILLIAM JOSEPH A* b 1891 Albany Co New York [NY] & Mary VANDENBURGH. He was the son of ANDREW A* b 1869 Fermanagh Co., Northern Ireland d NY & Sarah Frances LAFOUNTAINE.
Andrew A*'s parents were JOHN A* & Jane BEATTY. According to their marriage record we know John A*, Farmer of Cronee, Age 20 b Abt 1839 (son of Andrew A*, Farmer) and Jane Beatty, of Stranahone, Age 17 b Abt 1842 (dau of Guy Beatty, Farmer), married 6 Jul 1859 in the Parish of Colaghty, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. We are missing the oldest son GUY A* b Bet 1862-1863 Fermanagh, but have found the next three children: JOHN A* b 1 Jun 1865 Stranahone, Ederny, ELIZA JANE A* b 28 Dec 1867 and ANDREW A*30 Dec 1869 both born Glenarn, Ederny. We know the John A* & Jane Beatty family was in Albany Co., NY before the 1875 NY State Census, where their 5th child WILLIAM was b Abt 1872 NY. Their other children were born NY. Now using the marriage record, we know John A*'s father was ANDREW A* b Bef 1818 and Jane's father was Guy Beatty. The only Guy Armstrong we found was a Farmer in Clonelly, Age 28 b Abt 1823, son of Guy Armstrong, also a farmer, who married 4 Mar 1851 Mary ARMSTRONG, of Dooraa, Age 22 b Abt 1829, dau of JAMES Armstrong, Farmer, Tubrid, Parish of Drumkeeran. It surely makes us wonder if the Guy Armstrong b Abt 1823 was the brother of Andrew A* b Bef 1818 making Andrew's father named Guy Armstrong. Can anyone help us out here???
*4450 Jean is the dau of Kenneth PETTIGREW & JEAN A*. Her grandparents are PAUL A* b 1863 Perth, Scotland & Berthe A MANSEAU b 1864 Quebec. Paul & Berthe had 6 children. He is the son of JOHN P. J. Armstrong b Abt 1828 Perth, d Chicago Ilinois [IL] & Helen LENNOX b Abt 1826 Perth, d 1899 Chicago.   John & Helen with 4 of their children emigrated to the US by way of Quebec in May 1866 settling in the Chicago area. They had two more sons. The brothers began with opening a bicycle parts shop, then manufacturing parts and tools, ultimately incorporating under the name of Armstrong Bros. Tool Co., in 1895. (see article on page xx) We are searching for the parents of John P. J. A*, who left home at age 13 for a life at sea, later peddled his talents as an itinerant blacksmith, before giving military service a try. He served in a Highland regiment the Crimean War of the mid-1850s. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
*4498 Flo travels back five generations to reach her Armstrong ancestor. who is Louisa A. Sayles b Abt 1831 Rhode Island [RI] [wife of Prince G. D. Morton b Abt 1823], dau of Mowry SAYLES b 1800 New Hampshire, d 1878 RI & LAURA A* b 1806 RI d 1878 RI. Laura A* was the eldest child of JOB A* 1784-1854 Providence Co., RI & his 1st wife, Adah aldrich 1788-1834, who may have had 9 more children in Providence Co., RI. Job A* was the eldest child of JESSE A* b 1759 d 1841 RI & Jemima CAPRON. They m 1783 Providence Co., RI and had 4 more children there. JESSE A* was the son of Job A* 1724-1770 RI & Judith. Judith was called Jude A*, maiden name COOPER by some, maiden name COWEN by others. Does anyone of you really know for sure or have a marriage record?? This Job A* is said to be the son of MARTIN A* b Abt 1710 in Ireland or England, who is supposed to have emigrated to RI Abt 1730, and who is supposed to have died in England Abt 1756 while visiting there. Martin A* is said to have been an Irish Soldier in the British Army, coming to Chapachet RI in 1730 or 1732. We certainly need help here. Does anyone have any documents that would help us identify more about Martin?
*7000 & 7002 Ellen travels back 5 generations on her maternal line to reach her Armstrong ancestor who was VIOLA JANE A* b 1826 Clark Co., Indiana [IN] , married 24 Dec 1846 in Clark Co., IN, Oren Fowler CROTHERS M.D. (1819-1852). Oren and Viola Jane had two daughters. WILLIAM GOFORTH A* & Deborah HALLEY m 1817 in Cincinnati OH, having 8 children including Viola Jane before her death. He married 2nd Mary Dunn SPEAR in 1840 Jefferson Co., IN, having 3 children before her death in 1849. He married 3rd Ann DUNN aft 1850, and she preceded him in death. The only marriage record we have found is the 2nd marriage, so if anyone has documentation for the other two, please share them with us. William Goforth A* was the son of JOHN A* b 20 Apr 1755 Huntington Co NJ, d 4 Feb 1816 Clark Co IN, who married 27 Jan 1793 Columbia OH, Tabitha GOFORTH b 22 Feb 1774 NY City NY d 12 Dec 1848 Jeffersonville IN. They are said to have ten children. Ellen believes John A* is the son of THOMAS A* b Abt 1720 Donagheady, Co Tyrone N. Ireland, d 25 Sep 1783 Northumberland Co PA, Farmer, & his 1st wife, married Abt 1749 Londonderry, Ireland, Jane HAMILTON b co Tyrone or Londonderry, d Bef 1759 Hunterdon Co NJ. After her death he married 2nd Bef 1754 Anna Magdalena CRISTER/CRISTOR. The problem here as usual is lack of primary source documentation in Ireland. Anyone have the hammer to break the wall here?
*7035 Brian is the son of Kenneth J McKee & Barbara F Nichols. Barbara was the youngest of 9 children of John L Nichols & Gladys Bertene Armstrong of Athens Co., Ohio [OH]. Gladys Bertene A* was the dau of Amos Frazier A* b 1874 Morgan Co., OH & his 1st wife Vashti V Moody b 1879 who married 1898 Morgan Co., OH. They also had a son named Percy A*. After Vashti's death he m 2d in Morgan Co., Adella E. Price b 1876 Morgan Co., OH, and had two daus, Edith Cordelia A* & Ethel Martha A*.Amos Frazier A* was the son of Samuel A* 1837-1897 OH & Sarah Elizabeth Frazier b 1842.Their children were born in OH. Samuel A* was son of George A* b Abt 1806 probably New Jersey & Sarah Murphy b Abt 1806 Virginia. They married 1827 in Morgan Co., OH, and had six children. Who are the parents of George A*?? Anyone have any ideas??
*7049 Dan travels back 4 generations of Sheets family to James Garfield Sheets b 1886 Ontario, who married Isabelle Frances O'Neill b 1882 Rochester, Minnesota, then three more O'Neill generations to Andrew O'Neill b 1766 Ireland d 1840 Libson, NY, who m 1798 in Edwardsburgh, JANE Armstrong b Abt 1781 US likely NY d May 1846 Lisbon, NY. Jane Armstrong was the dau of THOMAS Armstrong, a Loyalist. Thomas Armstrong was b Bef 1750 possibly Ireland, emigrated first to the US possibly NY. We know, according to the 1784 Provisioning Lists of American Loyalists, that Thomas A* settled in Edwardsburgh, Ontario, with his family which consisted of 2M <10, 2F<10 and 2F>10 still residing in the US at that time. From Reid's Loyalists in Ontario and Land Petitions we know Thomas Armstrong, Sr., Loyalist had seven children including Jane. When we look at the Edwardsburgh Patent Map, neither Andrew nor Jane O'Neill appear. It appears they decided not to take up the land they were entitled to in Canada and moved to NY instead. They mostly likely emigrated to NY somewhere abt 1801 or 1802 as their son John was born in Canada Abt 1802, but they are not listed in the 1801 census in Canada.    They resided in Lisbon, St Lawrence Co., NY from 1810 thru 1840. Andrew O'Neill died 31 Dec 1840 in Lisbon NY, with Jane following him May 1846. Both left Wills. Andrew O'Neill and Jane Armstrong had nine children. We are searching for more on Thomas Armstrong Sr as we are missing his actual date and place of birth, marriage and death. Also, who was the mother of Jane A*??Does anyone have and connections to this family that might help us break this brick wall??
*4448 Holly's grandparents were DONALD P A* b 1891 Indiana & his 2nd wife Sarah Ann DODSON b England. Donald P. A* was the son of SAMUEL M. A* b 1850 Butler Co., Ohio [OH] & Elizabeth M LEDMAN.   Samuel M. A*'s parents were JAMES MARTIN A* b 1822 Darke Co., OH d 1858 Butler Co., OH & Elizabeth Patterson. James Martin A* was the son of Judge JOHN A* & his 2nd wife Elizabeth Betsy VAIL. John A b 18 Dec 1793 Washington Co., PA, died 16 Jul 1864 Darke Co., OH. He came when a young man to Darke Co., OH, returned to PA where he married 1st [thought to be Martha BOWMAN b 1798 d Bef 1821], and returned to Darke County. John A* & wife were there in the 1820 census.    John A* married 2nd Elizabeth Betsy Vail on 13 Jul 1821 in Darke County. They had 2 children. After Elizabeth's death (1824), John A* married 3rd Jane Elston (1805-1884) on 24 Aug 1824 in Darke County. Together they had 9 children. A sketch says "Judge Armstrong's father was JAMES Armstrong. He was born, reared and married in Scotland, and with his wife emigrated to this country, locating in Pennsylvania, where he passed the rest of his life on a farm and where he died." Some including Holly believe Judge John A*s parents could be JAMES A* b 1762 PA d 12 Sep 1853 PA & Margaret MARTIN. We could sure use your help to identify and document who the parents of Judge John A* are.
*4452 May is dau of OTIS A* son of LEONARD ENOCH A* b 1895 Erath Co., Texas [TX] & Ella MYERS. Parents are ISAAC L. A* b 1861 Missouri [MO] & Sarah E FLINN b Abt 1856 GA, who married 1883 in Hood Co., TX. Isaac aka Ike, was the oldest child of RICHARD L. A* b 1839 MO & RUTH, maiden name not known but it maybe Cook. They also had four other children. Richard L was the youngest son of ISAAC U. A* b Abt 1809 NC & his 1st wife who died probably in Stoddard Co., MO near the birth of their son JEPTHA. We know Isaac U. A* a widow was in Stoddard Co., MO in 1850 with 3 children. It is possible that his 1st wife’s' name might be Mary, her maiden name not known. He married a 2nd time bet June of 1850 and 1851 because in 1860 he is in Fulton Co., AR with wife Susan [maiden name not known] b Abt 1824 NC. Does anyone have any help for all of the missing pieces?

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 87 November 2018

5245* Cynthia can trace her Australian ancestors back to her great great grandparents JAMES 1845 Armstrong and Mary COCHRANE who married January 25th, 1864, in Bailieborough Parish, County Cavan, Ireland; he was 19 and she was 24. James and Mary apparently emigrated shortly after they married, settling in Queensland, Australia, where the births of four children were registered including JAMES (Cynthia’s great grandfather). Their parents being listed as James A* and Mary Cochrane. According to his marriage record James 1845 A*’s father was also JAMES; on James 1845’s death Feb. 21st, 1936, in Queensland his father was identified only as Armstrong, his mother as JACKSON, the only evidence that has been found in the records for his mother’s name which Cynthia records as Jane Jackson. Cynthia indicates that James senior was born in 1820 and died in 1854 in Bailieborough, Cavan, and that his parents were ROBERT A* and Mary McAFFERY, but these details cannot be confirmed in the records. However, two possible siblings of James 1820 turn up in Australian death records. JOHN A* died in Queensland August 16, 1890, age 76; his death record stated he was born in Kilrort (Kilroot), Fermanagh, and named his parents as Robert A* and Mary McAffery; John A* married Mary Anne BROWN in Newtown Butler, Fermanagh (close to Kilroot) at age 28, and thus in 1842, based on his death record, which is consistent with the ages of their children; they emigrated with eight children (oldest 18, youngest an infant) to Queensland, Australia, their arrival Oct 13, 1863 on the Rockhampton being documented. A possible sister of James 1820 and John was Matilda ADAMS who died in 1898 in New South Wales, age 87; her death certificate stated she was born in Newton Butler, Fermanagh, Ireland and married Francis Adams there in 1829, and had been in Australia for 56 years (their arrival on the Agnes in February 1842 as assisted immigrants is documented). However, although her immigration and death records name her father as Robert A*, they both name her mother as Anne McCaffery. Can anyone shed any further light on Cynthia’s Irish ancestors?
5252* Cindy’s grandfather was the first of her line born in Australia. OSWALD FERGUS A* was born in 1904 in Maryborough QLD. His father, WILLIAM (1863) was the last of a number of generations to be born in Irthington CUL who married Annie Jane FORSTER. He was the son of JACOB A* (1830) of Irthington who married Mary IRVING in 1856. All straightforward up to now! Jacob’s father was THOMAS and on the baptism of one of his siblings his mother’s name is give as Anne THOMPSON. Sadly this then lead to some ‘best fit technology’ which pinpoints the marriage in Yorkshire ENG. The distance between the two places mentioned is over 90 miles which at the turn of the 18th Century would be a journey verging on an expedition. Statistically at that time it would be most unusual for anyone to venture more than 20 miles from their parish. So it was really a case of back to Irthington to see if there were any clues. The first discovery was a very lucky hit. On May 4 1806 a Bastardy Bond was taken out against a Thomas Armstrong a slater of Newby. The mother was named as Elizabeth Nicholson and the Bond of £50 was covered by JANE Armstrong, Widow of Newby. This led to the discovery of Jane BOWMAN of the Parish of Irthington aged 40 marrying THOMAS Armstrong of Wetheral aged 35, Cumberland, a miller, on 26 December 1784. Witnesses THOMAS Armstrong and Wm Bowman. This would signify that Thomas’s father was also a THOMAS A*! On 1 January 1786 the baptism of THOMAS A* is recorded at Irthington the son of Thomas A* miller of Newby and Jane. This we believe to be Jacob’s father. Added to this, that Thomas’s (C1786) occupation is given as a slater, and second the hamlet of Newby is given as the location of the family in Jacob’s siblings’ baptisms at Irthington. There is no trace of Thomas and Ann’s marriage at Irthington. The only clue was that an entry was picked up which was submitted by a member of the Latter Day of Saints Church prior to 1991. This, of course, is not primary evidence. Well it is possible that this didn’t even happen. Thomas was already known for his philandering so possibly on the discovery that Jane (1812) was on the way they just said they were married as this suited them both. It is significant that Thompson was used on the first child’s birth but only on one other occasion with son Thomas. We have no evidence that Ann was of Irthington so that would have made it easier to fake a marriage. More bizarrely they might have even made up her name…. Thom…pson.
3479 John has a firm line in Cumberland, ENG which comes to a complete stop in the middle of the 18th Century with four different Armstrong ‘candidates’ to choose from. JOSEPH A* (1782) married Frances BREWIS in Ovingham, CUL in 1807. Son John was born in Brampton CUL in 1820 and married Jane JOHNSTONE there in 1846. Their son THOMAS (1865) was also born there. He married Mary Jane JENKINSON in Whitehaven CUL in 1886 and son THOMAS WILLIAM was born in 1888. Joseph was certainly born in Brampton his parents are listed as JOHN (C1755) and Mary. It can only be assumed that John’s wife was Mary THIRLWALL of Lanercost as she is the only ‘candidate’ with the name of Mary in the surrounding area, but there is no other evidence. Joseph’s baptism shows that his father was a grocer. However we have four ‘candidates’ for Joseph’s father! They are: 1755 25 April, father John. Brampton PR, 1755 11 May, father John (surgeon). Brampton Presbyterian Church 1756 8 June, Father John. Bishop’s Transcripts 1756 23 May, Father William, Geth Bridge, Hayton. Brampton PC. Perhaps one can assume that the two Presbyterian baptisms can be discounted as the pedigree appears to be Church of England Anglican based, but should not be ignored. John had a sibling MARGARET bp 9 April 1780. Perhaps you can solve this mystery?
3497 We rarely have one were we are virtually stumped but this appears to be one with a virtually complete mystery man. Michael has Welsh roots and perhaps Scottish, but the latter is being hard to prove. The one certain point is we know that CHARLES A* (1858) married Clara KETTLE in Pontypridd, Wales in 1887 and is Michael’s great grandfather. His father was FREDERICK CHARLES (1890) born in Caerphilly, Wales. His siblings were CLARA (1885), MURIEL 1889, RALPH (1893), LILLIAN (1895) and HAROLD (1902). The basic information on their marriage certificate he gave his father’s name as THOMAS, indicated that he was deceased and his occupation was a mariner. In the 1901 Census John gives his birthplace as Scotland while in the 1891 census on ‘Where Born’ it says Dundee Scotland but above it is written Eglwyslan which is the Civil Parish in which he lived. If he was born in Scotland around 1858 he should appear in the Statutory Scottish Records starting in 1855 there is no one called Charles A* recorded at all between that date and 1860 in all of Scotland. The OPRs for Scotland were also checked but there was nothing in there. There is no trace of him in the 1861 or 1871 Censuses in either Scotland, England or Wales. Reviewing the major piece of evidence (his marriage certificate) one has to be wary. The information there given came from the son which could be inaccurate especially if his father was really dead he could put anything. The only way of explaining any of this is the word ‘mariner’. This would account for Thomas if that was his name in other censuses. Maybe Charles’ father was “just visiting” and his parents never married. Perhaps he knew his father’s name but was registered in his mother’s? The only other tentative entry is of a Charles Armstrong (C1861) in the 1881 Census, a seaman and it is a Welsh entry! (The birth place is a bit of a downer though - London). There must be an answer to this somewhere!
4488 Debra’s Irish ancestry can be traced to her great grandfather JOSEPH Armstrong who married Mary Jane CAMPBELL (born abt. 1877, father James) Feb 22, 1897 in the Parish Church of Aghavea, Co. Fermanagh. Joseph was said to be age 22, and his father to be also JOSEPH, both farm servants. In the 1901 Census (Greenhill, Fermanagh) Joseph’s age was stated as 24, and in 1911 (Brookeborough, Fermanagh) 35. His birth year thus computes to 1875, 1876 or 1877. A birth in Brookboro in 1875 of Joseph, no father, mother Sarah Armstrong, “formerly” crossed out, could be him but there is no clear evidence for this. Joseph and Mary Jane emigrated to Alberta, Canada in the spring of 1925 with the five youngest of their seven children plus an apparently adopted daughter (civil births for the six youngest children exist, and confirm Mary Jane’s maiden name, although she was listed only as Mary). On the immigration record all of them were said to have been born in Brookeborough, Fermanagh, and their nearest relative in Ireland was listed as Mary Jane’s brother J. Campbell, Fivemiletown, Co. Fermanagh, suggesting that all their parents had died (Mary Jane’s father James Campbell was with them in 1911, age 73); Joseph was said to be 42 and Mary Jane 40, which is unlikely given the date of their marriage and their stated ages then and on the Census records. Debra does not know when Joseph died and whether it was in Alberta or British Columbia and thus does not have any information from a death record. Can anyone provide further insight concerning Joseph Armstrong’s parents?
2650 Gail probably gave us one of our biggest challenges giving us only two generations to work on. However we have now got it back five more! Grandfather JOHN DOUGLAS Armstrong was born in Glasgow in 1895 and married Catherine MCGOUGAN there in 1923. This took some finding as it was mis-indexed MGougan. (Ever tried ‘fuzzy search’ – it works!). John’s father WALTER was born in Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire in 1872 and married Isabel DOUGLAS in Glasgow in 1894. Walter’s father JOHN was born in Canonbie in 1837 and married Jane (Jean) RIDDELL in Eskdalemuir in 1860 and died there in 1875. John then married Agnes BORTHWICK in 1880, but all the children were by the first marriage. John’s father ROBERT (1801) married Mary STAIG in Canonbie in 1835 but on censuses gave his place of birth as ‘England’ which is rather unhelpful. However Canonbie is right on the borders of England so this was rather misleading! However we were saved by the memorial inscription in Canonbie Kirkyard which gives us two further generations. His father was GEORGE A* of Forgebraehead, Canonbie born in 1758 and married Nancy YATES. His father was THOMAS A* (1736) who married Jean (Jane) MURRAY. I am sure we have members who fit into this line somewhere!
1790* Erin’s Great Grandfather Walter Lumsden Armstrong was born 24 July 1859 at Cockpen, Midlothian SCO. He married Lillian Margaret KEVENEY and died in 1899 in Auckland NZ. Walter’s father JOHN A* was born in Langholm, Dumfriesshire in 1819 and married Williamina LUMSDEN. They had five other children. John’s parents were JAMES A* (1780) and Isabella PARK. James had 8 siblings. Their parents were JOHN A* (1742–1826) and Mary TELFER. The majority of the children were baptised at Staplegorton and gave their settlement as Grains. While there are references to other Armstrongs living in the Grains area there appear to be none that are connected to this family….. unless you know better!
1788* Cedric can trace his Irish ancestors to WILLIAM A* born 1813 according to his age when he married Anne BEATTY on May 14, 1847 in Aghalurcher parish, Lisnaskea, Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Ireland, born 1817 according to his age at death. When he married his address was given as Coxtown and his father was named as WILLIAM, a farmer, presumably in Lisnaskea, but nothing further is known about his father. William 1813 A* may have had a brother JOHN who died at William’s home in Donegal shortly before 1846 Sept 5 (news report), and was buried in the family plot in Lisnaskea, but had a connection for some years before his death with the New York government press. CHAS Armstrong, a witness to his marriage, was likely another relative. William 1813 A* died 1874 Dec 10, and Anne Beatty A* died 1891 Nov 16 (family stone Laghy Parish Church, Donegal). Birth records for their children have not been found but various marriage, death and burial records and Anne Beatty A*’s family Bible confirm them to be as follows, all born Coxtown, County Donegal. William 1850 A* emigrated 1873 Mar 24 to New Zealand where he married in about 1878 Karorina Miraka Matemoe Ngamahi Tikipoti (different people referred to her by different names, and all of these have been incorporated in this name). William died 1936 May 20 in Hamilton City, Waikato, NZ. Karorina had been married before she married William A*, and married again after they separated. William and Karorina had eight children, including Cedric’s grandfather EDWARD CHARLES A* b. 1884 Aug 15, d. 1955 Sep 26 Hamilton City, Waikato, NZ. Cedric does have a better than usual record of his Irish background, but of course would appreciate any further information about William 1813 A*, his siblings, or their father William A* that anyone can contribute.
6004* Suzanne’s great grandparents were David Buchan BAXTER (1890) and THOMASINA Armstrong (1887) She was the illegitimate daughter of ELIZABETH A* (1857) of Dornock, Dumfriesshire, SCO. Elizabeth, it is believed had two other illegitimate children JOHN (1883) and ELIZABETH (1886). Elizabeth parents were THOMAS A* (1824) and Elizabeth DAVIDSON (1830) of Kirkpatrick Fleming. Thomas had 5 siblings Their father, JOHN (C1801), was born in Half Morton, Dumfriesshire and their mother Mary LATTIMER was born in Dornock in 1802 but we can find no trace of their marriage. We have been unable to take it back any further with any confidence. He might be linked to the Canonbie A*s as the Parish of Half Morton is adjacent to Canonbie. It is certainly interesting as to how he ended up in Dornock as it is some distance away. Any ideas?
4414* John is the son of JOHN HOWARD A* II & Anita WOOD of Seattle, WA, who was the son of JOHN HOWARD A* b 1879 Ontario & Cora DAVIDSON. He was the eldest child of JAMES HERSHELL A* b Abt 1853 Canada, & Mary LAPOINT b Abt 1858 Canada. They had 7 other children. He was the son of PETER A* b Abt 1819 Ontario & Marie Miller. He had 5 siblings. Peter's parents were HENRY A* b Abt 1794 Albany NY according to his death record & Margaret BARKLEY, who m bef 1822, and had at least 4 children born in Ontario, including Peter b Abt 1819 [4414's ancestor]. We could sure use some help here.
4443* Terry, related to 4392, whose grandparents were ROBERT RUSSELL A* & Mary Currie of Ontario. Robert's parents were JOHN A* b 1847 Canonbie, d Michigan, & Janet SIBBALD, who married 1874 in Ontario. John A* was the son of THOMAS A* b Bet 1819-1820 Canonbie, Dumfries, Scotland d Ontario, and Margaret ARMSTRONG b 1824 Greenburn, Canonbie d 1893 Ontario. Thomas A* & Margaret A* mar before 1847 probably in Scotland. They had two sons, John A* b 1847 and William A* b 1849 [m Edwina Cannon in 1881 Grey] in Broomieknowe chr at Canonbie before emigrating sometime in 1851, where they settled in Sydenham Twp, Grey county Ontario. There they had 7 more children. Margaret A* was the dau of John A* 1783-1863 of Greenburn, Canonbie & Agnes WARWICK 1788-1867, who mar 1810 Canonbie. They had 10 more children all born Greenburn, John A* was the son of John A* b Bef 1737 d 1818 Greenburn, Canonbie & Margaret SCOTT of Kirkandrews b Abt 1745, d 1833 Greenburn. They married 1769 in Canonbie and together had 10 children born at Greenburn, including John 1783, the common ancestor. John A* was the son of WILLIAM A* & Janet MURRAY who m at Kirkandrews on Esk 1736. Does anyone have more to add?
4668* Caroline has multiple A* lines.
4468 Paternal Line - Caroline is the granddaughter of James Cullen Tassey b 1882.Chloe Travis was the dau of Charles Wesley TRAVIS b 1866 & Esther Caroline McGaughey b 1870 She was dau of Joseph Marshall McGaughey b 1826 & Elisabeth Newcomb b 1826 He was the son of John McGaughey & Elizabeth Whitesides Marshall b 1807 both being Armstrong descendants.
1. John was the son of John M. McGaughey 1771-1843 & Jane Latimer son of Thomas McGaughey & Margaret Marshall. She was the dau of William Marshall 1722 Ireland d 1796 Armstrong Co., PA & ELIZABETH Armstrong b 1725 Scotland d 1806 Indiana Co., PA
2. Elizabeth Whitesides Marshall was the dau of Joseph Marshall 1780 & his 1st wife Margaret nee Marshall 1786-1842 (dau of James Marshall 1752 & his 1st wife Elizabeth Whitesides. And yes here again both are Armstrong descendants as James Marshall 1752-1807 was also the son of William Marshall & Elizabeth Armstrong). Joseph Marshall was the son of William Marshall 1756 & Catherine Wilson. William Marshall 1756-1831 being son of William Marshall 1722 Ireland d 1796 Armstrong Co., PA & Elizabeth ARMSTRONG b 1725. Well to say the least a very complicated cousins marrying cousins’ situation that should have everyone really dizzy by now. We are searching for Elizabeth Armstrong b 1725 Scotland and William Marshall b 1722 Ireland, 1st emigrated to Scotland as a young man, where he met and married Elizabeth Armstrong Abt 1748. Shortly afterwards going to the US settling in PA. We need documentation and could sure use some help from our members.
4468 Maternal Line - Caroline's mother was the dau of William Clinton Sensabaugh b 1888 TN & Virgie Collins. William Clinton Sensabaugh b 1888 is son of William Robert Sensabaugh b 1852 & Sarah Elizabeth McCormick b 1857. He was the son of Nicholas Sensabaugh b 1826 d 1863 Knox Co., TN & LOUISA MATILDA Armstrong b 1834 TN d Hawkins Co., TN. She was the dau of WILLIAM A* b Abt 1790 North Carolina & his wife Mary. Caroline thinks Mary's maiden name might have been Blair. We could use any help you might have to find birth and marriage records for William A* and wife Mary, and also any leads you might have for the parents of William A*
4429* (5470, 4335). Pat is the grandson of RUFUS VINCENT A*. His parents were JAMES MITCHELL A* b 1842 & Mary Vincent TURNER b 1855 Alabama, who married in1877. He was the son of JOSEPH A* b 1799 & his 2nd wife Charlotte B. MAY b 1812 who m 1837 KY and had 9 children. Joseph A* was the son of ROBERT A* 1757 & Mary "Polly" MCAFEE b 1770. They had ten children. His parents were JOHN A* Sr b 1732 Dumfries & his 2nd wife Priscilla MCDONALD b 1734 John A* Sr married 1st Catherine McDonald b 1727 the daughter of Bryan McDonald Sr b 1686 Co. Wicklow, Ireland & Catherine Robinson. Catherine nee McDonald was alive and named Catherine Armstrong in her father's will dated 21 May 1757. John A* Sr was one of the executors of his large estate. It is assumed that Catherine died shortly after her father most likely in child birth. John A* Sr married 2nd Priscilla McDonald her younger sister. We know the journal of, Rev Samuel Lanty McAfee D.D. (b 1841), says the mother of all 10 of John A*s children were Priscilla’s. However there are some who believe the 2 oldest children may have been sons of Catherine. All of the children certainly believed Priscilla was their mother. John A* Sr was the son of WILLIAM A* chr 28 Feb 1703 at Canonbie, Dumfries & Susanna BLYTHE b Abt 1703. We know they were living at Bankhead, Kirk Andrews upon Esk, Cumberland based on the christening records of some of their children. William A* & Susanna with sons John, William, & Lancelot "Lanty" emigrated to the US Bet 1742 and 1744.
We have chr records for their children William 27 Aug 1733 and Mary 23 Nov 1733 chr at Canonbie, and Lancelot "Lanty" chr 7 Sep 1740 at Gretna [5470's & 4335's ancestor]. We know there were more children b bet 1725-1731.
William A* (1703) was the son of JOHN A* b Bef 1670 & Janet CARRUTHERS. We know they married before 1697 based on the chr record for their son Francis who was chr at Canonbie.
This is our brick wall. We are looking for birth, marriage and death records for both John A* & Janet Carruthers. Does anyone have any clues to help us move forward?
2647* Lori traces her Armstrong ancestry through MERNA JEAN A*, GEORGE EARL A* LUTHER GEORGE A* and GEORGE SMITH A* (1825) (married Frances PHIN), all of Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. George Smith A*s parents emigrated about 1819 to New York from Roxburgh, Scotland with their eldest son JOHN SMITH A* 1815 (computed from his age at death). The second eldest, WILLIAM SMITH A*, was born in New York in 1819, and one more son and one daughter were likely born in New York before the family moved to Wellington County shortly before George Smith A*’s birth. A daughter born in Canada in 1831 also had the middle name Smith. George Smith A*’s father was also GEORGE; according to George sr’s gravestone in Fergus, Wellington County, he died in 1864, age 76, thus born 1788, and was born in Roxburghshire, Scotland. His wife, on the same stone, was Jane, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland. Her last name can be deduced from the middle name Smith of a number of their children. Thus they were likely George A* of the Parish of Hawick [Roxburghshire] and Jean SMITH of Edinburgh who married in Edinburgh in 1814. George A* Sr apparently emigrated with two brothers, WILLIAM 1791-1857 and THOMAS 1796-1869. Three baptisms in Bedrule, Roxburghshire appear to match the three brothers: George 1788, father JOHN A*, a shepherd (?) at Kewton (Hewton?); Wm 1791, father John A* of Rewcastle (Bewcastle?); and Thos 1796, father John A* of Newton? (Bewcastle crossed out). John A* could be John A* of Ancrum Parish, Roxburgh (about 7 miles from Bedrule), who married Betty MABIN of Jedburgh; However, there is no confirmation that Betty Mabin was the mother of George, William and Thomas A*. Can anyone shed any light on the relationship of the three brothers to John and Betty?
4479* Martha, is the granddaughter of JAMES WADSWORTH A* b 1868 & Abbie RICHMOND b 1877. He is the son of THOMAS A* b 1830 & Helen Lydia THOMPSON.   Thomas A*'s parents were JAMES R. A* who was a Saddler, b Abt 1802-1803 Ireland d 1866 in Baltimore, Maryland [MD] & Isabella BUCHANAN [or Buchannan] b Abt 1805 Ireland d 1853 in Baltimore MD. This A* family was Episcopalians and the Buchanan's were Presbyterians. Family lore says the reason for coming to America was on account of Isabella’s association with her influential distant cousin, James Buchanan, who later would become president of the US. Although 4479 has not been able to trace the exact lineage, she is still searching.
We are also still searching for their marriage in Ireland, but we know Thomas A* was the first of their children to be born in the US, so we believe they emigrated between late 1828 and before Oct 1830. At least one book says they arrived in 1830 prior to Thomas's birth. They had nine children. From an old family, 4479 believes James R. A*s parents might be GEORGE A* b Ireland & unknown Keys. According to an account by Thomas A* his grandfather [George] married twice and had sixteen children. By the same account, George A* had a brother Thomas A* b Ireland that emigrated and settled in Lancaster Co., Virginia.
Can any of you help us break down this brick wall?
See page 10 for an article on George Buchanan A* one of James and Isabella’s children.
4335* (5470, 4229). Melissa's great-grand parents were John P ESTES & AVENIA A* TN. She was the dau of MARION MONROE A* b 1878 & Thuly Randolph b 1877. Her parents were WILLIAM C. A* b 1850 & Martha H ROBERTS. He was the son of JOSEPH VANCE A* b 1804 & his 2nd wife Hulda Louise WRIGHT 1827.
He was the son of WILLIAM A* b Abt 1771 VA TN & Margery MCCALL b Abt 1782 d 1845. They had at least 8 children. William's parents were LANCELOT "Lanty" A* b 1740 KirkAndrews on Esk, Cumberland, and wife thought to be Rachel GAMBLE. Lanty & Rachel had 5 children including JOSIAH A* (5470's ancestor).
4357, 4358, 3495
Since we have three large A*s families with multiple A* lines here, we will begin with:
Steve [4358] is the grandson of ALBERT AUBREY A* b 1888. He is the son of WILLIAM HENRY A* b 1853. His parents were GEORGE WASHINGTON A* b 1810. His father was DAVID A* b Abt 1768 who married Rhoda TURNER had children: JAMES A*, WILLIAM T. A* & George Washington A* [4358's ancestor]. Rhoda Turner wife of David A* was the dau of James Turner & REBECCA A* who was the dau of GEN JOHN A* 1717-1795 who in most of the documents found is referred to as Colonel John A* & hw Rebecca, whose maiden name is in dispute, but who we believe was the dau of ARCHIBALD A* & Ann hw.   David A* 1768 was son of WILLIAM A* b 1728 & Ann BEATTY (Beaty). Archibald A* & hw Ann were the parents of Lieutenant EDWARD A* b Abt 1725, William A* b 1728 [4358's ancestor], Rebecca A* [likely 4357’s ancestor] m Colonel John A*, JOHN A* m Mary SPRINGER, and MARGARET A* m George DUFFIELD. We have Archibald A*s will dated 21 Aug 1767 Letters of Testamentary granted 18 May 1775 to William A* & John A*, sons & the executors. Lieutenant Edward A* who was killed by Indians at Fort Granville, has often been confused with Edward A* thought to be the brother of Gen John A*.
4357 Jacob travels back 7 generations to reach his A* ancestor who is Robert Turner b Abt 1760. He was the eldest child and son of James Turner b Abt 1740 & Rebecca A* Between James Turner's 1792 will and Rebecca nee A* Turner's 1825 will they had the following children: sons Robert, John, Moses, daughters Mary wife of John Boon, Martha wife of William Ross, Rebecca, Rhoda [4358's ancestor] and minor children [in 1792] James, William, Joseph and Sarah. Rebecca A* was the dau of Gen (Colonel) John A* & hw Rebecca.
Are you thoroughly confused yet? Well just wait it gets even more confusing Well for years articles and other publications have said Rebecca was the dau of Willian Lyon, b 2 May 1719 Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Ireland d 16 Nov 1797 Carlisle PA.   No primary evidence has ever been found. Most say they married in Ireland when she was about 20 years old and emigrated somewhere around 1745 to PA.
The most well documented of their children are sons Dr. JAMES A* b Abt 1748, m Mary and JOHN A* b Abt 1758, aka Major-Gen, Minister to France & Secretary of War under Madison who m Alida LIVINGSTON, and daughter Rebecca A* who m. James Turner.
Other children: (a) dau ALICE A* m Abt 1756 as his 1st wife, William LYON [who emigrated Abt 1745 with his uncle John A*, a surveyor in Carlisle]. William Lyon m2d Abt 1768 Ann FLEMING. He was son of John Lyon [who emigrated Abt 1763] & hw MARGARET Armstrong, sister of Gen (Col) John A* [3495's ancestor]; (b) possibly a son ARCHIBALD and (c) possibly dau Jane who married a Drennan.
We have a marriage record which says Rebecca A* married John Armstrong in 1746 in PA. We also have the above will of Archibald A* that names his daughter Rebecca A* married Colonel John Armstrong, and land records regarding heirs of Lt Edward A* killed at Granville which names sister Rebecca A* married Colonel John Armstrong.
3495* Lynn's A* ancestor is MARGARET A*, sister of Col John A*, who m John LYON in Ireland. As noted above, their son William Lyon m 2nd Ann Fleming who is 3495's ancestor.
Lynn's research provides possibilities, questions or conflicts regarding who is Rebecca wife of Col John A*. (See unabridged version.)
So, in sum, we are looking for any information and good sources that back up (or refute) the claim that Margaret Armstrong was daughter of James of Brookeborough, and that his ancestry in turn is as given in the Chronicles of the Armstrongs [which appears to be missing generations] In addition, any information is welcome over the relationship with / ancestry of the Lyon family, who seem to have been very close with the Armstrongs both in Northern Ireland and in Pennsylvania.
Another possibility but is it probable?? Are there two Colonel John A*'s and two different Rebecca's ????
Help! We desperately need primary evidence to sort it all out, whether it is PA or Ireland. If any of you have primary evidence for either of the immediate families of Archibald A* & hw Ann, or Gen (Col) John A* & hw Rebecca, please share it with us.
And of course All of us are still searching for the parents of Margaret A* and Col John A*. If it was James Armstrong of Brookeborough, which one and when was he born ????????????
4494-4497* Eric's great grandparents are WILLIAM ROBERT A* b 1883 [FL] & Frances Tait b 1887 [PA]. They had 7 children. His parents were ROBERT A* b Abt 1851 & Florence SWING b 1858 He had three siblings. He was the eldest child of ROBERT A* b Abt 1831 & Sarah SCOTT b 1834 Ireland. They married 1851 and had 5 other children. According to 1850 and 1860 census, Robert A* was the eldest child of ROBERT A* b Abt 1798 Ireland, a Stone Mason, & Margaret b bet 1808-1815 Ireland. Robert A* & Margaret had at least 4 other children all b in Philadelphia. We are searching for any documentation for this family including birth, death and marriage or emigration records. We have not had any success in Ireland, but one of you may have more from Philadelphia, PA where they resided from at least 1831 thru 1860. Please share with us.
4401-4403* Scott is a descendant of WILLIAM SAMPSON A* b 1824 Cossycon, Devenish parish, Fermanagh Co., Northern Ireland who emigrated to the US with his parents and siblings, Abt 1847 and settled in Ottawa, La Salle Co., IL. He was the son of WILLIAM A* b Abt 1785 Fermanagh & Sophia nee ARMSTRONG b Abt 1785, who m 25 Jan 1815 in Devenish parish. There are cemetery records from Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that show a William Armstrong d 9 Nov 1869 and wife Sophia Armstrong d 1854. William & Sophia had 10 children, bet 1815 and 1840, and in the 1841 Fermanagh, Devenish parish census, we find, Cossycon, Devenish, William Armstrong, head, Sophia wife, children Simon, William, John, Thomas, Noble, Andrew, Eliza, Sarah & Mary Anne, all of them are included except the eldest Robert A* b 1815 Cossycon. We are definitely stuck with who were the parents of both William A* & Sophia A*.
Now let's go to the maternal side of 4401's family as his mother is also an A* descendant of
FRANCIS A* b 1695 Fermanagh, & Deborah LATTIMORE 1695-1760, through their son WILLIAM A* & hw Mary CARR, whose son WILLIAM m Sarah JOHNSON, had a dau Mary who married James WOOD, and four Wood's generations later, 4401's mother was born. On this A* line Francis A* b 1695 is the common ancestor for 5421, 4242 and 4348. After years of searching, we still do not know who the parents of Francis A* are.We may be stuck in Fermanagh for both sides of 4401's family but we certainly have not given up. Has anyone found anything new?
7006* Rick is the grandson of FREDERICK MARTIN A* Sr b 1884 & Martha Tucker b 1876 IL he was the son of WILLIAM HENRY A* b 1860 1st wife Mary Cullen 1853. Based on census records, William Henry A* is the son of JOHN A* b 1835-1837 Ireland & Mary b 1838 Ireland. According to William Henry A*'s death cert his mother's maiden name was RANKIN.
The 1900 census says that Mary Rankin had 10 children, 6 living in 1900. We know we are missing one child, but think the 6 are William Henry, THOMAS b 1865, JANE b 1868, ELLSWORTH b Abt 1872. CLARA M., b Abt 1874 & MARY ESTELLA b Abt 1877. John was the youngest son of JOHN A* b Abt 1808 Ireland, & we think his 1st wife who is not known. They married in Ireland and also had at least THOMAS * b Abt 1828 and WILLIAM b Abt 1832. We are pretty sure the family arrived in the US settling in Middlesex Co., New Jersey somewhere between 1838 & 1842, because in 1850 census John A* & Jane b Abt 1813 Ireland [we think his 2nd wife] had children SUSAN Abt 1843, HENRY Abt 1845 & ELIVRA 1848-1849, all born in Middlesex Co., NJ. Anyone recognize any names? It sure would be nice to break through the brick wall.

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 86 May 2018

4379* New Member Michele is the grand-daughter of Arthur David MURRAY J. & Bettie Louise A*. Bettie Louise is the dau of Ralph SAMUEL A* b 1896 Pennsylvania [PA] & Izella Susan OLIVER b 1898 PA.
Ralph Samuel A*'s parents were WILLIAM L A* b 1869 Franklin Co., PA & Anna M. BECHTEL b 1870 PA. They married 1890 in Franklin Co., PA where they lived and raised 9 children: : John Bechtel,   Bertha Viola, Ralph Samuel (Michele's ancestor), Sarah C., Mary P., Ruth Leah, Emma Elizabeth, William J., & Helen M. William L. A*'s Death Cert says he was the son of JAMES A* b PA and Martha J. A* b PA. We cannot seem to find James A* and Martha J. A*'s Death Cert says she was b 1840 Franklin Co., PA the dau of GEORGE A* b Franklin Co., & that her mother's maiden name was COOK.
We have a George A* b 1811-1814 PA and Martha b Abt 1802 in Franklin Co., PA in 1850 with children, one of whom was Martha Age 8. It is possible that the mother's name was Martha Cook?
Also, we know Martha evidently died and George A* married a 2nd time bef 1857 Elizabeth Crest or Crist, and had two more children.
We could sure use some help here!!!!
3448* Simon now has a pedigree which shows how families these days move around the world. In six generations he has clocked up births in five countries….. but of course it all ends in Ireland! His grandfather was born in Manchester ENG in 1904 and started the present day globe-trotting after marrying Hilda SALT. His father WILLIAM was born in Pendlebury, LAN, ENG in 1864 and married Elizabeth BOOTH in 1889 in Chorlton, LAN. They had five other children. William’s parents were Thomas (a policeman) and Martha COOPER who were married in Adlington, LAN in 1861. They had four other children Thomas was born in Ireland and more precisely on one census as Belfast. He is recorded with his parents Thomas and Mary in Salford, LAN. His siblings being JOHN, MARK, ELIZABETH, FRANCIS, JANE and ANN. Due to rounding down the precise dates of birth are impossible to calculate as are his parents THOMAS (C1796) and MARY (1801). It is possible that they were married in Castledawson, Belfast, Co Derry, Ireland in 1829. Mary’s maiden name being PETTICREW.
3435* Keri has got ancestral connections with a number of generations in north east England, none of which appear on our database. Perhaps you have them on yours! ADAM (aka Allan) was born in Dawdon, Co Durham, ENG in 1904. His parents were THOMAS A* (1872), born Haswell, DUR, and Sarah-Jane WINFIELD. He had eight siblings. ADAM born 1849 at Seaham, DUR and Isabella SLEE were his parents. Adam had seven siblings. Adam’s parents (note the usage of Thomas and Adam across the generations) were THOMAS (1812-1859), born Seaham, married Anne LEWINS in 1832 in Bishop Wearmouth, DUR in 1832. (Note again the name Lewins in three generations.) Thomas was the second child of nine. Their parents were ADAM (1784-1848) in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Married Ann SEDGWICK 17 Jul 1808 in Seaham.
3464* Adam has his roots firmly in Leicestershire, ENG. Great grandfather ROBERT SI(Y)DNEY was born in Leicester in 1900 and married Florrie BAILEY in 1922. Father ROBERT was born in 1869 and he married twice first to Jessie Ann GRANT in 1869 and second to Alice Maud SPRIGGS in 1880 all in Leicester. Father GEORGE was born in Leicester in 1850 and had married Louisa COLTMAN in 1869. George had five siblings. Father Robert (1826) was born in a choice of Rothley, Leicester or Loughborough (all Leicestershire) depending on which census you believe! He married Jane Wyman (1824) in Leicester in 1846. There is a Robert christened in Leicester on 9 April 1826 with parents WILLIAM and Elizabeth. However there is no evidence that these are the right parents…. unless you know different!
2633* Trekker’s ancestors emigrated to Canada in the mid-1800s from Cumberland, ENG where his roots lie. JAMES was born in Cumberland but emigrated to Lambton, Ontario, Canada where he married Sarah HAND. James had four siblings: WILLIAM (1840), DAVID (1842), GEORGE (1843) and JANE (1846). Their parents were JOHN (1815) born in Cumberland and Mary JACKSON (1809-1879) John had six siblings. John’s parents were DAVID (1792) born Brampton, CUL and Frances RUTHERFORD of Sebergham CUL married in Stapleton in 1811. David’s parents were JOHN and Isabella SCOLLICK who were married in Brampton in 1781. John was possibly the son of GEORGE and Jane FORSTER, married 1761 at Lanercost. There is a John, son of George baptised in Brampton in 1764, but no mother’s name is given.
3478 New member Trevor has to go back to his GGGG grandmother to get his inevitably diluted Armstrong blood. Unfortunately it would appear that things both start and stop there. We have the banns of JANE Armstrong who married George HASWELL, ‘both of 21 years and upwards’, a bachelor and spinster of the Parish of Guisborough, Yorkshire, ENG on 29 August 1803. They had two children born in Guisborough, Elizabeth 15/04/1804 and Sarah 07/06/1806. There is no trace of the parents in the 1841 Census but both Jane and Elizabeth appear in 1851 in Northgate Union Workhouse. Jane is described as a pauper and Elizabeth as a furrier. Jane is classified as ‘dumb’, born in Scotland, and gives her age as 82 making her born C1796. There is an entry for a George Haswell baptised in Guisborough on 29/02/1780. In 1861 Elizabeth is living with her youngest daughter and her family. Here it says that Jane (jnr) was born in Edinburgh SCO. It would also be appear that the two daughters had no known father. So, our only hope was to find something in Scottish records other than we already have. Sadly nothing materialised even after searching Scottish derivatives of Jane viz: Jean, Janet, Jessie and Jenny. Perhaps you can help?
5083* Judith’s Scottish/Australian line starts with FRANCIS Armstrong who was possibly born in Dumfries on 29/10/1793. His father was also a FRANCIS. He married Jean BROWN (no details can be found of this). Their three children were all born in Tinwald, DFS, SCT. JOHN (1798), WILLIAM (1801), FRANCIS (1812) and GEORGE GREIG (1814). John married Agnes GRINDALL (no details can be found of this). They had four children. William married Agnes SMITH in Abbey, RFW, SCO in 1851. Two children were born before they set sail for Melbourne, AUS in September 1854, both in Neilston JOHN (1852) AND JAMES (1854). They had seven other children all born in St Kilda VIC, AUS. James married Margaret Douglas and produced a son, Judith’s grandfather, NORMAN in 1892. Is anyone related to the Scottish family?
2634 We are able to confirm new member Anthony’s Irish roots but unfortunately have hit a brick wall after that! JAMES Armstrong a farmer of Lachute, Quebec. His wife Elizabeth’s headstone says Elizabeth MILLS died 14 August 1881 age 70 and James died 7 May 1873 age 70 both natives of County Monaghan, Ireland. Son JOHN was born in Lachute 17 April 1835 and married Margaret SCOTT, on 25 Feb 1862. John died in 1918. From census returns it would appear that James and Elizabeth had 8 children. John’s son GEORGE SCOTT was born in 1875 and on 16 August 1905 married Eliza Coombes WHITE, Anthony’s great grandmother. Perhaps a forlorn hope…. but can anyone help out with this Irish descent?
5244* Martin has presented us with an amazing pedigree going back to the Lairds of Mangerton which we need to prove by primary evidence. This is where you can help. It’s the middle part of the pedigree which we need to concentrate on. The first part of it down to the second Christopher of Barngleish is solid but it is the part between with diversifies though Ireland down to George of Jamaica where we can then pick up a primary line. We think the pedigree may be correct beginning with George of Jamaica although we only have evidence of this apart from the Burke & Alexander’s Index entries and have not been able to find anything else about George on Ancestry, Roots Ireland, Find my Past, IGRS, Irish Genealogy or even Google. GEORGE (C1745) married Elizabeth née PHILLIPS widow of Andrew WALLER. Son THOMAS (C1775) married 1801 Killaloe, IRE Harriet ARMSTRONG: Ireland Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage Licence (no parents listed original on Find my Past, just an alphabetic index listing). Also two records for this marriage in the IGRS data base - still no parents for Thomas, but one source, Ennis Chronicle, calls him Capt Thomas Armstrong, groom in Longford Militia, date 13 August 1801, bride Miss Hariot Armstrong, father Edmund (!). They had up to ten children, JOHN SIMPSON A* being Martin’s relation. No birth can be found but death records place it in 1810. Australian death record identifies his father as Thos mother Hariot Armstrong and birth year 1810. Irish Directories confirm his residence and occupation in Ireland to 1857, and in Geelong, Australia in 1872 through 1879 as a Barrister, and shows the year of his call to the bar as 1837. He married Alice O'DELL on August 23, 1855 at St. Peter's Church, Dublin. Their oldest child, THOMAS HENRY (1857), was supposedly born in Ireland, nine other children in Australia. What we really want to do is get some ideas on the missing links. We have deliberately not told you what’s on Martin’s pedigree as we don’t wish to influence anyone’s thoughts!
3477/3392 New member Arthur has linked up with April as having common ancestors with the Riccarton Mill - Armstrongs (NEWS Edition 81) They have common ancestors from JAMES Armstrong (1752) who married Isabella ARMSTRONG (1755) who was born in Riccarton Mill, Newcastleton, ROX, Scotland. Son JAMES was born in 1793. The lines diversify after James married Margaret Little. James’s son another JAMES (1822) continued to run the mill while sister CHRISTIAN (Kitty) (1826) married James TELFER (1820) from whom Arthur is descended.
4397* New member Dennis and his father are the only two generations born in the USA. Further back the previous three generations are Scottish and her furthest ancestor Irish. As usual we have hit a brick wall in Ireland but with this clue we have been able to unearth another Armstrong line which remained in Dundee when Dennis’s grandfather emigrated from there. JOHN (1886) had married Daisy A WHYTE, of Scottish descent, in Manhattan NY. John was the son of another JOHN (1850) who married Ann RICHIE (1848) in Perth SC0 in 1880. Father ROBERT (C1786) had married Mary STOTT in Dundee SCO in 1847 and they were found in the 1851 Census living in Dundee John aged 7 months and sister Margaret 21 months. What was really interesting was that Robert was aged 63 and Mary 30! Had Robert been married before? The answer was in the 1841 Census where he is found in Dundee with wife Ellen (C1793) and children ANN (C1821), WILLIAM (1826) and ROBERT (1829). All were born in Ireland. Unfortunately any Censuses we have used for any member of this family simply states Ireland with no precise place name. We were able to trace William and Robert in Scotland as they remained in Dundee with apparently no other Armstrongs ‘getting in the way’ according to census returns. Robert married Jean/Jane BROWNLEE and they had three daughters. A son ROBERT (1855) died in infancy. William married Susan POWELL in 1847. They had eight children. Mother Susan died in 1865 aged 38 having given birth to eight children. Further generations can be found around Dundee. Do you know any Armstrongs with Dundee roots? If so they are likely to be related!
3470 Anthony can boast two Armstrong lines and needs a bit of your help with them. We have been able to confirm nearly all his researches but have been unable to proceed much further. JAMES ROBERT Armstrong was born in Jarrow, DUR, ENG in 1882. He was the son of ISAAC/ISAIAH A* born in Ireland who had married Ellen ARMSTRONG on 3 May 1880 at St Paul’s Jarrow and his father’s name is given as John, a farmer. Ellen’s parents were THOMAS (1808) born in Fermanagh and Jane ALFORD (1813). Anthony believes Thomas’s parents were GEORGE A* (C1765) of Scotland and Jane LEE, but we cannot find primary records to support this. Do you have any clues?
4368 New member Tracey is the dau of DONALD WAYNE A* & Roberta MIDDLETON. Donald W. A* was the son of STANLEY ROBERT A* b Missouri d Indiana [IN] & his 1st wife Mildred DeLAPP. Stanley Robert A*'s parents were ROBERT FRANKLIN A* b 1874 Jersey Co., Illinois [IL] & Elsie May McSPADDEN b IL d IN. Robert Franklin A*'s Death Certificate says he was b in Jerseyville, Jersey Co., IL and that his parents were FRANKLIN Armstrong born unknown, & Martha SCHUTTS b OH [b Abt 1847, d IN]. Franklin A* apparently d between 1874-1876 in IL, and Martha m 2d John W. ANDERSON (b Abt 1845 Sweden d IN) before 1876 possibly in IL. In 1880, John W Anderson & Martha are residing in Sugar Creek, Vigo Co., IN, Robert Franklin A* (listed as Anderson in 1880 & 1900) is the eldest child in the household and their first child Alvin Chase Anderson was b Jul 1876 in IL. We have Alvin's death certificate which names John W. Anderson & Martha Shutts as his parents. Their 2nd child, John E. Anderson was b Abt 1878-9 in IL.
Our road block is on several fronts. First we do not know when or where Franklin A* was born or died. Also, we have not been able to find marriage records for either of Martha (Shutts) Schutts' marriages and the correct spelling of Martha's maiden name is also not clear. Have any of you run across this family during your research? We could sure use your help.
4349 New member Teresa is the dau of DONALD EUGENE A* & Margie Marie BRANCH. Donald was the son of ROLLIE HERSHEL A* & Nola PARKS. Rollie Hershel A*'s parents were ALLEN TRIBBLE A* b 1868 Franklin Co TN & Clara Myrtle RAWLINS / ROLLINS. Allen Tribble A*'s parents were WILLIAM C. A* b Bet 1830-1833 TN & Mary Emeline PURCELL. William C. A* & Mary Purcell had eight children including ALLEN TRIBBLE A* Teresa's ancestor. WILLIAM C. A* was the son of John A* b Abt 1803 Georgia [GA] and his wife Elizabeth. We are not sure what her maiden name was. Some people including Teresa believe she was Elizabeth MILLS and that they married 1819 in Rhea Co., Tennessee [TN], others believe she was Elizabeth HURLEY. John A* 47M GA, Farmer, & wife Elizabeth 51M TN in 1850 are living in Coffee Co., TN with children WILLIAM, son 17 TN, DAVID, son 15 TN, WILBURN, son 12 TN, SARAH, dau 9 TN, we think dau Mary Russel, head, 26 TN, Mary dau 8 TN, Cyrena dau 2 TN, William, son 4/12 TN, and mother DARCAS Armstrong, 69Wd NC, near his brother??, WILLIAM Armstrong, head, 44 GA, School Teacher, Susan, wife, 36M TN, MARY, dau 15 TN, JAMES, son 12 TN, HARRIET, dau 7 TN, JOHN, son 5 TN, MARTHA, dau 1 TN. Using 1850 census John's mother was Docas or Darcas Armstrong widow, b Abt 1781 North Carolina. She died Abt 1859 Franklin Co., TN. We are also searching for his father who died before 1850 and could sure use some help here. A local genealogist in Franklin & Coffee Co., TN has told Teresa that John Armstrong born 1803 and his brother James Armstrong moved to Coffee County/Franklin County TN with their widowed mother Darcus from Georgia in the early 1800's. We have not been able to identify a brother James, but have a WILLIAM A* b Abt 1806 GA living close by in 1850 with wife Susannah C MILLS.
In 1840 census, Franklin Co TN, on the same page are: HAMBLETON A*, Age 20-30, JNO A*, Age 30-40, JAMES A* Jr, Age 20-30, WM A*, Age 30-40 and JAMES A* Sr, Age 60-70. In 1840 census Coffee Co TN a John Armstrong, Age 30-40, and what appears to be Wilburn [indexed as William] A* Age 20-30. In 1830 census, Franklin Co TN are John Armstrong Age 60-70 [who appears to be in the county as early as 1812], and also a John Armstrong Age 20-30 and James Armstrong Age 50-60 who are listed on the same page. We could sure use your help untangling this mystery of who is the father of John A* b Abt 1803 GA.
4370/4252* New member Cat's parents are GLORIA JANE A* & Benjamin W MCKEEN. Gloria Jane A* was the dau of DANA WENDELL A* & Elizabeth Mary BAGLEY. Dana Wendell A*'s parents were LESTER P A* b 1881 & Clara Jane INGALIS b 1882. Lester P. A* was the son of WARREN A* 1846 Maine [ME] & his 1st wife Clara Elizabeth BERRY.
Warren A*'s parents were ROBERT W. A* chr 4 Sep 1814 at Gretna, Dumfries, Scotland, d ME & Ruth W HOYT b1818. Robert's death record says he was b Scotland and names his parents as WILLIAM A* & Elizabeth LANGHORN, both b Scotland. His Naturalization Record says b 12 Aug 1815 Carlisle, England, arrived in Machias, ME 19 Jul 1819, Naturalized 1838. Robert & Ruth had 11 children all b Washington Co., ME:     Robert W. A* was the son of WILLIAM A* b 1792 Dumfries Scotland d 1862 Washington Co., Maine [ME], & Margaret LANGHORN (Langhorne) b 1788-1789 England, d Machiasport, Washington Co., ME, m 1814 St Mary's Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Margaret's middle name may have been Elizabeth. Using death records, and census, we think they had children 9 children. Member 4252 Sherry is related on her maternal side thru Mary Bieber Hoyt who m William Burton A*. Mary Bieber Hoyt was the dau of Theodore N Hoyt & Sarah A. Fitzhenry, Theodore N. Hoyt was the son of Nelson Hoyt & Elizabeth thought to be nee A*. Nelson, Ruth W., and Lewis W. Hoyt were siblings and thought to be children of Benjamin Hoyt and Mary Waterhouse. Guess what, there are more Armstrong-Hoyt marriages in other branches of this family. Are you totally confused yet? Well we are and could still really use some help from our members.
4392* New member Judy is the dau of ALEXANDER THANE A* & Mildred THUNELL. Alexander Thane A* was the son of HARRY THANE A* b 1880 Toronto, Canada & Olga ANDERSON b New York. Based on strong circumstantial evidence, we believe Harry Thane A* was the son of ALEXANDER A* [Alex Thane A* on his tombstone] b 1853 Castleton, Roxburgh, Scotland, d 1910 Toronto, Canada, & Rosa Johnson b 1852 Ontario, Canada. Harry Thane A* b 1880 & Olga Anderson's second child and first son was also named Harry Thane A*. He died aged 1 yr 8 mo, in Toronto, probably while the family was visiting, and is buried at St James Cemetery, in the same plot as Alexander A* & Rosa Johnson. Alexander A* was the son of GEORGE A* b 1813 Canonbie, d 1874 Ontario, & Mary MURRAY b Westerkirk, Dumfries, d 1899 Ontario, who married 1832 in Westerkirk, Dumfries. They had 12 children.
George A*'s parents were JOHN A* 1783-1863 & Agnes WARWICK of Greenburn, Canonbie. They married 1809 Canonbie and together had 11 children born between 1809 and 1833. John A* was the son of JOHN A* b Abt 1734 d 1818 Greenburn, Canonbie & Margaret SCOTT b Abt 1745, d 1833 Greenburn. They married 1769 in Canonbie and together had 10 children between 1770 and 1787.
We are continuing to look for primary evidence that Harry Thane A* b 1880 is the son of Alexander A* & Rosa Johnson. Can anyone help us? Also, Thane is an unusual name so out of curiosity does anyone have any Thanes in their Armstrong family?
4404-4407* Welcome new family members 4404-4407, Felica's mother is CAROL A* [born in Oregon] dau of WALLACE WILLIAM A* & Helen GRAINGER, both born Manitoba, died in Nevada USA. WALLACE WILLIAM A* was the youngest child of WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER A* b 1868 Ontario, who was killed during the construction of Manitoba's Parliament Building, & Anne Savina WATTAM b Abt 1871 Ontario, d in Oregon USA. They married in Dufferin, Ontario, and together had six children. William Christopher A*'s parents were JAMES A* b Abt 1844 d Manitoba, & Christina MYLES [Miles], b Bet 1838-1841, d 1898 Ontario. Both were born in Ireland, married 1865 in Grey, Ontario, and as far as we can tell had two children, WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER A* and MARGARET JANE A* b 1870 Ontario, d Manitoba, who married Richard BOYS. James A* was the son of CHRISTOPHER A* b 1800 Ireland d 1883 Grey, Ontario, & his 1st wife Ann. They had three children (1) WILLIAM LUCAS A* b Abt 1842 Ireland, d in BC, m1st Mary Ann WALKER, m2d Ellen MEAHAN, (2) JAMES b Ireland [Felicia's ancestor], and (3) MARGARET b Abt 1848 Ontario, d Bef 1893 in Ontario or BC, married Joseph CAMERON in 1873 Grey, Ontario.
We do not know Ann's maiden name, but we suspect it may be LUCAS. Ann died before 1851 possibly in Grey, Ontario, as we find the children living with others we suspect are aunts and uncles in 1851, all residing in Grey, Ontario. (1) We find William Lucas A* who appears to be by himself Age 11 b Ireland in 1851. We think there may be a census taker error or we are missing a page of the census, since we cannot image an 11 yr old child living by himself. In 1861, he is the head of the household and his sister Margaret A* living with him. (2) James A* is living with Thomas & Mary Sirr in 1851 and in 1861 with Alexander & Matilda Sirr, next door to Thomas & Mary Sirr. Mary Sirr's maiden name was Lucas. On the same census page in both 1851 & 1861 is an Andrew & Elizabeth A* family, both born Abt 1811 Ireland, that we have not been able to identify whether or not they are related to Christopher A*. (3) Margaret A* is living with William Lucas & his wife Mary Ann in 1851 and with her brother William Lucas A* in 1861. Christopher A* married 2nd Elisabeth nee WILLIAMSON- FORSYTH in 1868 in Wellington, Ontario. This marriage record says he is the son of PHILLIP & Margaret A*. If any one of you can help us fill in the blanks in this family, we would sure appreciate you help.
3491 New member Richard has a tree which has its roots in NE England. Rchard’s grandfather was JOSEPH A* born in 1887 in Co Durham. He married his wife Eleanor BULL(E)Y (1889) in 1911. Joseph was the son of another JOSEPH (1859) born in Heworth DUR and married Isabella HUME in 1886. Joseph’s father RICHARD (c1828) married Jane GLADSON in 1853 where his father is named as THOMAS (a tile maker). In the 1861 Census he gives his birthplace as Heworth. This could be significant… see later. From his death in 1905 it is possible that his christening was in Newcastle on 16 August 1828 – parents Thomas and MARGARET. The significant census is the 1841 one. This is when things go rather haywire. This shows Richard, aged 10 not 12 but it is likely to be him as there are no other candidates anywhere close! It then lists Thomas 70, Margaret 60, MARGARET 25, HANNAH 20, ROBERT 19, FRANCES 15, RICHARD 10 and JOHN 2. Bearing in mind that the 1841 Census showed ages upward of 15 being rounded down to the nearest 5 (i.e.60 and 25) except where the enumerator went off on his own rules i.e. 19! This means that Margaret the elder could have been 64. Sadly others have neglected the fact that certainly John and Richard could not have been her children although the rest were more than likely hers and lumped the whole lot together as her children. This cannot be the case so how does this one unravel? On Richard’s marriage certificate his father Thomas’s occupation is a tile maker. In 1841 this Thomas is a baker (The only significance being that they both used hot ovens in their processes!) so on the face of it we are looking for another generation of Armstrongs in this household who aren’t there in 1841 namely another Thomas and Margaret! Using the Heworth connection the following was found. On 13 October 1811 THOMAS A* married Margaret GREY at Heworth Chapelry, Jarrow. A baptism is recorded on 18 October 1812 at Heworth of THOMAS A* son of Thomas and Margaret. Significantly the birth of Thomas is dated 9 March 1811 so it appears that he was born out of wedlock and was only ‘legalised’ a year after the wedding. Three other children followed at Heworth: MARGARET bp 12 November 1815, HANNAH bp 13 September 1818 and ROBERT bp 16 September 1821. These three would fit within the 1841 census. Frances, using the rounding down process could also be a sibling but there is no record of this. Neither Thomas or JOHN’S (bp 7 February 1839 Gateshead) parents Thomas and Margaret) could have been their children. Added to this there is the baptism of ELIZABETH with the same parents on 16 August 1832 at High St Weslyan, Gateshead.) So we are looking for another Thomas and Margaret. Can Thomas (1811) be Richard’s father? On the face of it no – too young but there again we may have the wrong info on Richard’s age at death (the person who really knows can’t tell you) so we can’t rely on the only baptism we found. No trace of the elusive pair can be found at all. Possibly they were both dead. The major thing to remember is we are working in the time just before Civil Registration when only the God fearing had their children baptised or had their deaths recorded! Things began to change in 1837……Perhaps you know better!!
3493 New member Claire’s great grandfather WILLIAM ARTHUR was born in Cardiff in 1897 and married Agnes Stevenson GAULT in the June Quarter of 1919. Formerly the family were from the Lancashire area of England, William Arthur’s father, another WILLIAM being born in Preston in 1870 who married Albina Jane WEAVER in 1896 in Cardiff. Unfortunately from then on two things didn’t help – first inaccuracies in some indexes (always check them against originals) – and is Ryding spelt like that or Riding? The date of Dec 1870 for William’s birth was fortuitous as he therefore must have been in the 1871 Census in 1871…… but he wasn’t! OK on to 1881 – he must have been alive so where was he? There was a William of the correct age, born Preston living with his grandfather, John Ryding, a widow born Warton (Wharton?). It was then necessary to find out if he had a daughter called Ruth (fortunately a less common name at that time), as we had found the marriage of a Ruth RYDING (C1848) to a THOMAS A* in 1867 in Preston, and this turned up in the 1861 Census mistranscribed as Reding and spelt as Riding! So that proved the connection. It would appear that they had two children as there is a JOHN with the mother’s maiden name (albeit spelt with an ‘i’) born Sept Q 1868 and William’s is indexed with the same spelling of Riding. John appears to have died soon after birth with an age of ‘0’.
So where were Thomas and Ruth in the 1871 Census? Well nowhere exactly! What had happened to them? A double death – perhaps. The Preston indexes do confirm the death of a 24 year old Thomas in Preston in the March Q of 1871, which, significantly is just before the 1871 Census which would account for him, but nothing on Ruth. Certainly no death either.
Sometimes your luck just turns but in a bizarre way and we think this is one of them! We tracked John Ryder down in the 1871 Census and on it it has John and his wife and three children Ruth, Annie and William. Hang on… Ruth got married in 1867! Wife Bridget is 45. Has she really got a child named William of 5 months? No, but she’s got a grandson William of 5 months named Armstrong whose father died in the last 4 months! So it looks as though we have found William but in a different guise. This can only be proved by extracting Ruth and Thomas’s marriage certificate which will give the fathers’ name. We will wait and see….
4451* New member Ned is the son of VERNON LEVI A* & Duddgah Faye CASSIDY, and the grandson of ARTHUR MARSHALL A* b 1884 Logan Co., Arkansas [AR] & Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" STARR b 1894 AR. Arthur Marshall A* was the son of SAMUEL ANDREW A* 1863 AR d Logan Co., AR & Margaret M. WITT b 1866 AR d Benton Co., AR, m 1883 Logan Co., AR and had 13 children, all born in Logan Co., AR. Samuel Andrew A*'s parents were MARSHALL C A* b Abt 1832 Virginia [VA] & Rachel Caroline ANDERSON m 1858 White Co., AR. They also had a dau PENELOPE "NELLIE" b Abt 1862 AR. Rachel Caroline m 2nd Horatio EMBERSON b Abt 1827 before 1870. Marshall C. A* was son of SAMUEL A* b Abt 1807 VA and Ara b Abt 1815. We only know about Samuel A* & Ara from 1850-1880 census records. It appears they had 10 children.We are still looking for birth, marriage and death records for most all of these children as well as the parents. So if anyone can help us find anything about this family it would be a great help.
5251 Jeanie can trace her Irish ancestry to her great great grandfather ALEXANDER A*, born about 1797, and his son JOSEPH HORSFORD A*, born about 1837, probably in Dublin. The deaths of both are documented in Fremantle, Western Australia, Alexander in 1866, Joseph in 1876 (his death record gives his full name). Family lore suggests that they arrived in Australia in 1853 on the Robert Small convict ship, Alexander being listed as a “religious instructor; protestant,” Joseph not being listed although one or two passengers were unaccounted for. Joseph could possibly be JOSEPH Armstrong born May 17, 1837, in Dublin, address Kingstown, father ALEXANDER A* mother Margaret, but this cannot be confirmed. Family lore suggests that Alexander’s ancestors came to Ireland around 1750 with sufficient assets to buy (lease?) an estate and build a large mansion. Joseph A* married Elizabeth Jane LOANE January 31, 1861 in Fremantle, WA, and they had eight children, including Jeanie’s grandmother ANNIE MAUDE A* who married William Henry LAMB October 10, 1887. Does anyone have any further information about Jeanie’s Irish ancestors?
3490 Sam can trace his line back as far as ADAM PEARSON A* (1788) of Dalkeith SCO who married Margaret GOW in Edinburgh in 1810. After the birth of son FRANCIS FRASER A*in Dalkeith in 1813 the family emigrated to Australia. Francis married Mary Ann MEWS. Son ADAM WILLIAM A* was born in Freemantle WA in March 1852. He married Mary CASS. Son WILLIAM FRANCIS, Sam’s grandfather, was born in 1893 and he married first Dorothy Grenada Ches BAWDEN in 1924 and then Judith E MACLAUGHLIN in 1928. All this is straightforward but it’s Adam Pearson’s father who is causing all the problems! There is a Christopher A* (son of John A* and Grizel Scott) who was born before 03 Mar 1754 in Harelawhill, Canonbie, Dumfries-shire, Scotland. Certainly Adam Pearson’s father was a CHRISTOPHER but there is no primary evidence that he is the one who married Elizabeth DICK on 01 Dec 1775 in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. This is possibly a bit “best fit technology”. No-one has come up with proof that it is the right person. One also has to consider the relative distance between Dalkeith and Canonbie. That is over 70 miles. We are talking about mid-18th Century travel. Statistically it would be highly unusual for anyone to travel outside a 20 mile radius especially if you were merely one of the working classes who would be lucky to even have a horse! Of course you might be able to give us the evidence that indeed Christopher did undertake this journey from Canonbie!
4389 New member Cynthia is the great granddaughter of James Sherfield CHILDRESS b 1854 in Marshall Co., Alabama & MIKEL CALDONIA A* b 1854 Jackson Co., AL. Mikel Caldonia A* was the dau of LORENZO DOW A* b 1833 Jackson Co., AL, d DeKalb Co., AL & Martha Evans b 1833 AL. They married 1854 in DeKalb Co., AL and had 10 children. Lorenzo Dow A* was the son of STEPHEN A. A* b Abt 1801 GA AL and his 1st wife thought to be Rachel WILLIAMS. Rachel died before 1840 and Stephen A* married again Catherine "Katy" HOWELL. Between the two wives, Stephen A. A* had 14 children. We are still looking for birth, marriage and death records and could definitely use some help. We are also searching for a lead to find Stephen's parents. Does anyone have any ideas to help us out?

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 85 November 2017

3440 New member Bill is the son of HARVEY WHOLFRED A* (1920) of Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada, born in England. Harvey’s parents were JAMES (b. 1882 Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada) and Letitia SCHELL. James’ father was JOHN (b. 1865 Quebec) and Josephine SMITH. Bill lists John’s parents as being WILLIAM H A* and Elizabeth MILLS. Searching Ontario sources to try to find out more about William, in particular to get other statements of his age, led to nothing. However there is an 1891 Census entry for Eliza - listed as W H Armstrong strangely, using her husband's initials but female and a widow so clearly her. Son John, was found in the Census only 2 pages later. This census entry thus pins down William's death as being between 1881 when he appears in the Census and 1891, but we are unable to find his death. So, still left with only one source for his age, the 1881 Census aged 38 (b. 1843) His age matters because on Roots Ireland the marriage for William and Eliza Mills states that they were both of "full age". Given that Roots Ireland often lists the bride and grooms’ ages as 22 when a statement like that appears for their age one assumes that means 21 was "full age". The suggestion is that this was incorrect and that he was in fact something like 48. Eliza was said to be 42, and thus she would have been 22 in 1861. In 1891 she was said to be 57, and when she died in 1897 60. This data would make her earliest birth year 1834, but it is possible she always understated her age.
Taking into account where they were living when married (Killeevan, Monaghan) and their fathers' names, (John and Samuel) there are two possible births for William, in 1831 in Clones, Monaghan and 1842 in Currin, Monaghan favouring the 1831 birth based on arguments above and on the birth for an Eliza Mills in 1832 in Clones, Monaghan.
No death records or burials have been found for either William or John (1865). John's death date has been narrowed down a little more looking at the marriage records for two of his children, married in November 1911, father being listed with an occupation, and not dead. If a death certificate for William existed it would not likely list his parents as records in the 1880s did not, but John's would have if the person registering the death knew their names. John was listed in one of the children's marriages as a lumberman, so it is possible he was in the bush somewhere when he died and thus possibly not in Muskoka. Research suggests that Josephine Smith was only 13 when she married in 1883! And if we are wrong about William's age and he really was only 43 in 1881, then he also lied about being of full age when he married!
3444 Dione has a rich pedigree which is now based in England, one generation in USA, two in Canada and the initial three in Middleton in Teesdale, Co Durham, England. All this is well documented except we can find no mention of their place of origin being Middleton in the Canadian records. VICTORIA ALICE A* was born in Haldimand Co, Canada in 1862 and married Joseph SPENCER in 1883. Alice was the last of eleven children born to JOHN A* (b. Middleton in Teesdale 1814) to Jane CAGHILL (Coghill-Caggle-Cargill-Kaghill). First child MARY ANN was born in 1837 but their marriage date remains a mystery as this must have occurred just before Civil Registration. John was the son of JOSEPH A* (1873) and Margaret CLARK. They had five children. Joseph’s father was another JOSEPH (b. 1755 Middleton in Teesdale) who married Margaret AINSLEY at Middleton in 1778.
The strongest bit of evidence so far to link these generations is in the 1841 Census which shows a Jos(eph) KAGILL living with the family. This is believed to be Jane’s brother – just another spelling variation. The significant thing which was not shown on the transcript is the “silly” column which asks whether the occupier was born in the same county as the census was taken in, with a yes or no answer which promises much but says little! The original says “no”. That really is sufficient proof that Jane was born a Kagill so the family is correct. Of more interest, which probably seals the brother/ sister relationship is the record shows that neither were born in Co Durham. So we went on a chase for Joseph and am pretty sure I have found him in Shildon in 1851. The age is about right and in the censuses from 1851 to 1891 consistently says he was born in Preston, Yorkshire and his name was Caygill. So that might help with the missing marriage.
5218 New member Diane resides in Australia but the rest of her pedigree, which we have managed to extend, is in Scotland. Her grandfather JAMES TERRAS A* (b. Markinch SCO in 1900) was the son of HENRY J A* (b. 1794 in Dunbar, Haddingtonshire SCO) he married Jessie TERRAS in 1895 in Markinch. Henry’s father ANDREW* (b. Jedburgh, Roxburghshire SCO C1830) married a Lucy Jane as is shown in consistent censuses from 1871 but that is when the trouble starts! The suspicions about Andrew Armstrong’s background are founded on the fact that are no references about his whereabouts in the three other censuses that were taken in 1841/51/61. He should appear in all three, but this has also been made more difficult by the fact that his wife Lucy Jane consistently says on all the censuses that she was born in England but no place is given. We have searched both sides of the border for the marriage without any luck even in the remotest way, so that remains a mystery. However an entry for an Andrew A*’s baptism in 1829 at Associate Congregation or Free Church, Jedburgh, Roxburgh, SCO might well explain the impossibility of finding anything out. It would appear that Andrew was born out of wedlock and the mother Helen MERTON “shopped” the father by giving away his surname. (Pity she didn’t give his forename as that would have given us someone to trace!) This discovery led us down a line of looking for Mertons in the censuses - but again no luck.
5223 Felice’s grandmother was ETHEL MARY A* born in Manchester ENG in 1879. Her father, JOSEPH BOYD A* (b. Manchester 1831), had married Caroline MARSDEN He was at least the third generation of a family of watch/clockmakers and silversmiths. His father JOSEPH (b. London 1798) married Sarah BOOTH in Manchester Cathedral in 1823. He was the son of ROBERT A* who married Mary BLINKOW at Westminster, London in 1794. They had six children. In 1825 Joseph set up business at 261 Deansgate, Manchester as jeweller and silversmith, shop known locally as the old Deanery. By 1851 - Joseph brought his elder sons into the business. Thomas had already been managing the firm for some years. Thomas, who had presumably been apprenticed to an optician, expanded the business to include the manufacture of spectacles and optical instruments. In 1868 Thomas took his brother in law, George Booth, into partnership and changed the company's name to Thomas Armstrong & Brother. In 1965 it was taken over by Harrisons Opticians and finally in 1968 by Dollond & Aitchison. We have drawn a blank on Robert’s background. However there was another Robert A*, a clockmaker of Manchester, who married Susanna NEEDHAM at St Mary’s Manchester in 1811. Were these Roberts related?
5227 Elizabeth has been able to identify three generations of Irish descendants which is more than most folk can! THOMAS MONTGOMERY A* (b. 1813 Coothill, County Cavan IRE). He married Caroline Elizabeth HAMMOND in Lyons Mill, Western Australia. He had siblings MARGARET JANE (1837), JOSEPH (b.1839 of Drumgoon, Co Cavan), JOHN JAMES (1840) and WILLIAM (1843). Their parents were WILLIAM A* (b. 1813 Cootehill IRE) and Catherine MONTGOMERY (1815). William’s parents were JOSEPH (b. 1786 Cootehill Co Cavan who married Martha BROWN in 1812 at Drumgoon. In Early 19th century Tithe Books, Co Cavan there are possible matches for Joseph and William - the parish matches baptism of Thomas & consistent with Drumgoon, more or less. Joseph Armstrong, 1833, Drumnaculla Townland, Killsherdeny Parish; William Armstrong, 1833, Drumnagran Townland, Killsherdeny Parish; William Armstrong, 1833, Duharick Townland, Killsherdeny Parish. Does anyone recognise this family?
5229 Kim’s great great grandfather, JOHN STEPHENSON A*, arrived in Australia aged 6. He was the son of PETER A* and Elizabeth STEPHENSON born in Haltwhistle NBL England in 1849. Peter’s father JOHN (b. 1793 in Whitfield NBL) married Elizabeth WILKINSON in Kirkhaugh NBL in 1817. Father SAMUEL (b. 1758 Burnhead, Haltwhistle, NBL) married an unknown Ann. Samuel was one of the 18 (eighteen) children produced by WILLIAM Armstrong (b. C1724 Burnhead, Haltwhistle) and Elizabeth KIRK his wife. This line is very well documented. Do you fit in to it anywhere?
5226 Kaye in Australia has to go back three generations until she finds ancestors in the UK. CHRISTOPHER A* was born in Leadgate Co Durham ENG in 1855 and married Jane Matilda DAVIDSON in Lanchester, Co Durham in 1875. Their son THOMAS FRANCIS was born at sea in the barque Oaklands on the way to Australia. The first three generations that have been found in England are all based in and around Stanhope, Co Durham. Christopher’s father JOHN (1832) married Elizabeth SMITH in Lanchester in 1851. Father GEORGE was born in 1799 at St Thomas, Stanhope and married Maria HUTCHINSON in Allendale NBL in 1824. The registers give George’s parents as JAMES and Elizabeth OLIVER who were married at Stanhope in 1795. Unfortunately the trail there runs cold as we have been unable to trace James’s baptism.
2619 Ronald’s father MELBURN WILLIAM Armstrong was born in Brant, Ontario, Canada in 1901 and married Dora Mae ROCK. His father was WILLIAM JAMES A* (b. 1866 in Norfolk County Ontario) who married Hannah Elizabeth CARPENTER. His father was SAMUEL A* (C1837) who married Mary Ann HALLIGAN on Dec 24, 1860 in Walpole Township, Haldimand which is consistent with the Brant connection. Samuel is said to have been born in Walpole, but their 1861 Census entry in Walpole and subsequent Census entries in the area state he was born in Ireland. Samuel's marriage record states that his father was JOHN and mother was Mary. No marriage could be found in Ireland of a John Armstrong and a Mary with any information that would permit a match with this couple or with the family being researched here. Samuel's death record does not state who his parents were so no help there either. Any ideas?
2629 Marion’s grandfather WILLIAM ROY Armstrong was born in Milbridge, Ontario, Canada in 1901 and married Margaret Jane Smith. His father was JOSEPH EDGAR A* (b.1864 Dickey Lake, Ontario) who married Jane THOMPSON. Joseph’s father WILLIAM was born in Tyrone Ireland - according to his marriage record – the precise date being uncertain due to discrepancies in the census records which put it as either 1846, 1851, 1852, 1853 or 1861. Records also show that he left Ireland in either 1862, 1864 or 1865! He married Elizabeth RAY on 16 May 1873 in Glanmire in Tudor Township, Hastings County Ontario. This points to his birth being earlier rather than later in relation to the censuses. The marriage lists his parents as SAMUEL A* and Elizabeth. If a birth year between 1851 & 1853 is accepted this makes the following marriage possible for Samuel except it is in Antrim parish, Antrim County, both address Ballyhill Lower – there is no likely marriage in County Tyrone. Samuel Armstrong age 26, Labourer father SAMUEL Armstrong, Weaver and Elizabeth MAY, over 21, father Thomas May weaver. There are only two other marriages on Roots Ireland of a Samuel Armstrong to an Elizabeth, both Antrim, 1873 and 1888. Perhaps you have some clues?
4346 Robin’s last C19 ancestor was CYRIL JAMES A* born on 10 Apr 1893 in Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan, USA. He married Ruth Eva HESTER on 02 Feb 1918 in Waco, McLennan Co. Texas. They had children VIRGINIA AILEEN born on 20 Jun 1920, CYRIL JAMES JR. born on 09 May 1924, THOMAS DONALD was born on 23 May 1927 and ROBERT FREER born on 24 Jun 1928. Cyril James’s father was WILLIAM JAMES A* born 24 May 1863, Detroit, Michigan USA. He married Emma M. FREER in 1888. His father WILLIAM M A* was born in Northern Ireland C1833. He married Elizabeth DALEY in Wyndotte, Michigan C1858. William M’s sister MARGARET was born in Northern Ireland C1826 and married Michael James OWEN. Without parents’ names there is not much to be found and we have not been able to dredge out any in Canadian records. There are lots of births on RootsIreland around the right time for Williams and Margarets, RC, but none any with matching parents in the same county ... or different counties for that matter! We also drew a blank on the Owens in Canada and cannot find them in the 1861 Census. They might have moved between the 1860 US Census and the 1861 Canadian Census although one daughter is said to have been born in 1865 in Canada. Any ideas?
4371 Peter’s grandfather AIKMAN Armstrong was born in 1880 in Detroit, Michigan. He married Grace Fletcher EDDY in 1909. He had two siblings ESTELLE and HENRY IRWIN Jr. Aikman’s father HENRY IRWIN Sr. (1850-1935) had married Sarah AIKMAN in 1877 in Detroit. His siblings by mother Catherine HOPSON were WILLIAM (1846-1927), ALBERT (1848-1912) and EDWIN (1853-1935). When Catherine died in 1855 husband Thomas married Rebecca GOURLEY. Their children were: JAMES GOURLEY (1863- 1928), MINNIE (1866-1944) and HERBERT THOMAS (1870-1952). THOMAS A* (C1805-1904) was born in Dublin, Ireland. Both his wives were born in Ireland. He was the son of LAUNCELOT A* (b. C1768, Leitrim, Ireland possibly d. 23-Jun-1819, Dublin, Ireland). His wife was Anne CHAMBERLAIN (b. 1777, Dublin, Ireland   d. 1863, Detroit, Michigan).
A wealth of material on the family has been examined and the following conclusions have been made. We can confirm the marriage of Launcelot & Ann Chamberlain 1796 in Dublin which also establishes the Dublin connection for which no other direct evidence could be found. Thomas had a brother LAUNCELOT living close to him in 1850, with him in 1860, died 1877 never said to be a brother but death records have the same parents. Brother Launcelot arrived in the US in 1847 with wife and 3 children, wife not with them in 1860 although he was said to be married when he died; Launcelot was a shoemaker, then a clerk, son Thomas was a bricklayer, later farmer. Thomas had another relative named Launcelot died 1857 buried in the same cemetery plot as Thomas, his mother Ann, his two wives & at least 4 children, of an age to be a cousin – Michigan death records only start at 1867 so only have the Find a Grave evidence – found no other information about him in US records. There was a Launcelot in Leitrim in 1833 – possible it is this individual – Thomas’ brother too young to have land in 1833, and in any case they were supposed to be from Dublin. He could be the Launcelot who married Eleanor Scraggs in 1827 in Dublin, or that could be the surgeon listed in Dublin Directories.
We cannot confirm the parents of Launcelot father of Thomas or date of birth or death of Launcelot senior. We can find no primary source for the precise 1819 death in Dublin. The dates Launcelot was in Jamaica, if he was. It is suspected the slave ownership document was a different Launcelot. A cousin, perhaps once removed older generation? The date of birth of Thomas. Censuses from 1850 to 1880 suggest 1815 to 1818. Only in 1900 did Thomas claim a birth year of 1805, repeated on his death certificate. Brother Launcelot born between 1815 and 1820 on four records, 1850 Census has 1810. The arrival of Thomas, and presumably mother Ann, in the US. Pedigrees and Stories disagree re parentage of Launcelot senior. There is confusion caused in part by a surfeit of Launcelots among one family, or closely related families that mostly cannot be matched. Despite the numerous Launcelot / Lancelot’s turned up Roots Ireland has only one hit in the Tithe records & one hit in Griffiths valuation.
3457 We believe we have got Keith back one more generation and have confirmed the others.
JOHN Armstrong was christened on 6 April 1766. His parents were WILLIAM and Mary of Whickham then in Co Durham ENG and now in Northumberland ENG. He had a sister MARY (1769). John then of Wylam NBL married Isabel WIGHAM in Ovingham NBL. They had at least ten children as when ROBERT was christened in 1807 he was said to be the tenth child in the register. We have only managed to find four others. JAMES (1805) – Keith’s ancestor, ANN (1792), THOMAS (1799) and BESSEY (1802). James married Elizabeth BROWN in 1839 with children WILLIAM (1841), JAMES (1843), THOMAS (1845) and MARGARET (1850). James married Frances ROBINSON in 1863 and Keith’s great grandfather JOHN CARR A* was born in 1882. Anyone link up with this line? We have none on record.
3458 Cecily had to go back six generations to find her Armstrong ancestor but then got stuck! Robert EWART was born in Stapleton in Cumberland in 1785 and his wife was MARY Armstrong, born 1787 in Scotland (from 1851 census). They were married in 1812 at the parish church in Stapleton. Censuses aren’t much help when they only give the country of birth and “Scotland” persisted through 1861 but in 1871 changed to “Cumberland”! Again not a lot of help. Robert and Mary’s children were all christened in Nichol Forest, Cumberland ENG which gave us a possible connection. Time to get out the maps. There must be some connection with Scotland, so what was it? Well Nicol Forest Parish, England butts onto Canonbie, Scotland the home of many an Armstrong so perhaps this was worth a try. What did we find? A Mary Armstrong born on 8 January 1788 and christened on 30 January. Abode Nichol Forest! Her parents were JAMES A* and Isobel MURRAY. We also found a sibling WILLIAM who was christened on 22 December 1797. One would have thought that there were other children in between but none have come to light except for three Nicol Forest female christenings on 3April 1796 to a James and Elizabeth Murray. James and Isabel’s marriage on 17 April 1787 appears in the Carlisle Marriage Bonds siting James Armstrong (Yeoman) of Nook, Kirk Andrews Parish and Isabel Murray, “now of” Stanwix.) (The Parishes of Kirk Andrews (1655) and Nichol Forest (1761) were then combined as one.) A Bastardy Bond of 1783 for Nook, sites a father Adam A*, Whiteknowe, NF [adjacent to Nook] Mother, Mary Irwin, Widow £80. Bond: James A*, Nook, NF, £40. The likelihood is the Bond holder James is a relation of Adam as it paid him to make sure that the father paid his way otherwise James would forfeit his £40! There is also another Nook Bond in Easter 1780, father, John A*, Nook, Ann Davidson, mother, £80 Bond Andrew A*, Nook, NF £40. Possibly James, Adam, Andrew and John are related in some way. Can anyone help? However the most significant thing that might help us trace the pedigree further is that William (1797) has his abode given in the registers as Harelaw. It is a settlement just across the River Liddell in the Parish of Canonbie – its most notorious member being Hector of Harelaw. Any ideas!!!!
5235 Jane has a well-documented Australian heritage with ALFRED PATRICK Armstrong’ arrival there in the early 1850s. He married in Victoria in 1855 Margaret REYNOLDS and their daughter LAURA AUGUSTA MARION A* (1856) is her Armstrong ancestor. Alfred was baptised on 8 May 1824 (as Patrick Alfred) parents ANDREW and Mary (POINTING) at Compton Dando, Somerset ENG. Andrew is listed as a lieutenant as is his sister Laura Lloyd A* in 1828 (Where does the Lloyd come from? This might be significant.) The wedding of Andrew and Mary is confirmed in the Army pension that Mary drew after Andrew’s death on 14 January 1847. Mary appears as an annuitant widow in 1851 Census. This info means that Alfred was born before his parents (sneaked off?) and married in Bristol on 22 July 1824! Alfred appears in the 1851 Census as a visitor in Newnham, Gloucestershire as an accountant whose status is “married”. Now this could be a bit of a problem as it is known that he married Margaret Reynold in Australia in 1855. So was this an error from the enumerator of did he have a wife in England? If he did what happened to her? In 1841 Andrew says he was not born in the County of Somerset. He is aged as 40, but this is a rounded down figure which means he could have been born as early as 1797. However on Mary’s pension form it says he was 55 so that puts the date back as far as 1792. We have done a comprehensive search for Andrew’s birth using the new dates but that has drawn a blank. Alfred was baptised with Patrick being his first name. Is there an Irish connection here? Maybe you know!
3459 New member Jane put us straight to the test by only having minimal information about her father and grandfather. However we are pleased to say that we have got back an additional three generations of a Nottinghamshire, ENG family. HORACE A* was born in Newark, Notts in August 1915. His parents were HENRY (Harry) A* who married Jane BOTT in 1906. Henry was also from Newark. His parents were THOMAS A* (1829) was was born in Gedling, Notts as were the next two preceding generations. Thomas married Maria FEATHERSTONE (1842) in Gelding in the June Quarter of 1860. Thomas’s father was William (1808) who also married in Gedling Martha STAFFORD. We have assumed that William’s father, Thomas, was of Gedling but both this and his precise date of birth are unknown although from burial records it is likely to be 1765. He also married in Gedling in October 1791 Phoebe Deabill who died in 1848 aged 86. There are a number of siblings in these generations. Can anyone connect?
3467 Wendy has her Armstrong roots in the Borders. Grandfather THOMAS RODNAM A* (1893) was born in Gosforth NBL and married Dorothea BROWN in 1920. The three preceding generations all had roots around Kirklinton CBL. Father WILLIAM was born in Kirklinton in 1840 and married twice. Probably in 1865 Jane JOHNSTON in Longtown CBL and later Marianne Julia COOPER in Newcastle upon Tyne. William’s parents were GEORGE A* (1818) born in Kirklinton and there married Ann MOFFIT in 1840. In 1851 he was residing in Kirkpatrick Fleming, Dumfriesshire, SCO. George’s father was JOHN A* who married Eleanor TURNBULL in Kirklinton in 1815. She is listed as a widow on marriage. It would be assumed that John was born sometime after 1785 but the trail there has gone cold.
5230 William’s grandfather was the one to make the move from Scotland to Australia. WILLIAM was born in Edinburgh in November 1886. His father married Vanda URBANOWICZ in Glasgow in 1922. William’s father was another WILLIAM (1855) born in Selkirk SCO, having married Mary Ann GARDEN in Edinburgh in 1882. The next three generations are from the Langholm/Canonbie area. William’s father was JOHN LAIDLAW A* born in November 1821 who had married Margaret F DRYDEN in Selkirk in 1854. John’s father WILLIAM was born in Langholm in 1790 and had married Elizabeth "Betty" MURRAY (1782-1862). The registers of Langholm show that William’s father ADAM married in 1790 Margaret LAIDLAW 1769 and from the family memorial it is believed he was born around 1765. That put us in a position to find his birth but none can be found in the area between 1760 and 1770. There are, however, five male Armstrongs born between these dates in Canonbie whose first names are not recorded. So who knows!!
3460/3383 Jackie has revived our interest Armstrong line in Somersby and Bag Enderby, Lincolnshire, ENG which was well documented in NEWS 79. Jackie’s common ancestor with Derek and Pam is Samuel Armstrong (C1715) who married Susan ABLEWHITE (1781) in Somersby, Lincs in 1748. Their ten children who were all born in Bag Enderby, Lincs were: MARY (1748), JOHN (1750), ANN (1751), married Thomas NELSON, THOMAS (1753), married Ann ASHTON, died 1780, EDWARD (1754), died 1760, ELIZABETH (1757), died 1760, SAMUEL (1759), died 1760 and AMBROSE (1764), MOSES 1765 and FRANCES (1772). Derek is descended through Ambrose and Jackie through John. John (1750-1781) married Mary WOODTHORPE in 1778 in Bag Enderby and son JOHN was born in the same year. He married Mary FRESHNEY in South Ormsby in 1797. Other submissions on this tree show that this pedigree can be taken back two further generations to Bolsover, Derbyshire ENG and Derby ENG. However we are slightly sceptical about this link as the only evidence we can find is that Thomas’s death entry in 1781 triggered his birth date of 1715. When you relate the distance from Bolsover to Bag Enderby (65 miles) to the event and the general movement of populations around 1700 which is usually a maximum of 20 miles there must have been a reason for him to end up in Bag Enderby which is not documented. On the other hand there is always a suspicion that someone some when using the IGI when this was the only national index available, applied a “best fit” solution to it and that has remained so ever since. It has been proliferated on Ancestry as the only citation is Thomas’s death. Maybe you have more information?
5233 Ken has three generations in the UK and three in Australia starting with ROSE Armstrong (1866) who married Henry JONES in 1900. Rose was the daughter of JOHN A*(1821) born in St Clement Danes, London, Middlesex who had married Mary Ann SCAMMELL in 1846. They both emigrated to Australia with Rose. John had two siblings EDWARD THOMAS (1823) and CHARLOTTE (1830) who married Mary Ann’s brother Charles. On both the marriage certificates John and Charlotte’s father JOHN (C1801) is described as a brass founder or a brass finisher. We have checked numerous trade journals but to no avail. It would appear that he did not survive long enough to be recorded on the 1841 census. We do however find son John, his mother and sister on it but the sister’s age of 16 doesn’t correlate with her baptism in 1830 (a difference of five years which is quite considerable) but in 1851 it relates closely to 1830. There is no apparent reason for this as it would appear the enumerator avoided using the rounding down to the nearest 5 or zero. If one applies this Charlotte, the mother, must have been born in 1801. They are all recorded as being in the same county as they were born, Middlesex. That’s when the info dries up. Can you help with John’s (senior) birth and marriage?
*5403 David is son of JOHN BLANDFORD A* & Adele HUGUS, son of ELMER JOHN A* b 1883 McLean Co., Illinois [IL] & Mary C BLANDFORD b 1881 Kentucky [KY]. Elmer John A* US Army retired, served in both World I and II. He was the son of JOHN MCCLURE A* b 1861 McLean Co., IL & Isabelle Mariah BAYLOR b1862 McLean Co., IL, who m 1881 McLean Co., IL. In addition to Elmer John A*, they had 11 more children all born in McLean Co., IL. John McClure A* was the son of JAMES DAVID A* b 1820 Ireland d McLean Co., IL & Margaret Jane MCCLURE b 1820 Ireland, d 1876 McLean Co., IL. They married 4 Aug 1847 Down Co., Ireland. They had the following children. We are still searching for their emigration from Ireland to the US, can any of you help?
Also, we know James David A* was the son of ROBERT A* according to his marriage record. David believes Hannah BRIGGS b Abt 1785 was his mother. Can anyone help us confirm this?
*4317 Welcome new member James is the son of Harold Armstrong Phillips and Dorothy Nunley. Harold is the son of Hugh C PHILLIPS & RUTH Armstrong both born in Tennessee (TN). Ruth A* is the dau of JAMES MORTON A* b 1864 Wilson Co., TN, & Betty J WILLIAMS b 1870 Wilson Co., TN. They married 1892 in Wilson Co., TN, and had at least three children there: (1) ZELLA b 1889 m Samuel E. PATTON, (2) FRED b 1897 m Vayris YOUNG b 1899, and (3) RUTH b 1899. We have death and probate records that show James' middle name to be Morton. For years, most have used James Martin A* for his name which is an error.
James Morton A* is the son of GEORGE W. A* b Abt 1827 Wilson Co., TN and Mary Ann FORBES b Abt 1834 TN, who married 1848 in Wilson Co., TN. We are still looking for their death records. Together they had 10 children all born in Wilson Co., TN. George W. A* was the son of JAMES M. A* (thought to be James Martin A*) b 1792 North Carolina (NC), d 1865 Wilson Co., TN and Mary "Polly" PAYNE b Abt 1793 NC d 1879 Wilson Co., TN, who married 1817 Wilson Co., TN. They had at least 9 children all born in Wilson CoHere is where we really need your help. Using "History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois", James M. A* was the son of John Armstrong b Abt 1764 Ireland d 1836 Wabash Co., IL, and married Elizabeth Martin. John's father was supposed to have been killed at the Siege of Derry. We have census and early tax lists that indicate he was in NC 1790, TN 1804 thru 1815 and in Edwards Co., IL by 1820.   The History of Edwards Co., say he made a stop in Kentucky between NC and TN. We do not have his birth, death or marriage document. But he is supposed to have married Abt 1788 in NC. The only other info we have for his wife is a FindAGrave record that says she was Elizabeth Martin b Abt 1760 NC d 1830 Wabash Co., IL, with an Inscription that reads "Elizabeth Martin consort of John Armstrong who departed this life in her 70th year of her age"
*4367 (5565-5566, 5535, 4276 & 4277) Welcome new member Bill whose grandparents were Aaron Camby CRUMMETT b 1888 Highland Co., Virginia [VA] and MARY VIRGINIA Armstrong b 1897 Highland Co., VA., who married in Highland Co., VA and has at least six children.
Mary Virginia A* was the dau of JARED MORGAN A* b 1866 Highland Co., VA and his 1st wife, Elizabeth Ellen WOODDELL (b1871) who married 1891 in Highland Co., VA. Jared Morgan A* was the son of WILLIAM H. A* b 1845 VA and his 1st wife, Sarah Catherine PRICE, William A* married 2nd Susannah BOTKIN in 1870, and they had at least 9 children. William A*'s parents were SAMUEL ELI A* (1804-1878) and Mary Polly TAYLOR (1810-1886), who married 1830 in Highland Co., VA. Together they had at least 11 children.
Samuel Eli A* was the son of JOHN A* [aka JOHN MORGAN A*] (1759-1821) and Nancy Agnes ERVINE (1764-1827) who had 12 children. John A* is the common ancestor for Bill & 5565-5566. Thanks to the diligent research of 5565, we know John A* was the son of WILLIAM A* who died 1814 Pendleton Co., VA, and his wife JANE [who we believe is the common ancestor for 5535, 4276 & 4277]. This family is sometimes referred to as the Armstrongs of Bull Pasture. We are still searching for specifics on William A* & Jane. Can anyone lend a hand?
*4377 (4296, 4291, 4298, 4300, 4303-4305, 5568, 5569-5570) Welcome new member Don who is related directly to the above, [see DNA Halogroup I members, Family 2 in News 84]. The common ancestor being JOHN Armstrong & Malinda HINTON.
Don is descended from their 9th and youngest child, CHARLES DEXTER A* b 1835 Knox Co., Ohio, d Idaho [ID] who married Mary Elizabeth JOHNSON, and had 16 children. IDA MAY A* was b 1873 California d. Washington, married Squire Newton LILE (b 1867) in 1891 Latah Co., ID. Together they had 7 children all born in ID. Faye Louise LILE married Raymond E HALL in ID, they had three children, the youngest being Don who was b in Oklahoma, which is a long way from Idaho.
*4394 New member Sandy who is the dau of MILTON LEE A* [known to others as Spike] & Ruthie Craig. Milton's parents were WALTER ELLSWORTH A* 1893 b District of Columbia, & Thelma AUSTIN of Newport, Campbell Co., Kentucky [KY]. Walter E. A* was the son of JOHN J. A* b 1872 Campbell Co KY & Ella Belle BENDING b 1875 Kenton Co., KY who m 1892 Campbell Co., KY. Walter E was the eldest child of three, the others being RUTH E A* who m 1st Irving STANTON and 2nd Henry EVERHART, and JOHN EARL A* who m Mary Ruth SCHLICTER, both b in Newport, Campbell Co., KY.
John J. A* was the son of JONATHAN A* b Abt 1840 England and Louise WEBER b Abt 1841 Germany. Jonathan A* & Louise WEBER married 1863 in Campbell Co., KY, where they had 7 children. We have very little information on Jonathan A* who suddenly appears in the 1870 Census in Newport, Campbell Co KY Age 30 b England, with wife Louise Age 29 b Germany, and their first 4 children. This is the only record we have for his age. Their 1863 marriage bond does not provide us any information for their parents, ages or place of birth. Louise is still there in 1880 with the children and then she too disappears. Later census and other documents for some of the children say he was b in England, and she was b Germany. We could sure use some help here to find more. Can anyone help us?
4379* New Member Michele is the grand-daughter of Arthur David MURRAY J. & Bettie Louise A*. Bettie Louise is the dau of Ralph SAMUEL A* b 1896 Pennsylvania [PA] & Izella Susan OLIVER b 1898 PA.
Ralph Samuel A*'s parents were WILLIAM L A* b 1869 Franklin Co., PA & Anna M. BECHTEL b 1870 PA. They married 1890 in Franklin Co., PA where they lived and raised 9 children.
William L. A*'s Death Cert says he was the son of JAMES A* b PA and Martha J. A* b PA. We cannot seem to find James A* and Martha J. A*'s Death Cert says she was b 1840 Franklin Co., PA the dau of GEORGE A* b Franklin Co., & that her mother's maiden name was COOK.
We have a George A* b 1811-1814 PA and Martha b Abt 1802 in Franklin Co., PA in 1850 with children, one of whom was Martha Age 8. It is possible that the mother's name was Martha Cook?
Also, we know Martha evidently died and George A* married a 2nd time bef 1857 Elizabeth Crest or Crist, and had two more children.
We could sure use some help here!!!!

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 84 May 2017
4270 Welcome new member 4270. Evie is one of the new members related to Richard A* (son of Joseph A* & Janet Wilson) & Catherine Schafner family. Evie's late husband Ted was the son of MARY HAZEL A* b North Kingston, Nova Scotia [NS] & her 1st spouse Alfred Edgar Michon.   Mary Hazel was dau of VERNON BURETTE A* b 1872 NS and Bertha Minetta MCMILLAN b 1878 NS. They m 1898 in NS and had 6 children there: (1) THELMA MAUD (2) MARY HAZEL (3) EVA BERNICE (4) VIVIAN IRENE (5) JAMES VERNON & (6) MARGARET ALICE.
This marriage means that we have two A* lines here. So we will begin with the paternal side, Vernon Burette was the son of MANNING EDWARD A* (1839-1901) & Augusta BANKS b 1840, who was the son of PETER WALKER A* (1809-1895) & Eliza BISHOP (1813-1883). Peter Walker was the son of RICHARD A* (1872-1858) & Ann Corintha WALKER (1785-1855) who m 1804 NS. Richard's parents were RICHARD A* chr 1749 Canonbie Parish, Dumfries, Scotland d Abt 1824 NS & Catherine Scafner (1757-1837 NS), Richard being the son of Joseph A* & Janet Wilson.
On the maternal side, Bertha Minetta McMillan b 1878 NS, was the dau of James Hugh McMillan b1847 NS d 1914 & Mary Jane Brougham b1852 NS, who m 1872 NS and had 8 children there. James Hugh McMillan (4270's ancestor), was the son & 6th child of William McMillan b 1810 Scotland, d 1866 NS & HANNAH Armstrong b 24 Mar 1813 NS, d 30 Dec 1881 NS. Hannah's birth, death, & marriage was recorded in the McMillan family Bible which is actually in the possession of Evie's cousin. What a wonderful treasure to have. Thank you Evie for bringing us Hannah's family and filling in blanks by connecting her maternal line. Hannah A* was the dau of WILLIAM A* (1786-1868) & his 1st wife Bertha THORNE (1794-Bef 1822), William A* being the son of Richard A* & Catherine Schafner. So here we are, back to another descendant of the Joseph A* & Janet Wilson line.
4260 Kari is another one of the new members related to RICHARD A* (son of Joseph A* & Janet Wilson) & Catherine Schafner family; and members, Merle our Canada Convenor, 0722, 5433, 5491, 5492, 4270, 4271-4273, 4284 & 4285.
Kari's parents were Ralston G Gunvaldson & Joyce Knowles. Joyce's parents were James Roy Knowles b 1890 Cottonwood Co., Minnesota [MN] & Lena L Twente b 1894 Brown Co., MN. James Roy Knowles was the son of John KNOWLES b 1843 Grafton Co., New Hampshire d MN & LEVENIA A* b 1855 Digby, Nova Scotia [NS] d [MN]. They married 1872 Brown Co., MN, and together They had 12 children including James Roy, all born in Cottonwood Co., MN. Levenia was the dau of CHARLES ANSLEY A* b 1820 Digby NS d 1904 MN & Sybil CHUTE b 1824 Digby NS d MN. They married 1843 Digby NS and had 9 children all born Digby NS:   (1) WALLACE WILLIAM b 1844 d1904 Pierce Co., Washington [WA] m1st Julia Elizabeth LOBDELL, m2nd Mattie M. Unknown, (2) HENRIETTA b 1846 d MN m 1864 Digby, Stephen GILLILAND b 1840 Digby d MN. (3) MARY ELIZABETH b 1849 d WA, m 1871 MN, Edward J. FOOTE C1842 NS, (4) BURTON b 1851 d WA, (5) CHARLES EDWARD b 1853 d MN, m 1876 MN, Minnie Jeanette LOBDELL b 1861 Iowa d MN, (6) HANFORD b 1855, d Nebraska [NE] m1st Melvina Isabella PRICHETT b 1859 Indiana [IN] d 1885 NE, m2nd 1888 NE, Fannie Minerva WHITE, (7) Levenia (Kari's ancestor), (8) ALBERT C1861 d NE, m Jemima A PRICKETT b 1860 IN d NE, and (9) IDA BELL A* b 1866 m Perry A WOOLLEY b 1857 Ohio. Charles Ansley A* was the oldest son of Francis A* C1790 Annapolis, NS who married 29 Apr 1819 Digby, Mary "Polly" TROOP nee Barnes Gilliand b 1788 Annapolis. Francis A*'s parents were Richard A* & Catherine Schafner.
3434/5558 Jean has an interesting line of silversmiths/refiners originating in the north east of England. Our first fix is with MATTHEW bp 28 September 1823 in Alston, Cumberland. From that it can be established that his parents were JOSEPH (1796) and Ann FULLTAN married in 1818 at Alston. Matthew gives in the 1861 Census his birth as Sunderland Co. Durham but in a later one as Alston. Joseph’s siblings, all baptised in Alston were SARAH (1793), JANE (1799), MATTHEW (1802) and ELIZABETH (1805). Their parents, Elizabeth DRYDEN (1772?) and MATTHEW (1764?) were married in Alston in 1793. The possibility of their location in the north east was the proximity of lead and silver mines and possibly employment by the London Lead Co which relocated them to Flintshire in Wales where Sarah was married in 1848 to Joseph THOMSON and latterly to London in 1851. We also have recorded that both Matthew and Elizabeth were from Kirhaugh, Northumberland but their baptisms do not show up in the Bishop’s Transcripts so this cannot be verified. Matthew’s (1823) siblings were ELIZABETH (1819), SARAH (1820) and WILLIAM (1831). By 1851 the Census, for some unknown reason had Matthew as William and sister Sarah at two different addresses! At no 6 Catherine Street, Poplar, a William Armstrong aged 30, a silver refiner, born London, was with his wife Charlotte, 24. Matthew and Charlotte's first child Thomas Joseph Armstrong was born on the 14 September of this year in Catherine Street, Poplar, his father a silver refiner and his mother, Charlotte, nee SCOTT. It is thought that this William Armstrong that was recorded was in fact Matthew. Matthew’s sister Sarah THOMSON, 32, was with her husband James Thomson a Gardener, born in Scotland. Sarah was also recorded on the census at 3 Catherine Street, with her father Joseph Armstrong aged 54, a silver refiner. Matthew and Charlotte had six children: THOMAS JOSEPH (1851), CHARLOTTE (1854), JOHN GEORGE (1855), WALTER SAYERS (1859), SAMUEL (1862) and AMELIA SARAH (1866). Thomas Joseph married Lucy SMITH in 1876 and it is through their daughter LUCY CHARLOTTE (1877) was Jean’s grandmother. Can you help with the possible Kirkhaugh link?
3433 New member Iain has an entire pedigree based on Greenock SCO which one would have thought to be easy to trace back – but one shouldn’t speak too soon! Iain’s grandfather WILLIAM was born in Greenock in 1896 and married Maria Stanley MCGREGOR in 1914. His father was JOHN HOMER A* born C1870 who had married Elizabeth ARNOTT in 1890. This is where things start to get interesting. John’s birth cannot be found in the statutory births index (although his marriage can be confirmed) anywhere around 1870 let alone in either Greenock or even its county of Renfrewshire. The only near match is a James A* registered in 1870 in Greenock East. Could this be John? This is further compounded by the 1871 Census transcription which shows him as John C! That in itself is not surprising as the transcription of ‘Armstrong’ comes out as ‘Kemstroy’! One problem is solved when all the censuses show that John’s father William (1849) was born in Ireland. We know that William married Emma HOMER on 2 July 1869. The marriage certificate from Crawfordsburn Free Church, Greenock shows that William’s parents were JOHN, a journeyman flour miller and mother Mary GLOVER, shown as deceased on the certificate. So it looks as though we have got another Irish brick wall. None of William’s family show up in 1851 in Scotland or even England. What we really need to find is John’s marriage to Mary Glover in Ireland or William’s birth/baptism when one can only assume that they came over between 1849 and 1869 although it is entirely possible that William travelled over alone! So far we have drawn an Irish blank using records that are available to us.
2614 Sonja has been very patient waiting for us to find out about her Irish roots and it is due to member Charlotte from Canada who has access to a large amount of Irish information that we have been able to make some headway which is refreshing, as we usually are stuck with that very large Irish brick wall! The Irish connection to Sonja in Canada stems from ROBERT A*. His marriage to Mary Suzanna SHIPLEY in York Ontario puts his birth date in Ireland at 1850/51. His parents are named as FRANCIS and ELIZABETH A* of Ireland. He said he emigrated between 1868 and 1870 in the census records. Possibly his mother’s maiden name was KERR. Using this information the following was discovered. In the Civil Marriage records of 1850 show a Francis A* and Elizabeth Kerr, both unmarried, in Fermanagh, parish Enniskillen, Address: Modeva, occupation farmer, father FRANCES (sic), farmer, Elizabeth father Robert Kerr farmer, address: Latten, one witness John Kerr. Tempo. Church of Ireland. The Parish of Modeva is not listed as a townland, nor anything resembling it but there is also the note that clearly links it with Tempo, which does exist now. Latten exists as Lettan on that townland list and is just south of Tempo. There is also a marriage in 1865 of a widower, Francis Armstrong, labourer, father FRANCIS farmer, to Anne McCrea widow, father John Wherry, address: Tempo, Parish of Enniskillen. Given the Tempo link it is highly likely this is the same Francis. This would perhaps be the reason that Robert emigrated as his mother had died and his father remarried. Also there is a marriage in 1886 of a Francis Armstrong, tailor, bachelor, address: Tempo, Enniskillen, Fermanagh, father Francis Armstrong labourer, to Phebe LITTLE, father Alexander Little, tailor. Reasonably likely this would be at least a half, if not full, brother of Robert. Sadly all Civil Marriage Registrations ages are given simply as over 21. It would appear that we have got back at least one generation and confirmed the tenuous link. Perhaps someone has information on an Irish Francis who had a son Robert who married a Phebe Little!
3436 New member Keith has sent us a fully documented pedigree running back to the middle 1600s of which we have no connections to any generations. So if there are any of you out there who do we want to know! We start with RADULPHUS C1677 (whose father was possibly THOMAS C1653). He married Hannah FORD at Nether Alderley, Cheshire. Marriages at Nether Alderley were recorded in Latin from 1661 to 1733, hence he is called Radulphus rather than Ralph. There children were THOMAS (1702) and HANNAH (1708). Thomas married Anna RIDGWAY in 1724 at Alderley and they had 3 children ELIZABETH (1725), JOHN (1728) and son RALPH (1741). Ralph married Hannah Ann HATTON in 1762 and their 7 children included RALPH (1765), HANNAH (1768), PHILIP (1769) and THOMAS (1770-1770). His second Marriage was to Martha HOUGH in 1778. Their children were JOHN (1778), ELIZABETH (1781), PETER (1783), MARY (1785) and MARTHA (1789). All births were at Alderley. Ralph married Sarah MILLETT and they had 2 children, MARY (1793) b. Woodford, Cheshire and WILLIAM b. Alderley Edge (1797). William married Jane HANKINSON in 1835 and had 2 children. MARY (1836) and WILLIAM (1839) at Woodford, Prestbury, Cheshire. Son William married in 1868 Sarah LEIGH and had seven children all born at Poynton, Cheshire. JOHN (1871), ELIZABETH (1875), JOSEPH (1877), WILLIAM (1880), JAMES (1883), ANNIE (1886) and HARRY (1889). WILLIAM (1880) married Mary Elizabeth BEARDMORE and BERTHA’s (1904) and WILLIAM (1908). Bertha was Keith’s grandmother. Surely someone, somewhere has a connection with this line?
4279 Welcome new member 4279. Linda's grandfather parents were ARLIE A* of Rowan Co., Kentucky [KY] and Lora SHEPHARD of Jay Co., Indiana [IN]. Arlie was the son of EVERETT A* b 1893 Rowan Co., KY & Ada CHOAT b 1892 Rowan Co., KY. They had at least 7 children. , JAMES CHESTER, Arlie, BONNIE D, DILLARD, NELLIE INEZ, MARVIN NEWTON, & HENRY all born in Rowan Co., KY. Everett’s parents were WILLIAM NEWTON A* b 1859 who we know married 2nd in 1888 Rowan Co., KY, Hulda Victoria HAMILTON b 1874. Both were born in Morgan Co., and died in Rowan Co., KY. Together they had at least 9 children, FRED 1889, EVERETT 1893, FRANCES M. 1896, RAY 1897, MAY, LUMMA, ESTHER, LIDIA, and SADIE. William Newton A* is thought to have married 1st Abt 1881 probably in KY, Mary Jane RAMEY C 1855 d KY. They had at least two sons before her death, being EDWARD A. 1884 and WILLIAM ELBERT 1885. All eleven of William Newton A*'s children were born in Rowan Co., KY.
As a side note from your US Genealogist, Lumma A* is certainly an interesting name which peaked my interest. We are not exactly sure of his actual name and as usual there are numerous spellings plus his tombstone says Luma A*. When I checked the US clan data I found two similar first names of Luman both b in Vermont.
Back on track, William Newton A* was the son of RUSSELL Armstrong and Barbara [Barbary] ALFREY b 1836 Rowan Co., KY d 1916 Bath Co., KY. They married 11 Oct 1854 in Morgan Co., KY and had at least eleven children in KY. Now with Russell C1831 in KY, things get a little more complicated. In the 1854 marriage record he gives his name as Russell A* but does not name his parents. In the 1870 Rowan Co., KY census we find James A* & Barbara with several of their children. Two of three of the Kentucky birth records show his name as James R., or J.R. A* and the death record for William Newton A* shows his name as James R. A*. Most of the time he goes by Russell [clearly from 1880] until his death, which was sometime before 1900 where Barbara is shown as a widow. Finally, we have a way to work backward again.
Another side note: The waters were certainly hazy for a while because there are a whole lot of people out there that think Abner E. Armstrong son of Robert & Sarah Jane (Ramey) Armstrong is the husband of Barbara Alfrey. SO NOT SO. Abner E. son of R. & S.J. A* died 6 May 1875 buried in Fleming Co., KY according to his Tombstone. Well guess what, Robert A* & Sarah Jane Darnall married 15 Jul 1827 in Fleming Co., KY where they lived from 1850 until his death Dec 1879 and Abner is with them 1850 & 1870. Now in 1880 our Russell [James Russell or Russell James depending on your point of view] and Barbara are clearly alive and living in Bath Co., KY and son William Newton A* is still at home
In Morgan Co., KY 1850 census we find JAMES A* Age 19 C1831 KY, living with his widowed mother, Ruth [Rutha] A* C1805 KY, sisters VIANNA C1837, ELIZA C1840 and brother WILLIAM C1845 all b Indiana. Her son WILLIAM [Wm R.] A* C1845 Indiana or Iowa, died aged 10 the son of ROBERT & Ruth A*. Looks like another Robert A* search is the order of the day. This led us to the 24 Jan 1826 marriage in Bath Co., KY of Robert Armstrong and Ruth RAMEY [or Ramay]. Also, ROBERT A* Jr. b Bet 1801-1810 was in Bath Co., in 1830 married with no children, near and next door to ROBERT A* Senior b Bet 1781-1790 and JAMES A* b Bet 1750-1760, respectively. There were only 3 A*s in Bath Co., KY in 1830. James A* b Bet 1750-1760 was the only A* in Bath Co., KY in 1820. Looks like Robert A* & Ruth moved to Indiana or Iowa before 1837 and Ruth came back to Bath Co., KY a widow in 1850. We are still searching for the 1860 census which was after his marriage to Barbara Alfrey. Can anyone help us with more about the parents of Russell James A*?
4267 New Member 4267 Colin is descended from A* is the s o PATRICK MICHAEL & Lisa M. BURNS. Patrick Michael A's parents were PATRICK MARSHALL A* [Sr] b Missouri (MO) & Dorothy L MESPLAY. Patrick's parents were ROBERT LEE A* b MO d Washington & Alice KENNEDY. ROBERT LEE A* was the son of Commodore PERRY A* b 1879 Buchanan Co MO d Vernon Co., MO, & Mabel PHILLIPS b 1884 KS. They had 9 children including: ALLISON P, RAYMOND WILLIAM, Robert Lee [Colin's ancestor], HARVEY C., JAMES ALBERT, VIRGINIA M, LEAR VIOLA, CLARENCE EDWARD and ARTHUR LEE, all born Vernon Co., MO. Commodore Perry A* b 1879 was the son of Commodore PERRY A* [Sr] C1822 Tennessee (TN) d 1889 Platte Co., MO and his 3rd wife, Margaret MCINTURF. Commodore Perry A*[Sr] C1822 TN, married 1st 1845 Platte Co., MO ,Cynthia Ann CARSON (1827-1864). Together they had 4 children: ELIZABETH A b 1847 (m1st Frank MILLER, 2nd Henry Clay PARK and moved to Kansas [KS]), JULIA b 1849 (m John OSBORN), WILLIAM G, C1853 (m and moved to KS), MARY ISABEL C1859 (m a GILBERT), all born in Platte Co., MO. He married 2nd 1865 Platte Co., MO , Pauline, nee Harlin, BAUGHMAN (1840-1877), and they had 1 child LULU b 1867 who m John FRASER & died in California. He married 3rd 1878 Buchanan Co., MO Margaret McInturf (bAbt 1857). They had Commodore Perry b 1879. Now, Paxton's Annals of Platte Co., Missouri, pg 899 says that Commodore Perry A* was b 1 Mar 1822 in Hawkins Co., TN. Of course that date and place have been perpetuated. The problem is we have not found anything in the way of documentation to support that he was born in Hawkins Co.. We do have an 1880 census record that says his father was b in TN, but that it all. With such an unusual name we looked for others of the same name and found only 1, Commodore Perry A* b 1870 DeKalb Co., MO, son of Joseph Dudley A*b 1834 Illinois & Mary Bledsoe b 1836 MO. We cannot find and connection between the two families.
We need help here at our brick wall in TN. Where was he born and who were his parents?
4256-4259 Welcome new family members 4256-4259. When Bob joined us he believed he was part of the Richard A* (son of Joseph A* & Janet Wilson) & Catherine Schafner family based on The History of Annapolis County, by Calnek. Initially that indicated that he was related to other members in Canada and the US, including Merle our Canada Convenor, 0722, 5433, 5491, 5492, new members 4260, 4270, 4271-4273, 4284, 4285 & 4316.   Well through the collaborative effort of old and new members and months of research, we were able to document the error in Calnek's history which inadvertently mixed the two Francis A* families, one Francis A* the Loyalist of Digby (Bob's & 4316 ancestor), the other Francis A* son of Richard A* & Catherine Schafner. (4260, 4270, 4271-4273, 4284, & 4285 ancestor.)
Bob's parents were WALTER EDWARD A* b 1896 Somerville, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts and, Ethel M. WATSON. Walter was the son of GEORGE FRANCIS "Frank George" A* b 1870 Digby, Nova Scotia [NS] and Ella WOODWORTH, who married 1894 Somerville, Middlesex Co., MA. Frank George A* was the son of EDWARD A* b 1826 Digby, NS d 1893 Boston MA & Sarah LEWIS b 1835 England, d 1921 Somerville MA. They married 1855 in Digby NS and had at least 12 children: the first two MARGARET C1857 & MARY JANE C1859 were born Wabasha Co., Minnesota [MN]; the rest were born in Digby, NS, SARAH ADA abt 1861, JAMES L, 1863, LUCY HOLDSWORTH abt 1866, CHARLES EDWARD 1868, FRANK G. 1870, THOMAS 1872, a dau 1874, WILLIAM HARRIS 1876 & EDGAR BRATTLE 1878. Edward A* parents were GEORGE A* & Mary CREIGHTON. Parish records confirm that they married 1 Jan 1818 Digby, NS. If their Tombstones are accurate, George was b 1789 and died 2 Feb 1863; Mary Creighton Armstrong was b 1786 and died 7 Feb 1862. We also have parish records that name 7 children all born Digby, NS: SARAH ANN b 27 Feb 1819, MARGARET KATHARINE b 17 Sep 1820, GEORGE b 4 Mar 1822, ROBERT b 1 Jun 1823, JAMES FRANCIS b 2 Jun 1824, including EDWARD b 26 Dec 1826 (Bob's ancestor) and WILLIAM CREIGHTON b 28 Mar 1828
We now believe that George A* was the son of FRANCIS A* the Loyalist of Digby, NS, who was probably born in the US, possibly in Chester Co. Pennsylvania. Although no marriage record has yet been found, Calnek gave his wife's name as Nancy Hutton. We know Francis A* the Loyalist and probably his brother WILLIAM A* were in the Digby Muster Roll for 29 May 1784. In the muster roll Francis is married and has two children, one over 10 and one under 10. That makes us believe that Francis & Nancy probably married in the US possibly PA before 1774. We are estimating Francis A*s birth as Bet 1745-1750 probably in the US, but have found nothing to help us with his wife thought to be Nancy Hutton. Help!
Also there is strong circumstantial evidence that Francis and William were sons of WILLIAM A* & Jane BAXTER of Chester Co., PA, both of whom were attainted for high treason and their inheritance confiscated by PA in 1778 and sold 29 Apr 1786. William A* & Jane Baxter married in 1741 in PA [PA Archives]. According to William A*'s will dated 14 Feb 1777 & estate papers [inventory dated 10 Mar 1777], they had 4 children; SUSANNAH, JOHN (oldest son), FRANCIS & WILLIAM.
We are still searching for births, deaths and marriages for this family as well but are stuck. Can any of you help with any information on this William A* of Sadsbury, Chester Co., PA, or his wife Jane Baxter?
4264 David is the grandson of of EARL LAWRENCE A* & Doris L HURLEY of Montana [MT]. He was the son of HARRY ELLSWORTH A* b 1899 Paulding Co., Ohio [OH] & Gladys JOSEPH b Illinois. They married in Montana [MT]. His parents were THURMAN PEARL A* b 1874 OH d MT, & Laura M DUPLER b 1877 OH, who married 1897 in Paulding Co., OH. Thurman Pearl & Laura They had 13 children, four in Paulding Co., OH, four in Noble Co., Indiana and five in MT. Thurman Pearl He was the son of GEORGE PARKS A* b 1849 Preston Co., West Virginia [WVa],   d Franklin Co., OH and his 1st wife, Henrietta THRUSH b. Abt 1849 OH d. 1896 Paulding Co., OH. They married 1873 Logan Co., OH, and had 7 children in OH. George Parks A* married 2nd Evaline LANE in 1898, 3rd Mary nee Schurr BUNCH in 1912, and 4th Lucinda nee Hoyet HERZOG in 1914. As far as we know, his only children were by his 1st wife. George Parks was the son of ISAIAH A* (b 1819 WVa d 1886 OH) & Elizabeth CUPP (b 1821 PA, d 1912 OH). We are still searching for their marriage record. Using Census records they had 9 children; JOHN T., FRANCIS C., ISAAC NEWTON, GEORGE PARKS, WILLIAM HENRY, SUSAN WILLAMSON, FREDERICK CUPP, MARY M., and SARAH O. Isaiah is said to be the son of ISAAC G. A* (b 1788 Maryland, d 1866 West Virginia) & Frances F CHIDESTER (b 1792 Virginia, d 1868 West Virginia) according to History of Preston County West Virginia Vol, by Morton, 1914. We are searching for documentation to prove this, Can any of you help us?
4286 New member Don A*'s grandparents were parents were SILAS L. A* & Frankie DALBY of Franklin Co., Illinois (IL). Silas L. A* was the son of WILLIAM PERRY A* b 1875 IL, who m 1895 in Franklin Co., IL, Josephine SANDERS C1878 IL. They had 3 children. William Perry A* was the 5th child of JASPER A* C1844 IL and Sarah STALCUP C1848 Tennessee They m 1864 in Franklin Co., IL, where they lived and had 12 children: NANCY ELIZABETH C1865, WILLIS A., C1867, AMANDA J., C1870, EDWARD A., C1872, WILLIAM PERRY, C1875, MARTHA C1878, MARY E., C1879, CHARLES ARTHUR C1882, JOSEPH C1885, BYRON G., C1887, GEORGE WALTER C1888, and JOHN J., C1890, all born in Franklin Co., IL. Jasper A* was the son of WILLIAM A* & Mary MILIGAN (Milligan) according to his death record. Both listed as born in TN. What we know about Donald's oldest known ancestor was that, William A* m Mary Miligan (Milligan). they married before 1829 making them both born before 1808 if he was 21 when they married and he more likely 1800 or earlier. They had two documented and possibly three sons: Willis C1829 in IL, Jasper b 1844 in IL, and possibly Thomas C1832. Most probably a whole lot more children in between during the 15 yr spread in ages between Willis and Jasper. This also indicates that they were residing somewhere in Illinois before 1829 when Willis was born. We have a marriage record for Willis that names his parents as William Armstrong & Mary Miligan (Milligan), and a death record for Jasper that names them. We know Willis A* C1829 IL married at least 4 times before 1880 and that Thomas A* m Phebe Hamlin had at least 8 children b Jackson Co IL, d intestate but has Probate records for Ltr of Admin in Jackson Co., IL, which also names heirs.
Anyone recognize any names here to help us fill in the holes?
5221 We do not pick up Robert’s Armstrong connection until the late 1700s/early 1800s with connections in both England and Scotland on the borders of Northumberland. A David RICHARDSON had married ALICE ANN Armstrong at Coldstream, Berwick SCO in 1834. They are found in both the 1851 and 1861 Censuses. Ann clearly gives her birthplace as Lowick NBL in 1861 but in the 1851 the transcription gives this as Allercan which is believed to be Allerdean which is adjacent to the Parish of Lowick. Allerdean is in the Parish of Ancroft. Seeing her Scottish marriage it often gives a wealth of information including parent’s names but unfortunately in this case didn’t. As she died in Australia there is a good chance that this was recorded on the pro forma Australian death Cert which asks for names of parents. However it’s only as good as the memory of the person registering the death! The person who really knew is being certified! The index in Ancestry clearly states gives names so one would imagine that the certificate was the source. From that we believe her father was ALEXANDER and his wife Alice. With possible documentary evidence of him in the 1841 Census he was born in 1790. Certainly his residence in Ford is in the same location as his daughter’s, but there is no proof that this is the right Alexander. Checking the Bishop’s Transcripts for the Parishes of Lowick, Anscroft and Ford for a baptism of an Alexander A* circa 1785-1895 got no matches. In the Census there is also only one other Alexander of an equivalent age in the whole of Northumberland and he’s in Bolam and that’s miles away. So maybe this is the right Alexander! Do you know?
3431 Alan has a pedigree that starts in Ireland and ends in Scotland which surprisingly is a link that we rarely come across considering the Armstrong history and the ‘Plantations’ in Ireland. Alan’s grandmother ELIZABETH was born in Glasgow in 1886 her parents being THOMAS JAMES A* who was born in Ireland in 1862 but his wife Henrietta GIBSON was born in Glasgow in the same year. Father JOHN was born in Lisburn IRE in 1836 and married Sarah TOLLERTON at Drumbo Lisburn in 1859. We have made little progress with his father SAMUEL who was born between 1780 and 1820 marrying Elizabeth RAINEY (1809) somewhere between 1830 and 1836. She was baptised in the same year at St Anne's, Shankill, Co. Antrim, her father being Robert and mother Elizabeth. Does this line seem familiar to you?
4276/4277 New members Brandon and Meara, son and dau of Dale 5535. Back in Newsletter 72 [5529-5535] we introduced you to Dales' family who descend from JACKSON A* b. 1829 Fayette Co., Ohio [OH], who married in 1856 Illinois (IL), Phebe TURNIPSEED b. 1840 IL.. Our dead end was with Jackson A* whose mother was a dau of Christopher [who we now know is actually CHRISTIAN] Turnipseed. Christian Turnipseed was appointed Guardian of Jackson in 1831 and Jackson was residing in McLean Co., IL in 1850 with the Christian Turnipseed family. At that time we were searching for Jackson's unknown father. A lot has happened recently. so here is the updated information. DNA testing has provided us with a very strong lead regarding Jackson's birth. Originally we found only one potential Armstrong in Fayette Co Ohio in 1829 who was of an age to father Jackson. That was JOHN Armstrong who married ELIZABETH Parrett. Our analysis of the documentation available then strongly suggested that was very unlikely. Dale joined the Armstrong DNA project and discovered a very close match with a descendant of JOHN MORGAN A* & Nancy Agnes ERVINE [Erwin]. Both were mainstream Armstrongs, however, there is a special DNA "Thingey" which occurred at Alleles CDY and S413 [i.e., CDY 34-38 and S413 20-23]. That means that there is a unique DNA identifier that closely connects these two families. With the DNA matches, combined with the extensive research done by the matching descendant of John Morgan A* & Nancy Agnes Ervine [Erwin], we now have a prime candidate for Jackson's father. The DNA very strongly shows us that we suspected the correct family just the wrong generation. John Armstrong had a brother WILLIAM ABEL [mostly called Abel] A* who married Mary PARRETT the sister of Elizabeth Parrett. William Abel A* was the older brother of John A* and their parents were John Morgan A* and Nancy Agnes Ervine [Erwin]. William Abel A* died in 1807 in Ross Co., Ohio, so was not named in his father's 1821 will. However, the will named his son ABEL A* [b 1806] living in OH. Not long after William Abel A*'s death his widow married John HAYS in 1808 in Fayette Co., OH. We also have court records which show Abel A* and his 1st wife Jane KIRKPATRICK [they m C1830] were also in Fayette Co., OH before 1841.
We are still looking for documentation to support our theory so any assistance for either family would be greatly appreciated.
4288
Welcome new member 4288. Kim is related to Pat 5573 the common ancestor being William Armstrong & Isabella White [aka Elizabeth Isabella Whyte]. Pat is descended from William's son Robert, and Kim is descended from William's son James. Kim's parents are William C. Westerman and Gladys F Sproul. Kim’s grandparents are Albert Lockard WESTERMAN & his 1st wife RUTH VIRGINIA Armstrong. Ruth Virginia A* was b 1898 Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania [PA]. She was the eldest child of FRANK ULYSSES A* b 1868 Allegheny Co., PA & Clara Jane PUGH b 1872 PA. They married 1897 in Allegheny Co., PA, and had 7 children there. (1) RUTH VIRGINIA, (2) LYDIA (3) NELLIE, (4) JAMES WHITE, (5) MARCUS HANNA (6) ELEANOR and (7) ADDISON. Frank Ulysses A* was the son of JAMES Armstrong (1824-1876) & Eleanora "Ellen" Smith ALEXANDER who mar Abt 1846 PA. Ellen's mother thought to be Hannah Taggert apparently married twice, 1st Henry Smith father of Ellen, and 2nd Samuel Alexander. We are still looking for the marriage of James A* & Ellen. James and Ellen They had at least 10 children born in Allegheny Co., PA: (1) WILLIAM A., (2) JAMES G., (3) ANNIE, (4) FANNIE, (5) JOHN GRAHAM, (6) HARRY E., (7) SAMUEL MEADE, (8) CHARLES FOSTER, (9) FRANK ULYSSES and (10) ADDISON A.
James A* definitely appears to be the son of WILLIAM A* b Abt 1790 PA d Abt 1860 & Isabella WHITE [aka Elizabeth Isabella Whyte] who m. Abt 1817 in PA. We still need verification of her name and their marriage. History of Pittsburgh and Environs, Vol 6, 1922, Biographical sketch of John G. A* on pgs 180-181 [only found on familysearch.org], shows another son James A* b Abt 1825, d 1877 Allegheny Co., PA [Plaster Contractor] who m Ellen [Eleanor] Alexander, and had 10 children. John G. A* was subject of the piece was the fifth child and third son of James A*. It also says that William [Sr] the father of James, ran a keel boat from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, and on one trip to New Orleans, he left his son William there. William [Jr] later became the proprietor and owner of the St Charles Hotel of New Orleans. Kim has tried to tried to track the ownership of the St Charles Hotel, without any success, because between hurricanes and battles paperwork does not exist. So for now the story is just a story that has been passed down through time.
The 1820 Census for Indiana, Allegheny Co., PA [enumerated on 7 Aug 1820, Image 2 of 4] shows the following Armstrong's & White's named as head of household
James White, head, b Bet 1795-1804, 2M < 10, 1M 16-26, 1F < 10, 1F 26-45
William Armstrong, head, b Bet 1795-1804, 1M <10, 1M 16-26, 1F 16-26
James White, Sr, head, b Bef 1775, 1M >45, 1F <10, 1F 26-45
William Armstrong, head, b Bet 1776-1794, 1M 16-26, 1F <10, 1F 26-45
James Armstrong, head, b Bet 1795-1804, 1M 26-45, 2F <10, 1F 26-45
William Armstrong, head, b Bet 1795-1804, 1M 10-16, 1M 26-45 F <10 F 26-45
Historical un-sourced data shows William A* & Isabella they had 9 children and the 1840 census lists 9 from under 5 to under 30, 11 Total. They had 3 sons and 1 dau still at home in 1850, Robert age 17, Jackson age 14, Margaret age 18, and Joseph age 22. In 1860, census show additional children William age 11, Daniel age 6 [William and Daniel much more likely grandsons], Margaret age 28, Jackson age 24 [Journeyman Painter], Robert age 26 [Master Plasterer] & his wife Catherine age 20 residing with William A* and his wife Isabella.
We could sure use some help here. Do any of you recognize any part of this family?
4294 Welcome new member 4294. Celia's grandfather was TERRI LEE A* dau of ROBERT WESLEY A* & Gloria ANUNSON. Robert was the son of EARLE DEVENS A* & Irene HOYMAN. Earle's parents were JAMES WESLEY A* b1880 Winnebago Co., Wisconsin [WI] & Zelpha Martha DEVENS b1887 WI. James Wesley A* He was the son of JOHN LORD A* b 1854 New York & Emma Jane POWELL b 1858 England. They married 1877 in Winnebago Co., WI. They had at least 6 children all born in Winnebago Co.,: (1) MARGARET JANE b 1878 JAMES MCLAUGHLIN, (2) JAMES WESLEY Celia's ancestor, (3) MARTHA CHRISTINE b 1882, mar Christopher JENSEN b Denmark, (4) BELLE L., b 1886 mar William WILLIAMS, (5) JOHN LORD, Jr., b 1890, married RUTH b Abt 1896 WI, (6) BERNICE L. b 1892, mar Neil SCHUMAKER. John Lord A* Sr's [b 1854] marriage record names his parents as JOHN Armstrong & Margaret GIBSON. John A* was b Abt 1819 Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was a Pvt Hm 22nd Regt, died 19 Jun 1854 and was buried 19 Jun 1854 Peshawar, Bengal, India, shortly before the birth of his son. John A* and Margaret Gibson b 1831 Londonderry, are thought to have married in Ireland. We are not sure exactly when Margaret arrived in the US, possibly with her parents William Gibson & Christena Orr, but her son John L. was born in Jul 1854 in New York.   Margaret remarried in 1857 John W. Lord who was also a widow with children and they had more children together while living in Winnebago Co., WI.
Any help here to find more on John A* would be greatly appreciated.
2621 New member Jill has Irish roots which we hope you can help us with. Her grandfather WILLIAM GORDON A* was born in Grenville County, Ontario, Canada in 1899 and married Beth Marie HESS. His father was CHARLES EDWARD CLENDENNING A* (1866), Edwardsburg, Grenville Co, married Mary Alberta LOCKERBIE. They had four other children. WILLIAM GORDON (1899) DELBERT G. (1901), RALPH (1907), BERTHA (1908) and JEAN (1912) all born in Edwardsburg, Grenville Co. Charles was one of ten children born to WILLIAM (1819 Ontario) and Elizabeth ELLIS. The others were: MARY (1850), LETITA (1851), WILLIAM T. (1854), JOHN W. (1856), MARY JANE (1859), JAMES A. (1861), GEORGE ALBERT (1864), ELIZABETH (1869) and MARGARET ETTA (1873). William was the only son of WILLIAM A* was born before 1798 in Ireland. He married Jane CLENDENING. She was born before 1800 in Ireland. We have one or two leads on the family in Ireland but nothing conclusive.
3437 Rosemary has unearthed an interesting background of events in tracking down her Armstrong ancestry around Canonbie and Half Morton DFS SCO area. It starts with Williamina BEATTIE whose mother was MARY A* born Canonbie C1820. Williamina first married John Temple and on his death married James Graham both at Gretna Green! As luck would have it the latter couple for some reason decided to “legalise” the marriage by doing it all again officially at Canonbie. This then gave us the information that Williamina’s parents were William BEATTIE and Mary A*, but Mary’s name surname was not at that time something like “MOUNSEY” being the best shot at reading the writing, so following that link through drew a blank on Mary’s ancestry apart from some implied connections with Canonbie.
However the breakthrough came with the 1851 Census where we find Williamina, aged 4, living in Half Morton and described as a grandniece of CATHERINE A*67 and JAMES A* 65 both marked as unmarried. In 1841 they are still in residence along with an AGNESS A* (C1761-65) so one had thought with all that detail and all the extensive records that we hold on the Canonbie area we would be able to match this group up with a family. Did we? No! Have we missed something?
4280 Melody’s Scottish ancestor ELLEN A*(1865) arrived in Massachusetts USA in 1890 along with her husband William Currie and their children: James, Thomasina and Sarah. Their destination being Lewiston ME. Ellen’s father JOHN A* born 1839 in Yarrow, Selkirkshire, SCO married Thomasina Young in 1864 in Ladhope, Roxburghshire. Ellen was their only child. John had three siblings: ADAM (1830), who married Jane LARDNER in 1855, MARGARET (1832) and twin EUPHEMIA. All were born in Yarrow. John’s parents were ROBERT A* and Janet SHANKS. Robert was born about 1771 in Scotland. He died before 1851. He married Janet Shanks (C 1804) in 1830 in Yarrow. With Robert’s late marriage to Janet it could be assumed that at the age of 49-53 this was not his first marriage. However the Old Parish Register shows no other detail other than “Both of this Parish”. Can anyone take us further?
4285 Welcome new member 4285 who is the latest new member related to the RICHARD A* (son of Joseph A* & Janet Wilson) & Catherine SCHAFNER family; and members, Merle our Canada Convenor, 0722, 5433, 5491, 5492, 4260, 4270, 4271-4273, & 4284. Jennifer's parents are Gary Lee & Sharon A*. Her grand- parents were EDWARD ARTHUR Voulier A* & Jean SMITH. Edward Arthur Voulier A* was son of GEORGE WALLACE A* & Beatrice STEEVES who had 5 children. George Wallace A*b 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts [MA], was the eldest child and son of CHARLES FRANCIS GRAY A* b 1871 Boston, MA & his 1st wife, Florence [or Flora] Mae MACNELLY [McNelly] who married 1894 in Weymouth, Nova Scotia [NS]. Charles F. G. & Flora had four additional children: CHARLES FERNALD, EDMUND DWIGHT, FLORENCE ALEXANDRIA ELIZABETH, and HELEN JACQUELINE. We know that Charles F.G. A* left his family and went to California [CA] before 1910. He died in San Mateo Co. Charles F.G. A* was the son of GEORGE TROOP A* b Abt 1823 NS d 1897 Boston MA & his 3rd wife, Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" WILSON b Abt 1842 MA. They married 1862 in Essex Co., MA. They lived in MA and had possibly 4 children: GEORGE EDWARD W. A* [thought to be George Edward Wilson A*], LILLIE MAUD A*, CHARLES F.G. A*, and VIOLA A* all born in MA. George Troop A*'s 1st wife was Abigail Elizabeth ODELL. They had two daughters in Digby Co., NS: (1) SARAH ANN ELIZA A* b 1849 d NS, who married Charles Wentworth SABEAN (b 1844 Digby Co. NS) in 1867 in Digby, NS, and (2) ELIZABETH ABIGAIL A* b 1850, who married Henry Barr MANZER (b 1846 Digby Co., NS) in 1869 Digby NS. After the death of Abigail, George Troop A* married 2nd Amelia J. KEEN in 1853 MA, who died shortly thereafter in 1854 MA of Typhoid fever. George Troop A* was the son of FRANCIS A* b Abt 1790 Annapolis, NS who married 29 Apr 1819 Digby, NS [which was in Annapolis Co., NS until 1838], Mary "Polly" TROOP nee BARNES GILLIAND b 1788 Annapolis, NS, dau of Stephen Barnes & Jane Troop. We believe his middle name came from his maternal grand-mother Jane Troop. This brings us back to Francis A* son of Richard A* & Catherine Schafner of NS.
4306 Welcome new member 4306. Michael is the son of George W BUZAN and DALE V Armstrong. Dale V. A* was the dau of ARTHUR CODY Armstrong b 1893 in Texas (TX) & Sallie Travis Wiley. Arthur Cody A*'s parents were GEORGE GREEN A* b 1871 Alabama (AL) and his 1st wife Georgia Savannah MCMILLIAN [or McMellon] b 1873 Missouri (MO). George G. A* mar 2nd Biddie F. ALDERSON. George Green A* was the son of ARCHEAUS G. [aka Archibald Green] A* b 1844 AL & Leah F. BALDWIN b 1849 Georgia (GA), who m 1866 in Blount Co., AL. Together they had 10 children: (1) WILLIAM G., (2) PERRY R., (3) George Green, (4) THOMAS BENTLEY, (5) ALICE A., (6) MARY ANN., (7) CHARLES, (8) JAMES ARTHUR, (9) BELL Z., and (10) ARCH BAXTER. Archeaus Green A* was son of THOMAS G. A* b 1816 TN, d 1856 AL and Lucy Ann WALKER b 1821 AL d 1898 Lampassas Co., TX. The married 7 Jul 1836 in Blount Co., AL. Together they had 9 children: (1) MARY ELLEN, (2) JACOB M., (3) SARAH ANN MARGARET, (4) ARCH GREEN, (5) THOMAS ASA, (6) PHOEBE ARMINDA, (7) JAMES, (8) PERRY and (9) WILLIAM RUSSELL. We are looking for the parents of Thomas G. A*. Some believe his parents were JAMES A* b 1785-1792 d Dec 1852 Blount Co AL & Sarah Elizabeth maiden name not known, b Abt 1786 SC d 1860 Blount Co., AL. The problem is there are so many A*'s in Blount Co AL 1830 & 1840 we have not been able to identify who belongs to who.
Armstrongs in Blount Co., AL in 1830 Follow:
1830 AL Blount Co., AL, pg 2B, [Northern District] Image 3 of 46,
Jesse Armstrong, head, 1M 20-30 [b Bet 1800-1810], 1F 15-20
Thomas Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 1M 30-40 [b Bet 1790-1800], 1F 15-20
and
1830 AL Blount Co., AL, pg 17B [Northern District] Image 33 of 46
James Armstrong, head, 1M 5-10, 1M 10-15, 1M 15-20, 1M 30-40 [b Bet 1790-1800], 1F 5-10, 1F 40-50
Armstrongs in Blount Co., AL in 1840 Follow:
1840 Census, AL, Blount, Eastern Division, pg 97B and 98A, Image 31 and 32 of 47:
J. Armstrong, head, 2M <5, 2M 5-10, 1M 30-40 [b. Bet 1800-1810] [Could also be read as I. A*] [This could be Jesse]
Will Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 1M 20-30 [b Bet 1810-1820], 1F 20-30, 1F 30-40 [Could be William C. & Mary Sellers & son George]
Thos Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 1M 20-30 [b Bet 1810-1820] , 1F 15-20 [Thos G.?]
G. Hardine [reference only]
Jno Armstrong, head, 1M 15-20 [b Bet 1820-1825], 1F <5, 1F 15-20, 1F 30-40 [b Bet 1800-1810] [Could be John M. & Frances Hardwick]
Thos Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 2M 5-10, 1M 15-20, 1M 40-50 [b 1790-1800], 1F <5. 1F 20-30 [Could be Thomas that m. Mary C. Wadkins]
1840 AL Blount Eastern Division, pg 94B, Image 22 of 41,
S. Armstrong, head, 1M 20-30 [b Bet 1810-1820], 1F 15-20 [b Bet 1820-1825], 1F 60-70 [b Bet 1770-1780] [This could be Sarah? Armstrong and son William, dau Elizabeth later Tidwell?]
1840 AL Blount Western Division, pg 77B, Image 6 of 12,
J. L. [or J.S.] Armstrong, head, 2M <5, 1M 20-30 [b 1810-1820], 1F <5, 1F 20-30 [most probably James Stewart A* that married Polly Holt?]
Help! Can anyone help us verify the parents of Thomas G. A*?
4314 Welcome new member 4314 Kevin's parents are James M and Judy L nee A* GREEN. Judy was the dau of J.W. Armstrong and Geneve L WALKER of Graham, Young Co., Texas (TX). J. W.'s birth certificate & death record show his name as initials only, which is somewhat unusual but certainly not unheard of. J.W.'s father came to Texas from Mississippi (MS). His name was OLLIE ROBERT A* b 1890 in Monroe Co., MS. After making the move from MS to TX, Ollie Robert A* married Ada M GACHTER in Young Co., TX. Together they had at least seven children, 2 sons and 5 daughters, finally settling in Graham, Young Co., TX. O.R.'s father was ROBERT WINSTON A* b 1864 Monroe Co., MS, d. in Graham, who married Louella F CLAY in 1888 in Monroe Co. MS. She was b 1874 in Tupelo, Lee Co., MS. Shortly after Ollie R. was born they moved to Texas and had at least 7 more children: SARAH M., JOHN W., ROY L., TOY EDWARD, ELLA M., AUSTIN & ALBERT. Robert Winston A* was the son of JOHN L. A* (b 1836 Alabama (AL), d in Fannin Co., TX) & Cleopatra "Jane" DILWORTH (b 1840 MS-d in TX). They married 1858 in Monroe Co., MS. Some believe John's middle name was Langdon, however we have yet to find any documentation to support that, so if you do have documentation, please share it with us. John L. & Jane A* had 8 children we can document. They were: JOHN, ROBERT WINSTON, GEORGE L., IDA ODESSA, DAVID, STEPHEN D., ALGAR & EDNA E., all born Monroe Co., MS. Sometime before 1900 most of this family also moved to TX. John L.'s parents were DAVID A. A* (b 1811 South Carolina (SC), d 1889 MS) and his 1st wife Elizabeth (b Abt 1816 SC), thought to be nee MURPHY. John was the eldest, followed by RUFUS L., b Abt 1839 AL, ELVIRA E., b Abt 1842 AL, ALBARTUS b Abt 1844 AL, ADOLPHUS b Abt 1846 MS, MINERVA J., b Abt 1848 MS and LOUIS b Abt 1851. David A* married 2nd Mandone BURDINE 1855 in Monroe Co., MS. They had one known child, WESLEY b Abt 1856 MS. David A* married 3rd Mary Ann Eleanor MYERS (b1832 SC) 3 Aug 1864 in Itawamba Co., MS. Together they had 4 children: JOSEPH P., MADORA, CALVIN, & MITTIE BELL b Abt 1872 MS. There are some who believe David's middle name was Alexander, but just like his son John, we have yet to find any documentation to support that. So again, if you do have documentation, please share it with us. Now, some believe that DAVID A. A* father was also DAVID A. or ALEXANDER Armstrong who was b Abt 1768 SC and d Aft 1840 and before 1850 in Dallas, Madison Co., AL. They are using the 1840 Census, Alabama, Dallas Co., Twp not stated, where David Armstrong, head of family, Age 70-79, b Bet 1761-1770, and the only other member of the household is a females Age 15-19 or b Bet 1821-1825. Can anyone help us verify the parents of David A* b 1811 SC?
3441/3572 New member Mark has linked up with Dave on the Suffolk Armstrongs with the quite unique forename (I can’t find any on the database) starting us off in 1688 with the birth of HAMLET A*. He married Grace SMITH and ANTHONY was born in 1700. He married Margaret HOW and another HAMLET came along in 1733. He married Mary MOWER. They had four children including ANTHONY (1754) he married Mary HAYWOOD producing ten children of which two were ANTHONY (1788), from whom Mark is descended, and GEORGE (1785) from Dave’s line. The rest of Dave’s line was published in Edition 68. James descent is through JAMES (1815) of Shellend, Suffolk, THOMAS HENRY (1849) of Stowmarket, Suffolk but we find his son ARTHUR HENRY born in Paddington, London in 1890. We didn’t have any links last time but after waiting eight years we have got one. Come on there must be more out there! Maybe this is where a DNA test may help as we are back to 1668.
2623 Jacquelyn has a line which ends up in Ireland. Her Armstrong ancestor is FRANCES ELIZABETH born in 1847 in Brookeborough, Fermanagh, IRE and married Francis LINDSAY in Canada (Halton) in 1865. She had four siblings all born in Brookeborough JOHN HENRY (1843), married Mary GILMOUR, MARY ANN (1853), SAMUEL (1855), married Merion DENNIS, and ELIZABETH (1857). They all lived and died in Canada. Their parents were WILLIAM A*(1812) and Elizabeth PIPER. William might have been born in Magheraculmoney, Fermanagh. According to a now-deceased relative, the family came in 1860. A 1901 census for Samuel Armstrong indicates arrival in 1862. The only other information that Jacquelyn has is: “They came from Fermanagh on a sailing boat and landed in Oakville, Ontario, then walked to Drumquin, a distance of about ten miles, to a farm owned by Mrs. Charles Brown, a distant relative.” There is certainly a William Armstrong listed in Griffith’s Valuation in Magheraculmoney. Any ideas anyone?
4316/4256 Welcome new member 4316 Richard who is related to 4256. Richard is the son of Huntington A Hardwick & Frieda A Sumner, son of Percival H Hardwick & Maude P Blackmar. Percival mostly known as Percy is the son of Richard’s Armstrong line starts with William Arthur Hardwick b 1857 Annapolis Co., Nova Scotia (NS) d Boston, Massachusetts (MA) married MARY JANE Armstrong b 1859 Wabasha Co., Minnesota (MN), d Boston MA. Mary Jane A* was the dau of EDWARD A* b 1826 Digby, NS d 1893 Boston MA & Sarah LEWIS b 1835 England, d 1921 Somerville MA. They married Abt 1855 but now we are not sure if the marriage took place in Digby NS or in MN, so if anyone has a clue please let us know. Edward A* & Sarah Lewis had at least 11 children: the first two MARGARET b Abt 1857 & MARY JANE (Richard's ancestor) b Abt 1859 were born Wabasha Co., Minnesota [MN]; the rest were born in Digby, NS, SARAH ADA b Abt 1861, JAMES L., 1863, LUCY HOLDSWORTH b Abt 1866, CHARLES EDWARD 1868, including FRANK G. 1870 (4256's ancestor), THOMAS 1872, ANN 1874, WILLIAM HARRIS 1876 & EDGAR BRATTLE 1878. Edward A* was the son of GEORGE A* b 1789 d 1863 & Mary CREIGHTON b 1786 d 1862 who married 1 Jan 1818 Digby, NS. They had 7 children all born Digby, NS: SARAH ANN b 27 Feb 1819, MARGARET KATHARINE b 17 Sep 1820, GEORGE b 4 Mar 1822, ROBERT b 1 Jun 1823, JAMES FRANCIS b 2 Jun 1824,including EDWARD b 26 Dec 1826 (the common ancestor) and WILLIAM CREIGHTON b 28 Mar 1828. George A* was the son of FRANCIS A* the Loyalist, of Digby NS, who was probably born in the US Bet 1745-1750, possibly in Chester Co. Pennsylvania [PA]. & Nancy HUTTON (according to Calnek). We are still looking for confirmation of her name and their marriage. Based on strong circumstantial evidence, we are pretty sure that Francis the Loyalist was the son of WILLIAM A* who d 1777 Sadsbury, Chester Co., PA & Jane BAXTER of Chester Co. PA. William A*'s will names four children: SUSANNAH, JOHN (oldest son), Francis & WILLIAM. Both Francis and William were attainted for high treason losing their inheritance. Help is still needed here.
4347 Robert’s grandfather THOMAS THEODORE A* was born in Masthugget Parish, Sweden in 1905 but married in Baltimore Maryland USA Pauline Elizabeth FARSON. This is where the family put down their roots. Previous to this Thomas’s father ANDREW THOMAS A*(b. Manchester, ENG in 1869) had married Johanna Emilia Elvira NILSON in Goteborg, Sweden in 1904. Andrew’s parents were WILLIAM THOMAS A* and Jane McDIARMID. This is where our Scottish connection begins and takes us back another three generations of Armstrongs all with the forename William and all having an affinity to St Ninian’s, Stirlingshire SCO. William Thomas was the son of WILLIAM Armstrong (1794) and Margaret GILLESPIE. They had in addition six other children: JAMES (1829), HELEN (1833), MARGARET (1835), ALEXANDER (1838), THOMAS (1840) and ANN (1844). We believe that William’s (1794) parents were WILLIAM (b. 8 March 1867) St Ninian’s and Helen AIKMEN. It is undisputed that William’s wife’s name was Helen but the Old Parish Registers of St Ninian’s give us two possibilities: William 15 July 1792 - Parents John A* and Helen McLAUCHLANE or William 20 July 1794 Parents William A* and Helen Aiken. We also have the marriage of William and Helen Aiken 12 December 1790 with the birth of daughter SOPHIA in 1792. We can find no marriage of John and Helen. Looking at the census returns William’s age, although not totally consistent points to a birth in 1794 rather than 1792 so we are going with that! That then gives what must be WILLIAM’S birth in 1767 again at St Ninian’s and again another father WILLIAM with wife Jane GIBSON. After that our luck runs out as there is no trace of William and Jane’s marriage.

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 83 November 2016
1773/5011 Welcome to new member Penny who has found a kindred spirit in long time member Chris. Sadly we have not been able to progress the pedigree any further backwards but have at least managed to add a bit more information. Their common ancestor is JOHN Armstrong (C1805/6) who married Ann PATTERSON at St Lawrence’s Church, Pittington, DUR Eng 12 April 1830. Their children were THOMAS (bp 9 Oct 1831, Houghton le Spring DUR), from whom Chris is descended, JOHN (bp 22 Dec 1833, Hetton-le Hole DUR), JOSEPH (bp 1836, Easington South Hetton), from whom Penny is descended, ELENER (b C1840 DUR), ELIZABETH (b C1844 DUR), who married in 1898 John James DEFTY, and WILLIAM (b C1848 Wingate). Joseph married in June 1858 Sarah Watson their children being: ANN (1858), Thomas (1860), SARAH ELLEN (1864), who married Caleb BELL, JOHN (1866), JOSEPH (1869), WILLIAM (1871) and ELIZABETH (1875).William married Dora CRANSON and JOSEPH LESLIE A*, Penny’s father, was born in 1917. Chris’s line is in NEWS 76 which can still be downloaded from the website.
3412 New member Susan has a link which goes back a number of generations around Oldham, LAN, England. SHAKESPEAR A* (1826) was born at Waterhead, Oldham. His siblings were MALLY (1819, JAMES (1821), MALLY (1822) and GEORGE (1824). His parents were THOMAS (1796), born at Sholver, Oldham who married Betty DYSON in 1818. His siblings were SALLY (1798), JAMES (1800), JOHN (1803) and SALLY (1804). All died in infancy apart from John. Thomas’ father was JAMES A* born c1776 who married Mally SHAW in 1796. James likely had a brother JOHN who was born in 1778. He married Betty DUNKERLEY in 1799 their other children being MARY (1801), and twin sons JOHN and JAMES (1808). The brothers’ parentage cannot be proved by primary sources. There were very few Armstrongs appearing in Oldham before 1800. GEORGE Armstrong (1733) & his wife Martha BUTTERWORTH (1776) were living in the small hamlet of Sholver from their burials. Their marriage date and their abode makes is highly likely that they were the parents of John and James. Also the movement of both lines to the Copy Nook (or Coppice Nook) area on the west side of Oldham in the latter half of the 1830s. George and Martha were married at St Chad’s Church at Saddlesworth, Oldham on 12 March 1775. There are some clues on the publishing of the banns as to George’s abode. . There is an interesting possibility there where Robuckloe (or Robucklow "within Saddlesworth") is mentioned. I believe the abbreviation prior to this means "sojourning in" in other words that wasn't his permanent place of residence. So where did George come from? It is not that common an Armstrong forename. Perhaps we need to look across the moors to further places in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Can any members help?
3420 Most of the time we begin with a birth in one country, sometimes if fortunate we can identify the ancestor who was the emigrant and then continue our search for ancestors across a body of water. In our new member Scott's case, he was born in the US and is currently residing in the UK and now we are trying to identify his emigrant ancestor. Not one but two. We have another Armstrong-Armstrong marriage. And wouldn't you know both of the possible lines are Henry Armstrong's. .So let's start with the paternal side of Scott's family. Scott's mother was JEAN MAXINE A* b in Iowa [IA], the dau of Max A. A* and Florence L METCALF. They married in IA, and had two children, JACK METCALF A* and Jean. Max A* was the only child of ALBERT FREDERICK A* b 1849 IA d Dallas, Texas [TX], and his 1st wife HENRIETTA. Sadly, Max was b 1884 in IA, and his mother Henrietta died two days after his birth. Albert F. married 2nd in 1886 in Indiana [IN], Jeannie BEARD [b 1860 IN d Texas]. They had 7 children, EDITH b 1888 IN, NORA b 1889 IN, INEZ b 1891 IN, HOWARD B., b 1893 Minnesota [MN], RUTH b 1895 MN and ALBERT F., Jr., b 1897 MN. Albert F. was the son of SAMUEL A* b 1806 Kentucky [KY] d 1853 IA & Ann F LONGLEY b 1814 KY d 1854 IA. They married 1831 in Mason Co., KY and had 9 children: ELIZABETH, WILLIAM H., ELIZA, MARY P., ANGELA, JAMES, FRANCES E., all born IN, Albert F., and THOMAS HART BENTON b IA.   Samuel is thought to be the son of HENRY A* & Elizabeth FISHER. We know that a Henry over age 45 yrs was in Mason Co., KY in 1800 and Fleming Co., KY in the 1820 and died shortly after 1820, because Elizabeth, widow is in Montgomery Co., IN in the 1830 census with her three youngest children. According to the History of Montgomery written in 1881, she left KY with at least two sons and two dau arriving in Brown Twp., Montgomery Co, IN, about 10 Sep 1829, where she met her brother Samuel Fisher who came from Fayette Co., KY. Elizabeth died 1846 in Montgomery Co., IN and is buried next to her brother Samuel Fisher according to Find A Grave. There is circumstantial evidence that Henry & Elizabeth had at least 8 children born in KY, thought to be: POLLY CHARITY, b Abt 1800, THOMAS b Abt 1802, MARGUERITE b Abt 1805, SAMUEL b 1806, HENRY b Abt 1808, AMBROSE W., b 1812, ELIZABETH and NANCY. The 1820 Fleming Co., KY Census list 2 males under 10, [Ambrose & who?], 2 males 10-15 [Samuel & Henry], 1 male 16-18 [Thomas], 2 females under 10 [who?] 1 female 10-15 [Marguerite], 1 female 16-25 [Polly Charity], 1 male over age 45 [b Bef 1775] Henry and 1 female 26-44 [b Bet 1776-1794] Elizabeth, Total 11 in the household. The 1830 Montgomery Co., IN Census list, Elizabeth A* widow is b Bet 1771-1780, 1 male 15-19 [Ambrose] 2 females 5-9, 1 female 10-14, Total 3. Next door is Thomas A* b bet 1790-1800, 1 female b Bet 1800-1810, 1 dau under 5.In 1830 Mason Western Division, KY, Samuel b Bet 1801-1810 is by himself, Samuel married Ann LONGLEY in 1831 in Mason Co., KY. In 1840 they are in Putnam Co., Indiana and before the birth of Albert F in 1849 they had moved to Iowa.In the 1840 Brown Twp, Montgomery Co., KY Census, we find Henry A* b Bet 1801-1810 married with children and possibly his mother Elizabeth b Bet 1771-1780. Henry A* married Isabell Fisher in 1837 in Montgomery Co., IN. She was born Abt 1817 in KY and probably a cousin on the Fisher side of the family. Help, we need hard documentation!!!
3420 The Maternal side. Henrietta A*b 1863 IN d IA married Albert F. Armstrong (b 1849 IA) in Sep 1881 [son of Samuel A* & Ann Longley]. Henrietta A* was the dau of JAMES A* b Abt 1819 Franklin Co., IN d 1886 Shelby Co., IN, who married Mary L SHEPPARD (b 1839 IN) 1862 in Rush Co., IN. They had at least HENRIETTA b 1863, JAMES W. b 1867 AR, d TX, married Lula Alice WADE; HAYDEN b 1871, CHARLES O b 1876, and LEONA M b 1879 James A* was son of HENRY b Bet 1795-1797 in KY & Elizabeth CLAYTON.   They married 1816 in Franklin Co., IN and stayed in IN. He died after 1870 in IN. They had at least 5 children all born in Franklin Co., IN: our James b 1819, WILLIAM C. 1821-1876 m Eliza Jane GROCE 1848 Franklin Co., IN, HANNAH b 1829, Joseph b Abt 1833, married Marium Mary OVERMAN 1856, and MILTON b Abt 1838.Some believe Henry was the son of JOHN A* who d Abt 1846 Franklin Co., IN & Elizabeth EADS but there is no documentation to support this.[Do not forget Scott's oldest ancestors on his paternal side are most likely Henry A* & Elizabeth Fisher]
3421 New member’s Michelle’s great grandmother was JANE A* (1848) who was born in Kings Lynn NFK Eng who married John BRANNIGAN in 1871. Jane’s father, MATTHEW (1821) had married Sarah Ann Carol HASTINGS in Longham NFK in 1845, but he was from the Graitney, Dumfries, SCO family of WILLIAM (born in Gretna, SCO 1784) who had married Jean GILBERTSON on 13 Jan 1805. His parents were probably ALEXANDER A* and Mary COLTHERD, although the copy of the register is hard to read, but is likely to be Alexander. William and Jean had 11 more children, James being the eighth. They were: ELSPETH (1805), JOHN (1806), GEORGINA (1809), JAMES (1812), WILLIAM (1815), THOMAS (1817), ALEXANDER (1819), RICHARD HALLIDAY (1824), ROBERT (1826), ANDREW (1828) and MARY (1831). All were born in Gretna. We have nothing further back than the tentative Alexander and Mary, and are rather puzzled as to where the “Halliday” naming came from. Can you help?
3423 New member Christine wrote: “Kate Armstrong was born on 23 July 1914 at home 22 Market Street, Dalton in Furness, Cumberland. Kate was the daughter of a Thomas Armstrong and his wife Gertrude nee Whittaker. As an adult Kate was known as Catherine Armstrong and in September 1939 she married my father in law. She had three sons and I am married to the youngest. To complicate matters further she was given away at 6 weeks of age in a solicitor’s office in Barrow in Furness to a Charles and Jane Clark. This couple only kept Kate for a few years because as a very young child she was brought up by a family in Millom called Eagers. She stayed with the Eagers until adulthood.” A birth certificate of that date should lead us to a marriage certificate and then we would be on the case. No marriage certificate! Tried all combinations, forenames, spellings etc and it comes up blank. Look in the 1901 and 1911 census for them married or unmarried nothing even vaguely obvious. The only thing I have proved by Google Maps is that 22 Market Street in Dalton on Furness exists and someone was living there in 1911 but not them! The only possible clue to all this is that Kate was given away at 6 weeks. Our feeling is that she was certainly born at 22 Market Street but Gertrude wasn’t married and made up the husband’s name to avoid any embarrassment. Also it might be significant that this birth was at the beginning of WW1. Maybe he was Thomas Armstrong, maybe he abandoned her, maybe he was an early casualty, but without positive information other than Thomas and Gertrude – no age, no parentage, no birthplace and no addresses other than Market Street we are all stumped! I suppose one would now have to fall back on the “rumour machine” and try anything that seems a possibility there…. Or maybe you have some ideas or clues!!!
3424 New member Chris’s Armstrongs come from Co. Durham and Northumberland ENG. Her grandmother EDITH ISABELLA (1878) [siblings HORACE ST PAUL (1880), GEORGE GORDON (1885) and LILIAN MARY (1888)]. Her father HORACE ST PAUL A* (1851) married Elizabeth MOUNTFORD. Horace’s father was another HORACE ST PAUL A* (1818) of Wooler NBL who married Isabella BAILEY with other children MARY BAILEY (1838), MARGARET J (1855) and JOSEPH J (1859). Father JOSEPH (1774) had married Barbara HOWEY in 1795 who died in 1804. Their children were CHRISTIAN (1795) and JOSEPH (1797). By his possible second marriage to Margaret BROWN as well as Horace they had children GEORGE (1808) and BARBARA HOWEY (1810). At that time there was a Sir Horace St Paul living in Wooler and that is where it was assumed that was where Joseph had got the name from! Joseph’s parents were CLEMENT A* (C1741) and Eleanor ALLANSON (C1737) who married in Wooler in 1770. No record can be found of Clement’s birth. It might be significant that son Joseph was buried 12/04/1819, his father 20/04/1819 and his mother 18/09/1819. In Wooler there are numbers of A*s popping up all over the place, but there are some interesting possibilities. For instance Joseph’s first wife, Barbara Hovey name perpetuated in Joseph’s second marriage (?) to Margaret Brown. There is also another Barbara Hovey A* (1834) dau of Joseph and Ann HALL who had at least another 5 children and he was a shoemaker as was his father Joseph. ISABELLA A* and CATHERINE A* both produced illegitimate children and the child of the latter was named CLEMENT (1820). If Clement was born in Wooler C 1741 his father could have conceivably been THOMAS bp 04/06/1723 or 09/07/1723. (Are these the same person?). His father was also THOMAS. Perhaps it would be a good idea to follow up the “dissenter” route as obviously Clement and Eleanor did as the children were baptised as Presbyterians. Clement might even have been one prior to his marriage but had no option but to be married in the Parish Church. This might well mean that his parents were also and that is why no baptism can be found. Have we a volunteer who lives near the Northumberland County Archive Service?!
3425 New member Karen comes from a well-documented line in Workington CUL Eng. However her great grandfather ALBERT (1892) was the first generation to be born across the border from Scotland. Albert’s father WILLIAM (1844) of Ruthwell DFS Sco had married   Elizabeth PRIESTMAN in Workington in 1871, his father’s name being given as JOHN. William was baptised in Ruthwell in August 1844 and his mother’s name was given as Janet RODDICK. All plain sailing so far until suspicions are raised in the 1851 Census! William is shown along with his mother and brothers JOHN (1847) and WALTER (1849). Janet is described as a Railway Labourer’s Wife but there is no sign of husband John. In 1861 things get worse. In addition to JANE AGNESS (1856) Janet is described as an “Agricultural labourer disserted by husband”. In 1871 and 1881 both mother and daughter are the only household occupants. Then to cap it all the following baptismal record is found in Ruthwell Parish Register. Jane Agness Hill 28 Dec 1856 father Murray HILL, mother Janet Roddick. Needless to say this is the only time Mr Hill is mentioned as Jane appears in all the censuses as an Armstrong. As emphasis of this the following memorial appears in Ruthwell Kirkyard “In memory of John Roddick of Ruthwell who died 16 Feb 1824 age 54 years, also Jane Carruthers his spouse who died 23 Nov 1841 age 60 years, also Jane Agnes Armstrong their grand-daughter who died at Ruthwell 26 Feb 1888 age 31 years, also Janet their daughter and widow of John Armstrong who died at Dumfries 27 Dec 1906 age 86 yrs.” So who is this elusive John Armstrong? The only time he’s mentioned is as William’s father! He’s not there in 1851 or in any of the other censuses but would appear to be living in 1861. Then it was found that it was unlikely he was the father of Jane Agness. We cannot find an A*/Roddick marriage in the OPRs or even irregulars at Gretna or a civil registration for Jane Agness in 1856 under either the name of Armstrong or Hill. Neither is John buried with his wife. It would appear that the Marriage Registers for Ruthwell between 1807 and 1843 have been lost which would be a vital clue in tracing John’s age, father and residence when he married.
4252 If you recall, we Welcomed new member 4252, Sherry in News 82. Sherry's grandfather was Edward Douglas A* and great grandfather Edward Burton Armstrong were both born in Washington State (WA), a long way from WVa where her great-great grandfather William Burton A* was b 1864 in Marshall Co.,. William Burton A* married Mary Bieber Hoyt (b 1870 in Maine) in 1890 in Kings Co., WA. William Burton A* was the son of Singleton Townshend Armstrong b 1841 MD d 1916 in WA and Arabella Burton who married in Ohio Co., WVa. Well there is another A* line buried here. Mary Bieber Hoyt b 1870 Maine was the dau of Theodore N. Hoyt b Abt 1841 in Maine d 1919 in Kitsap Co., WA, Age 78 yrs & Sarah Fitzhenry b Abt 1843 in Maine, d. 1905 Kings Co., WA. Sarah had 2 Hoyt children b Maine, Mary Bieber b 1870 and Percy Hoyt b 1876. We know that Theodore N. Hoyt and Sarah were in WA state before 1880. We do not know what happened in the marriage, but Sarah married a 2nd time in 1890 King Co., WA to John Pevey. Sarah left a will naming dau Mary B Armstrong and son Percy Hoyt. Theodore N. Hoyt was the son of [here it is] Nelson Hoyt b Abt 1812 Maine, d Abt 1883 Maine, who married Bef 1838 in Maine, Elizabeth thought to be nee Armstrong b Bef 1819 England, d 1881 Washington Co., Maine. We have not yet found any documentation for her birth, death or marriage. That brings us back to circumstantial evidence which seems to fit but certainly is not proven. In his Naturalization record William Armstrong said he was b 1792 Dumfries-shire Scotland, emigrated 19 Jul 1819 Port of Arrival Machias, Washington Co., Maine. He died in Washington Co., Maine. We know he married Margaret nee Langhorn / Langhome / Lanfgum / Lang or Long-something!! 3 Mar 1814 at Bewcastle Cumberland England, and had a son Robert chr at Gretna, Dumfries, Scotland 4 Sep 1814. The farm according to the chr record was Lenwalk but we do not known where this farm was actually located. Her last name is not spelled the same in any of the documents we have found, but all show she was born in England Abt 1788. We have not found a passenger list, but we know this family was in Macias, Washington Co., Maine in the 1820 census, with 2 sons under 10 and 1 dau 10-15. Robert W. A*'s 1905 Death Record lists his parents as William Armstrong & Elizabeth Langhorn, all three shown as born Scotland. So Margaret's middle name may have been Elizabeth. Using death records, and census, we think they had children Francis F. d 1828, Robert W. 1814-1905, maybe Elizabeth, William, Joanna S., John, George F., Jacob B., and Charles F. A*. Using the same records, son Robert W. A* 1814-1905 married Ruth W. Hoyt, dau Joanna S. A* b Abt 1823 d 1911 married Lewis W. Hoyt, and Elizabeth thought to be a dau married Nelson Hoyt. The three Hoyts were siblings and thought to be children of Benjamin Hoyt and Mary Waterhouse. Are you totally confused yet? Well we are and could really use some help from our members.
4253 Welcome new member 4253, Linda. Linda's parents were Hillis LeRoy A* and Wilma Goodlove of Linn Co., Iowa [IA]. Her grandfather was William Henry A* b 1866 Linn Co., IA, who married in 1890 Linn Co., IA, Nettie Kimball b 1872 Linn Co., IA.   They had at least 8 children all born in Linn Co., IA. They were Myrl Analiza b 1891, Lloyd R., Ivan Leland b 1896, Kenneth William b 1898, Clifford Aubrey, Hillis LeRoy (Linda's father), Iolene Della, and Beulah Maxine. William Henry A* was the son of John A* b Abt 1828 Ireland d after 1885 in Linn Co., IA. John A* married Eliza Ash 1855 in Walworth Co., Wisconsin (WI). Eliza Ash was b 1835 Ireland and d 1872 in Linn Co., IA. They had at least 7 children: Robert S. (b Abt 1856 WI d 1873 IA), Thomas Richard (b May 1858 WI d 1924 Lawrence Co., South Dakota (SD)), Annelisa "Liza" (b 1860 WI, d 1879), John A. (b 1862 WI, d IA), William Henry (b 1866 IA, d IA), George Erwin (b 1869 IA), and Francis Edward "Frank" (b 1871 IA). Linda's believes Eliza Ash's full name was most likely Annelize shortened to Eliza. All of the documentation we have found uses Eliza with the one exception of a possible emigration record.. Although there are several John Armstrongs b 1828 Ireland coming to the US during this time frame, there is only one 1854 New York passenger list departing from Liverpool, England that contains both John Armstrong, 26 Abt 1828 Ireland Labourer, and A. Ash, female, Age 19 b Abt 1835 Ireland. Combined with this information is the fact that the earliest record found for this couple in the US is their 11 Nov 1855 marriage in Sugar Creek, Walworth Co., WI, which names John A* son of John & Elizabeth A* and Eliza Ash dau of Thomas & Mary Ash. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
4268 Welcome new member 4268. Ruth's parents were Harold Bertram A* & Ruth Olson. Harold Bertram A* was the son of Lewis Thomas A* (b 1874 Missouri, d Seattle, Washington [WA] ) & Maud Merlin Richards (b 1881 Iowa [IA], d WA]. Lewis Thomas A* was the son of Robert Marion A* b 1840 Illinois, d 1886 Iowa, who married 1866 in Iowa, Elizabeth Cornelius Martin b 1844 Indiana d in Wenatchee, Washington. They raised at least six children in Iowa: Surilda Jane b 1867, Daniel Mark b 1870, Lewis Thomas b 1874 Sarah Elizabeth b 1876, Nancy Ann b 1879, & George Alfred b 1882. Robert Marion A* was the son of Daniel Friel A*b 1797 Virginia, d 1884, who married 1822 in IA, Sarah Nutter b 1801 VA, d 1889.   Daniel Friel A* was the son of William A* & Catherine Friel. William A* was the son of William A* b Abt 1738 Augusta Co., VA, d 1802 Augusta Co., VA & Jane Erwin. William A* was the son of Thomas A*, b Abt 1710 possibly in Ireland, d in Augusta Co., Virginia [VA] will proved 20 Aug 1776, and his 1st wife (her name is not known). He married 2nd after Mar 1758, Ann or Mary Ann Lafferty (nee Stuart?). The earliest land transaction we can find for Thomas A* in Augusta Co., VA is 1738. Thomas A* had at least five children by his 1st wife, Sarah thought to have been b 1729 in Ireland, m. Edward Rutledge b Abt 1725 d 1787 (thought to be son of Thomas Rutledge & Jane or Jenny A*); Jane b Abt 1737 in Augusta Co., VA m Robert McKittrick, William b Abt 1738 Augusta Co., VA, m Jane Erwin; Rosanna b Abt 1740 VA m Henry Murray, and Abel b 1748 Augusta Co.,VA m Mary Wanless, possibly sons Robert, Thomas & John We are back to one of our brick walls. Does anyone have anything new to add to this Armstrong family of the Jennings Branch of Middle River in Augusta County Virginia that might help us find the parents of Thomas A* b Abt 1710 possibly in Ireland? Or of his 1st wife?
4274 Welcome new member 4274 Jeffrey, who is searching for his Armstrong ancestor based on his Armstrong DNA. Most of us are very aware that searching for an ancestor is complicated enough when we have a name to go with the ancestor. Jeffrey has documented his line back to William Hollingsworth b Abt 1811 in Tennessee [TN] and Martha Baker b Abt 1815 North Carolina. They married in Grainger Co., TN in 1831 where they lived until moving to Knox Co., TN before 1850 going back to Grainger Co., before 1870, where died Martha after 1880 and William died After 1892. They had at least 12 children between 1836 and 1857, 4 sons and 8 daughters. Two of the sons left TN about 1865 leaving tracks in Kentucky, Indiana and ultimately landing in Oklahoma.
William Hollingsworth's mother was Anna. Using census records, she was b Bet 1785-1794 in Virginia and died in Grainger Co., TN after 12 Nov 1870 leaving a Will, naming 4 Hollingsworth children, William, his brother Joseph, who was deceased before 1870, two married daughters, and two Parker children by her second marriage. Anna married a total of four times, the Hollingsworth marriage Bef 1811 not yet found, William Parker in 1824, Joseph Beeler [Bealer] in 1834, and Valentine Phelps [Fulps] in 1851. We have the marriage bond for the 1824 marriage to William Parker which names Josiah Hollinsworth as Bondsman. We believe this Josiah was possibly the brother of Anna's deceased spouse, b Abt 1789 where we do not know. He married Rebecca Whaling in 1812 in Grainger Co., TN. Some think that Anna may be Mary Anna Whaling, possibly the sister of Rebecca nee Whaling Hollingsworth. Now the closest DNA match we have seems to be an ANCESTOR of Samuel Armstrong b 1792 TN d 1867 Missouri, who married Margaret Sproul Abt 1828 (Residing in Hawkins Co TN 1830-1850 and Polk Co., Missouri in 1860), they had six children, including a son James A* b1830 TN, d 1913 Polk Co., MO, m Sara C. Donnell 1844-1924, who had 7 children, including son Sterling Webster A* b 1866 MO d 1956 MO, m. Ressa A Vanderford, who had 12 children, including son James Paul A* b 1895 MO, d 1975 MO, m. Ruthe Butler. However, the parents of Samuel Armstrong are not documented and he was in Hawkins Co., not Grainger Co., TN. Assistance of any kind with either of these families would be greatly appreciated.
4269 New member Lisa’s tree is an interesting one as it spans four countries bringing two Armstrong lines together. ROBERT FRANCIS Armstrong (1912) in Salt Lake City, UT, USA was the child of WILLIAM (1870) in Ashfield, NSW Australia and Emma Louise ARMSTRONG (1878) in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. William was the son of WILLIAM and Caroline CARR and had siblings MARY KATHERINE (1871), LUCY HARRIETT (1873), ISABELLA JANE (1875), ROBERT (1877), CAROLINE K (1879) and BESSIE RHODA (1882), all were born in Australia. Father William was born in 1829 in Irvinstown, Ireland and married Caroline in Ashfield NSW in 1868. William was the son of WILLIAM born C1794 in Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Ireland who died in Ireland before 1859 and married Catherine BLAKELEY in 1819 On the Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896 for NSW she arrived on the ship “Abyssinia” in 1859 as a widow with in addition to William, children Thomas and Jane. Emma Louise was the daughter of FRANCIS A* (1839) of Plenmiller, NBL England. He first married Isabelle Dawson SIDDOWAY on 10 Dec 1864 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, then Sarah CARRUTH on 30 May 1870 in Salt Lake City, and finally Mary Hannah on 24 Jun 1897 in Salt Lake City. His parents WILLIAM (1818) and Mary KIRK’s other children were ANN (1840), GEORGE (1842), JOHN (1843), WILLIAM (1845), THOMAS KIRK (1847), JAMES (1849), MARY (1851), SARAH JANE (1853), HANNAH (1855), OBADIAH KIRK (1858), ISABELLA (1860) and EMMA (1862). William was the first child of FRANCIS A* (1795) born in Haltwhistle NBL England and Mary TEASDALE. His siblings were JOHN (1819), HANNAH (1823), SARAH (1824), ISABELLA BARBARA (1828), FRANCIS (1829) and THOMAS (1831). The parents of Francis A* (1795) were WILLIAM (1754) and Elizabeth SHORT. Francis’ siblings were SARAH (1784), MARY (1786), WILLIAM (1789) and ANN (1792). William’s (1754) parents were FRANCIS Armstrong (1730) from Haltwhistle, NBL and Sarah WHITFIELD (1731), married in 1752 in Haltwhistle. Their other children were JOHN (1753), ELIZABETH (1757), MARY ARMSTRONG (1759), ROBERT (1761), MARY PICKERING (1763), MATTHEW (1764) and THOMAS (1767) all born in Haltwhistle. We would be particularly interested if anyone can help us with the Irish line as this has hit the usual Irish brick wall! Certainly there will be other members connected to this Haltwhistle line. If you are interested in contacting Lisa let us know.
5212 New Australian member Marj has now joined the ever increasing list of “Bewcastlers”! Her interest relates to the family of JAMES A* (1844) who married Elizabeth Jane TELFORD 13 Nov 1875 in St.Cuthbert’s Bewcastle, and whose ancestors go back to WILLIAM A* born in Cummerstree, Annandale SCO in 1739. James and Elizabeth had 13 children and Marj is looking for the offspring of any of the 13 who still carry the Armstrong name. Amazingly as far as can be ascertain this comes down to possibly only one person! The first child WILLIAM TELFORD (Armstrong) (1874) b. Bewcastle CUL, was born out of wedlock. He died in 1893. JOHN (1877), Marj’s direct ancestor, in Rigg Foot Bewcastle died in 1907 leaving wife Clara BELL and two daughters who emigrated to Australia. THOMAS (1878) was born in Rigg and died in Wigton CUL in 1935. There is no record of a marriage or children as far as we can ascertain. JAMES (1879) in Blackpool Bewcastle may have married Mary Jane AINSLIE with a child JAMES AINSLIE A* (1908). It seems he went to Canada then USA. James may then have married Alice HAXTON in Lochgelly, Fife, SCO 1908 and had CHRISTINA OLIPHANT A* (1916). James died in July 1920 Lumphinnans, Fife, with self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. ALICE (1880) in Blackpoolgate Bellbank Bewcastle married George Geves DOWNS in 1908 in Bucklow Cheshire and died before 27 Aug 1930 in Indoorapilly Brisbane Queensland Australia. REBECCA (1882) in Headgate Bewcastle. Married Joseph GILBERTSON Wigton CUL in 1924. There seems no children of the marriage. RICHARD (1883) in Headgate Bewcastle he appears on Bewcastle War Memorial. Died WW1 fighting with Australian Forces from gunshot wounds to head at Gallipoli landing. Not married. Not married. Migrated to Australia in 1909 with brother Jacob. Died 1915 in Netley Military Hospital, Netley, Hampshire UK. MARGARET ANN TELFORD A* (1884) died in 1937 Winwick Mental Hospital Lancashire.JACOB (1885) in Headgate died 1937 in Sydney Australia in Callan Park Mental Hospital of natural causes. JANET (1886) in Headgate died 1966 in Kyogle, NSW, Australia Migrated to Australia 1912 marrying Albert FEATHERSTONE. George A* (1889) in High Onset Bewcastle died Oct 1918 in Etretat Hospital France, during WW1 fighting for Australian Forces in France, from influenza, bronchitis & pneumonia and is buried Etretat Churchyard Extension. WALTER was George’s twin. He died in 1973 in Carlisle CMB Migrated to Australia in 1911. Enlisted Australian Imperial in 1916 in Sydney. Survived the war & was demobbed in England in 1919. Returned to live with mother at Crossings Carlisle. He probably married Ethel DAVIDSON with children WILLIAM (1929), CAROLINE (1930), BETTY (1932), JEAN (1934) and EMILY (1936), all born Wigton CUL. ELIZABETH JANE A* (1891) was the thirteenth child born in Sunnyside Bewcastle and died the same year. Sadly this comes down to the fact that the only known male to survive from the brothers was Walter’s son William. Has anyone got any leads on him or his sisters?
5213 New member Jayde joined us with a pedigree that apparently put her in the ever growing group of “Bewcastlers”. However it proved to be short lived as ‘her’ Bewcastle Robert was alive and well there while her real Robert had died in Australia. Still at least the problem was found early on and Jayde, spurred on by the discovery accessed the Australian death certificate for Robert which set her on the right trail. One can only be envious of all the Australian BMD records which have so much on them compared to the English ones. Sadly Jayde resolved the problem but then hit the famed “Irish Brick Wall”! Jayde’s grandfather LAURENCE VINCENT A*(1904) was born in New South Wales and married Emily Jane BALLY in 1927 at Dubbo. Laurence was the son of JAMES A* (1873) and Eliza CLEAVER whom he married in 1869. James’ siblings were: FRANCIS (1870), WILLIAM (1872) and PRUDENCE ANN (1875). All were born in Rylstone NSW. James’ father was ROBERT (1839) who arrived in NSW from Ireland from County Donegal, Ireland, on the ship Broom arriving in 1842 with his father FRANCIS (1811) His occupation was a blacksmith, he could read and had two sons – Robert (3yrs at time of voyage) and WILLIAM (6yrs at time of voyage) and a wife by the name of Anne who died on board. Formal information gave Francis’ abode was Acheneay (probably Aghavea), Fermanagh and his parents were ROBIN A* and Mary. She is listed as still being alive at that time in 1842. Francis’ age was confirmed as 31. What we are now looking for is more details on Robin and Mary. It’s a long shot, but does anyone have any information?
2618 New member Marilyn has traced her first ancestor to arrive in Canada as being John of Templemaghey, Fermanagh IRE. It is believed he was the son of JAMES A* (1742) who was born in Terninney, Fermanagh and who married Alice Jane ELLIOTT. JOHN was married to Ellen NOBLE, but John arrived in Canada as a widower. He was born in Enniskillen Fermanagh NI in 1774 son CHRISTOPHER was born in Co Fermanagh in 1807 and married Nancy Ann DORNING of March Ontario in 1842. Their son JOHN (1843) was born in Huntley Township, Carleton County, ON and married Mary Elizabeth HEDLEY. Son ALBERT (1882) in Cumberland, ON married Martha Elizabeth DOYLE in 1902. From this established family we are looking for the ancestors of James and Alice in Ireland. There have been some attempts to link them to Christopher of Barngleish, but this is very tentative. Can you help?

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 82 May 2016

3408 New member Cathy’s pedigree was a little difficult to pin down at first due to a bit of “border crossing” around Longtown in the later part of it. However it has thrown up some interesting results and has given us some additional information with the combination of various records. Working from Cathy’s chart showing John Armstrong (1874) who married an Elizabeth Warwick in Canonbie DFS, Sco. It was established that they were married in Canonbie 29 December 1899. They couldn’t be found in the 1901 Scottish Census, but did so in the English one in Longtown (not quite Scotland!). Having then confirmed that John was born in 1874 in Canonbie a search for him in 1891 provided no real conclusive evidence, and then in 1881. What it did turn up was that there was a GRANDSON of the correct age living with his grandparents in Canonbie, but there was no mention of John’s parents. On looking carefully at the marriage cert there was a large blank space where the father’s name should have appeared and the mother was named as Mary A*! So it would appear that Mary (1852) was a single mother and it could be confirmed that we were on the right trail when Mary’s name appeared in the 1871 Census of the same family. Mary’s father was David A* (1812) who married Hannah Kinnear. Their other children were Elizabeth (1849), Robert (1853), Andrew (1858), David (1862), Jane (1864) and William (1868). The Canonbie residence given on the censuses was Boatbankhead. Moving back from David at Boatbankhead through the censuses it was found that David’s father, Robert (1776) was head of house. Coincidently this solved another problem on the way of the entry from the Parish Records. Canonbie Registers: Robert Mar 5 1776 in Knowhead Canonbie son of _Armstrong. By comparing this with both the location and the locations on the Censuses it is safe to say that his father was Thomas Armstrong and his mother Mary Little. Sadly we have no other records as to their marriage or their ages. In the Canonbie registers for David’s christening his place of residence is given as Rowanburnfoot and his mother’s name Elizabeth (Betty) Underwood, David’s siblings were Jean (1805), Margaret (1806), Peter (1809), Jane (1817) and Robert (1825). Mary (1852) eventually married a Walter Hudson. There is nothing to prove that he was the father of John.

5209 New member Jo from Australia is getting us to do something we have never done before, and that is a backwards and forwards search from her father as she is keen not only to learn of her ancestors but also find some living relatives in the UK!
First the ancestral bit. We have traced her links back to JOHN Armstrong (1808) who married Mary LYNN in 1840 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne NBL Eng. The wife’s maiden name is very significant as it is used on a number of occasions as a second or third forename. Their children, all born at Gateshead were JOHN (1842), WILLIAM (1847), THOMAS (1850), ROBERT (1852), FREDERICK (1855) and JOSEPH (1858). The 1841 Census says that John was not born in the same county as he was living (Co Durham) but of course this could just be Northumberland just over the river. However this was spoilt when on one occasion he gave his birthplace as Scotland! On extraction of his marriage certificate for 23 November 1840 his age was given as “full age” (annoying) and residence was given as “of this Parish”, St John, Newcastle (even more annoying). His father was named as THOMAS, a collier. It did not have “deceased” after his name but as there was no legal compulsion to say so if he was, or in other cases we have come across to say they were dead when in fact they were in the full bloom of health! Leads on Thomas were not forthcoming. Can you help on this part?
Robert married Mary Ann WALTON at the tender age of 17 but decided it was best to lie to the enumerator in 1881 by saying he was 23! No doubt he was trying to keep his father-in-law happy who just lived two doors away. They had five children: MARY (1870), JOSEPH (1873), THOMAS (1875), FREDERICK (1876) and ANNIE (1880). Already there was the other family trait coming through with the multiple use of Joseph and George in the generations. Frederick married Emily Jane ELLIOT in 1897 in Gateshead. He was Jo’s grandfather. They had four and possibly five children the first four born in Gateshead Co Durham ENG and the possibly one William E in Newcastle. JOHN ROBERT L (1898), FREDERICK 1900 (died 1909 – registered as Frederick Lynn A*) JESSIE (1905). [This info fits the 1911 Census details of 1911 – three children two still living although John was living with his Elliot grandparents.] In 1911 the birth indexes started giving the mother’s maiden name (Elliot) which added in Gateshead JOSEPH L 1912 and possibly WILLIAM E in Newcastle. This left quite a gap between them and Jo’s father but her father’s mother’s maiden name was not Elliot but Jones! So this led to a new avenue of search. Emily Jane A* died registered at Newcastle in 1923 aged 45. Frederick married Emily JONES in 1924 and they had two children EMILY (1924) and FREDERICK LYNN (1929) both registered in Newcastle. We know that mother Emily was living in Heath Crescent, Scotswood, Newcastle in 1948. An E Armstrong was also a witness at his wedding, likely his mother, as his sister Emily possibly married an Albert Harris in 1947.
Her father could have had four living half brothers and sisters their mother being Emily Elliot. For two of them Joseph L (1912), Gateshead, William E (1915), Newcastle, the only information is their birth index entries. John Robert L A* possibly married a Sarah RICHARDSON in 1929. However there is an undisputable entry for him in the death indexes for NW Durham in 1969. Jessie has possibly been traced as by a matter of elimination we believe she was named JESSIE DOWNS M T Armstrong and was registered in the second quarter of 1905 in Gateshead. Following this through she married James A Neave in 1924 and her death was registered in Gateshead in March 1983.
So we are looking for help in both directions. Can you help with John’s father Thomas? Do you live in the north east of England and know of any, Josephs of Fredericks, in particular, or any other Armstrongs with Lynn as a forename?

3321/1922 Two long standing members Ross and David have after many years of waiting been able to extend their lines with a full back up of primary evidence. This is, in the main, due to the efforts of our US Convenor Bobbie Jean, who spends a couple of weeks a year at the Church of the Latter Day Saints Center in Salt Lake City extracting Armstrongs from Parish Records both Anglican and Non-Conformist from the records which as time permits gets entered on our “Borders” database which already holds over 43,000 entries. Thanks are also due to Ross, who rekindled this problem, for his donation to the Association in thanks for the work done by Bobbie Jean and Carol our US Genealogist.
We pick up Ross’ line when Benjamin Hopkins (1850) marries JANET A* (1854). Her parents were WILLIAM A* (1819) in Longtown CUL and Margaret IRVING, her siblings, CATHERINE (1843), ELEANOR (1845), JANE ANN (1848, FRANCES (1850), ROBERT (1852), MARGARET (1856), MARY ANN (1858), CHRISTINA (1861), DAVID (1863), JOHN (1865) and ELIZABETH (1867). Father William had siblings JAMES (1813) in Cavers, Rox, CHRISTOPHER (1821) in Longtown CUL, MARY (1823) in Longtown CBL, ROBERT (1825) in Rodds, Kirk Andrews Upon Esk, JOHN (1827) in Rodds, Kirk Andrews Upon Esk, GEORGE (1829) in Rodds, Kirk Andrews Upon Esk [Where we meet up with David’s line], FRANCIS (1831) in Rodds, Kirk Andrews Upon Esk and CATHERINE (1835) in Rodds, Kirk Andrews Upon Esk. Their parents were ROBERT A* (1783) in Dykehead and Jane FERGUSON (1792). Robert had eight siblings: MARGARET (1768) in Dykehead, Kirkandrews upon Esk, FRANCIS (1770) in Dykehead, ANDREW (1772) in Dykehead, JAMES (1775) in Dykehead, MARGARET and GEORGE (1776) in Dykehead, CHRISTOPHER (1779) in Dykehead and JOHN (1781) in Dykehead. Their parents were JAMES A* (1740) of Canonbie who married Elspeth HOPE. James’s siblings being HELEN (1744) in Canonbie, AGNES (1746) Batongill, Canonbie, JANET (1747) in Thorniwhats, Canonbie, CHRISTOPHER (1748) in Dykehead, Kirkandrews Upon Esk, MARGARET (1750) in Thorniwhats, Canonbie, JOHN (1753) in Canonbie, and MARY (1757) in Thorniwhats, Canonbie. Their parents were RENALD A* of Canonbie and Margaret PURVISS of Dykehead, Kirkandrews Upon Esk. We have found only one sibling, THOMAS (1711). We come to the beginning of the pedigree with RENALD A* (1676) of Canonbie and Janet ELLIOT of Canonbie

3399 New member Terry presented us with a chart which we would be able to do some work on without much trouble as it only went back to 1811. We did eventually get further but not without a lot of detective work and also something which we have never come across before with a family having two entries in the same Census only six pages apart! Andrew married Margaret JORDISON in York, YKS Eng on 22 June 1856. In the 1861 Census shows Andrew (50) living in Harvest Lane, Brightside, Sheffield YKS along with his wife Margaret (37), daughters EMMA (14), AGNESS (6) and ALICE (1 month) along with sons THOMAS (4) and FREDERICK (2). Andrew is a boiler maker and says he was born in Morpeth NBL Eng. A nice little family until suspicions begin to arise with Emma appearing to be born nine years before they were married! Turn on six pages and we find in Neepsend Lane, Brightside Andrew (42), Margaret (35), Emma (15), Agnes(5) and Thomas BROWN (3) along with Frederick Jardin (sic) A* (18 months). Andrew is “still” a boiler maker but here it is said he was born in Kirkells NBL. By elimination (through censuses) we found that Margery was originally a Jordison who had married a Mr Brown who then presumably died. (Ever tried looking up an unnamed Brown in the Death Indexes?). She then reverted to Jordison before she married Andrew A*. One can’t quite comprehend why in this document in 1961 Thomas was put down as a Brown when his birth was registered as an Armstrong in the first quarter of 1857. We were then onto a not unusual classic with actually trying to trace where Andrew was born, as in 1871 he says Mellow House, Kirkdale NBL and in 1881 Kirk Whelpton. Nothing of immediate significance was found in 1841 or 1851. What now? Take your pick. Let’s go for the one that was most legible with neat writing. Googling this we came up with a possible winner….Kirkwhelpington NBL.
At that time Bobbie Jean was about to climb on a plane to Salt Lake City with the info as there were no traces of online records in the UK. Of course, she found it! It wasn’t in the Parish Records of Kirkwhelpington but in the Presbyterian baptismal records of Bavington Church which is in the Parish of Kirkwhelpington. It reads “12 Feb 1816 Birth of Andrew Armstrong son of David and Ann of Kirkharle, Labourer”. Kirkharle is a parish adjacent to Kirkwhelpington. In some ways it can be said that all the enumerators did a good job as they were writing down what they heard bearing in mind they probably had no idea of what places were called in Northumberland, and possibly couldn’t cope with the accent either, when they were taking a census in Sheffield. In fact we also found that Marlow House was part of Kirkharle! As can be seen Andrew’s birth date was all over the place, 1811 or 1813 in 1861, 1813 in 1871 and 1812 in 1881. You may think we have the wrong Andrew but strangely it is such that Andrew was not that a common name at the time and there are no other candidates that even come close. This was confirmed when Andrew’s marriage certificate was extracted and his father’s name is listed as David. By following his father’s name we have gleaned more information and this shows Andrew living with his elder brother at South Cottage, Cowpen, Horton NBL aged 20 in the 1841 Census This with rounding down would put his birth date at (1817-20) but with the lateness of the survey (6 June) this might mean the he would have otherwise fallen into the band below and also his brother might have been able to put him right which he wouldn’t have done 40 years later! DAVID, his father was born 1769-1789 in Chatton NBL. He married Ann AINSLY on 06 Jun 1793 in Chatton. She was born about 1789 in Chatton. Their other children were ISABELLA born before 18 May 1794 in Chatton, ALEXANDER born on 02 Dec 1795 in Chillingham NBL. ANN born on 08 Sep 1797 in Wooler, NBL. MARGARET born before 11 Aug 1803 in Branton NBL. DAVID born on 23 Sep 1810 in Kirkharle, NBL (Marlowhouse). THOMAS born on 29 Mar 1812 in Kirkharle (Marlowhouse). JANE born on 11 Nov 1814 in Kirkharle (Marlowhouse) and FRANCES born on 10 Oct 1818 in Kirkharle.

3409 New member Adrian has struck it lucky in that we have been able to give him four further generations in his search for Suffolk ENG Armstrongs. This is a good example of our record keeping of members’ trees which goes back to the 1970s. The information we found for Adrian goes back to a chart in 1989 by a now deceased member. It also worth reminding members that if you let your membership lapse you might well miss out on something which comes to light much further on when you have left us. The “best” wait so far has been 20 years! Adrian will need to verify his additions, but the information to hand appears to be thorough and convincing.
The first definite date is about 1616 when MATHEW A* married an Anne at Wrentham SFK. He was buried there in 1637 and Anne in 1627. It is likely they had a son FRANCIS of Shimplingthorne SFK baptised in 1618. He may well have married an Elizabeth NUNN in 1669 either being a late second marriage or the possibility of a “skipped” generation and another Francis. THOMAS was born in 1672 and married Mary CARTER at Shimlingthorne in 1690 THOMAS was born to them in 1694 at Elmswell SFK and married Dorothy SPEAR at Wetherden in 1722. Two more generations of Thomas then appeared THOMAS (1726) married Anne SKIPWORTH at Wetherden in 1750 and son THOMAS was born at Shelland SFK in 1756 and married Elizabeth WHEATLEY in 1778. Daughter ELIZABETH was born in 1778 at Shelland. Siblings ANN (1780), THOMAS (1782), HENRY (1783), JAMES (1784), JANE (1789) and WILLIAM (1790). JAMES (1799) was born to Elizabeth. He married Elizabeth EDWARDS. Their children were LIZZY (1811), THOMAS (1812), JAMES (1814), HENRY (1814), WILLIAM (1818), GEORGE (1819) and CHARLOTTE (1821) all born in Shelland. George married Eliza STERN whose children were ELIZA (1840), ALICE (1840), CHARLOTTE (1842), ELIZA (1844), GEORGE (1846), ANN (1849), HENRY (1852), JAMES (1855) and ROBERT (1857). James married Eliza NUNN at Woolpit SFK in 1873 and had children ALICE (1876), ARABELLA (1878), THOMAS (1882), ERNEST WILLIAM (1885), EMMA (1889), MAUD (1895), ETHEL (1897) and BESSIE (1901). Thomas married Ethel Minnie TURNER in 1909. These are Adrian’s great grandparents. If you think you have links to any of this large Suffolk family of Armstrongs please contact us as we have other links, not published which are on Adrian’s descent chart.

3411 New member Carolyn came to us with two requests – to sort out her earlier descants and to find out if some of them did go to Australia as intimated by her late mother. Well we have succeeded on both tasks! The family were based in the Parish of Ovingham NBL ENG and the starting point was GEORGE who was born on 26 July 1795. He married Mary WILSON in the Parish Church on 7 March 1819. They had four children who survived infancy: RALPH (08/07/1821), GEORGE WALKER (25/04/1824), THOMAS GIBSON (29/07/1827) and CATHERINE ELIZABETH (21/12/ 1828). George Walker married Dorothy POTTS in 1848 and they had six children JANE ELIZABETH (1850), Carolyn’s great grandmother, MARY ANN (1855), THOMAS (1858), CATHERINE (1861), JOHN WILLIAM HANCOCK (1868), LEOPOLD (1870), VICTOR JAMES (1874) and GEORGE DRYDEN (1852). George’s (1795) siblings were all found in the Ovingham Registers: THOMAS who died 08/12/1792, MARY (10/11/1793), CATHARINE (31/12/1797) and WILLIAM (06/04/1800) (born 16/10/1799) (Husband native of Wickham and mother of this Parish). Their parents were Thomas A* and Catherine Dryden who were married in the same Parish 8 November 1792. From the very fortuitous entry against William’s baptism relating to his father’s birthplace we found the baptism of Thomas in Whickham Co Durham ENG on 21/07/1771 the son of WILLIAM A* and Mary (probably HALL).
With all that sorted it was time to check the data against the Clan’s member database which holds information on the pedigree chart which is submitted on joining. Amazingly we found a match submitted in 1989 and in Roots edition 27! Which proved that Victor James’s son REGINALD 29/06/1902 born in Stockton DUR, married Townsville, Queensland, Australia whose son BRUCE REGINALD was the father of ANTHONY JAMES who was the member who signed up in 1989. He is no longer a member can any of our Australian members help us here with his whereabouts probably in Queensland?
It is possible the Leopold also emigrated to Australia. There are also possibly branches of the family in Newfoundland or other parts of Canada. Can anyone help there?

4249 Welcome new member Flint. His wife Annie is the dau of David Tremblay and PATRICE MARIE A*. Patrice A* is the dau of RUSSELL B. A* Jr., and Shirley SNIDER. All of them are natives of Michigan (MI).   Russell B. A* is the son of RUSSELL BERNARD A*, b 1894 Reno Co., Kansas (KS) d. MI, and Patrice CUNNINGHAM born & died MI. Now we move into serious Armstrong territory in Pennsylvania (PA). Russell Bernard A* b 1894 was the son of JOHN ALLEN A* b 1867 in South Bend, Armstrong Co., PA d 1933 Reno Co., KS and Lillie Jane DETTER b 1872 Adams Co., PA, d 1947 Illinois. They married in 1888 Reno Co., KS and had four other children there: GUY W b 1889, BELUAH MAY b 1895, JOHN ALLEN, Jr., b 1897 and WILLIAM KEITH.
John Allen A* was the son of JAMES A* b 1822 Allegheny Co., PA and Susanna T. COWAN b 1831 PA. They both died in 1877 of a sudden illness. They married 1852 in Van Buren Co., Iowa. They had at least 10 children all born in South Bend, Armstrong Co., PA: IDA B 1858, ROSA M 1860, LEFFARD C 1862, LIDIA 1864, REBECCA KATE 1866, JOHN ALLEN 1867, ROBERT H 1869 and LILLIAN THOMPSON B 1876.
James A* was the son of WILLIAM A* b 1793 PA, d 1868 Allegheny Co., PA and his 1st wife Annabella M DAVIDSON (C 1796-1831) whom he married C 1818. Other children of William A* and Annabella are thought to be: Eliza Catherine b C 1820, Margaret Eleanor b C 1825, Rebecca Logan b C 1827, Mary Agnes b C 1829 and Hugh b C 1831
William A* married 2nd in 1833 Sarah Patterson Brown (1799-1872), and had children: Annabella D., b C 1833, Sarah P., b C 1836, William b 1838, and Priscilla b C 1841.
As usual there is no primary documentation to identify the parents or siblings of William A*.
In 1800 the only A* found in Plum Twp Allegheny Co., PA was John A* B bef 1755 with what appears to be his spouse b Bet 1756-1774, and 7 children under 16 [b Bet 1784-1800], 5 boys and 2 girls, not there in 1810.
In 1810 we did not find any A*s, however, we know that there were four A*s in early 1820-1840 census for Plum Twp, Allegheny Co., PA.
In 1820, the eldest appears to be JAMES A* b bef 1775 and next door is William A* b bet. 1776-1794.
In 1830, we have WILLIAM A* b Bet. 1776-1794, SAMPSON A* b Bet 1791-1800, and JOHN A* b bet 1791-1800, near, THOMAS A* b Bet 1791-1800.
In 1840, we have still have William A* b Bet. 1776-1794, Sampson A* b Bet 1791-1800, and, John A* b Bet 1791-1800, near, Thomas A* b Bet 1791-1800. Also In 1840, living next door to William A* is REBECCA A* b bet. 1791-1800 head of household. It appears that the same Rebecca A* age 59 b C 1791 was residing in William A*s household in 1850. Who she was is not known. It was definitely not common to have a female head of household not a widow during this time.
Using 1820 thru 1850 the William A* is most probably our WILLIAM A* b 1793 PA.
Based on circumstantial evidence (1820-1840 census) most believe that JAMES A* was the father of William, Sampson, Thomas and John.
The only documents we have been able to find is related to a biography of George Bretten A* son of Sampson A*, grandson of James A*: and, biography of William King A*, son of Thomas A*, grandson of James A* in the History of Allegheny Co., PA, 1889, pgs 719 & 720 and pg 413 respectively. It is a lead but not a primary source.
Pennsylvania Armstrong - Help us, please !!!!!

4252 Welcome new member Sherry. Sherry's mother was an Armstrong whose family ended up on the West Coast of the US. They started on the other side of the country in Pennsylvania (PA), then Maryland (MD), then West Virginia (WVa). Her grandfather EDWARD DOUGLAS A* and great grandfather EDWARD BURTON A* were both born in Washington State (WA). That is a long way from WVa where WILLIAM BURTON A* was b 1864 in Marshall Co. He married Mary Bieber HOYT (b 1870 in Maine) in 1890 in Kings Co., WA. William Burton A* was the son of Singleton Townshend A* b 1841 MD d 1916 in WA and Arabella BURTON who married in Ohio Co., WVa. Singleton A* was the adventurous A* who moved his family from WVa to WA. SINGLETON T. A* was the son of JOHN MAXWELL A* b C 1814 Garrett Co., MD d 1885 Marshall Co., WVa. who married Anna Maria TOWNSHEND b C 1819 MD, in 1840 in Allegany Co., MD. They had at least 11 children all born in Marshall Co., WVA: SINGLETON 1841, WILLIAM 1844-1885, HANNAH 1846, CATHERINE (KATE) 1848, ELLEN 1850, MARY LOUISE 1850, THOMAS D. J. 1853, CHARLES 1855, ELIZABETH 1856, JOHN J.C., C 1861 and MAXWELL 1864.
John Maxwell A* was the son of WILLIAM A* b 1763 PA, d 1848 Garrett Co., MD and Hannah nee SINNEX DEVECMON. b 1770 New Castle Co., Delaware. Hannah married 1st Peter DEVECMON in 1786 [giving her maiden name as Sennex or Sinnex] and had several children by him. He died in 1803. One of their daughters, Ann b C 1794 married Isaac McCarty, and Isaac's sister Elizabeth McCarty according to a centennial History of Garrett Co., MD, married, now guess!, another William A* of Romney, Hampshire Co., Virginia.
Now Devecmon is the Americanized spelling of a French surname, and anyone looking for documentation regarding surnames might spell it 50 different ways. We encounter the same problems with names in general all dependent on who was writing them down at the time the document(s) were made and/or who is transcribing the document. We have located Hannah's second marriage to William Armstrong. They were married on or shortly after 26 Feb 1805 in Harrison Co., Virginia, now WVA according to the Marriage Bond. The spelling Devecmon is also used in the names of descents.
Anyone researching in the US runs into the difficulties that even when your family lived in the same place for a long time, the State as well as the County location, changed a LOT pre- and post- the revolutionary war. In the UK it is Countries, Diocese, parishes and counties.
William A* and Hannah had at least 3 sons, JAMES DEVECMON A* b 1806, THOMAS HADDEN A* b C 1812, and our John Maxwell A* 1814.
We are pretty sure that William A* was the son of JAMES A* and Margaret [maiden not known]. He also had a brother named MAXWELL A*. Both William and Maxwell were minors when their father JAMES A* died in Huntington York Co., PA.   This James A* is supposed to have been born in Ireland between 1720-1733. Can anyone help us find more about the emigrant James A*?
Also, Sherry has information that indicates William and Maxwell were raised by their step-father Thomas Hadden, however, we need proof. Does anyone have a documented marriage between Margaret A* widow and Thomas Hadden? It is clear that William A* had a close connection with him as he name one son Thomas Hadden A*.

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 81 November 2015

3391 From the information that new member Joyce gave us we were able to get back a further 100 years, but are hoping that someone with Northumberland connections can help us further. From what we have discovered the line start with a GEORGE Armstrong of Long Horsley NBL who was born C1796 and married Isabella. They had the following children ROBERT (1828), GEORGE (1833), MICHAEL (1834), JAMES (1837) and THOMAS (1842). He was born in South Shields NBL and married Isabella WATSON (1849) in 1866. They had three children JOHN (1867), who was born in Cramligton NBL and married Annie FORSTER in 1888. His siblings were ISABELLA (1868) and JANE (1861). John and Annie produced six children ELLEN (1890), ISABELLA (1891), JOHN WATSON (1895), WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE (1898), from whom Joyce is descended, ANNIE 1903 and HERBERT SPENCER (1906). Can anyone link up with these names?

3402 New member David was stuck in the late part of the 18th Century in Northumberland, but fortunately we have been able to move him on a bit but need some lateral connections now. Strangely we get relatively few enquiries which relate to this area (apart from Haltwhistle!) compared to Cumberland and Durham so we were somewhat surprised that the name of Horsley also appeared in another request in this issue of Roots. Perhaps thereby lies a genealogical warning, Horsley and Long Horsley are both in Northumberland but are by no means adjacent. Don’t always assume a place is where you think it is… there might be more than one of the same name in the British Isles! From the information provided David’s “brick wall” for JOHN Armstrong (c1798) there were three different places of birth given in three different censuses, namely Bishopwearmoth DUR, Morpeth NBL and Horsley NBL. The other entry in the 1861 had been transcribed as Horwsburg (hardly likely in NBL!). Looking very closely at the 1861 census we were pretty sure that it is Horsley albeit spelt as Horasley. If it was Horsley this was in the ancient Parish of Ovingham. The Bishop’s Transcripts gave up what we were looking for: ch 23 July 1797 Ovingham St Mary the Virgin John Armstrong, father HENRY A* occupation - husband (!), mother Peggy. Abode Horsley. First child. Then the marriage (shotgun!). By licence 25 Feb 1797 Henry A* and Peggy HINDMARC(S)H. No more children were discovered in Horsley but the next one appears in Bishopwearmouth along with other siblings with Parents Henry A* and Margaret Hindmarch Armstrong. (Was this an escape from disgrace in Horsley?) GEORGE b 05/07/1802 ch 15/08/02, ANN b 05/05/1804 ch 24/06/1804, HENRY 24/03/1806 ch 03/08/1806, THOMAS HINDMARCH ch 20/11/1808 and THOMAS b 08/09/1811 ch 20/10/1811 (No doubt THA died in infancy). This then links in nicely with Henry “turning up” in the 1841 Census for Bishopwearmouth linking in with his marriage to Isabelle(a) BULLERWELL in 1829 and their children FRANCES (c 1830), ANN(E) ch 19/06/1831, MARGARET ch 13/01/1833, MARY ISABELLA ch 06/02/1835, JOHN b 21/04/1837 ch 03/06/1837, MARIA ch 28/07/1839, ELIZABETH JANE ELLEN ch 05/09/1841 and REBECCA b 25/05/1844 ch 21/06/1844. We also surmised about Henry’s birth and his father. As he was married by licence there is a possibility that he was from and adjacent parish as there is no evidence of him being born in Ovingham. The only possibility is a Henry of Hawkwell christened in the Parish of Stamfordham on 23/04/1769. His father was GEORGE a brewer. Hawkwell is only three miles distant from Horsley. Also a burial of a Henry A* is recorded in Bishopwearmouth on 15/08/1830 aged 68. This is mere supposition. Perhaps you can prove it otherwise!

3368 The last time we picked up John in the edition 70, May 2010 copy of Roots were we had one solitary Armstrong on his pedigree when he joined us with just a name and nothing else! We proved that it was not a pedigree too far by tracing the male line until it “collided” with the Armstrong one. ELIZABETH (John’s grandmother) was born in Glasgow in 1867 and sisters AGNES and MARY in 1874 and 1881 in Motherwell. We were then able to trace the parents who were ARTHUR (C1846) and Catherine Queen (C1848) but both had just a one word birthplace….Ireland! We did find a marriage, but “unfortunately” this took place in Glasgow, so there was no Irish clue. Now we have moved on a bit further and have picked up Arthur’s siblings. Fortunately we have been able to pinpoint when the family came over from Ireland (between 1846 and 1849), but stubbornly any reference is still just “Ireland” in all the available censuses. Arthur’s siblings are: THOMAS (1849) born in Motherwell, so Arthur was the only child born in Ireland, SARAH (1851), ROBERT (1853), AGNES (1855), JOHN (1862) and JAMES (1864). Parents were ROBERT A* (C1823) and Elizabeth GARDNER (C1824). Sadly if we still had some access to the Irish History Foundation it might give us some clues. However they have now cancelled one’s 100 free searches and also stopped ‘pay as you go’ but do offer annual access for £160! Well I suppose with the added information we might just get lucky through one of you OR perhaps someone will show some benevolence to the Association by donating the annual fee for the Clan’s researchers!

2612 New member Lisa’s line is a combination of two Canonbie lies which joined when GEORGE A* (1859) married Mary Jane STEELE in 1885. She was the granddaughter of Edward Steele, whose son Reginald had eventually married MARY (1810) but not before Reginald was born as is apparent in the 1841 Census. Let’s deal with this line first. Mary was the daughter of THOMAS A*(1873) and Margaret LITTLE who were married in Canonbie on 11 Nov 1806. Their other children were: WILLIAM (1808) MARGARET (1810), DAVID (1815), ELIZABETH (1817), MARGARET (1820), JOHN BELL (1823) and ANN BELL (1825) all living at Forgebraehead. Thomas’s parents were THOMAS Armstrong who married MARY Little. (Yes! I know that’s confusing, but it’s not the half of it with Armstrongs marrying Littles in Canobie – but more of that at another time!). All children were acknowledged as coming from Knowhead. REGINALD (1767), BETTIE (1767), BRIDGET (1770), JANNET (1772) MARY (1775), JOHN (1777) and THOMAS (1783). Now to follow George… He hails from the Holehouse Armstrongs. Geographically that is very close to Forgebraehead in Canonbie. George was the son of FRANCIS (1826) and Mary MURRAY (1831). Francis’s mother was GRIZEL A* who had fortunately married a THOMAS A* (who we believe he came from Half Morton) to keep the name going. (Grizel’s brother JOHN had also married an Armstrong). Not to be outdone both parents FRANCIS (1760) and HELEN (1763) were also both Armstrongs! All in all this will probably leave one a bit confused at first but after reading it a number of times it will become clear!

3404 David had been working for some time on his pedigree and with the amount of clues it gave us we were able to open up a large “enclave” of Armstrongs in Norfolk, ENG. We had one past member who was linked to this group with confirmed our findings, but again only in skeletal form, but current research tools meant that we could delve much deeper and also return results that were proved by primary evidence. We start right back in about 1730 when we find that a THOMAS A*, who married an unknown Elizabeth had children MARY (1750), JOHN (1752), THOMAS (1754) and CHRISTOPHER (1756), all bpt at Wet Dereham, Norfolk. Thomas married three times. First to Susanna A DUFFIELD at Foulden in 1778 and HANNAH was bpt in Bougham in 1779. No other children can be found and Susanna died in 1783. Thomas then married in 1786 Ann Eldred at Foulden and HENRY was born in April 1786, his mother dying a month later. Thomas lastly married Sophia OLDMAN at West Dereham in 1787. Their children were: MARIA (1788), HENRY (1790), LUCY (1790-died 1790), JOHN (1793), EDWARD (1797), THOMAS (1800-died 1801), and THOMAS (1802). Henry married Elizabeth HORNE in 1849. Their children all born in West Dereham were: CHRISTIANA (1849), CHARLES (1851), EMMA (1854), SARAH ANN (1855), HENRY JAMES (1857), REBECCA (1859), ARTHUR (1861), ROBERT (1863) and RACHEL (1869). Arthur married Annie HARRIS in 1883 in Upwell, NKF. They produced 11 children all born in and around Upwell. HARRY (1885), ARTHUR (1887), FREDERICK (1890), CHARLES (1890), LIZZIE (1891), ALFRED (1893), WALTER (1897), HORACE (1899), BESSIE (1899), OLIVE (1902) AND FRANK (1906). Harry was David’s grandfather. We already have Arthur’s (1861) family on the database, but all other names are “new”. Surly there must be someone out there in Norfolk who can connect. By now there must be many more Armstrongs from descendants from all those names!

3403 New member Catherine was fortunate with the Armstrong line she was researching for her husband as she has joined the ever growing line of “Haltwhistlers” so we are able to get her back further than she had managed. The link starts with WALTER A*(1841) who was the eighth child of JOHN (1801) of Hindley Steel, Haltwhistle, and his wife Jane also an ARMSTRONG. John was the eleventh child of JOHN A* (b 1749 in Butterburn, Lanercost, Cumberland) and his wife Jane CARRICK (b C1756 in Haltwhistle). They were married in 1778 at Haltwhistle. Their other children were ANN (1778), JANE (1780), ELIZABETH (1782), ROBERT (1785), SARAH (1786), MARY (1789), THOMAS (1791), ISABELLA (1794), MARGARET (1796), HANNAH (1799) and DINAH (1803). John’s (1749) parents were ROBERT and Jane REEVE.

4221 Welcome new member William S. Armstrong. Bill's parents were MERYL WALTER A* and his 2nd wife Helen M. SEARSON. Meryl W A* was the son of CLARENCE ELMER A* b 1875 Nebraska (NE) and Blanche Martha NORWOOD b 1880 South Dakota, who had at least six children in NE. Clarence Elmer A* was the son of RILEY PIERCE A* b 1852 Carroll Co., Illinois (IL), d. Woodbury Co., Iowa, and Emma JONES b 1852 Wisconsin. They married 1 Jan 1873 in Jo Daviess Co., IL and moved to NE where they had at least 5 children: LULU M. b 1873, CLARENCE ELMER b 1875, JULIA A. b Abt 1879, VIVIAN DAVID b 1881 and ETHEL D. b 1885. Riley Pierce A*'s parents were DAVID BOYD A* b 1818 Missouri (MO), d 1857 Carroll Co., IL and Mary Jane HULL b Abt 1822 IL. They married 1839 in Jo Daviess Co., IL, lived in Jo Daviess & Carroll Cos. IL, having at least 5 children: JOHN HENRY b 1840 d 1888 NE, Odelia b Abt 1847, d 1916, Orvilla b 1850 d Abt 1918, RILEY PIERCE b 1852 and ELIZABETH b 1855. David Boyd A* was the son of JOHN A* b 1793 South Carolina (SC) [thought to be Pendleton Co.], d 1872 Carroll Co., IL, and Elizabeth BOYD b Abt 1798 Kentucky. They married Abt 1817 MO, while living there had at least two children: DAVID BOYD A* and CATHERINE A* b 1821 d 1852 IL.
We are looking for documentation to identify John A* [b 1793 SC] Parents. Since we have several John A*s born at or near the same time with indications they were born in SC, WE NEED Help!!

4240/4241 Welcome new family members 4240-4241, Ann and David Paterson. Ann's parents were MATHIS E. and VIOLA C. A*. Mathis E. A* was the son of EUGENE JESSE A* b 1860 Attala Co., Mississippi (MS), and Sophia A. JONES. He had an older brother JAMES WILLIAM A* b 1889 MS. Eugene Jesse A* was the 2nd son of JAMES CARROLL A* b 1828 Attala Co., MS, d 1864 in the Battle of Franklin, and Sarah B THORNTON b 1838 Alabama, d in MS. Their eldest son was JOHN ABNER A* b 1855 Attala Co., MS who married Hannah STONE Abt 1883 in MS. James Carroll A* was the son of JAMES ABNER A* b 1789 d 1855 and Effa PETTY. They married in MS 1819. James Abner A*, who mostly went by Abner, and Effa had a least 5 known children all born in MS: STEPHEN P. (1820-1898), JAMES CARROLL (1828-1864) Ann's ancestor, SAMUEL JACKSON (b Abt 1830), ABNER FRANKLIN (b Abt 1834) and J. WASHINGTON (b Abt 1837).
We do not know for sure where James Abner A* was born. We do know he was in Tennessee when he enlisted to serve during the War of 1812 and in MS by 1819. In 1850 census he says he was born in Georgia. Some believe he was the son of James A* & Elizabeth [possibly nee Carroll], but as usual there is more than one James A* & Elizabeth and we have not found source documentation to shed light on the questions. Can any of you help us?

4246 Welcome new family members 4246, Sue & Leon Kelly. Sue's grandmother was ETHEL LILLIAN BRITTON A*, b New York (NY), who married Max F. W. SIEBERT (b Germany) in NY.   Ethel was the dau of HARRY BRITTON A* b 1860 Hunslet, Yorkshire (Yorks), England, d NY (City) and Emily BLOOMFIELD b Suffolk, England, d NY (City). Harry B. A* emigrated by himself from England to NY in Apr 1888. He married Emily in Jul 1888 in NY (City). Harry B & Emily A* had six children in NY (City), ANNIE B., b 1889 (mar Charles S. BARBER), HARRY B., b 1891, ALFRED B., b 1894, ROBERT b 1896, ETHEL L.B., b 1898 (Sue's grandmother) and GEORGE H. B., born and died 1900. Harry B., was the son of Elizabeth nee BRITTON A*, b 1841 Hunslet, Yorks, wife of WILLIAM A*. William A* was b Abt 1837. According to the marriage certificate, he married Elizabeth Britton [Brittain], age 18, spinster, dau of William Britton & Elizabeth nee Hartley 18 Dec 1858 in Leeds, Yorks. He was age 21, a bachelor, glass maker residing Hunslet, Yorks, and the son of JAMES A* also a glass maker.   William A* d 5 Jun 1859 in Hunslet, Yorks, age 22 yrs, a sheet Glass blower Journeyman. In the 1861 census Elizabeth A* and Harry B. A* are residing with her father in Hunslet, Yorks. Elizabeth married 2nd Alfred WILSON in 1863 and Harry B. A* is residing with them in Yorks 1871 & 1881.
We have Harry B.'s birth certificate, but have not yet found a baptism or christening record. We have not been able to document William A*'s actual date or place of birth, but the marriage certificate and the death certificate both indicate he was born Abt 1837. We also have not been able to specifically identify him in the 1841 or 1851 census. His marriage certificate shows his father as James A* also a glass maker, but we have not found a James A* a glass maker in the 1841 or 1851 census either.
Yorkshire members we some help here. Does anyone recognize this James A* or William A*?

5409 Welcome back member Henry E Armstrong. Ernie's parents were LEWIS HUNTER A* and Ethel V TANNER of Sumter Co., Alabama [AL]. His grandparents were LEWIS HUNTER A* b 1871 AL & Mary E ASHLEY b 1874 AL. Lewis Hunter A* (1871) was the son of JAMES ROBERT A* b Abt 1840 Sumter Co., AL, d 1891 Sumter Co., AL, who married Susan Ann GRAHAM b Abt 1839 AL, d Abt 1900 AL. The parents of James Robert A* were JOHN H. A* b Abt 1810 [possibly in South Carolina [SC] ] and Mary Adeline [thought to possibly be nee GILMER] b Abt 1811. We have a marriage record for John Armstrong and Mary A. Gilmer who married on 1Feb 1838 in Dallas Co., AL, and was not recorded until 7 Dec 1843. Is this the correct John A*? The actual place of their births is not clear and both appear to have died after 1870 and before 1880 in Sumter Co., AL.
Having said all of that, John H A* and Mary Adeline, had at least 7 and maybe 8 children all born in Sumter Co., AL. They were: SAMUEL BOYD A* b Abt 1839, JAMES ROBERT A* [Ernie's ancestor], WILLIAM C. A* b Abt 1842, JOHN HUNTER A* b bet 1843-1844, MARTHA A. A* b Abt 1845, Columbus B. A* b Abt 1847, and JOSEPH P b Abt 1850 [also called Addie], and/or JUNIUS A. [Addie] A* b Abt 1853. Descendants of Samuel B, James Robert, Columbus B., and William C, moved to Texas, and lived in or near Groesbeck.
Ernie believes John H. A* was born in SC and he is the son of SAMUEL A* Jr., b Abt 1767 Abbeville Co., South Carolina [SC] d 1814 SC and Mary Ann RUSSELL b Abt 1770. Samuel A* is thought to be the son of SAMUEL A* b Abt 1742 Ireland d 1823 Abbeville Co., SC & Mary BOYD b Abt 1744 Ireland d Abt 1840 Abbeville Co., SC.   According to South Carolina Immigrants 1760 to 1770, pgs 228, 229 and 230, Samuel A* Age 25, Mary Age 23, son WILLIAM Age 2 and Margaret A* Age 60, arrived at Charles Town, from Belfast, on the ship Earl of Donegal, Dec 1767 .
Samuel A* and Mary [Boyd], stayed in the Abbeville S.C. area and had several more children. Samuel A* died Abt 4 Jun 1823 and left a Will dated 26 Aug 1809. The Will names, sons JOHN, DAVID, MATTHEW, HUGH, JAMES and SAMUEL Jr., [who preceded his father, d Abt 1814], and daughters MARY EMERSON, and MARTHA A*.
Can any of you shed light on this family?

2608 New member Anne is linked to Barbados family of Armstrongs of which we have a great amount of information held on a massive pedigree chart. Anne goes as far back as GRIFFITH PHILIP A* (1815) who married Elizabeth Christian JOHNSON in Barbados in 1843. However based on the christening record at familysearch.org, Griffith Philip should be attached to parents BENONY (1792) Armstrong and SARAH PAYNE Armstrong (1794) who were married in 1814. The Barbados Chart shows him as son of Griffith and Mary Waterman. The Chart is in error. This of course means that Griffith’s ancestors are different to the ones shown on the chart but they eventually get back to the same root! First taking Benony. He indeed was the son of GRIFFITH (1752) and Mary WATERMAN. Griffith’s father was BENJAMIN who died in 1770. His father was also BENJAMIN (d 1751) who married Mary JORDAN in 1723. This Benjamin is the common ancestor of Benony and Sarah Payne. The pedigree continues through SAMUEL and starts with EDWARD who married Anne JONES in 1666. Sarah Anne’s pedigree runs through PHILIP JONES A* (1754) who married Jane PETERKIN in 1782, his father was MOSES (d. 1775) who married a Sarah. Moses’ father was the common ancestor Benjamin (d. 1751).

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 80 May 2015

3390 New member David has his roots in Co Durham ENG. We have been able to trace his roots back to the late 1700s and hopefully someone will help us get back further! David’s grandmother BEATRICE MARY (1888) was fathered by WILLIAM A* (b. 1841 at East Rainton DUR.) His first wife was Sarah Jane Hannah CURREY (1846), whom he married in 1862. Their children were ROBERT CURREY (1863), JAMES (1865), MARY (1867), SARAH JANE (1870), MARGARET (1872), JOSEPH (1874) and ELIZABETH (1878). Their mother Sarah died in 1882. He then married Isabella WATSON, a widow in 1888. Their children were Beatrice Mary, WILLIAM/JOHN WILLIAM (1889) and FREDERICK (1891). William's (1841) parents were JAMES A* (1799) and Margaret. As date wise we are now out of Civil Registration our only hopes are centred on Parish Records. We can find no trace of their marriage. On two censuses James gives his birthplace as Biddick Co Durham. They had two other children: JOHN (bp 20 May 1837, b 30 April), JANE (pp 11 Dec 1839, b. 14 June). It is believed Jane died young as we can find no trace of her other than in the 1841 Census. This brings us on to the search for James's parents which has been very frustrating. Biddick is situated just south of Washington DUR and today the two are seamless. However Biddick was then in the Parish of Houghton le Spring so we are looking for evidence of James A* born C1799. By rights this should be in the HLS registers which have been transcribed but there is no such mention. There is also no mention in the Bishop's Transcripts (copies made of the actual registers for the bishop to ensure no foul play!) but no such baptism is evident. There is, of course, a possibility that this was missed on transcription so viewing the actual register is our only hope…..unless you can!

3392 New member April holds the “Riccarton Mill” line of Newcastleton, Roxburghshire SCO. This stretches back to 1692 and includes the intermarriage of two Armstrong lines. We have after many years been able to link transcriptions in our parish records of Ewes and Ettleton to the pedigree of a member. We start with JOHN (C1632) who married Margaret MURRAY. Son THOMAS was born in Ewes in C1680 and was married in 1705 to Jean ELLIOTT. Son THOMAS was baptised on 15 April 1715 with his birthplace given as Flask/Sorby. He had seven siblings, JOHN (1701), HELEN (1703), MARGARET (1705), JOHN (1707), HELEN (1709), WILLIAM (1711) and AGNES (1718). Thomas married Christian ELLIOTT of Riccarton Mill and daughter ISABELLA was born in 1755. She married JAMES Armstrong (1752) and son JAMES was born in 1793. James married Margaret LITTLE (1799) in 1820, son JAMES being born in 1822. He married Janet TURNBULL (1838) in 1859, and WALTER was born in 1875. Walter, who married Jane ROBSON (1920) were the parents of JANE INGLIS A*, April’s mother, who was the last of the line at Riccarton Mill. Now we’ve got a definitive line here is there anyone else who can link into it?

4222-4228 In the last Roots (Edition 79) we introduced you to new family members 4222-4228, Rebecca, David and their 5 children.   Now we come to a more difficult task, regardless of Jesse's middle name or initial, who were Jesse A*'s Parents? In trying to find his parents, or at the least confirm possible relatives, our main source of information during that time period is Census records. Unfortunately, family member names are not listed until the 1850 Census. In the 1830 Census for Blount Co., AL, there are 3 A* heads of household. Jesse Armstrong, head, 1M 20-30, 1F 15-20 [Jesse b 1803 & Elizabeth Holt they m May 1829 in Blount Co., AL and their first child was not born until 1831] Thomas Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 1M 30-40 [b Bet 1790-1800], 1F 15-20 [Could be Thomas * b Abt 1798 & Mary Wadkins b Abt 1813 and son James W b 1829]. James Armstrong, head, 1M 5-10, 1M 10-15, 1M 15-20, 1M 30-40 [b Bet 1790-1800], 1F 5-10, 1F 40-50 [b Bet 1780-1790] [Could be James b Bet 1785-1792 and his Mother or Mother-in-Law? or possibly an age error that should have been 1F 30-40, Sarah b Abt 1786 h w? , and their children Thomas G, William C., John M., and Elizabeth] Of course in 1840 the number of A* households increased to 7 as follows: J. Armstrong, head, 2M <5 [James & who? Isaac was not born until late 1840], 2M 5-10 [Wm Asa & Nathan?], 1M 30-40 [b. 1800-1810] [most likely, our Jesse] Will Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 1M 20-30 [b 1810-1820], 1F 20-30, 1F 30-40 [Could be William C. & Mary Sellers] Thos Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 1M 20-30 [b 1810-1820] , 1F 15-20 [Could be Thomas b Abt 1816 & Lucy Walker] Jno Armstrong, head, 1M 15-20 [b 1820-1825], 1F <5, 1F 15-20, 1F 30-40 [b 1800-1810] [Could be John M. b 1820 & Frances Hardwick] Thos Armstrong, head, 1M <5, 2M 5-10, 1M 15-20, 1M 40-50 [b 1790-1800], 1F <5. 1F 20-30 [Could be Thomas G. b Abt 1798 SC that m. Mary C. Wadkins] S. Armstrong, head, 1M 20-30 [b 1810-1820], 1F 15-20 [b 1820-1825], 1F 60-70 [b 1770-1780] [This could be Sarah A* b Abt 1786 w o James with a son and dau Elizabeth b Abt 1822] J. L. [or J.S.] Armstrong, head, 2M <5, 1M 20-30 [b 1810-1820], 1F <5, 1F 20-30 [So who is this?] We know there are members with Alabama and South Carolina roots out there so we need your assistance.   Any information or documentation to help us sort through all of this would be greatly appreciated. We would like to figure out how these families fit together. Can you help?

3350 Jane is resubmitting her “brick wall” of seven years in the hope that someone can increase her lineage. She has proven evidence that her oldest ancestor was BENJAMIN Armstrong (C1789) who gave his place of birth in the 1851 Census as Newby Gill, Cumberland, ENG. “The Parish of Irthington, Cumberland derives its name from the Irthing, which flows at its southern extremity. It is intersected by the site of the great Roman Wall, and also the military road from Newcastle to Carlisle. It is divided into the four townships of Irthington, Laversdale, Newby and Newtown."[T. Bulmer & Co's History, Topography and Directory of East Cumberland, 1884]. The problem is tracing his parents which then might link up a supposed grandfather BENJAMIN A* who was born C1729 and died in Irthington in 1799. He married Catherine LAMB in 1754 at Irthington and they had 12 children: JOSEPH (1753), ANN (1756), JOHN (1758), but died in infancy, CATHERINE and DINAH (1763) could have been twins but likely a double baptism with an elder sibling, ELIZABETH (1765), JOHN (1768), THOMAS (1770), RICHARD (1773), RICHARD (1775), this was no doubt using the same name as his earlier deceased brother, MARY (1781) and JANE (1786). However if Catherine was, say, 20 when she was married she would have produced her last child at 53 which is stretching it a bit, and Benjamin would have been 58! However the BTs list all the children with parents Benjamin and Catherine. Maybe it was a case of late baptisms. This would then leave us with four sons who could have produced the missing link. Indeed Jane is mentioned in Catherine’s (died 1806) will (1806) as an executrix. The last mention of Joseph is at a mass baptism on 8 June 1786 which included his children JOHN and ISABELLA. The other three sons are mentioned in Catherine’s will. “…to my late son Thomas’s two children each one pound and ten shillings”, names unknown. “…..to my son John five pounds, to my son Richard ten pounds”. What we now need to know is the name of Thomas’ two children and the names of any children that John and Richard had as well as additional ones born to Joseph. The records don’t turn up any Benjamins, but maybe you can help!

3394/5576/3574/3122 This entry really typifies what Roots is all about. Those of you who are avid readers of this section will be aware of two groups lovingly named as “Haltwhistlers” and “Bewcastlers” and sometimes due to their proximity they intermix. This is such a case but it brings together a member (now with the reivers in the sky) who submitted a chart in 1974, a 2009 member who was trying to prove the earlier part of her pedigree, the subsequent linking up of another member to the line and new member Tony. We first established a common ancestor between Tony and Denise of ROBERT Armstrong born in 1794 in Haltwhistle. There was a matter of difference as to who was his father but at least they agreed on his grandfather being ROBERT. He was of Brookysburn, Haltwhistle, NBL and was born about 1741. He was known to have been living there between 1770 and 1778. Robert died in Haltwhistle in 1829. He was buried in Haltwhistle on 2 March 1829. The register entry was recorded as “Robert Armstrong, aged 88, of Hindley Steel.” Robert married Anne HAVELOCK in 1761, in Haltwhistle. They had five, possibly six, children: ANN (1762), JOHN (1764), WILLIAM (1768), JANE (1770), ISAAC (1773) ELIZABETH (1775) and GEORGE (1788). There was some discussion as to whether Isaac was the father of Robert 1794 or William. However William’s Will proves him to be the father although it appears that Robert never married as in his Will he made special provisions for his housekeeper Elizabeth Johnson, suggesting a close relationship. Some years ago a member sent paper drawn copies of charts produced by the late Maurice Lincoln which shows all the convoluted links between the Haltwhistle A*s. Looking at the burial details of Robert and the mention of Hindley Steel the charts were checked for Hindley Steel references and there was JOHN (1749-1829) along with his BROTHER Robert 1741-1829! A lucky but incidental addition to the same chart was Robert (1794) marrying Eleanor Lowes whose mother was an Armstrong! However Robert is high and dry on the chart and his father was only identified by Tony’s individual work on the Roberts 1794 and 1741. James and Robert’s father was charted as Robert A* (Lanercost) C1710-1800. This reference then led back to the Names database where Robert was listed as having Bewcastle connections. This was brilliant news as our connection to Robert was supplied on a chart submitted in 1974. When Denise submitted her pedigree in 2009 Bobbie Jean Hooser (our US Convenor) had only just really started on her “Bewcastle Mission” which has now turned into a massive pool of knowledge. With this we can get you back another three generations before Robert C1710. Robert: 5 Feb 1742 Christening at Lanercost son of Robert of Wyliesike Foot. Brother John: 12 Apr 1749     Christening at Lanercost, son of Robert of Butterburn. This was where Bobbie Jean’s research kicked in as she had done research for Nancy for John which with the added information thus establishing his relationship with his brother gets back two further generations. Their father ROBERT (C1707) was born at Low Grains Bewcastle and baptised on 4 June 1710 at Bewcastle. He married in 1741 Jane REEVE. They also had three daughters ISABEL (1744), MARY (1746) and JANE (1755). Robert’s father was JAMES (bp 7 Aug 1670) of Low Grains who died after 1710 and his father was JAMES born between 1625-1645 and died before 22 August 1696. He married Anne LOWTHER 30 November 1666 in Lanercost. As an added bonus the discovery of Robert (1741) on Maurice Lincoln’s chart is that Robert’s daughter Jane (1770) married a THOMAS Armstrong (1767) whose father was FRANCIS (C1725) of Haltwhistle. This thus links up Alan (3122) to this new pedigree. All we need now is for someone to come forward to claim a link to Thomas and Jane! Where are you??

5208 Little did new member Jeannette know that she was following a trend when she joined as we also welcome her into the group of “Bewcastlers”! Her line starts with WILLIAM A* who was born in Whelpdaleholme Bewcastle NBL between 1646 and 1666. He married Jannet CUNNINGHAM. Son ROBERT (1710) was baptised in Bewcastle as was sister ELEANOR (1702). Robert married Mary ROUTLEDGE in 1735 and their children who survived infancy were: THOMAS (1736), JANE (1738), JOHN (1740), WILLIAM (1743), ISOBEL (1746), MARY (1748), BETTY (1751) and ROBERT (1754). Thomas, born Park, Bewcastle, married Isobel STORY in 1765. Their eight children were: ROBERT (1766), MARGARET (1766), JOHN (1767), THOMAS (1771), WILLIAM (1774), ANNE (1779), JOSEPH (1782) and JENNY (1784). Robert, who was born in Slacks, Nixons, Bewcastle married Nancy TARN. Their children were JANE (1797), JOHN (1800), MICHAEL (1808) and ANN (1811). Michael was born in Langdon Beck, DUR. Michael married Mary GRAHAM in 1839. Their children were ROBERT (1840), JOSEPH (1841), MICHAEL (1845), WILLIAM (1849) and MARY A (1852). Michael of Staindrop, DUR married Isabel HENDERSON in Newcastle Upon Tyne DUR where son Robert was born in 1885. His siblings were WILLIAM YOUNG (1873), FREDERICK (1875), ELIZABETH (1876), EDITH MARY (1881), ALFRED JAMES (1889) and FRANCES ELEANOR (1894). Robert was Jeannette’s grandfather who emigrated to Australia in 1912 on “Paketa” and married Daisy HOOD after his first wife died in childbirth (BRIAN) in 1911. There are many sibling names here. Could you be related to this line?

4232 Welcome new member Wayne is the son of Charles E & Evelyn A*. Charles E.'s parents were CHARLES E. & Velma A* who had seven children. Charles E., the senior, of Oklahoma (OK) and later California, was the eldest son of WILLIAM ARTHUR A* b 1866 Illinois (IL) d OK and Cora West. The father of William Arthur A* was George Washington A* b 1832 IL, who married 1865 in Effingham Co., IL, Caroline BAYLES (b 1846 IL). GEORGE WASHINGTON A* & Caroline had six children all born at Effingham or Madison Co., IL; William Arthur, the eldest, ISAAC N (b 1869), MARION J. (b 1876), GEORGE WASHINGTON (b 1880), MARY (b 1883) and NELLIE (b abt 1885). The father of George W. A* was NATHANIEL A* b 1780, d 24 Feb 1875 in IL. Nathaniel A* married three times 1st Catherine DERRYBERRY [Dereberry] 10 Sep 1807, having 10 children, 2nd Elizabeth CORNELISON 1 Jan 1832 shortly after the death of Catherine 10 Jul 1831, having 3 children and 3rd ANN PENDER 18 Apr 1837 shortly after the death of Elizabeth, having another 6 children. George W. A* was the eldest son of Elizabeth. From pension records we know that Nathaniel A* served in the War of 1812 and participated in the battles at or near New Orleans. His place of birth however, is not really known. Census records say Tennessee (TN), Virginia, or South Carolina, and his obituary says TN. We are pretty sure this Nathaniel A* family was in Maury Co., TN in 1820 living next door to John and Jacob Derryberry families, and sometime after 1822 moved his family to Illinois, as they are there in 1830 in Madison Co.IL and 1840 in Bond Co., IL. By 1850 they are shown in Effingham Co., IL where they stayed until his death in 1875. We are still searching for the Nathaniel A* and Elizabeth Corneilson marriage record and documentation for his parents. Recognize any names? We could sure use some help.

4234 &4239 Welcome new family members Sue and Gary. Sue's 5 times great-grandfather was James Barron (1752-1848), son of Joseph Barron (1723-1793) and Ann Walker b 1733 Talbot Co., Maryland (MD). They married Abt 1747 in Talbot Co., MD. Ann Walker was the dau of James WALKER and REBECCA Armstrong. They married 1729 in Talbot Co., MD. Rebecca A* was the dau of PHILEMON A* b Abt 1660 and d 1713 Talbot Co., and Mary thought to be nee PRICE. (1671-1713). We have some church birth and marriage records supporting the line to this point. Those records show that Philemon A* & Mary had the following children in St Peter's parish, Talbot Co., MD: FRANCIS 1690 (m Mary thought to be nee RUSSELL), SARAH 1692, MARY 1695, REBECCA 1697, ELIZABETH 1699, PHILEMON Jr 1701, JOHN 1705, FRANCES 1707, RACHEL ABT 1708 and THOMAS 1709. We need the Philemon A* marriage record to verify Mary's maiden name. Philemon A*'s father is said to be FRANCIS A* b Abt 1635 Ireland d 1668 in Talbot Co., MD, and Frances thought to be nee BENNETT (1640-1675).   Philemon A* is said to be listed in his father's will. We really need this documentation. Can anyone help us out?

4238 Welcome new member Ann, whose parents were Richard C Holden and Nancy Snell A*. Nancy S. A* is the dau of CHARLES HENRY A* b 1890 La Salle Co., Illinois [IL] and Hazel R SNELL.Charles Henry A* was the only son of JAMES ELDER A* b 1855 La Salle Co., IL, d 1936 in Cook Co., IL. He married Clara Adell CLARK (1860-1932) in 1863 in La Salle Co., IL.   They also had two daughters GRACE C., and JULIETTE R. James Elder A* was the 8th child, and 6th son of GEORGE WASHINGTON A* b 1812 Licking Co., Ohio [OH]. George Washington A* married Anna Nancy GREEN in 1835 in Morgan Co., IL. They had 9 children all born in IL between 1836 and 1858; JOHN G., WILLIAM, JULIUS C., MILLIE ELIZA PERMILLA, JOSEPH L., MARSHALL N., SUSAN I., JAMES ELDER, AND CHARLES G. George Washington A* was the son of JOSEPH A* b 1779 Belcoo, Fermanagh, Ireland, d 1856 in [probably OH]. Joseph's family emigrated from Ireland to the US in 1789 when he was just 10 years old.Joseph A* married Elsie STRAWN (b 1779 Pennsylvania [PA], d 1871 IL) in 1808 in Somerset Co., PA. Joseph & Elsie had nine children including George W. between 1808 & 1828 as follows: 1) John STRAWN A* b 1810 Somerset Co., PA d 1889 IL; 2) George Washington A*, Ann's great-great grandfather; 3) WILLIAM ELDER A* b 1814 OH, d 1850 IL; 4) JOEL WEST A* b 1817 OH, d 1871 IL; 5) JAMES HENDERSON A* b abt 1819 d abt 1842; 6) JEREMIAH REED A* b 1821 OH, d 1850 in California [CA]; 7) PERRY AUSTIN A* b 1823 OH, d 1904 IL; 8) CLIFFORD IRVING A* b abt 1825 OH, d 1828 OH; and 9) ISAIAH J., b 1828 OH d 1904 CA. All but James and Clifford who died young, married at least one time. JOSEPH A* was the son of John A* b 1743 Belcoo, Fermanagh, Ireland d 1831 in Somerset Co., PA who married in 1777 in Ireland, Ann HENDERSON, b 1760 Ireland, d 1836 Somerset Co., PA. We are searching for the parents of John A* (1743-1831) the emigrant.Ann thinks the parents of John A* could possibly be JOHN A* and Ann CLIFFORD, but there are some pretty concerning conflicts, we are searching for proof and/or proof to disprove the relationship. Can any of you help us here??On a side note:   James Elder A* authored the book “Life of a Woman Pioneer, as illustrated in the life of Elsie Strawn Armstrong, 1789-1871", published in 1931. If you have an opportunity to read this book, it provides a lot of insight to some of the hardships our ancestors have survived through on this side of the Atlantic. I so wish my grandparents had thought to write and pass down their experiences and stories to me. Elsie Strawn A* was really an amazing pioneer woman. Also it is amazing at how many times the same surnames continue to marry. Elsie was the daughter of Isaiah Strawn & Rachel Reed. And guess what our new member married a Reed.

4242 Welcome new member 4242 Rachel. Her 6 times great grandfather on her maternal line to find her A* ancestor, Mary. Mary A* b 1738 Orange Co., New York (NY) d 1784 was the daughter of FRANCIS A* (1695 Ireland-1783 NY) & Deborah LATTIMORE (1695 Ireland-abt 1760 NY). Here we connect to a long time member 5421 Jim whose ancestor was Mary's brother DAVID A* b 1742 Orange Co., NY, d 1832 NY, who married Anne Nancy MILLER. Mary A* is thought to have married Anthony SWARTHOUT in abt 1757 in NY and now we are looking for verification of this marriage.This also brings us back to our brick wall for FRANCIS A* (1695-1783) the emigrant from Ireland. Has anyone made any headway for Armstrongs in NY or Ireland that can help us with source documentation for Francis' parents?

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 79 November 2014

3385 New member Robert has a Yorkshire ENG line of which we had no knowledge. In fact we have very few Yorkshire lines on record! While it was quite straightforward getting information back to his first known ancestor in the 1841 Census as well as siblings to his line in other censuses going back further generations from JOHN (1812/13) in Grassington has proved to be interesting. Poll Books and Polling Registers for the middle 1800s show consistently two Armstrongs in the Township of Grassington in the parish of Linton in Craven one of them being John and the other Edward so it looked like the two were probably related. How wrong can you be! Throughout the Census returns John steadfastly sticks by his birth place as being Grassington whereas Edward states that he was born in Kettlewell (a few miles up the road). However I will not desert Edward, the red herring, and will come back to him later. So the hunt was on for John but other than in the censuses he was never to be found, but this is probably due to the fact that the available Registers finish at 1812 and it is likely that he was born in 1813. However putting all the pieces together one can have a very educated guess at his forebears. The Registers of Linton show no Armstrong prior to 23/10/1766 when a JANE A* married John Calvert (both of Grassington). On 5/2/1776 EDWARD Armstrong (miner) married Dorothy ROBINSON (both of Grassington). Son JOHN was born 25/12/1776 but there are no other entries for him after this. John and Dorothy went on to have four more children, THOMAS 16/5/1779), MARGARET (3/2/1782) died 2/10/1803, ELLIN (ELLEN) (10/4/1786) married William HARTLEY 17/11/1806 and twins EDWARD and ANN (5/6/1791) but Edward died 11/02/1812. Thomas married Mary BROUGHTON (1782) 18/10/1802 and had four known children, probably more. Edward (19/6/1803, died 8/12/1807), Sarah (5/1/1806), Mathias (11/10/1807) and Edward (15/10/1809, died 14/12/1811). In all this the first Edward died in 1804! One can begin to see the problems that were had sorting out the Edwards! However it would appear that we are only looking at one line and it was more than likely that John (1812/13) was a son of Thomas. Thomas is also mentioned as a witness in two non-Armstrong weddings in 1800 and 1811.It is perhaps significant that John called his first son Thomas. John, a stonemason, likely died in the December Quarter of 1877. He married an unknown Mary (1813) and they had the following children: ANN (1835), THOMAS (1841), RICHARD (1843), MARTHA (1850), JOHN (1853) and EDWARD (1856), possibly also ALICE (1839). All were born in Grassington. John likely married Margaret SAGAR (1846) in the June Quarter of 1873. They had sons RICHARD (1874), WILLIAM (1875) and ANNE (1877). Any connections there anyone? Now to the “rogue” Edward! EDWARD A* was baptised in Kettlewell, Yorkshire ENG 9/2/1806 his parents being JOHN and Elizabeth WEIR. He is described as a shop keeper and then a grocer in Grassington. The memorial headstone at Linton shows ISABELLA A* wife of Edward A* died 30 July 1878 aged 74 years and Edward die 7 January 1880 aged 73 years. Sadly there is also a memorial to their only daughter ELIZABETH who died 9 April aged 3 years and 8 months.

5205 New member Ian comes from the never ending line of current and past members who find their roots in Scotland with the offspring of William A* and Betty ELLIOTT. To recap they had ten children: WILLIAM (1803), BETTY (1805), JANET (1807), JOHN (1809), JAMES (1810), ADAM (1812), BARBARA (1814), NICHOLAS ELLIOT (1816), ISABEL (1819) and WALTER (1821). Ian is connected through Adam’s line. Adam married in 1853 Helen TAIT (1833). Their children were: JOHN (1853) born Cleubrae, SCO, DAVID (1855), ADAM (1857), JAMES WILLIAM (1859), WALTER HUIE (1860), GEORGE PHILIP (1862), ISABELLA (1864), EDWARD (1865), ELIZABETH MARY JESSIE (1869), IRVINE LUCIUS (1870) and WILLIAM (1872). John married Eliza Jane DISHER (1859) and their son was JAMES PHILIP (1886) who married. Lelia Alice May BEVIS (1901). Wouldn’t it be good to go back further than William and Betty? Someone must have some ideas!

3383 New members Derek and Pam have already been able to help out 3551 with two more generations to his pedigree and would now like to get it back further and hopefully link up with other branches. In general the pedigree is Lincolnshire ENG based but has its roots in Derbyshire ENG. THOMAS A* was born C1645 there and died in Bolsover in the same county in 1725. His first wife, by whom he had his children is unknown and he married Ruth CUTT in Bolsover on 19/02/1703. His children were JOHN (1671), MARY (1676) and THOMAS (1683). Thomas married Alice CLARKE (1682) in 1705 and all their six children were born in Bolsover. They were: SUSANNAH (1706), AMBROSE (1710), he married Martha Hargreave in 1744, SAMUEL (1715), AARON (1718), THOMAS (1720), and JOSEPH (1728). Samuel married Susan ABLEWHITE (1781) in Somersby, Lincs in 1748. Their ten children who were all born in Bag Enderby, Lincs were: MARY (1748), JOHN (1750), ANN (1751), married Thomas NELSON, THOMAS (1753), married Ann ASHTON, died 1780, EDWARD (1754), died 1760, ELIZABETH (1757), died 1760, SAMUEL (1759), died 1760 and AMBROSE (1764), MOSES 1765 and FRANCES (1772). John (1750) married Mary WOODTHORP in 1778, but the register notes the illegitimate birth of FRANCES in 1774. THOMAS was born prior to 1778, died prior to 1780, JOHN (1778) and THOMAS (1780). Ambrose (1764) married Ann WRIGHT in 1787 and their eight children were born in Hagworthingham, Lincs. THOMAS (1789), MARY (1791), ANN (1793), married Robert WINGATE, WILLIAM (1797), died 1797, JOHN (1798), ELIZABETH (1800), SARAH (1805), died 1805, and JANE (1808), married John CHEESMAN. Moses (1765) married Elizabeth SQUIRE (1781) in 1794. Speculatively their children were: WILLIAM (1795), REBECCA (1797), GEORGE (1804), AMBROSE (1809) and MARY (1811). In the next generation John (1778) married Mary FRESHNEY (1777) in 1797. They had three children: FRANCES (1797), MARY (1799), married Robert BENTON and THOMAS (1801). Thomas (1789) married Jane RHODES and their five children were: WILLIAM (1822), THOMAS (1825), CHARLOTTE RHODES (1827), MARY (1833) and CAROLINE (1835). All the children were born in Hagworthingham Lincs. John (1798) married Ann SMITH (1800) in 1822. Their children were ELIZA (1823), MARY (1825), both born in Thornton le Fen, ROSAMUND (1827), JOSEPH (1830), JEMIMA (1832), GEORGE (1834), ROBERT SMITH (1834), JANE (1837), SARAH (1840), ANN (1840) and SUSAN (1844), all born in Scamblesby, Lincs. George (1804) Married Sarah UFTON (1804) and their eight children all born in Branston, Lincs, were JANE (1827), GEORGE (1829), ELIZABETH (1831), WILLIAM (1833), AMBROSE (1837), died 1847, MOSES (1837), JOSEPH (1841) AND THOMAS (1845).Ambrose (1809) married Mary STAVES (1811) in 1833 and had twelve children all born in Bag Enderby: REBECCA (1834) died before 1852, WILLIAM (1836), HARRIET (1837), died before 1850, GEORGE (1840), MOSES (1841), HANNAH (1843), SARAH (1845), AZUBAH (1847), MILDRED (1848), HARRIET (1850), REBECCA (1852) and JOSEPH (1860). Well! There’s plenty there to get connected to! Over to you!

5589-5592 We have made considerable progress on this tree and now can refute a previous supposition and correct another. JAMES Armstrong was born before 1790 in Scotland (Wood Forester). He died before 1865. He married MARGARET. James Armstrong and Margaret had ADAM Armstrong born 1811/1812 in Langholm. He died on 15 Dec 1865 in Ladhope, Roxburghshire, Scotland (Age 53) and it was from his death certificate it was ascertained that his parents were James and Margaret He married Margaret AFFLECK Affleck and had six children: JANET (1839), THOMAS (1843), MARGARET (1846) She married John BARRIE on 08 Sep 1866 in Ladhope, JAMES (1849) (the first James having died in childhood) and ADAM AFFLECK (1855). THOMAS married (1) Mary MCCLELLEN MCLELLAN (1847) on 30 Jun 1871 in Ladhope. She died before 1891. He married (2) Isabella HAMILTON (1850). The two children from the first marriage were ADAM (1874) and Mary (1878). James (1849) married Alison Mather on 14 Dec 1877 in Edinburgh they had the following children: ADAM (1879) in Galashiels, Selkirkshire, SCO. He married Alice REID on 27 Apr 1906 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, WILLIAM MATHER (1880) in Galashiels, He died in San Bernardino Co., California, USA. He married Helen NEIL (1878) before 1903 in Scotland. AGNES (1885) in Galashiels She married James WOOD Jr. (1888) on 18 Apr 1912 in Somerville, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA. MARGARET AFFLECK (1891) in Galashiels. She died in Los Angeles. Adam Affleck (1855) in Melrose, Roxburghshire, married Agnes CRAIG (1874). Their son SAMUEL (1899) in Chirnside, Berwickshire. He never married. William Mather (1880) born in Galashiels, Selkirkshire died in San Bernardino Co., California, USA. He married Helen NEIL (1878) before 1903 in Scotland. Their three children were HELEN (1902). She married Leslie Harold JODREY Melrose, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA.JAMES N (1904) born in Scotland died in 1973 in San Bernardino Co., California, USA. WILLIAM MATHEW (1910) in Somerville, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA. This pedigree is now pretty extensive on both sides of “the pond”. Can anyone add to it?

3373 New member Becky has longstanding relations who are members. It took us 20 years to find the connection to get them back to the mid-1700s! Now Becky is looking the other way tin order to find long lost relatives! To recap… the family originally came from Co Durham ENG where RICHARD Armstrong (C1787) was born in Fatfield, Co Durham ENG. At this time it was part of the parish of Chester-le-Street so he might have been the son of JOHN and Ann christened on 26/12/1786, but there is no corroborating evidence of this. He married Margaret CHISHOLM 29/10/1807 at Chester-le- Street. Their children, all baptised at Chester-le-Street were: THOMAS 13/10/1808, ANN 28/07/1810, RICHARD 08/10/1815, MARY 02/08/1818, GEORGE 28/04/1822, JOSEPH 04/09/1825, SEPTIMUS 28/04/1831 and GEORGE RUEBEN 22/03/1837. Joseph married an unknown Elizabeth having MARY ANN (1850), JOSEPH (1852), MARGARET (1854), WILLIAM (1856), EMMA (1863) and ELIZA (1867). This Joseph married Margaret (1826). Their children were: JOSEPH (1883), ANN ISABELLA (ANNABEL) (1887), ELIZABETH F (1879), WILLIAM (1881), THOMAS (1884), RICHARD (1886), MARGARET (1890) and HARRY (HENRY) (1897). William is the pivotal person in this pedigree and it is from him and his wife Hannah PORTEOUS, who were married in 1906, that both our members are descended. Their children were: WILLIAM WOOD (1907) died young, JAMES ANDREW P (1910) married Louie and had seven children, JOSEPH (1911) married may, one child, Joe, MARY V (1914), LEO (1916 died 1918), THOMAS H (1919), RICHARD G (1922), HENRY L (1924) and MARGARET (PEGGY) A (1927). Thomas who married a Netta, probably in Scotland, who had a son Richard and they lived in Croydon. Tom died there in 1989. Richard (1922) married Dorothy and they had three children Richard, Carol and Michael. Richard died C1988/9. Becky can trace all her family links with the exception of Richard, Tom’s son and Richard’s children Richard, Carol and Michael who were last heard of in the Newcastle area. Can anyone help?

1769 I am again trying to find information about my families ancestors. I had no luck before but am hopeful that someone might know something. Here is some information. GEORGE WILLIAM A*, 22/2/1837- c.1904 Possibly born Dundee Dumfries. Wore a kilt to opening of Court of Policy etc. had 2 spinster sisters who lived in Edinburgh, (possibly 1902-1909) one was possibly called ANNIE. George William went to Holland when he was about 18yrs with his widowed mother who may have been Countess Helena de Beranger a la Guillaforte. She may be French. His mother had married a Dutch engineer who beat his mother. To stop the beating George pushed his step-father down the stairs. The step father may have died. Catholic priests smuggled him aboard a ship bound for the West Indies to Berbice. George could speak several languages. He enjoyed good literature. Was in the choir and played chess. Miss ANDREW'S father owned an estate in Berbice, B.G. George and Miss Andrews married c. 1867 and had two children, JOHN and HESTER. George, Annie and WILLIE were Eleanor's children. Other clues on George are: Argosy 1916. Member of the Chess club, Georgetown, B.G. Became chief Clerk at the Audit Office in Georgetown. Translated too. Trade Directory 1889 3rd CIS officer Customs 58yrs. 1898 customs.

4222-4228   Welcome new family members 4222-4228, Rebecca, David and their five children. Rebecca's grandmother was KATIE SYLVANIA A* b 28 Feb 1915 in Blount Co., Alabama (AL), who married Carter BYNUM in AL.   She was the daughter of WILLIAM LAWSON b 15 Sep1878 Blount Co., AL & Mary Dena Robena BROWN, known as "Dennie" to family and friends. Now I [Carol P.] add this information because everyone knows that sometimes it is hard to figure out exactly what the legal name is, when parts of the name, or nicknames are used, and that is before you deal with the various census takers' and the like. Believe me when I say the same name was never used twice as far as I know. Now "Dennie" was the daughter of Thomas Robert and Mary Brown, b Abt 1876 in AL, in case that helps anyone identify or link to this family since we have more Armstrong-Brown marriages. William Lawson A* and Dennie Brown married Abt 1899 in Blount Co., AL and had eight known children. They were ALFRED N., OLAMAY M., CALLIE A., THOMAS J., WILLIAM T., RUBY and JAMES, with Katie being the youngest. William Lawson A* was the son of DANIEL ELLIS b 1845 Blount Co., AL, d. 1909 same place, who married Susan JOHNSON in 1870 in Blount Co.   They stayed in Blount Co., and had 10 known children: (1) SARA ANN b Abt 1871 (who we think m James P RENO); (2) ELIZABETH J. b 1876 (married RENOW who d bef 1900), (3) William Lawson (Rebecca's great-grandfather), (4) MARY M. b 1879, (5) JAMES PARRIET b 1882 (who m. a Laura M. about 1907), (6) MARTHA C "Mattie" b 1884, (7) ADA A., b 1887, (8) OLLIE b Abt 1888; (9) DANIEL BARNETTE b 1890 and (10) WALTER ISOM b 1894 (who m. Grace BLAIKIE). DANIEL ELLIS was the 7th child and 5th son of JESSE A* & Elizabeth HOLT. Jesse was b 18 Jul 1803 in South Carolina (SC) and d Apr 1863 in Blount Co., AL. He married Elizabeth Holt in 1829 in Blount Co., AL. Elizabeth was b 1810 in Tennessee (TN) and d. 1896 in Blount Co., AL. They had 10 children, (1) WILLIAM ASA (1831-1917) married 1st Mary PANNELL (1833-1880), 2nd LUCINDA PRICE (b 1832); (2) NATHAN (1833-1909) married Charlotte FRANKLIN (1842-1920); (3) JANE (b Abt 1836); (4) JAMES STEWART (1837-1904, married Mary HAYES/Hays; (5) ISAAC THOMAS (1840-1917) married Nancy NEELY (1847-1931); (6) MATILDA MARY (b 1843) married Taylor L. HAYS (1848-1912) as his 2nd in Nov 1890; (7) DANIEL ELLIS (1848-1909); (8) JESSE THOMAS ISHAM (b1847); (9) NANCY ANN (1849-1890) who married Taylor L. HAYS (1848-1912) as his 1st, in 1871 in Blount Co. AL; (10) MARGARET ELIZABETH (1853-1927) married William M RUSSELL (1857-1897). Jesse A* is thought by some to be the same as Jesse B., or Jesse Benjamin A*. As usual more than one Jesse. There is a Jesse B. A* who served as a Confederate in the Civil War in the 39th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H. We need help with documentation here to verify if our Jesse A* who died Apr 1863 is in fact the same person and if so, was he killed in action.

5595 Welcome new member Robert. Robert's father was Bobby Don YOUNGBLOOD b in Texas and d. in California [CA]. He married SUSAN Armstrong b in Shreveport, Louisiana [LA].   His mother Susan, was the daughter of FLOYD ALPHONSE A* b LA, d CA and Sue Willie SHAW. Floyd was the son of HIRAM WESTLY A* b 1882 New Orleans, LA and Helena Elizabeth GEBS b Abt 1886 LA, they married in New Orleans, LA. His brothers were RAY, CLYDE & EARL, all b New Orleans, LA. Hiram was the son of WILLIAM WALTER A* b Abt 1836 in Florida, d 1885 in New Orleans, LA and Eliza LAHEY (Leahey / Leany) b 1842 Ohio, possibly Cincinnati. d in New Orleans, LA. We do not know exactly when or where they married, but we do know they had at least 11 children, the 3 eldest b LA, and 8 born New Orleans, LA. They are: WILLIAM b Abt 1860, JOSEPH b Abt 1862, JOHN b Abt 1866, RICHARD JOSEPH b 1869 d 1870, LULU EDGAR b 1870, MARY VIRGINIA b 1872, CHARLES AUGUSTUS b 1875, ALEXANDER WARRICK b 1877, CAROLINE ELIZA b 1879, KATIE K. b 1879, HIRAM b 1882 (Robert's great-grandfather), Florida records are scarce and we need your help on two fronts. First can anyone help us identify the parents of William Walter A*?   We are also looking for 1850 and older source documents. On the second front, Robert's father is a descendant of Allen Morgan Youngblood who was b 1849 Alabama [AL], possibly Jefferson Co., d in Texas. We have another Armstrong-Youngblood marriage in Montgomery Co., AL 1882, FRANCES "Fannie" A* to William Youngblood b Abt 1839 AL, d Jefferson Co., AL. William Youngblood's father was John Waters Youngblood b Abt 1809 South Caroline who married Frances John in 1838 Chambers Co., AL. Fannie A* was b 1860 Montgomery Co., AL and also d in Jefferson Co., AL. She was the dau of JAMES FRANCIS A* & Frances MCDADE.   Does anyone have any information that can help us determine if these two Youngblood families who married Armstrong's are related?

5574 Welcome new member 5574. Missy travels back to great-great grand-mother to find her Armstrong. That was SARAH "Sallie" A* b 1866 Georgia (GA), d Davidson Co., North Carolina (NC), who married in Greene Co GA 1885, Thomas Cobb DAVISON b1860 GA. Sarah's father was JOHN b 1831 in GA, d 1875 Greene Co., GA, who married in 1865 at Penfield, [Greene Co] GA, Mrs. MARY CAROLINE Armstrong b 1838 GA, d 1875 Greene Co GA). Mary Caroline EDMONDSON (Edmonson) was the widow of his brother, JAMES A* b 1829 GA, d 1863 killed in the Civil War. James A* & Mary had at least 2 daughters, HATTIE & ANNA, living in 1870. Wouldn't you know it, Hattie married in 1875 in Greene Co., GA, Robert Emmet DAVISON brother of Thomas Cobb Davison.   In addition to Sarah, John & Mary also had a son JAMES H. b 1868 Greene Co., GA who married in 1891 Greene Co., GA, Ada J. DURHAM b 1874 GA. James and John were sons of JOHN b 1796 d. 1866 Oglethorpe Co., GA, and Sara SWANSON [or Swenson] (1804-1859). They married 1822 in GA. We know from census records that John’s mother's Christian name was Margaret and she was born between 1770-1779 more probably Abt 1768-1769 NC. The census records we have show Margaret Armstrong residing near John and next door to George in 1830, near John and George in 1840, and with John in 1850, but nothing that verifies her maiden name. She died before the 1860 Census in GA. There is also some confusion as to which James Armstrong she married?Missy thinks his parents maybe JOHN b 12 Dec 1756 Virginia, d 21 Dec 1824 and Margaret CATHEY b 6 Jan 1769 North Carolina (NC), d. 3 Mar 1860 Oglethorpe Co., GA. They married Abt 1793 in Mecklenburg Co., NC.As usual, there is more than one James Armstrong b Abt 1756, so once again we help to sort them all out. Does anyone have any source documentation that can help with this ongoing dilemma???

2606 New member Grace is one of the many with Irish descent who has come up to her brick wall! Sadly our records can’t help her, but maybe you can. JAMES A* was born in Cavan IRE C1794. He married Elizabeth BLAIR. All their children were born in Ontario, Canada. MARY JANE BLAIR (1833), JAMES (1841), MARGARET (C1841), MATTHEW B (1843), ADAM (1849), ORILLA (C1849), THOMAS BLAIR (1551) and SARAH ELIZABETH (1853). Thomas Blair, of Melancthon, Grey, ONT married Susan Maria WHITMAN (1861) of Guelph, Wellington ONT in 1877. They had ten children: FREDERICK JOHN (1877), RUEBEN MATHEW (1881), VICTORIA MATILDA (1882), MARY LOUISA (1883), THOMAS ASHFORD (1885), SAMUEL LEO (1889), GERTRUDE RUTH (1891), DAVID EDWARD (1896), DESSIE LAVINA (1898) and ILA IRENE (1901). David Edward, Grace’s grandfather, married Evelyn Grace EVERTON in 1922. We have checked Irish records but cannot pinpoint any particular James A* marrying an Elizabeth Blair in the Co Cavan region. Maybe you can help?

4231 Welcome new member Michelle in Texas who has a common ancestor with one of our long time members Elba in Minnesota [5322] who reached the century mark last fall and is still with us; and Millie in Puerto Rico [5581] who joined us in 2013. Michelle brings another three generations to this family. Michelle's parents were Virgil Rambo and Kathleen A. Ramirez.   Kathleen was the daughter of Agustin Adam Ramirez and GLORIA ADELA A* both b in Puerto Rico [PR].   Gloria was the daughter of ROBERTO (Sr) b 1886 Ponce, PR and Cecilia DELGADO b 1893 PR. Roberto and Cecilia also had two sons, ROBERTO and CECILIO. Roberto m Maria A. TOLLINCHE and they had two daughters in PR; Cecilio m Nilda ANSELMI and had three sons, in PR. Roberto (Sr) was the brother of GUSTAVO A* making our new member a cousin of Elba and Millie.   Roberto A* (Sr) and Gustavo A* were sons of THOMAS A* (1841-1907 Ponce PR) and his 2nd spouse Anna Ines MAYORAL (1860-July 1893). Thomas A* had four children with first wife, Carmen MAYORAL (1850-1873), ten children with his second wife Ana Ines Mayoral [Carmen's younger sister] and 5 children with his third wife Antonia RIEDER whom he m in 1894 in Ponce PR.. Thomas was a loving father as well as a respected resident in Ponce. His grown children lived in Spain, England, Scotland, The Virgin Islands and the United States. He visited them throughout his life. He died in Ponce on October 21, 1907 when he was 66 years old. Thomas A* was the son of Dr PETER LOTHARIO (1800-1863) and Antonia Toro LOUDON (1825-1901). They had 8 children all born in Ponce PR.    Peter was the son of THOMAS A* (1770-1802) and Anna CREAGH. Peter had two brothers THOMAS (b 1799 Virgin Islands, also a physician) and MATTHEW. The Parents of Thomas A* (1770-1802) were THOMAS A* b 1740 England and Elizabeth MARKOE b Abt 1750. They married 1769 St Croix Virginia Islands and had 11 children. Thomas A*'s father was also a THOMAS A* (the elder) who first appears in St Croix, Virgin Islands about 1750. He and his wife, Eleanor, had 7 children: RICHARD, THOMAS, MATTHEW POND, WILLIAM, MARY, RACHEL and SARA. According to Thomas and Eleanor’s will, upon the death of Thomas, the elder, Thomas, the younger, his son, took over the estate in 1768. Richard, his brother was no longer living at the time. Eleanor continued to live at the estate St. George, through 1775.We are still searching for clues as to when and where Thomas A* (the elder) was born, Eleanor's maiden name and their marriage records, birth records for their children who were born in England. Descendants of the original Thomas have scattered all over the world. We are asking again, since we have Armstrongs from this family in several countries, surely one of you recognize at least one of the Armstrongs named above. If so, let us hear from you.

3386-8 and 3624 New members Penelope, Mark and Holly are lucky that we have already found then a link with another member. We had made progress in tracking WALTER (1784) of Park House Farm, Causewayhead, Silloth CUL who is the common ancestor. Walter’s son JEFFERSON (1816) married Elizabeth KNUBLEY (1833) Son WALTER (1852) b. Park House married Mary SPROAT (1863) formerly SHAW, whose daughter NANCY (1901) was Penelope’s grandmother. Going back to Walter he was one of nine children of father WILLIAM and Helen SCOON, the others being JOHN (1768), WILLIAM (1770), JEAN (1773), HELEN (1775), THOMAS (1777), FRANCIS (1779), ANDREW (1781), JAMES (1786) and CHRISTOPHER (1789). Significantly the first six were born at Harelawhagg (or other variants of this name) Canonbie. We have a MICHAL A* & Mary (nee SCOTT) at Harelawhole (same place!) in the 1740s. Surely there must be a connection between them. In addition there are three Armstrongs who lived and farmed at Abbey Holme very near Walter Armstrong at Park House who match the names of Walter’s siblings. Christopher, Hall House Abbey Holme, Jas (James?) Abbey Holme and John, Abbey Holme. Did all four leave Canonbie and come south?

3388 New member Jane has an established line in Leicestershire, ENG going back to the end of the 18C. It starts with the birth of THOMAS A* in Rothley LEI in 1792. Thomas married Ann WHITTINGTON in 1811 and two days later son THOMAS was christened! Thomas’s siblings were WILLIAM (1813), BENJAMIN (1815), HENRY (1817), ELIZABETH (1822), CHARLES (1824), JOHN (1826), ANN (1829) and ALICE (1832). In 1832 Thomas married Mary Ann YEOMANS. Their children were WILLIAM (1836), MARY ANN (1839), THOMAS (1844) who married Mary HOPKINS, JOHN (1847) who married Susan GIBBS, CAREY (1849) who married Walter HULME, EZRA (1855) who married Jane FOSTER and then Mary BROWN and HARRIET who married Walter BARNETT. They were all born in Loughborough LEI. William married Harriet CLEMERSON in Loughborough in 1857. Their children were: FREDERICK W S (1873), WILLIAM H K (1758), FLORENCE (1860), ARTHUR E (1862), ELIZA HARRIET (1864) and two infants who died early. Arthur E married Eliza HIBBENS in Loughborough in1843 and son WILLIAM ROWLAND was Jane’s grandfather. What we now trying to ascertain is further descent from Thomas (1792). His parents were THOMAS and Elizabeth PALMER who were married in 1781 at Rothley LEI. It is believed that there family was as follows: NATHANIEL (1781), NATHANIEL (1782), ANN (1785), ELIZABETH (1787), THOMAS (1787) (both christened on the same day, possibly twins), THOMAS (1879), THOMAS (1792), MATTHEW (1794) and WILLIAM (1796). The parents seem to have followed the spooky tradition of giving children the same name as a previously deceased one in this case Nathaniel and Thomas. The burning question is where was Thomas’s born? As far as we can ascertain there are four candidates based on geographical location and christening records. In Great Dalby LEI there are two “candidates” one born in 1858 and another in 1861. In Loughborough one in 1758 and one in Barrow on Soar 1754. Of course there might be others who are not, to our knowledge, recorded… so then we are stumped! Perhaps you know the answer.

2607 New member Annette’s great grandfather, ROBERT HAROLD, was born in 1895 in Leamington, Essex ONT Canada. His parents IRWIN A* (1857) and Laura Isabelle MILLER (1860) other children were ARTHUR GEORGE (1884), ANNIE MABEL (1875), CORA BELL (1887), ADDIE EMMERATA (1889) WILLIAM ERNEST (1891), IRWIN LEROY(1892), DOUGLAS CARLISLE (1897), INA DELORES (1901) and STEWART CLYDE (1905). Irwin’s father was WILLIAM TALBOT IRWIN A* b. Ormstown, Quebec in 1833 and married in 1855 Ann KENNEDY. Their other children were: DAVID (1856), FRANCIS (1859), ALFRED GEORGE (1851), SARAH ANN (1863), ISABELLA JANE (1865), JAMES TALBOT (1867), WILLIAM WEST (1869), JOHN HENRY (1871), (VIOLET ADELINE 1876) and ETTA CLARA (1881). Annette’s 4 x g grandfather IRWIN was born in 1801 in County Antrim, IRE and married Sarah Jane MULLEN in Ireland in 1823. By 1828 they were living on Lot 42 Concession 3 Ormstown QUE. Irwin’s siblings were: MARGARET (1823), JOHN (1825), ISABELLA (1828), MARY ANN (1830), MARGARET (1833), JAMES (1835), THOMAS (1837), FRANCES (1840), IRWIN (1846) and SARAH JANE (1849). Information on Irwin’s parents comes from the “Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Essex, Ontario” (J H Beers, 1905). From this it is learnt that Irwin’s parents were JOHN A* born in England and Isabella TALBOT. Irwin had a sister SARAH (1796). What we are now searching for is any conclusive primary evidence of connections with Ireland and England. Published on page 14/15 of this edition is the first part of the transcript of the Commemorative Biographical which gives more details and an insight of the life of those early settlers.

3389 New member John has to go back to the early 1800s to pick up his Armstrong blood line and the pedigree that he has submitted relates back to the late 1500s. As we all know the further we go back the sparser the primary evidence becomes and that is the case here, particularly we are back in our favourite brick wall place of Ireland. John can definitively trace his roots back to THOMAS HOLMES A* (1807) of Co Clare IRE who married Anna Stewart MITCHELL. Primary evidence to the line breaks down at this point. Thomas’s father was believed to be Captain THOMAS (1770) of the Longford Militia who married a “Miss Armstrong”. His father was believed to be GEORGE (1723).There is a hope of primary evidence from Archibald (1658) of Kings Co through THOMAS (1696) of Kings Co ( who married a Lucy HOLMES) to George as apparently there are entries detailing this line in Burke's Landed Gentry Of Ireland, 1899. This would need to be checked as we do not have access. Also on the 1861 Census it appears to say as far as can make out that Thomas was a “Lead Miner”. We need to verify the “gap” between George 1723 and Thomas Holmes 1807. That in itself is interesting as he adopts the maiden name of his great grandmother Lucy Holmes which effectively covers the gap so there might be primary evidence somewhere.