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 95 November 2022

8198 Scott's grandfather was LAWRENCE FRANCIS A* Sr b 1883 New Orleans, LA who married Louise COULON also b 1883 in New Orleans. His sisters also born in New Orleans were MARY ANN A* b 1887 m John Joseph BOYNES, and MARGARET JOSEPHINE A* b 1890 m Henry TIEDEMANN. His parents were JAMES W. A* a Grocer in New Orleans, though to be born abt 1856, died on 23 Sep 1892 in New Orleans, leaving his wife, Rosa nee ZIMMERMANN b abt 1860 LA, and his three minor children. What we have not been able to do is find the elusive James in any census records so we have no idea of when or where he was born or who his parents might be. Help! we need leads.

8271 Christi's grandparents were GEARD B A* Jr b NM & Loulie MADDUX. GEARD B. A* Jr, was the son of Geard B. A* Sr., b 1876 TX d NM & Clara H GAYLE. They married in NM in 1898 and had three other children, 2 sons, GAYLE GEARD A*, JACK BAKER A* and one dau IVA RUTH A*. We know Geard B. A* Sr was the son of Ellen FRANCES nee STARK but are not really sure who his father was. Ellen Frances Stark b 1847 in Caldwell parish LA, married 1st William Beddo bef 1865 having a dau Margaret Emma b 18 Aug 1865 in TX. In 1870 Ellen Beddo with dau Margaret are living in Comanche Co TX with her brother Thomas Stark's family. In 1880 Tom Greene Co., TX census, she is listed as ELLEN Armstrong widow with dau alice age 6 and son Gerad [Geard] age 4 both born in TX, father born in PA. No other record of Alice has been found. Then, we have a 12 Dec 1880 marriage record in Tom Greene Co., TX for Thomas STONEHOUSE & Ellen F. Armstrong. We have 28 Mar 1873 marriage record in Tom Greene Co., TX for J. W. Armstrong & E. F. WILSON, but cannot find any marriage record for Ellen nee Stark Beddo to a Wilson, which makes this marriage questionable, so we do not know if this J. W. A* is the father of Alice & Geard. We also have not found any death or census records in TX for a J. W. A* in or near Tom Greene Co. The only J. W. A* record found was a John W. A*, 606 acres, land patent dated 1885 Tom Greene Co., so this John W. A* was alive in 1885.There is a John W. Armstrong b 1847 MS d OK & Ellen nee Cox Fitzgerald b IN family in Dallas TX in 1880 but we can trace this John W. A* from MS to his death in OK, so clearly this is a different family. If anyone has any clues that might help us please share.

8213-8216, 2019, 2648, 3460 & 3383 Anthony joined us searching for his mother's ancestors, with only a name to start with. We not only found his grandfather, but his lineage back to the mid-1600's in Derbyshire, England, where he connected to other members listed above. Needless to say he was thrilled and so were we. The common ancestor is THOMAS A*b bef 1645 d 1725 Derby, and Helen (Hellen) his wife, b bef 1650 d 1704, both of Bolsover, Derbyshire, England.   We still do not have documentation for Thomas b bef 1645, birth or marriage to Helen and Helen's maiden name. 2019 & 2648 both have submitted the parent of Thomas b bef 1645 as THOMAS b bef 1610 Derbyshire, however, we do not have actual documentation for him either. In addition, some of our members believe that Thomas A* b bef 1645 d 1725 married again after Helen's death in 1704, Ruth Ann CUTT and had another family. The parish register documents just say Thomas A* married Ruth Cutt, so no clue as to which Thomas, the father age 59 or the son Thomas age 21. We do know Thomas A* & Helen had son THOMAS A* 1683-1767 Bolsover, Derby, (their youngest known child) who married Alice (Alicia) CLARKE. We know from the parish register documents that Thomas A* & Alice had children from 1713 to 1728, including a son SAMUEL b 1715 Bolsover, Derby, d 1807 Lincolnshire who married Susanna ABLEWHITE 1729-1781. 8213 & 2019 families and 3460 all descend from son JOHN A* 1740-1778 & Mary WOODTHORPE 1746-1791, 2648 descends from son AMBROSE A* 1764-1787 & Ann WRIGHT b 1767, and 3383 descends from son MOSES A* 1762-1831 & Elizabeth SQUIRE 1778-1866, all sons of Samuel A*& Susanna Ablewhite, of Lincolnshire. Sometimes it really makes a difference to keep searching for ancestors and staying a current member of the Clan.

2699 Jeff can trace his Armstrong ancestry with certainty back to his 4x great grandparents JOHN and Elizabeth A* of Moss-side, Canonbie, Dumfries, Scotland. John was born about 1756, and died in 1835, Elizabeth was born about 1765 and died in 1854, and they married in Canonbie in 1791. John's parents were probably RICHARD A* of Gricetail and Mary FORRESTER who married in 1745 at Gricetail, Canonbie although no record confirms this. John's son, BENJAMIN BELL A*, born at Moss-side in 1812, Jeff's 3x great grandfather, immigrated to New Brunswick in 1834, and from there moved on to Scott Township, Ontario County, Ontario, Canada by August 1842 as reported by him in a letter to his brother ABEL. He married widow Anne McCready HALLIDAY, probably in 1847; it is generally said they married in New Brunswick, but it seems unlikely Benjamin went back there to marry; no record of their marriage has been found. Anne had arrived with her family in New Brunswick on the same ship as Benjamin, and married John Halliday in Saint John in 1840; their daughter Sarah Jane, Anne and John's only known child, was born in New Brunswick in March 1842. Could Anne and John Halliday have gone with Benjamin to Ontario, and John died there? Jeff's great great grandfather BENJAMIN A*, great grandfather JAMES BELL A* and grandmother Martha A* were all born in Scott Township, but James' family, including Martha, moved to Saskatchewan in 1908. Benjamin Bell A*s brother WALTER A* arrived in New Brunswick with him in 1834 and at some point followed him to Ontario, but settled some distance away in Wawanosh Township, Huron County where he was still living in 1881. He married Janet JENNIE in Canonbie, and they had at least three surviving children born in Scotland, the last shortly after Walter's arrival in New Brunswick, but she followed him, possibly in 1837, and they had one more child born in New Brunswick in 1839. Janet died before 1861 when Walter was married to Mary, with whom he apparently had no further children. She died between 1871 and 1876, and at some point he joined his son JOHN SCOTT A* in Wisconsin where he died in 1894. The rest of Benjamin Bell A*s siblings remained in Dumfries, or moved to nearby Cumberland or Yorkshire, including a brother Abel who was an auctioneer in Penrith, Cumberland and sister Agnes who married James BEATTIE. Does anyone have connections with this family?

2698 Jeff A* can trace his ancestry to CHRISTOPHER A* who emigrated from England to Ontario, probably in the late 1830's. Although no direct evidence has been found for his parentage or birth place in England, Christopher A* was according to family lore the son of ADAM A* and Jane HOWNAM, baptized in Bewcastle, Cumberland, England June 11, 1815. Adam A* was likely the son of JAMES A* and Mary TALEFORD, baptized March 3, 1776 in Bewcastle, and JAMES A* the son Adam A* and Margaret NIXON, baptized January 22, 1744 in Bewcastle. Adam A* and Jane Hownam married in Bewcastle Dec 18, 1813, and emigrated in 1840, arriving in New York June 23 with eleven children, for all of whom baptisms have been found in Bewcastle or nearby Lancercost church records; JAMES b. 1814, THOMAS b. 1817 (d. 1892), WILLIAM b. 1821 (d. 1844), MARY b. 1823 (m. Leonard MILBURN, d. 1888), JANE b. 1825 (d. 1856), GEORGE b. 1827 (m. Mary GARDHOUSE, d. 1856), ROBERT b. 1828 (m. Margaret RIDDLE), NANNY / NANCY /ANN b. 1830 (m. John GARDHOUSE, d. 1909), SAMUEL b. 1832 (m. Margaret GARDHOUSE, d. 1901), ISABELLA b. 1833 (m. Titus STOVER, d. 1918), and MARGARET b. 1838 (d. 1907). Family lore that predates online genealogy and thus has not been tainted by notoriously inaccurate family trees includes ADAM Armstrong b. 1819 in England who married Jane GARDHOUSE, sister of Mary, John and Margaret Gardhouse, as another son of Adam A* and Jane Hownam, but he was not with the family in 1840, and no Cumberland baptism with parents Adam and Jane has been found for him. The family is first found in Markham, north-east of Toronto, Ontario, where William in 1844, Adam in 1848 and Jane Jr. in 1856 were buried, and where Jane Sr. was recorded as living with Thomas, Robert, Samuel, Isabella and Margaret in the 1851 Census. Christopher A*was living in Whitby to the east of Toronto by 1842 when he married Marion BURNS and where in 1842 their eldest son ADAM A*, presumed to be named for Christopher's father, and in 1847 Jeff's great grandfather JOHN A* were born, but by 1861 the family was living in Burford Township, Brant County where Christopher A* died in 1862. By the time he married Jane MILBURN in 1873 Christopher's son John A* had moved to London Township, Middlesex County where Jeff's grandfather LEONARD A* was born in 1877. Leonard A* married Maud LEESON in Manitoba in 1916 then moved to Alberta where Jeff's father JAMES ARNOTT A* was born in 1923. Adam A* and Jane Hownam's family should not be confused with the family of ADAM A* and Jane DAVIDSON who were from the same area of Cumberland and also immigrated to Ontario, in 1844, settling initially just west of Toronto, although most of the family are later found in Bruce County, some in Brant Township, Bruce County, not to be confused with Brant County where Christopher A* ended up! Adam A* and Jane Davidson's children were JOHN b. 1814, JOSEPH b. 1817 who emigrated separately, ADAM b. 1821 (not the Adam married to Jane Gardhouse), FRANCES b. 1823, ARCHIBALD b. 1827, MARTHA b. 1829 and JANEANN b. 1831. More about this family can be found in the Roots entry for member 2693 Darren in The Armstrong News Issue 93, November 2021 (where Jane Hownam's name was misspelled!). Member 2698 Eric's ancestry is thus very clear back to Christopher A*, but there remains the minor doubt about Christopher A*'s parentage which Jeff would love someone to clear up with hard evidence! Any firm information about the parentage of Adam A*, born 1819, who married Jane Gardhouse would also be welcome.

6155/6 Andrew’s grandparents were HARRY born in Heywood LAN ENG in 1909 and Edna FENTON who sadly died the day after Andrew’s father was born. Harry was the son of THOMAS A* (1884) who married Annie PARKER at Bury LAN in 1905. Thomas’s father was also a THOMAS born in 1859 and married Mary Alice HOLT in the December Quarter of 1879 in Heywood Manchester LAN. Father was ADAM Armstrong b. Manchester 1825 the son of another ADAM A* possibly born in Manchester but there is no proof of it. We have managed to move the pedigree on three generations to the beginning of the 19th Century. Thomas and Annie Parker were the first in Heywood with the other two generations probably in Manchester. in Manchester. The pivotal point of this research was identifying Adam Junior’s marriage certificate, where there is the only information which names his father. The trail runs dry with just the name Adam Senior! The marriage certificate had both useful and somewhat annoying information. This pivots on the fact that both the happy couple and the two witnesses were illiterate as they signed with a cross. Of course they would only hear what was added to the certificate as they had no means of reading it which brings us to Hannah’s maiden name which was taken to be BLAKELEY. Added to this it was apparent that MARY ANN A* in the 1851 Census was illegitimate. Adam’s address (Union Street) was useful as it proved where he was in the 1841 Census which otherwise would be difficult to ascertain. To cut a long story short after dealing with derivations of Blakeley (Blake, Blakey, Blackey and Blakely) it would appear that it should have been Blakely. The strongest evidence that points to this is the Blakey family in the 1851 Census were living in Canning Street which was also Hannah’s place of residence in the 1851 Census. By eliminating dates and names in the birth indexes one can rule out a birth of a Mary Ann Armstrong as all the mothers’ maiden names are different leaving two Mary Ann Blakeys one of which had no mother’s maiden name pointing to the fact that the birth was outside wedlock. Whether the father was Adam we will never know but at least he acknowledged her as a member of the family in 1851. Does anyone have any clues on Adam? Andrew is also interested in tracing any family of his grandfather’s second marriage after his wife’s death in 1932. Harry married Miriam Cousins in 1934. They appeared in the 1939 Census in Gorton Street, Heywood along with a blanked out occupant which usually signals that this person is still alive. However this is likely to be Albert as he died in 1963 Maalla, Aden and would therefore not be recorded dying in the UK so his record could not be ‘liberated’. Andrew says Harry had two children by his second wife but there are no indications of an Armstrong birth with a wife’s name being Cousins at birth in the timescale 1934 to 1946. This was confirmed by a Cousins’s relative in Australia.

2702 Steve can trace his Armstrong ancestry with certainty to GEORGE A*, born in Ireland about 1819; his middle name is thought to have been CORNELIUS, although no documentary evidence has been found for this or for his birth in Enniskillen as family lore suggests. George's parents were likely GEORGE A*, born about 1783, and Elenor JOHNSTON, born about 1793, who emigrated from Ireland around 1830, possibly with at least three sons, THOMAS born 1815, GEORGE born 1819, and JAMES born 1826, and settled in South Durham Township, Drummond County, Canada East (Quebec) where baptism records that provide the mother's birth name confirm the birth of two more children, BETSEY in 1835 and ROBERT in 1838. Given the age gaps between these likely siblings there were probably additional children, including possibly three born in Ireland: JOHN in 1821, MARGARET in 1823, and SIMON in 1832, although no direct connections between individuals with these names and approximate birth years and other members of the family have been found. In 1861 George sr. and Elenor, age 78 and 68, were living in Durham Twp, a JAMES age 35, born Ireland, with actual residence in nearby Richmond being with them; this is the main evidence that they had a son James although this census did not state relationships. There are possible matches for James' family in later census records, but nothing definite, and there were other Armstrong families in the area who came from Ireland making it difficult to link members of any particular family based on census proximity alone. In 1871 George sr. age 88, widowed, was living with his presumed son Thomas in Melbourne Township, Richmond, Quebec, very close to Durham. Thomas was living very near George jr. in Manvers, Durham Township, Ontario in 1852, and most of his children were born there, apart from his eldest and youngest children who were both born in Quebec, in 1835 and 1854 respectively. George jr. was resident in Durham, Quebec on his marriage to Susannah McLEAN in Melbourne, Quebec in 1842 and on the birth of their eldest two children in 1844 and 1845. This evidence taken all together provides reasonable confirmation of the family connections, although not definitive. George jr. was to remain in Durham County, Ontario and later in Laxton, Victoria North, a little bit north of Durham, to his death in 1900. His wife Susannah died in Laxton in 1896. The approximate date of their move can be set by the dates and places of the births of their sons WILLIAM JAMES A*, born in 1845 in East Durham, Quebec, and JAMES, born in Ontario in about 1847, both being with their parents in Durham County, Ontario in 1852 and 1861. William James A*, Steve's great grandfather, whose son RUPERT was the informant for George jr.'s death, was born in 1845 in South Durham, Quebec, but by 1871 was living with his parents and siblings in the Township of Laxton, Digby & Longford, North Victoria, Ontario where he married Mary Jane KERR in 1875, and he remained there to his death in 1925. Steve's ancestry is thus clear back to George A* jr., born about 1819 in Ireland, with likely parents George A* and Elenor Johnston, but of course he would be delighted to have confirmation of his Irish roots, including the identity of George A* sr.'s parents, who may have been William A* and Mary Kerr. Can anyone help?

8310 Jenny's great grandparents were LUGENE ARTHUR A* b 1861 VT & Helen Sophia WILLIS b 1862 Quebec, which is where she connects to 7077-7078 family. Lugene A* & Helen had the following children: 1. IRVILLE ATWARD A* b 1887 VT m1st Ethel Maud WADSWORTH, m2nd Susan BURROWS; 2. ORIS URBAN A* b 1889 VT m Helen Maria RICE; 3. ALPHEUS MYRL A* b 1889 VT m Jessie D SAWYER; 4. WILBUR BOWMAN A* b 1892 VT m1st Cora Ethel VANORNUM [sister of Dell], m2nd Florence TATE; 5. MINNIE MYRTLE A* 1896 VT mar Dell Fred VANORNUM (7077-7078 ancestor) and 6. WILLIS HAROLD A* b 1905 VT m1st Dora M ALDRICH (Jenny's ancestor).
LUGENE A. A* was the son of Joseph b 1817 NY, d NH Age 87 yrs & Auria WASHURN 1828-1886. Other children of Joseph & Auria were LAURA 1849, LUTHER 1850, LUNA E. bef 1853, LYMAN E. b bef 1854, LOUIS 1856-1857, LESLIE b 1858, Lucy 1862, LILLIAN AMELIA 1868 and LEONARD 1871, all born in VT. Any leads on the parents of Joseph A* would be greatly appreciated.

8162 Christina's great grandmother was SARAH CATHERINE A* b 1855 TN d MS who married Thomas Marion SHIELDS b1851 TN d MS, in 1872 in McNairy Co., TN. Sarah was the dau of JOHN L. A* b bef 1833 TN & Elizabeth his 1st wife. Christina thinks Elizabeth's maiden name could be THOMPSON. John L. A* mar 2nd 1863 McNairy Co., TN Lizapone J (Mary) HILL b bef 1840 TN. 1850 census say John L. A* was the son of JAMES A* b bef 1798 TN, d bef 1860 TN & Anne hw b bef 1810 TN d Aft 1880 McNairy Co., TN, listing other children as: (1) JAMES CALVIN A* b bef 1830, NANCY J. A* twin of John L. A*, b bef 1833, ABRAHAM C. A* b bef 1834 mar Melissa, MARY ANN A* b bef 1840, WILLIAM R. A* b bef 1844, REBECCA b 1846 TN d Pike Co AR, mar Stanton Brown WISE, and 1860 census adds ELIZABETH b bef 1851 TN. We have not found a marriage for James & Anne, but it is possible that Anne's maiden name was PATTERSON, dau of Duncan Patterson & his wife REBECCA Armstrong who married in 1809 Williamson Co., TN. Duncan (b bef 1785 NC) & Rebecca (b bet 1790-1792 VA) are also living in McNairy Co., TN in 1850. Rebecca Patterson Age 68, is living with Anne in 1860 McNairy Co., TN. There are at least 10 James A*s in TN in 1830, 13 James A*s in TN in 1840, none listed in McNairy Co. or Hardin Co. McNairy Co was formed 1823 from parts of Hardin Co and was named for Judge John McNairy. James A* & Anne were living in Hardin Co., TN in 1850, Anne and younger children are living in McNairy Co., TN in 1860. Help Wanted!

8224 Kris's great-grandparents were ARCHIE JOHN A* b 1889 IA & Anna SILLAU b bef 1890 IA. Archie was the son of JOHN W A* b bef 1858 Iowa & Adelia "Delia" WILLIAMS. Although a lot of people seem to think her name was Cordelia, but the marriage record found says her name was Adelia Williams. John W. A*'s parents were HARVEY VINTON A* b 1824 Gallia Co OH d Harrison Co., IA & Virginia ROWE, who married in 1845 Knox Co., IL. Harvey Vinton A* was the son of ANDREW BOWEN A* b 1799 Mason or Fleming Co KY & his 1st wife Hannah RAY/WRAY. He married 2nd in 1840 OH, Bethia BOGGS b bef 1812 VA.    We are still searching for primary evidence to identify Andrew Bowen A*'s parents. Andrew B. A* was living in Gallia Co., OH in 1820. We have a ROBERT A* b 1778 Augusta Co VA, d 1844 Gallia Co OH, mar 1797 Mason Co., KY, & Mary BOWEN (1781-1864). Robert A* b 1778 & Mary Bowen were married by his brother-in-law Benjamin Northcutt who was a Methodist Minister. We think ANDREW BOWEN A* is their oldest child. Robert A* & Mary Bowen were living in Fleming Co., KY in 1810 next door to his parents Robert A* & Jane hw. Robert A* b 1778 was the son of ROBERT A* Jr of Jennings Br, Augusta Co VA, b bef 1724 d 1811 Fleming Co KY & Jane possibly JAMESON (1739-1816). This Robert A* migrated first to Greenbrier Co VA (now WV) about 1783, and from there to Fleming Co., KY where he died in 1811 leaving a Will. Wife Jane, four sons and 5 daus were named in the Will: (1) Robert A* Jr m Mary Bowen; (2) JOHN A* [thought to be JOHN J. or JAMESON A*] m 1st Elizabeth EVANS, m 2nd Mary (widow PEPPER); (3) WILLIAM A* [thought to be William Talmadge A*] m Justina LEFORGE; (4) James L. A* [thought to be JAMES LOUDEN A*]; (5) Elizabeth wife of James CHRISTY; (6) Lydia wife of William BOWEN; (7) Jane (deceased) wife of Benjamin NORTHCUTT: (8) NANCY wife of Joseph C BELT; and (9) MARY "POLLY" wife of Lewis SUMMERS. Robert A* Jr was the son of ROBERT A* Sr of Jennings Br, b bef 1710 d 1763 Jennings Br, & hw Lydia. Their eldest son, JAMES A* died in 1759 VA, leaving a will naming wife Sarah, and minor children JANE, LIDDY & and the child unborn (James Jr). His wife Sarah, and brother, Robert A* Jr were named Executors. Robert A* Jr., was later appointed guardian of Jane and Liddy orphans of his brother James A*. Anyone have documents to share?

8339 Jason's grandparents were ELDON GENE Armstrong born & died in AZ [aka Ed, at one time a Texas Ranger] & Edith Bruce FRANKS, He was the son of WILLIAM "Bill" A* b bet 1920-1921 AR & Shirley LaRue YATES b 1928 NE, who mar 24 Oct 1942 in Maricopa Co., AZ. We are really at a loss here trying to figure out just who William "Bill" A* really is, when & where he was born and where he lived. His marriage record says he was 22 yrs old and Shirley was 18 yrs old. Their son Eldon Gene A*'s birth certificate say, Bill A* [Supplement corrected his name to William A*] occupation U.S. Army of Phoenix AZ was 22 yrs old born in Martery, Arkansas, and that Shirley was 16 yrs old born Lincoln, NE, first child this mother. We have not found any other records of any kind for William or Bill A* and Shirley disappears after 1942 when they married. Help Wanted!

8327, 5421, 4242, 4348, 4401-4403 & 8047 Luanne travels back 5 gens to her A* ancestor who was LOUISA A* b 1830 NY d 1898 MI, and her 1st spouse William S HALBERT b 1826 NY. Louisa A* was the dau of JOHN A* 1805-1852 & Mary DAVISON. John A* was the son of BENONI A* b Aft 1759 d 1811 & hw. He may have married twice or the "History of Cayuga Co NY" got it wrong and named Margaret his mother as his wife. We know the headstone in Wilcox Cemetery in Genona NY says "Rebecca Wife of Benona (sic) Armstrong". We have no clue as to a maiden name since no marriage and/or marriages have been found. Benoni A*was the eldest child of ROBERT A* 1730-bef Sep 1773 & Margaret THOMPSON. Robert A* & Margaret had at least 6 or 7 other children after Benoni: (1) ALEXANDER A* 1760-1852 m Mary DARROUGH, (2) JAMES A* 1762-1825 m Martha HALSTEAD [4348], (3) EUNICE A* 1764-1836 m Alexander Brown McCREERY, (4) MOSES A* b bef 1766 d 1851, m Sarah WILSON, (5) a son 1768-1813 (6) ROBERT A* b bef 1770 m 1st Mary JONES, m 2d Temperance ELDER. (7) WILLIAM A* b bef 1778. Robert A* was the son of FRANCIS A* b bef 1695 Ireland d 1783 Orange Co., NY & his 1st wife Deborah LATTIMORE 1695-1760, where she connects with other members, Francis A* & Deborah had at least 10 children:1. WILLIAM A* 1722-1805 m 1st Mary CARR, 4401-4403's maternal line. 2. ARCHIBALD A* 1724-1800 m Mary ROBERTS. 3. JOHN A* 1727-1797 m Sarah Polly McWHORTER. 4. ROBERT A* 1730-bef Sep 1773, m Margaret THOMPSON, 8327 & 4348's line. 5. ELCEY A* 1734-1818 m John JACKSON 6. FRANCIS A* m Patience ROWLEY, 8047's line. 7. MARY A* 1738-1788 m Anthony SWARTHOUT, 4242's line. 8. JAMES A* 1740-bef 1785 m Mary THOMPSON 9. DAVID A*1742-1832 m Anne Nancy MILLER, 5421's line. 10. ELIZABETH A* b 1744 m John LATTIMORE. After years of searching, we still do not know who the parents of Francis A* are. Needless to say we will keep on searching. Bringing 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?

8359 Benji whose grandparents were James C RICHEY & ELLEN EVERGREEN A* b 1896 in AL. Ellen A* was the dau of WILLIAM PRESTON A* & Kate Johnson. Ellen A*'s grandparents were LORENZO DOW A* b 1853 AL & Martha Ann EVANS. Lorenzo D. & Martha had at least 10 children all born in AL, 7 daus & 3 sons. Three of their daughters married and moved to Texas, and four daughters married stayed in AL. Two sons Stephen Webster A* & Samuel Hudson A* married and moved to TX, whereas son William Preston A* married and stayed in AL. Lorenzo D A* was the son of STEPHEN A* b bef 1801.

8303-8304. Tammy's great grandparents were HOUSTON GENE A* b 1881 AL & Maudie L SETSER b 1891. Houston G. A* was the son of JOHN T. A* b 1847 AL & Matilda Caroline ROBERTSON b 1847 NC. Parents of John T. A* were JAMES H. A* b bef 1823 AL d 1864, & his 1st wife Sarah Ann SHANKLES. James H. A* married 2nd Mary Ann GILBREATH James H. A* is also thought to be the son of STEPHEN ASA A* b 1801 GA d 1864 AL & his 1st wife Rachel said to be WILLIAMS 1803 TN. The only circumstantial evidence we have connecting James H. A* to Stephen A* is the 1850 AL census where the two families are living next door to each other. Now Lorenzo D. A* is the son of Stephen A* b bef 1801, and James H. A* is thought to be the son of Stephen Asa A* b 1801 GA d 1864 AL & his 1st wife Rachel said to be Williams 1803 TN. We do not have any documentation supporting Asa as Stephen Armstrong's middle name. We also do not have Stephen's date & place of birth, none of his marriages or the exact date of his death documented.   So none of the Maiden names of his wives are documented either. Stephen A* is said to have married 1st Rachel William b bef 1803 TN d. Bet 1837-1840 AL. Children of this marriage all born in AL are thought to be (1) James H. A* b bef 1823 d 1864 AL m Sarah An Shankles (whose son John T. A* b 1847 is 8303-8304's ancestor], (2) MARY LOUISA A* b bef 1825, (3) ELIZABETH ANN A*b bef 1825 mar 1st Matthew CULBERT, 2nd James A WRIGHT, (4) RACHEL A* 1828-1830, (5) Lorenzo Dow A* b 1833 [8359's ancestor], (6) MALINDA JANE A* b bef 1836 mar John F McWILLIAMS, & (7) NANCY ANN A* b bef 1837.Stephen A* is thought to have married 2nd Catherine "Katy" HOWELL b bef 1812 TN, bef 1840 having 7 more children all born in AL, STEPHEN L.b bef 1840, FRANCIS M. b bef 1842, MARY ANN b bef 1843, MARTHA ANN b bef 1845, MATTHEW K. b bef 1848, GEORGE W. b bef 1850, & ASA J. b bef 1854. He is thought to have married as his 3rd wife Mrs Letty Compton Beam, with no children from this marriage.If anyone runs across Stephen A* and his family in AL any documents or leads would be greatly appreciated.

6148 Jessica has found that her great grandfather was born in Newcastle upon Tyne NBL ENG in 1884. It all looked very straightforward as his parents (JOHN & Joanna) and sister Maria, were traced to the 1901 Census so should have shown up in the 1891 Census but they didn’t! Following a rather devious trail it was established that John and Joanna were married in 1888. She was a widow (BROWN) and her maiden name was SANGSTER. This can all be confirmed using primary evidence. Richard Brown died in 1872 so there is a 16 year gap before she married John A* with the children being born in 1881 and 1884. There is no evidence of any of them whatsoever in the 1891 Census. The extraction of their marriage certificate gave us the information that we were looking for and the confirmation of his marriage to Joanna Brown stating that she was a widow. In addition it also said John was a widower. John’s age on the certificate of 41 gave us a date of birth of 1847 which was different from the 1901 Census where he said he was 59 thus being born in 1842. With this knowledge we were able to place him in 1881 where he is described as a widower (matching the certificate) with daughter Mary aged 6 and his widowed mother, Elizabeth, aged 65, born in 1816 It also confirmed by his occupation as a chimney sweep. Previous progress had been made on Joanna’s background (thanks in many ways to Joanna not being a common forename at that time). In this search we came across the family Brown simply because Edward had named his two sons after two of the family. Finding their marriage gave us the surname Sangster which matched the maiden name given on Edward’s birth certificate. Joanna was widowed in 1872. So we now had John and Joanna’s marriage certificate with his father having the name Edward Armstrong. It was also evident that John was illiterate as he did not sign his marriage certificate. We were fairly confident at this stage that we would make progress in the Censuses as, strangely, Edward didn’t appear to be a popular name. Could we find any trace of them…? No! A trawl through the Censuses using the addition of John’s father and mother proved fruitless. We did find an Elizabeth and John in 1861 of a suitable age but not coming from Newcastle upon Tyne where all the other ‘action’ was taking place. Certainly there we no Johns fitting any of our known criteria in 1841, 1851, 1871 and even more strange in 1891! A certain mystery! Being rather baffled we decided to give it a rest for a couple of days and then come back to it and look closely with fresh eyes on info we had gathered. So that’s what we did! It always pays by reading the whole page of a Census record instead of just the A* bit. However the 1861 Census did show that Elizabeth was listed as unmarried. Then we looked at the name under hers. Edward Leonard aged 70 (in 1861). Where had I seen that name?.... on the 1911 Census Edward Leonard A* born 1888 son of John and Joanna! Too much of a coincidence! Going back to 1851 we find an unmarried Elizabeth LEONARD living with her son John Leonard and Elizabeth’s father Edward Leonard. It was also interesting to note that John’s birthplace is given as Newcastle and not Earsdon NBL ENG as it was in 1861 which was the reason why we earlier only had it down as a possibility. Little did Edward Leonard A* know that his forenames had been copied from his great grandfather like his copying his step-brothers’ for his two boys. The burning question is where did the Armstrong surname come from….? This change of name did not occur until Elizabeth had moved away from Earsdon. More than likely it is the surname of the natural father. There were certainly a number of suitable candidates in Earsdon!

3091, 5273 William, Denise and family have been members since 1997 and have just renewed their interest in their pedigree which ended with a JOHN Armstrong born C1868/9, calculated on his death, in the Irthington CUM ENG area but ‘knew from family that William's great grandfather, John, was illegitimate so and got no further.’ Denise got a copy of John’s marriage certificate,13 June 1901, which shows his father as HOPE Armstrong, but had not been able to trace Hope. One of the witnesses was George Brown. John was on the 1901 census as living with the Browns. Taking John’s age at marriage and in the 1911 Census puts his birth at 1871. Working on this basis we found a baptism of a John A* (Irthington) in 1871 with just the mother’s name of Armstrong. This is backed up by the GRO Index which shows two illegitimate John A* births but the first one is in the March Quarter which matches both the baptism and the age of John, 3 months, a grandson living with mother Jane and her parents in the 1871 Census. The surname of the family living next door….. HOPE! Really that’s too much of a coincidence don’t you think! Taking a look at Jane’s parents, JOSEPH (1816) and Ann (1816/17) WATSON, were married in Wetheral CUM in 1840. John was one of eleven children born to THOMAS A* (1786) and Ann THOMPSON (1789) who were also the parents of JACOB (1830) from Linda’s (5273) pedigree which appeared on page 17 of the Roots section in NEWS 92. This gives William and Denise at least one more generation and maybe two more!

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 94 May 2022

8244 Michael's great grandparents were EARL BENNETT A* b 1886 in Walton Co., NY & his 1st wife Cecelia COMBS. Earl B. A* was the son of GEORGE E. A* b 1855 Walton NY & Juliette E. "Ettie" BENNETT b 1858 NY. George E. A*'s parents were JAMES G. A* b Abt 1823 Canada d 1893 Walton NY & Helen Marie b 1827 NY d 1879 [some think ROBERTSON was her maiden name]. George had 8 siblings all born Walton, Delaware Co., NY between 1846 and 1866: DAVID A., FRANCES M., MARY, SHERMAN B., MARIANNA EFFIE, JAMES H., RICHARD R., AND MARGARET. JAMES G. A* & HELEN MARIE first appear in records in the 1850 NY Census. James consistently says he was born in Canada, with the one exception of the 1855 NY State Census where he says he was born Atlantic Ocean! We have not been able to find him anywhere in Canada, can you help?

6116 Julie’s first connection with an Armstrong is through her great grandmother MARY ANN (1856) born in Newcastle upon Tyne NBL ENG. She married Thomas (Foggin) FAWCETT who was the illegitimate child of Mary Fawcett (1813) who later married George FOGGIN (1815) thought to be the biological father. Mary Ann was the fifth child of THOMAS CARR A* (1815) born Hindley Steel, Haltwhistle NBL, and Elizabeth ENGLISH. Thomas Carr can be followed back five generations to JAMES A* (1645) born Lanercost CUL ENG who married Ann LOWTHER at Lanercost in 1666.

5283/5269/3490 Meg’s Armstrong connection starts with her gg grandmother ALETHIA EDWINA MERCY A* born in Australia in 1862. She was the daughter of FRANCIS FRASER A* born in Midlothian SCO in 1813. He married Mary Ann MEWES born in 1819 in Bermondsey Surrey ENG. They married in Australia in 1836. He was the son of ADAM PEARSON A* born at Smeaton Farmhouse, Dalkeith, SCO in 1788 who married Margaret GOW (1785) in Edinburgh SCO in 1810. Adam’s father CHRISTOPHER, who married Elizabeth DICK in 1775 at Dalkeith, was born in 1754 at Harelawhill, Canonbie DFS SCO. Christopher’s father was JOHN A* born 1715 also at Harelawhill. He married Grizel SCOTT. CHRISTOPHER, his father, was born in1679 again at Harelawhill and married Jean LITTLE.

6134/5, 2648, 3383, 3460, 2019 We have yet another member to add to the Hagworthingham, Lincolnshire ENG line. Andrew’s (6134) Lincolnshire line runs from 1729 to the current day. JAMES ERNEST A* was Andrew’s grandfather born in Spilsby in 1794 being the first to venture out of Hagworthingham. His father was AMBROSE born there in 1850 who married Rachel Grace JENKINSON (1859) in1876. The next three generations were born there – THOMAS (1825), THOMAS (1789) and Susannah ABLEWHITE (1729) who married SAMUEL A* of Bolsover Derbyshire. The next two generations are also found in Bolsover. THOMAS (1683) who married Alicia CLARKE (1682), Thomas (1649) who first married an unknown Hellena and then Ann Ruth CUTT. Thomas’ father was another THOMAS born C1610.

1795 Chris has to go back to his great grandmother SARAH ELLEN A*who was born in 1871 in Penrith CUL ENG. The father was unknown but her mother ANN was born in 1837 in Melmerby CUL. The 1851 Census shows her, aged 14, in service at Langwathby CUL to Ann Lancaster a ‘sick labourer’. Incidentally they are living next door to widower JOHN A* (1785) and his widowed daughter in law, Jane (1823) both born in Westmorland ENG along with granddaughter MARY (1850). There appears to be no links between the families but it might help someone else! Ann eventually married a Robert FOTHERGILL at Hawkshead Lancashire in 1878 and Ann gave her father’s occupation as a blacksmith. The 1841 Census for Melberby shows a John A* and family living there with John’s occupation as a blacksmith. John’s age is between 35 and 39 meaning that he was born between 1802 and 1806. In 1851 his age is given as 45 meaning he was born in 1806 and in 1861 54 born 1807. In both the latter censuses he gave his birthplace as Kirk Andrews on Esk CUL. In 1841 he said he was living in the same county that he has born in. This is right on the England/Scotland border immediately adjacent to Canonbie DFS SCO. There is more that one birth of a John A* in Canonbie around the dates above so this must still be kept in mind. However things point to just one John A* baptised at Kirk Andrews on 25 August 1804 the son of John A* and Eleanor IRVING and substantiates the 1851 and Census where John’s mother was living with them saying she was born in Canonbie DFS C1771. John and Eleanor were married in Kirk Andrews on 4 June 1804. The Carlisle Marriage Bond and the marriage stated that she was a widow and with John were both resident in the parish. Skipping one further generation back we found a somewhat usual baptism for a JOHN A* on 6 January 1781 at Kirk Andrews. He was also named as John SCOTT with parents Mary A* and John Scott. Also at Kirk Andrews it is stated that on 25 July 1781 that Mary A* married John Scott. John Scott cannot be traced so one can assume that John retained his mother’s maiden name as he was born out of wedlock. All this activity took place in Kirk Andrews so it is perhaps safe to assume that John A* (1781) was the father of John (1804) bearing in mind the caveat above about other John A*’s around at the time! Maybe you’ve got something that would prove us wrong!

6140 Jamie’s grandfather was WALTER Armstrong born Longtown Cumbria in 1919. Walter married Olive HALL (1920) in the September quarter of 1943 in Windsor BRK ENG. Walter’s father was DAVID (1875) who appeared in censuses more than once as David M. This was proved by the GRO indexes as being DAVID MURRAY and the mother’s maiden name being the same (Murray). When dealing with someone in Longtown CUL ENG, where David was born, it is essential to remember that it is on the border of Scotland and England and is more than likely that ancestors would at some point stray across the border into the other country. David married Catherine BONE (1880), born Stoneykirk WIG SCO, in 1903 at Leswait DFS SCO. There was another cross-border occurrence with David’s parents who were married in Wilton ROX SCO in 1873. JOHN (C1841) is consistently shown on censuses as being born in Scotland and Mary Ellen MURRAY consistently shows that she was born in Longtown CUL. However in 1871 John, a journeyman slater, born in Scotland, is a boarder in Longtown with a family of Grahams! To trace the family further it was essential that we found who John’s parents were in order to give us a clue as to where he was born in Scotland. His marriage in Wigtown gave a little more info on John but created a number of additional questions. It gives John’s occupation as a journeyman slater, a resident of Longtown, and Mary Ellen Murray a dressmaker living in Wilton. So far so good… but John’s father is given as WILLIAM, a deceased general labourer, and his mother is ‘Anne HUTTON, formerly Armstrong, maiden surname COWAN’. It is evident from the1851 and 1861 Censuses that Ann is living with a John Hutton and his children along with Ann’s son John who was born in Castleton. ScotlandsPeople’s indexes show that an Ann Cowan married John Hutton in Castleton in 1848 and son WALTER was born in 1849.The significance here is that it is probable that William was never married to Ann as her maiden surname is used throughout. This can possibly be confirmed by an entry in the Castleton Registers for 1836 - Apr 13 Anne A*, illegitimate daughter of William A*, Labourer, & Anne Cowan. Anne born at Tweedenhead. This is an area deep in the Newcastleton Forest about two miles away from Castleton. This would mean the William died between 1836 and 1838 and was probably born C1812. We can find no other records for William. (The village of Castleton was commenced in 1793. It was built as a result of the land clearances in the 1790s when people were forced to move from Old Castleton village. While the parish retained the name Castleton, the village later became identified as New Castleton or Newcastleton.)

5285 Wayne can trace his Armstrong ancestors to his 3x great grandfather THOMAS A* who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, probably in December 1775 based on his death record and gravestone inscription. Thomas' first wife was Margaret WILSON, whom he may have married in 1802 in Kilskeery Parish, County Tyrone, although it is uncertain whether the record of this marriage was for the correct couple, or whether the year of marriage was even 1802 as the date is illegible. Their one known son, Wayne's 2x great grandfather, was JAMES WILSON A*, baptized April 26, 1823, in Kilskeery parish, County Tyrone, residence Relagh. He may have had two sisters, JANE baptized 1813 and SARAH baptized 1816, both with parents Thomas and Margaret, resident in a nearby townland, Concandra, Tyrone; nothing further is known about them. James' mother Margaret died sometime before April 17, 1826, when Thomas married Elizabeth CRANE, residence Relagh, Parish of Kilskeery. Thomas, Elizabeth, James, and five children of Thomas and Elizabeth (MARGARET 15, ROBERT 12, MARY ANN / MARY JANE 10, WILLIAM / ABEL 8 and JOHN 5) emigrated to Australia, arriving in New South Wales June 7, 1841. Thomas was said to be 38 on the passenger list although he would have been 66, and Elizabeth 35 although she would have been 46, the discrepancies likely being due to the bounty rules for assisted immigrants which probably required they be under 40. They settled in the Melbourne, Victoria, area where James married Ann CASEY in 1844. James A* and Ann had five children, including Wayne's great grandfather ALFRED WILSON A*, born in 1859 in Dandenong, Victoria. In 1885 Alfred married Maria Emma EXNER with whom he had eleven children, including Wayne's grandfather ALFRED WILSON A* who was born in Oakleigh, Melbourne, Victoria in 1890. Wayne's descent from Thomas A* is well documented, and from Thomas' death record it is known that his father was JOHN A* and his mother's maiden name was MCFARLANE; her given name was possibly Elizabeth although there is no evidence for that. There is also no evidence for the names of John A's parents, although it has been suggested that they were RICHARD A* and MARY, or for any siblings of Thomas A*. As usual, Wayne would of course be delighted to receive any further information about his Irish Armstrong ancestors.

8262 Chris’ grandmother LOUISE was the daughter of ERNEST Armstrong and Hannah Elizabeth LISTER who was born on 30 Sep 1900 in Johnston, Providence Co., Rhode Island, She died on 09 Nov 1995 in East Providence, Providence Co., Rhode Island, USA. She married Harold PRIESTLEY. He was born on 21 Jan 1901 in Bradford, YKS, ENG. He died on 26 Jan 1994 in East Providence. Ernest was baptised in the Alfred Memorial Church, Manchester LAN ENG as JONAS EARNEST (sic) on 7 July 1875 along with sister CLARA and brother ALFRED. According to civil registration he was born in the second quarter of 1872 with just the name Jonas. He married Hannah Elizabeth Lister on 20 Jun 1895 in Rhode Island, USA. Father JOHN was born on 08 Jan 1831 in Manchester. He married Adelaide (Haley) HEALEY on 27 Mar 1853 in Manchester. Ernest had five siblings THOMAS (1855), ELIZABETH ANN (1858), JOHN JOSEPH (1862), CLARA (1865) and ALFRED (1868). John’s parents, both born in Ireland were THOMAS born about 1801 who married Grace Maria BRUCE on 16 Mar 1830 in Manchester. John’s siblings were MARY (1824), ELLEN (1826) and THOMAS (1836). Sadly this pedigree comes to grinding halt here as the only Irish clue is literally ‘Ireland’ 1851 Census and ‘I’ 1841 Census! We are stuck! Can you help?

2696 Ron traces his Armstrong ancestry through 3 siblings from Coolgarron, Ballinamallard, County Fermanagh, Ireland: ELIZABETH born about 1793, JOHN born 1796 and ROBERT born 1804, their approximate birth years being based on Canadian records. Ron has established the location of the Armstrong family land holdings in Ballinamallard through the Valuation records and Ordnance survey maps. The three siblings immigrated about 1822 to Lower Canada (now Quebec), settling in Clarendon Township, Pontiac County, as established by land records and the 1842 census. They also all married in Lower Canada around 1829 based on the birth dates of their eldest children: Elizabeth A* to John DALE, John A* to Ann MCDOWELL and Robert A* to Margaret HOBBS. Ron is descended from Margaret A*, daughter of Robert A* and Margaret Hobbs, who married John Dale, son of Elizabeth A* and John Dale, and from MARGARET ANN A*, daughter of JOHN A* and Ann McDowell, who married John STRUTT. A third brother, FRANCES A*, also settled about the same time in Clarendon Township, marrying Jane CALDWELL in Quebec City in 1827. Another brother, ALEXANDER, is known to have died a widower in Coolgarran, Irvinestown, Fermanagh in 1864. Their father, John, is thought to have died in Ireland and their mother, Margaret Anderson, to have emigrated with them or followed them after John's death. Does anyone have any connections with this family?

6000 Mike had little information on his ancestors and it took some time to even get the bare outlines as he thought it was an impossible exercise. Well even if you have only scraps of info it’s aways worth giving it a try. It was well worth it as we got back five generations. Of course the luck is having this magic bit of information to start with. In this case was his grandfather’s second forename was Stretton from which we managed to extract GEORGE STRETTON Armstrong (1903) born in Lincoln LIN ENG. He married Suzanna Elizabeth HARWOOD in 1928. His father was GEORGE HE(U)BERT both in Lincoln (as were all this other ancestors bar the last one that was found) who married Maud HARE in 1898. George’s father was JAMES GREEN A* bp 30/01/1831 and married in 1855 Sarah Ellen PALMER, his father being BENJAMIN A* 1810. He married Ann Winifred GREEN (1830) who remarried after his death in 1848. The last in line is another BENJAMIN, bp 08/03/1770 in Newton on Trent LIN, marrying in 1798 Jane GARLAND. His parents were possibly ROBERT and Sarah. Maybe you can turn this possibility into a probability.

6112 Becky was another member who hesitated as she thought she had too little info to proceed. Again one name ‘Simeon’ was the breakthrough, her great grandfather. Here is a name where one should always be aware of the transcriber’s shortcoming. In this case the vital one was OK but others came out as ‘Simon’! Becky’s grandfather was OLIVER HOWARD Armstrong born in Wellington, Shropshire ENG on 18/04/1912 and married in 1935 Elizabeth CALLEAR. His father was SIMEON JAMES A* born Wellington in 1876. Simeon’s parents were JAMES (1847) and Maria DAWES/DAVIES (another bad day for a transcriber!). We then have father JAMES (1819) of Wellington who married Sarah PIERCE. The parents of the second James were FRANCIS and Elizabeth DABBS. Perhaps others were related to them?

6146 Wendy’s Lincolnshire ENG line of Armstrongs starts with her grandfather GEORGE born in 1883 to JOHN (1858) and Margaret WATTS (1858). George married Rachel Elizabeth LAMPRILL in Epsom Surrey ENG in 1910. John was born in Coninsgby LIN and married in Fosdyke LIN in 1882. John’s parents were JOHN (1815) born in Swineshead LIN and Charlotte FAIRWEATHER (1820) who had married in Boston LIN in 1855. After Charlotte’s death in 1864 John married Mary A ATKINSON at Boston LIN. When one gets to any dates at the turn of the 19C it is worth remembering that at that time folk did not move around much so it is always to Google a particular place and seeing which places are in proximity as it is likely that ancestors were from that area. This proved to be the case with Swineshead, Sutteron and Wigtoft. John’s parents were THOMAS born in 1793 in Wigtoft LIN and Sarah CARNALL (a widow) from Sutterton LIN and were married there in 1815. Using the same theory, it is likely that Thomas was the son of JOHN (C1755) and Mary SMITH married in Wigtoft in 1776. Tracking all the local parishes this is the only marriage that fits the Armstrong/Smith relationship. Can anyone come up with more evidence?

1796 Rose has done a splendid job of researching her Irish Armstrong ancestors, but has hit her brick wall at, surprise surprise, a JOHN Armstrong! His daughter CATHERINE, born about 1843, probably in County Tyrone but possibly in Fermanagh, married John MORRISON in Omagh May 13, 1867, her father being named as John on the marriage record, and died in New Zealand Sept 14, 1940, age 97. Rose's DNA matches point to Kilskeery, County Tyrone, and she has identified baptisms for a family in Kilskeery with parents JOHN A* and Mary, residence Cabragh, including Catharine A* born Jan 5, 1843. The other children were JOHN born Sep 25, 1844, JULIANA Sep. 25, 1846, HENRY Oct 27, 1848, JOHN Dec. 27, 1850, and MARY JANE Nov 9, 1853, and possibly two more with residence Loughterush, a townland adjoining Cabragh to the east, THOMAS May 4, 1856 and WILLIAM Oct 28, 1858. Nothing has been found that directly confirms that this was the correct Catharine and John, but there was also a Morrison family with residence Loughterush, including a John Morrison baptized Dec. 25, 1838, highly likely Catherine's husband, which strengthens the case for this being the correct Armstrong family. Catharine, age 23 on the passenger list, and John, 24, both of County Tyrone, immigrated to New Zealand very shortly after their marriage, arriving on Aug 30, 1867 in Christchurch where their eldest child, JAMES, Rose's ancestor, was born just 2 weeks later on Sept 15. James married Sarah Burton GRAINGER April 5, 1892, their second son, Rose's grandfather, being Arthur Gordon Morrison, born Mar 29, 1897 in South Canterbury, New Zealand. Can anyone shed any light on Rose's Irish ancestors?

6147 Alice can trace her Armstrong ancestry through the male line from her great great grandfather John A* to her mother's father. Unfortunately nothing is known about JOHN A* except that he had a son WILLIAM A* who was resident in Corlea, County Tyrone, Ireland on his marriage in 1857 at age 26, the only evidence for his birth year, to Jane HAMILTON age 21, father Charles, residence Dooneen, Fermanagh. It has been suggested that John's wife was Elizabeth, with more than one couple in County Fermanagh being suggested as his parents, but nothing has been found to link any of them with William. William A* and Jane had five known children, all baptized in Kilskeery Church of Ireland with residence Corlea, Irvinestown, County Tyrone: MARY JANE born 1858; WILLIAM JR. born 1862, Alice's great grandfather; ROBERT JOHN born 1864; JOSEPH born 1866; and HAMILTON born 1868. Death records have not been identified for either William sr. or Jane. Robert married Margaret Cochrane HIGHET in Kinross, Prestwick, Ayrshire, SCO in 1899, when his father William sr. was noted as deceased, and his brother William jr. married Margaret's sister Bessie Alexander HIGHET in 1903, also in Prestwick. Both were resident in Belfast when they married and William jr. died there in 1947. William jr. and Bessie had two sons, WILLIAM HAMILTON A*, Alice's grandfather, in 1904 and GEORGE ALEXANDER A* in 1907. Alice's pedigree is well supported back to William sr., but she would of course be delighted to know more about his parents, although recognizing how difficult it can be to identify the correct John A*, particularly when there is no evidence for the name of his wife. The records of Kilskeery parish have unfortunately not produced any good candidates for William sr's birth or the marriage of his parents. Can anyone help?

8275 New member Elizabeth’s grandfather was Commodore PERRY A* Jr b 1879 MO & Mabel PHILLIPS b 1884. Commodore PERRY A* Jr was the son of Commodore Perry A* Sr b 1822 TN d 1889 MO & 3rd wife Margaret MCINTURF b 1857 MO. Commodore Sr m1st Cynthia Ann CARSON 1827-1864. They had 4 children in Platte Co MO: ELIZABETH A* m1st Frank MILLER, m2nd Henry Clay PARK; JULIA A* m John W OSBORN; William Green A* m Louise HOSP; and MARY ISABEL A* m2st Benjamin W GILBERT, m2nd Frank F GOODSON m2nd Pauline HARLAN 1840-1877 and had a dau LULA A* b 1867 who m John W.M. FRASER.
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 he & his father were b in TN, but that it all. With such an unusual name we looked for others of the same name and found only one, Commodore PERRY A* b 1870 DeKalb Co., MO, son of JOSEPH DUDLEY A*b 1834 Illinois & Mary BLEDSOE b 1836 MO. We have not found any connection between the two families. We need help here at our brick wall in TN. Where was he actually born and who were his parents?

8276 New member David who travels back 5 generations to reach his Armstrong ancestor, ELLEN A* b 1850 Cheshire d Worcester. Ellen A* 1st married 1869 Henry MAYFIELD and had one dau Elizabeth. She married 2nd William SILVESTER in 1873 in Stafford. Together they had 9 children including Philip who is 8276's ancestor. Ellen A* was the dau of PHILIP Armstrong b 1808 Wetheral, Cumberland ENG d 1882 Wolverhampton, Stafford & Sarah MOSES who married 1832 in Brampton, CUL. Her siblings were: JOHN A* b 1834 m Susan SMITH, REBECCA MOSES A* b 1836 m Edward ROBINSON, THOMAS A* b 1838, DOROTHY E. A* b Abt 1840 m Thomas SUTTON, SARAH A* b Abt 1843, PHILIP b 1849, and REBECCA A* b Abt 1853. born in Brampton, CUL, Liverpool, Lancs & Cheshire. Philip A* was the youngest child of JOHN A* b Bef 1756 & Dorothy (KELLY) KELLEY b 1756 Isle of Man, who married 1787 Isle of Man, and moved to Wetheral, CUL bef 1791. Their other children were (1) JOHN A* b 1789 Isle of Man m Eleanor GRAHAM, (2) CHRISTOPHER b 1791, ROBERT b 1794, JANE CHRISTIAN b 1800, DOROTHY b 1803, THOMAS b 1806. John & Dorothy's marriage record says his father was also JOHN A*. We are still searching for John A*'s date and place of birth as well as his parents. Anyone have any clues to offer?

8348 & 8354 Welcome new family members 8348 & 8354 Janet & Jeff, cousins of 8110 Kate. Jeff & Kate's mothers were sisters, daus of Rufus SCALES & HELEN ELIZABETH A*. Helen Elizabeth A* was the dau of WILLIAM RAYMOND A*(1874-1947) & Dora COPE; son of JOHN CRAWFORD A* b 1843 OH d IN & his 2nd wife Acenoth MONEY b Abt 1846 OH d 1872 IN. John Crawford A* married 1st 1865 Franklin Co., OH, Cecelia Ann ORTMAN (1846-1872). They had sons CHARLES A. b 1866 who lived to adulthood, and an infant son, who is buried with his mother Cecelia in Jay Co., IN. He married 2nd 1873 Jay Co., IN, Acenoth Money. In addition to William Raymond A*, they had children all born in Jay Co., IN: EFFIE NELLIE A* b 1879 m George M. FOSTER, GRACE GERTRUDE A* b 1882 m Charles Leslie FRASHER, NICHOLAS CLYDE A* b 1885 d 1908 at age 22 m Rilla M. FORD & Ara A. A* b 1890, m Mel A MONEY. John Crawford A* was the son of JOHN VANCE A* & Leannar TROUT; son of GEORGE A* b 1791 PA d 1865 OH & Alice VANCE (1795-1878). George A* was the son of GEORGE A* b 1761 MD d 1840 Licking Co., OH & his wife Elizabeth who is thought to be nee GRAHAM, as shown in News 92. Also in News 92, we told you about the Sermon Book of George A* 1761-1840 containing the births of his three children, that was in the possession of Charles Nicholas "Nick" A*, another distant cousin of 8110's, who so graciously gave his permission to Kate to share it with us.   We are sincerely grateful for his willingness to share. Nick was the son of WILLARD EUGENE A*, son of NICHOLAS CLYDE A* 1885-1908. Nick always wondered why his grandfather died so young and he ask Kate for help in finding the answer. Shortly before his 90th birthday, Kate found the answer for him. In 1908 there was an outbreak of chickenpox and typhoid fever in Logansport, Cass Co., IN, Nicholas Clyde A*, his grandfather, was one of two who died of Typhoid Fever the same day. Sadly he passed away before reaching his 91st birthday.We are continuing our search for George's parents, and his date and place of marriage to Elizabeth to find her maiden name.

8368 Scot can trace his father Paul Alexander Graham-Raad's Armstrong ancestors to his great great grandfather CHRISTOPHER A* who arrived in Saint John New Brunswick, Canada in June 1847 with wife Mary and seven children, said on the ship's passenger list to be from Ederney, Fermanagh, Ireland. For all but one of the children a baptism has been found in St. Marys Church, Ardess, residence Kilsmullan, a townland near Ederney: ROBERT born 1822, EDWARD born 1824, MARY MARTHA born 1829, CHRISTIANA born 1830 (no baptism has been found for her, although a baptism for a Christian in 1826 could possibly be her), THOMAS born 1834, Christopher born 1836 and Sarah born 1840. Another Armstrong family, also from Ederney, Was on the same ship (WILLIAM, JANE, IRVIN, JANE, WILLIAM, and MARY) but no connection has been found between the two families. Mary sr. was widowed in 1851 and died in 1860 in Saint John, but no record of Christopher sr's death has been found. All of their children can be traced to their deaths in New Brunswick but for Thomas who may have been the Thomas Armstrong from Portland, Saint John who died in 1856 in Callao, presumably in Peru. ROBERT, Paul's great grandfather, a carpenter, married Margaret SMITH in 1854. They lived in the Portland area of Saint John, New Brunswick, first on Fort Howe and from 1881 at 277 Rockland Rd. MARY ELIZABETH Armstrong, Robert's daughter and Paul's grandmother, also lived in the Portland area her whole life, marrying Thomas Alexander GRAHAM in 1880. They had three children including Paul's mother Nellie Amelia Vaughan Graham who married Constantine Percival Raad in Saint John in 1916. Shortly after their marriage they adopted the last name Graham-Raad and emigrated to the United States, settling in Queens, New York by the time Paul was born in 1925. Paul's Armstrong ancestors can thus be traced back with confidence to Robert's birth in Fermanagh, Ireland, but of course Scot would love to know more about Robert's father Christopher and mother Mary, and whether the family was related to the other Armstrong family who emigrated with them in 1847. Can anyone help?

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 93 November 2021

2686/7 New members Ken and Karen have a pedigree which revolves around GEORGE A* (1788) who was born in Bedrule ROX SCO and died in Eramosa Township, Wellington County, ONT Canada. George is Ken’s ggg grandfather whose offspring all of whom were born in Eramosa apart from Ken. The ‘trouble’ starts with George’s father JOHN who has been identified as a number of different people over a period of time. However we do know that he married Elizabeth (Betty) MABIN/(and a variety of other spellings) on 6 June 1784 in Ancrum ROX. Taking a fresh view of all the information about all possible Johns as George’s father we focussed on information that we were sure of. The first was location noting that Bedrule and Ancrum are fairly adjacent and at the time of John’s birth in the mid 1700s there would be little straying from the area in which the family could be found. There are a lot of pedigrees using extensive secondary records for George and brothers WILLIAM and THOMAS A* connected to their settlement in Eramosa Township, in 1822 and 1824. These tend to make them the sons of John A* and Betty Mabin. All three emigrated first to New York in 1819 according to these accounts although no immigration record appears to have been found. While there appears to be no primary record that definitively identifies them as brothers, we think it can be accepted. Then the only evidence for their parentage is a marriage record for Thomas in 1858 in Ontario, stating his parents to be John A* and Elisabeth Maber. There are many pedigrees which tend to name the parents of George, William & Thomas as JOHN A* and Helen RAE. However, we have found no evidence that John A* who married Betty Maibon/Mabon was the son of John A* & Helen Rae. The one thing going for it is the location of the baptism of John A* (Hawick), ISABEL A*, MARY A* and MARGARET A* (Wilton west of Hawick) with parents John A* and Helen Rae, which appears to be consistent with the location of the 4 baptisms found in Bedrule, about 8 km east of Hawick, with father John A* (no mother stated) located at Newton Farm, likely Newton Farmhouse B & B about 2km north of Bedrule, which has a parish church, or Ruecastle, north east of Bedrule. So we have John Armstrong bap. 09 SEPT 1759 Wilton, Hawick, ROX, parents John A* & Helen Rae. Died possibly 1837 Bowden, Melrose, ROX. Their children: JOHN (1786) - several records but none give a mother’s name, only father John - placenames in Roxburgh include Morton; Bewcastle / Rewcastle / Ruecastle, Bedrule; Hawick. Bap. 6 Nov 1786 Bedrule, Roxburgh John son John Armstrong in Bewcastle. GEORGE JOHN (1788–1864) bap. 5 Oct 1788 Bedrule “George son to John Armstrong shepherd at Newton” His gravestone states Geo. Armstrong died Aug 10, 1864, aged 76, native of Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland. WILLIAM (1791–1857) bap. 10 Sep 1791 Bedrule, “Wm son to John Armstrong in Rewcastle”. MARY (1794–1863) Thought to be Mary DICKIESON / Dickison / Dickson b. abt 1794, husband John, living Eramosa, Wellington in 1861, one daughter Mary born Scotland 1838. m. John DICKSON Wilton, ROX 12 Dec 1819 d. 1863, burial Johnson-Eramosa Union Cemetery, stone says only “Mary Dickieson 1794-1863” presumed husband’s stone “John Dickieson 1796-1861” THOMAS Armstrong (1796–1869) bap. 04 Sep 1796 Bedrule, ROX father John. Entry appears to have originally read “Baptism Thos son to John Armstrong Bewcastle / Rewcastle” but Bewcastel / Rewcastle was crossed out and Newton written to the left. He married Isabella STRACHON b. 1726 Scotland d. 1863 m. 5 Aug 1858 Eramosa Township, parents being named John and Elisabeth Maber. Much of this primary evidence involved us in having to ‘translate’ some of the writing which perversely appeared in more than one of the entries squeezed between other entries. We discussed the wording backwards and forwards and had it pretty much nailed except for one word in more than one entry. That thought that this was, ‘Bewcastle’ as had others in Ancestry. Bewcastle is famed for its Armstrongs but is hardly adjacent to the area we were looking at. So, we had another look at it and decided it perhaps wasn’t Bewcastle but Rewcastle. A forensic search by Google turned it up as Ruecastle which is in the correct area. Added to this we found where Newton was, and that was adjacent to Groundistone (mentioned in John’s baptism in 1859) all close to Berwick and Wilton with Ruecastle in the middle!

2690 Derick A* is trying to trace the parents of his grandfather George A*, his full name being George Alexander A* on two records, who was likely born between 1856 and 1858, possibly in Crumlin, County Antrim or in Belfast, and died in 1943 in Belfast, said to be age 85. He married twice, his first marriage in 1879 in Crumlin Presbyterian Church, County Antrim being to Esther Woodside, sister of Ellen Jane Woodside, mother of his second wife Martha Adamson. George and Esther had at least nine children, but only one, their eldest, appears to have survived to adulthood, a daughter Mary Elizabeth who died single in 1905 at age 25. Esther herself died in 1892 shortly after giving birth to twins, both of whom also died a short time later. In 1897 George, stated to be a widower, married the member’s grandmother Martha Adamson, born 1880, in St. Anne’s Church of Ireland in Belfast. George and Martha had 16 children, only 7 of whom survived infancy. While various details make fairly clear that the George A* who married Esther Woodside was the same George A* who married her niece Martha Adamson, there is one mystery. On the marriage to Esther George’s father was listed as Robert A*, a farmer, but on his marriage to Martha his father was stated to be William A*, a labourer. Efforts to identify the birth of a George A* around 1858 with either Robert or William as his father have been unsuccessful as have attempts to identify a possible marriage for a Robert A* or a William A*. Based on the order of the names of his sons with Martha, Robert is the most likely, the eldest being George for his father, the second John for his mother Martha’s father, and the third being Robert. They had a son William but he was the sixth son. George and Esther had three known sons, the eldest being unnamed, the next George Alexander for his father and the third John, although naming conventions break down with that one as Esther’s father was Archibald! Both Esther’s and Martha’s second daughter was named Sarah, suggesting George’s mother could have been Sarah, Martha’s eldest daughter being named for Martha’s mother while Esther’s oldest daughter was Mary, very likely her mother’s name. Can anyone shed any further light on who George’s parents may have been?

8023/8177/4235 ancestors originally settled on a farm in Franklin Co., PA. They   are thought to be WILLIAM A* b Abt 1742 possibly Dublin d Abt 1814 PA & Flora Belle CAMPBELL (1743-1831). Although we have not been able to fully document the parents, Thanks to 8023 we now have an Estate Case in Greene Co., Ohio for FLORA C. Armstrong b Abt 1824 PA died Nov 1896 Greene Co., OH, Intestate. Flora C. A* was the dau of Prof. JOHN Armstrong (1782-1855 & Mary MARSHALL 1790-1850). This lengthy case contains all of the siblings of Prof John A* and heirs both living & deceased in 1897. The siblings are identified as follows:1. ALEXANDER A* b Abt 1765 PA d 1839 PA & wife Lena Ann HINDMAN. 2. MARGARET A* b Abt 1767 PA d Abt 1837 PA, mar David JOHNSTON (4235's ancestor). 3. WILLIAM A* b Abt 1769 PA d 1845 PA & hw thought to be Agnes WHITNEY (8177's ancestor). 4. MARY "POLLY" A* b Abt 1770 PA mar SAMUEL A* b Abt 1761. 5. THOMAS A* b Abt 1775 PA d Aft 1850 OH, mar 1st Mary Mcnaughton (8023's ancestor), mar 2nd Elizabeth BALEY nee BROWN. 6. JOHN A*, Professor, b 1782 PA d 1855 OH, mar Mary MARSHALL (1790-1850). 7. ELEANOR FLORANA A* b 1784 PA d 1868 IN, mar John L. McNAUGHTON (1784-1837). 8. NANCY JANE A* b 1789 PA d Abt 1824 IA, mar Daniel HUTCHINSON (1786-1869).Thanks to 8177 we now have a Family Bible record that names all but two of the siblings of ALEXANDER A* b 1798 MD son of WILLIAM A* b Abt 1769 & hw Agnes thought to be WHITNEY. William A*, son Alexander A* & Alexander’s children are named in the 1897 Estate Case. WILLIAM A* b Abt 1742 possibly Dublin, is thought to be the son of THOMAS A* b Abt 1723 possibly Dublin, who died 1809 in West Twp., Huntingdon Co., PA leaving a Will dated 10 Sep 1804, proven 10 Nov 1809. The Will names his wife Agnes (thought to be nee GILCHRIST), sons JAMES A*, ROBERT A*, WILLIAM A*, & ANDREW A*, and daughters MARY, ANNE, MARGARET, SARAH, PRUDENCE & ELIZABETH A*. Sons James A* & William A* were named Executors, and Witnesses were William Johnston, Thomas Johnston & William Johnston Jr.
If you have anything that might help us close the gaps please share it with us.

2682 Don’s first Armstrong is his grandmother JEANNE DOROTHY who was born in Canonbie DFS SCO in 1898. She married Thomas DAVIDSON (1889) also born in Canonbie in Coleville SK Canada in 1922. Indeed Thomas also had Armstrong blood as his father ROBERT (1847) had married in 1874 in Canonbie MARY JANE A*, born 1851 in Penrith CUM ENG. The separation of these two Armstrong lines shows that they both had solid Canonbie roots going back into the 1600s. Mary J’s father was CHARLES JAMES A* (1825) who married Margaret VARTY. His parents ABEL A* (1795) and Jane STINTON were married in Penrith in 1816. This was the Gricetail line through JOHN (1756) and Elizabeth A*, RICHARD and Mary FORESTER. Although it cannot be proved by primary evidence that his parents were WILLIAM and Jane ELLIOT, we believe they were. Jeanne Dorothy’s parents were WILLIAM (1855) born in Langholm who married Annie McIVOR in 1893. William’s parents were FRANCIS (1812) who married Janet BEATTIE in Canonbie in 1834 were linked to the Glenzierbeckhowe line. Francis’ parents were WILLIAM, bp 21/07/1777, who married Jannet BROWN in Canonbie 09/03/1810. William’s parents were FRANCIS C1742 and Elizabeth ELLIOTT C1738. Those two dates are unproved as with the following generations. WILLIAM A*(1703-1759) and Betty BEATY (died 1754) and a WILLIAM A* known to be farming in that tenancy in 1863. The ‘Rental – Canonbie/Debateable Lands 1630’ (see page #) shows GEORGE Armstrong of Blouche listed as a tenant of the farm at ‘Glenzier – the Becknowes and garden’ at a rent of 200 pounds per annum.

2692 Linda traces her Armstrong ancestry back to JOSEPH A* who married Mary Anne Dixon May 28, 1861 in Ballyhobridge Presbyterian Church, Parish of Drummully, Clones, Fermanagh, Ireland, Joseph's address being Ternahinch, Parish of Clones, then through their son DAVID A*, born Feb 3, 1878 in Tiernahinch (the spelling varies somewhat), Clones, County Monaghan. David A* married Harriet BYERS (BEERS) Dec 19, 1901 in Balina, County Mayo. They had six children in Ireland before David immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1912, closely followed in 1913 by Harriet and their six children. They are then found in the 1921 Census of Canada in New Toronto, York West, Ontario, with an additional daughter born in Ontario (name transcribed Arnoting….). Joseph A's ancestry is less certain. It is thought that his parents were JAMES A* and Jane FORSTER, in which case he was baptized Oct 24, 1828, address Clonkirk, Clones, Monaghan. However, in the 1901 Census in Tirnahinch, Monaghan, where all of his children were born, Joseph A* was said to be 66, thus born in 1834 or 1835, and there is a very likely death for Joseph A* June 1, 1904, in Tiernahinch, Clones, Monaghan when he was said to be 68, thus born 1835 or 1836. On the other hand, the youngest child of James A* and Jane Forster was baptized in Tirnahinch in 1831 making it more likely that any Armstrongs found in Tirnahinch after that date were related. Also, the ages of all but the youngest of his four adult children who were listed with him in the 1901 Census were also inaccurate, so those ages may mean nothing. However, it does raise a small doubt as to whether Joseph A*'s parents have been correctly identified, but assuming they have been, who were the parents of James A*? The oldest sibling of Joseph A*, parents James A* and Jane Forster, was baptized in 1817, which would put the births of his parents as likely in the 1790s. There are possibilities for James A* in the Clones Parish records on IGP-web.com the two most likely in terms of the date being: 1793, father ARTHUR A* mother Mary, address Clontibret, Clones, Monaghan; and 1797 father WILLIAM mother Elinor address Napagh (probably Knappagh, Fermanagh, just north of the town of Clones). However, Arthur and Mary are not otherwise found, and Joseph had no children with those names. Two additional baptisms for children of William and Elinor have been found, and Joseph A*s oldest daughter was named ELEANOR, making that parentage more likely. The other two baptisms found for a James A*, in 1800 and 1801, are less likely given he had a child in 1817; both had a father William, one with mother Anne, the other Deborah. Thus Linda as usual has questions about her Irish ancestry. Can James A* and Jane Forster be confirmed as Joseph A*'s parents? And if so is there any evidence for the parentage of James A* who married Jane Forster? Can anyone help?

8103, 3438, and possibly 8024, connect at WILLIAM A* & Margaret ELLIOTT, of Woodhead, Canonbie, the parents of WILLIAM A* (1750-1823) & Margaret CARRUTHERS (1751-1801) in Priorhill, Canonbie.
8103 thru son JOHN 1777-1856 & Margaret NICOL, son WILLIAM A* 1804 Priorhill, d 1895 Utah US & 2nd wife Catherine Cradock b 1819 Warwick, d 1903 Utah US.
3438 thru son JOHN 1777-1856 & Margaret NICOL, son James A* b 1813 Barrascroft, Canonbie, d 1880 Gateshead, DUR, & 1st wife Hannah PARKES 1818-1860 Shropshire, ENG
8024 believes he is related thru son GEORGE A* & Elizabeth BARCLAY.
8103 Richard, travels back 5 generations to his Armstrong ancestor, KATHRYN "KATIE" A* b 1879 UT, dau of JOHN A* b 1848 (probably Staffordshire) ENG & his 1st wife Mary Ellen WILSON b 1848 PA. Siblings of Katie, all b UT are: SARAH ELIZABETH A* b 1870, MARGARET MATILDA A* b 1872, CHARLES DAVID A* b 1875 & MARY E., b Abt 1877. John A*s parents were WILLIAM A* b 1804 Priorhill, Canonbie, d 1895 UT & his 2nd wife, Catherine CRADDOCK b 1818 STS, ENG d UT. William A* was the son of JOHN A* 1777-1856 & Margaret Peggy NICHOL 1782-1856. John A*s parents were WILLIAM A* 1750-1823 & Margaret CARRUTHERS 1752-1801. William A* being a son of WILLIAM A* of Woodhead Canonbie & Margaret ELLIOT.

8024 Daniel's documented ancestor is AGNES A* b Bet 1806-1808 likely Canonbie & JOHN SCOTT b Abt 1806 Midlothian, who married 16 Nov 1833 in Borthwick, Midlothian, and lived in Midlothian 1841-1871. He believes his Agnes A* is Agnes A* b 2 Dec 1806 Glenzierbecknowe, chr 7 Jan 1807 Canonbie, dau of George A* & Elizabeth BARCLEY, son of William A* & Margaret Carruthers.
The 1851 thru 1871 Scotland Census (Midlothian) consistently say Agnes [nee A*] Scott was b Abt 1808 Canonbie, DFS. The problem we have is there are a least 3 other Agnes A*s born bet 1806-1808 in Canonbie.
1. AGNES A* b 7 Apr 1807, chr 19 Apr 1807 d o William A* & Fanny MOFFAT, Holhouse (William A* & Fanny Moffat m. 13 Mar 1795 at Canonbie)
2. Agnes A* b 2 Apr 1808 chr 10 Apr 1808 d o ANDREW * & Bettie [Elizabeth] LITHGOW, Garden of Glenzier (Andrew A* & Elizabeth Lithgow m. 1802 Aug 3 at Canonbie)
3. Agnes A* b 28 Jun 1808 chr 17 Jul 1808 d o JOHN A* & Elizabeth nee A*, Mosside (John A* & Elizabeth A* m. 27 May 1791 at Canonbie) Does anyone have any clues to help resolve this??

8161 Dana's grandparents are WILLIAM RANDOLPH A* & Sylvia ELICH. William Randolph A* being the son of CECIL WILLIAM A* & Anna Ruth RANDOLPH. Cecil's parents were JOHN WILLIAM A* 1882 KY d IL & Minnie Lee SMITH b 1884 KY, m 1900. John William A* was the son of JOHN WESLEY A* 1856-1897 & Lamiza Day "Sis" LANIER 1858-1938, m 1879 whose parents were MATTHEW A* b 1819 KY d 1894 KY & Anne Addie MURPHY m 1843. Matthew was the youngest child of BENJAMIN A* b 1776 SC d 1846 Christian Co., KY & Jane (thought to be nee BRASHER) b Abt 1783. His siblings were: (1) JOHN A* b Abt 1803 SC m1st 1829 Susan CROFT, m2nd 1852 widow Martha BOYD & m3rd 1856 Drucilla WOOLDRIDGE; (2) JAMES M. A* b 1804 SC d 1894 MO, m 1829 Sarah SHAW thought to be nee FIELDS; (3) MARGARET "Peggy" A* b 1805 SC m 1824 Jonathan LINDLEY; (4) ELIJAH A* b 1811 KY d 1888 KY, m 1845 Cinderella C. HAMBY; (5) DAVID A* b Abt 1813 KY; (6) ELIZA JANE A* b 1815 KY d 1885 KY, m 1836 John GILLILAND. Benjamin A* & hw Jane appear in Greenville Co., SC in 1800 with no children and in Christian Co KY bef 1810, where they are thought to have lived until his death. Benjamin A*'s Will dated 2 Feb 1842, proved 2 Nov 1846 names his wife Jane, sons John, Matthew, Elijah, James, David. and daus Eliza Jane Gilliland & (Margaret) Peggy Lindley wife of Jonathan Lindley, with son Elijah A* as Executor. We are still searching for Benjamin's marriage record and his parents. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

8202 Derek is related to 8025, 8035, 8072, 2465 & 4396. The common ancestor here is BENJAMIN A* 1648-1718 & his wife RACHEL. We are still searching for Rachel's maiden name as none of the documents we have found include it. Benjamin & Rachel had 4 sons, (1) BENJAMIN b1674 m Sarah RAYMOND, (2) JOHN b 1678 m Ann WORTH (8202, & 2465 ancestor), (3) Joseph b 1684 m Lydia WORTH (4396, 8025, 8035 maternal, & 8072) and (4) STEPHEN b 1686 m Hannah WILLCOSON, all born in Norwich, and all living when Benjamin's will was written in Nov 1717. Their 2nd son John A* (8202 & 2465) 1678-1749 & hw Ann Worth 1691-1757 had documented children baptized in Norwich as follows: JOHN (8202), PRESERVED, HOPESTILL, ABIGAIL, OLIVE, & JAMES, and is said to have other children THOMAS, LOIS, KETURAH, JEREMIAH (2465), EUNICE & FREELOVE. John A * Ann Worth's son John A* b Abt 1711 d 1791 (8202's ancestor), married Mary DURKEE in 1735 Norwich CT and had 11 children. Their son LEE A* (1746-1816) married 1780 in CT Ednah SMITH. They had 10 children CLARISSA, ERASTUS, JOHN, CHARLES, STEPHEN (8202), EDNAH, LEE, OBADIAH, ZACHEUS & MARY ANN. Lee A* son Stephen A* 1793-1843 had a son with Orpha CLARK, STEPHEN D. A* b 1840 MI who married Adaline TILLAPAUGH. As stated in a previous news item, there are several books published that all say Benjamin A* 1648-1718 was the son of Jonathan A* & Martha Priest, and that they had at least two sons. What we still really need here is primary evidence for Jonathan A* possibly born Kent, England, d MA & wife Martha Priest b Rhode Island d MA. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

8232 Chris’ grandparents were William G. CARTER & ANNA EDITH A* b 1894 Litchifeld Co., CT. Anna was the dau of JOSEPH A* b 1864 CUL ENG, d Pittsfield, MA & Elizabeth WILLIAMS who married 1885 in DURHAM ENG. Anna's siblings were JANE b 1885, GRACE b 1887, JOHN GEORGE b 1888, JOSEPH RICHARDSON b 1892, WILLIAM JAMES b 1896 & ALBERT F., b Abt 1900, the last three born CT. Joseph A* was the son of JOHN A* b 1826 Great Salkeld, CUL, ENG d Bef 1871 CUL & Jane RICHARDSON 1827-1896. John & Jane had a least 8 children: GRACE 1853, THOMAS 1854-Bef 1856, THOMAS 1856, WILLIAM 1857, GEORGE 1860, JOHN 1862, JOSEPH 1864 [8232's], RICHARDSON 1866, all born CUL. John A* was the son of THOMAS A*, a blacksmith, b Abt 1795 Dumfries, SCO, d 1883 CUL, ENG & Grace ELWOOD 1800-1872. Thomas & Grace has at least 5 younger children: HELEN b 1830, FRANCIS b 1834, WILLIAM b 1835, THOMAS b 1837, & JOSEPH b 1840 all were born Great Salkeld. Recognize any names?? We would sure like to figure out when and where Thomas A* was born.

6120 Sheila can trace her Irish Armstrong roots to JOSEPH A* born about 1793 in Derryaghy Parish, Lisburn, County Antrim according to his military records. He was a weaver prior to his enlistment in the 98th Regiment in Newry, Ireland, in 1817. One year later he transferred to the 80th Regiment with whom he served in various Mediterranean locations from 1821 to 1831, including the Ionian Islands for parts of 1828 to 1831 where he married Ann Frances WRATTON. Their son WILLIAM JOHN A*, Sheila's great great grandfather, was born in Manchester about 1832 when the Regiment returned to England. Joseph received a medical discharge from the military in 1839, and the family then settled in Sunderland, DUR, ENG where their daughter CHARLOTTE was born in 1840 and Ann Frances died in 1850, age 50. Joseph remarried in early 1851 in Sunderland to Hannah Dick COULSON, also widowed. Joseph, Hannah and her two sons from her first marriage appear in the 1861 Census in Sunderland, but Hannah / Anna was a widow with her sons in 1871 although Joseph's death has not been found. William John A* married Isabella LEVINGSTON / LIVINGSTON in Bishop-Wearmouth, DUR in 1851. They had four children, including Sheila's great grandmother Ann Frances A* born in Sunderland in 1859. Isabella died in 1860, and John appears never to have remarried. In 1901 he is found in an almshouse for merchant seamen in Sunderland where he died in 1907. Sheila can thus trace her Armstrong ancestry back to the early nineteenth century but, despite the precise birthplace stated in his military records and his occupation as a weaver, she has found no evidence for the birth of Joseph, the names of his parents, or his residence in Lisburn. Can anyone help Sheila identify Joseph's father and thus add a generation to her Armstrong family?

6123-6, 3407, 6127 Ros’ Armstrong Roots go back to Haltwhistle when her 5th great grandfather married Elizabeth KIRK of Edges Green, Melkirdge Twp. In 1754 at Haltwhistle. They raised a large family of 12 children at Scotchcoulthard, Henshaw Twp. ISABELLA, Ros’ 4th gr grandmother, married John ATKINSON at Haltwhistle in 1777. Ros’ descendent lines are Armstrong, Atkinson and 6 generations of Robson. Place names in Haltwhistle are Edges Green, Longsyke, Lees Hall, Farglah then over to Hexham and down to Chester Le Street, DUR and Bedfordshire. 3407 Chris’s 4th gr grandmother, Isabella’s sister, ELEANOR, married John LOWES in 1794 also at Haltwhistle and raised a family at Close a Burns, Melkridge Twp. Her lines are Armstrong, Lowes, Armstrong again, then Parker. Place names in Haltwhistle were Scotchcoulthard for several generations, Brookysburn, Bogg House, Hotbank, over to Hexham, then down to Durham. 6127 Robert is another new member who descends from Isabella and Eleanor’s brother WALTER whose son GEORGE first married his first cousin Margaret but when she died without issue married Mary LITTLE whom he had six children at Wealside, Thilwall Twp. Daughter DOROTHY Married John GLENWRIGHT in 1878 in Haltwhistle. Several generations of Glenwrights passed until Mary Glenwright married Taylor Coates FOGGON in 1942 NBL.

2693 Darren can trace his ancestry to JOSEPH A* who emigrated from England to Ontario in the early 1840s or late 1830s. He was likely Joseph A* baptized Nov 23, 1817 in Nichol Forest (near Bewcastle), CUL, ENG, parents ADAM and Jane. If so, his parents were Adam A* and Jane DAVIDSON (based on Canadian records for his presumed siblings) who married in Bewcastle, CUL Jan 19, 1811. Adam's father was likely JOHN A*, born 1747 who married Isabel BROADFOOT (born 1753 in Nichol Forest) in 1780 in Nichol Forest where most of Adam's children were baptized, including his oldest named JOHN, presumably for his grandfather; also, John was a blacksmith as were Adam and Joseph. Joseph's siblings, all with parents Adam and Jane, would then be JOHN A* born Sep 22, 1814, baptized in the Scotch Church, Bewcastle and, with baptism dates in Nichol Forest, ADAM A* Aug 10, 1821, FRANCES A* (female) Sep 21, 1823, ARCHIBALD A* Mar 18, 1827, MARTHA A* July 12, 1829, and JANEANN A* Dec 25, 1831. Joseph's family, parents Adam A* and Jane Davidson, should not be confused with the family of Adam A* and Jane HOWMAN, whose children were baptized in Bewcastle around the same time as Joseph and his siblings and who immigrated in 1840 with eleven children to Markham, Canada West (Ontario) where son William A* was buried in 1844 and Adam A* in 1848, and where Jane (Howman) was located in 1852 with four of their children. The family of Adam A* and Jane Davidson, minus Joseph, appears in Kirkandrews Upon Esk, Cumberland, in the 1841 Census, Adam being a blacksmith - unfortunately the enumerator rounded all their ages down to the nearest multiple of five although that was supposed to happen only for those older than fifteen. The family, again minus Joseph, is then found arriving in Philadelphia June 18, 1844, bound for Canada. Joseph's arrival has not been identified with any certainty, but he married Isabella CROOKS in Chinguacousy Township, roughly modern Brampton, March 20, 1845, so he probably arrived before the rest of his family. Joseph A* was likely first located just west of modern Toronto as his second son ROBERT A* was said on his marriage to have been born in Toronto Township, now roughly Mississauga; Joseph A*'s oldest presumed brother Adam A* was living in that area in 1852 and 1861. By 1852 Joseph had moved on to Wilmot Township, west of modern Kitchener-Waterloo, not far from his wife's family. However, by 1881 and on his death in 1885 Joseph was in Bentinck, Grey County, very close to his presumed brothers Adam and Archibald and sister Jane who were in the Paisley and Walkerton areas of neighbouring Bruce County. Adam A*, wife Jane (Davidson) and three of their children, John, Frances and Jane, have not been found in 1852, but in 1861 Jane was widowed and living with or near three of her children in Brant Township, Bruce County. There is no record that identifies the parents of Joseph A* or his birth county in England, but the Nichol Forest baptism fits his age, he was a blacksmith like Adam A* sr. and John A*, his oldest child was Adam (member Darren's ancestor), and records place him near one presumed sibling shortly after their arrivals in Canada and, for some years before his death, near where his presumed mother and siblings Archibald and Jane had lived since at least 1861 (Jane to her death in 1878) and brother Adam since at least 1871. Can anyone confirm this relationship of Joseph A* to the Nichol Forest Armstrongs, Adam A* and Jane Davidson, and thus likely John A* and Jane Broadfoot?

8180 Jamie can trace his ancestry with certainty to JAMES A*, age 66, born in Scotland, according to the 1851 Census of Canada, although the record of his death on June 20, 1852 says he was born July 12, 1800. He married Christian BORTHWICK, born about 1795, on February 27, 1820 in Cockpen, Midlothian, SCO (parents not named). Both the 1851/52 and 1861 Censuses for Canada East (Quebec) normally listed wives with their maiden name, which is a tremendous help in identifying them, although it sometimes resulted in their children being listed and transcribed with their mother's last name rather than that of their father's! Assuming James' age in the Census to have been more or less correct and his year of birth on his death record to have been incorrect, it is possible he was James A*, parents ROBERT A* and Elizabeth DUNCAN, born July 13, 1784, only one day off his birthday on his death record, and baptized July 18, 1784 in Dalkeith, MLN, SCO, which is very close to Cockpen. If that is the correct James A* then he had siblings ROBERT A* born September 14, 1782 in Dalkeith and FRANCIS A* (male) born April 9, 1791 in Cockpen. James and Christian had three children in Scotland, for two of whom baptism records exist with parents James A* and Christian Borthwick: JANET baptized April 30 1820 in Cockpen and MICHAEL, Jamie's direct ancestor, born May 18, 1822 in Cockpen. A third child, MARY AGNES, was according to her death record born in Scotland September 9, 1828, while two more children were born in Canada, both likely in Cranbourne, Dorchester County, Quebec: MARGARET RUSSEL A* in 1835 (her baptism record names her parents as James A* and Christian Borthwick) and CHRISTIANA A* in 1837 (found only in the 1851/52 Census). Based on land records for James' farm in Cranbourne James and Christian had arrived in Quebec with their Scottish born children about 1832. Tracing through member Jamie's direct ancestors, their son MICHAEL married Susan MATSON, whose family had also emigrated about 1832 but from Ireland, in about 1847 in Cranbourne, their son SAMUEL S A* and Samuel's son GILBERT JAMES A* both being born in Cranbourne, December 1, 1856 and May 18, 1884 respectively. In the early 1900s Samuel and Gilbert both immigrated to Caratunk, Maine, USA, Gilbert being married with two children in the 1910 US Census; Samuel, widowed, was living with them. What Jamie is hoping someone could provide is further information about James A*'s possible parents Robert A* and Elizabeth Duncan and siblings Robert and Francis A*, and of course confirmation that they were actually his parents!

8273 New member Lisa’s husband Paul is descended from ELIZABETH Armstrong who at the age of 14 in 1794 was captured in Virginia near Blennerhassett Island, an island on the Ohio River below the mouth of the Little Kanawha River, along with two of her brothers, JOHN & JEREMIAH, by the Wyandotte Indians and taken to different Indian villages.   Secondary sources tell us that she was able to escape with the help of a white man and make her way to Detroit which was a part of Upper Canada now known as Ontario. Unable to return to Virginia she got a job with a Loyalist farmer named Isaac DOLSEN. A few years later she married his son Isaac Jr. They settled in Raleigh, Kent, Ontario just North of Detroit. They had a daughter, Abigail Dolsen, who married William Nicholsen and raised a family in West Tilbury, Essex, Ontario not far from Raleigh. Their son William Albert Nicholson married and migrated to British Columbia where several generations passed until Elizabeth Eleanor Nicholson married Carl Stewart Parsons and moved to Hollywood California then their descendent north to Washington state. Paul is the 3rd great grandson of Elizabeth Armstrong and Isaac Dolsen, Jr. Her parents were JOHN Armstrong and Jennie MASON. Does anyone have any knowledge of this family and can add to its history?

8244 Michael's great grandparents were EARL BENNETT A* b 1886 in Walton Co., NY & his 1st wife Cecelia COMBS. Earl B. A* was the son of GEORGE E. A* b 1855 Walton NY & Juliette E. "Ettie" BENNETT b 1858 NY. George E. A*'s parents were JAMES G. A* b Abt 1823 Canada d 1893 Walton NY & Helen Marie b 1827 NY d 1879 [some think ROBERTSON was her maiden name]. George had 8 siblings all born Walton, Delaware Co., NY between 1846 and 1866: DAVID A., FRANCES M., MARY, SHERMAN B., MARIANNA EFFIE, JAMES H., RICHARD R., AND MARGARET. JAMES G. A* & HELEN MARIE first appear in records in the 1850 NY Census. James consistently says he was born in Canada, with the one exception of the 1855 NY State Census where he says he was born Atlantic Ocean! We have not been able to find him anywhere in Canada, can you help?

8211 Joyce's great-grandmother was LILLIAN BELLE Armstrong b 1873 IL d 1957 OR, who married Leo Grant DEMING (1863-1938). Lillian was the dau of JAMES T. A* b 1844 Rockbridge Co., VA, d 1911 IL, & Mary DEGROFF of IL who married 1872 IL. Parents of James T. A* were ROBERT H. A* b Abt 1820 VA, d Bef 1870 IL, & Jane MACKEY b 1817 VA, d 1900 IL, who married 1843 in Rockbridge Co., VA.   According to census records the siblings of James T. A* were JOHN W. (twin of James), SAMUEL H. (1849), CAMPBELL M. (Abt 1851), MILTON (1857), EFFIE (1858), ADDIE (b 1860) & MELVILLE C. (b Abt 1864) all born Fulton Co., IL. Anyone who has ancestors originating in Rockbridge Co., VA in the early 1800s knows that there are a lot of Armstrongs in this area and a lot of them have the same names. Add to that the history of the colony of Virginia to present day states and counties surely makes your hair turn gray. Joyce believes her Robert H A* is the son of THOMAS A* & his 1st wife Margaret HARRIS who married 1809 in Rockbridge Co., VA. The problem is we have not been able to prove it with documentation.   Thomas A* married 2nd Sarah GAYLOR in 1833, and 3rd Patsy Ann STANDOFF in 1846. He is thought to have had children by all three wives. In the 1850 census, Thomas says he is age 64 born in PA (Abt 1786), and his death record says he died Aug 1858 in Rockbridge Co., VA, age 70 (b Abt 1788), with his father listed as ROBERT A*, spouse Patsy. His 3rd wife Patsy Ann nee STANDOFF filed a War of 1812 Widows Pension application that said his 1st wife was Peggy HARRIS, and lists soldier’s date of death as 1855 or 1858. Robert H. A* is thought to be the brother of WILLIAM A* who married Mary W MACKEY with her mother Margaret's consent 1835 Rockbridge Co., VA. One of the testees on this marriage bond in Camil? W A*, who is thought to also be a brother CAMPBELL W. Armstrong. William A* was the bondsman for Robert H. A* marriage 1843 to Jane W. MACKEY dau of John Mackey, dec'd, William Armstrong, her brother-in-law, also provided testimony that Jane W Mackey was over 21 yrs old. So many questions and what we need is documents with answers!!

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 92 May 2021

6086 Louise’s first Armstrong link is through her grandmother MARY ELIZABETH (1888) who married William ADEY. Her parents were JAMES (1862) of Oldbury STS ENG and Mary Jane COTTRELL (1862) who married in 1866. James’s parents were WILLIAM (born 1825 in Newton CUL ENG) and Elizabeth THOMPSON (1835). William’s father was JOHN (1807) of Lanercost CUL) who married Jane KENNEDY (1806) at St Mary’s Carlisle CUL in 1828. All straightforward up to now! Possibly John was the son of EDWARD & Mary Armstrong nee BLACK whose baptism was recorded on1 Apr 1807 on pg 83 Lanercost Parish Register, 1731-1837. Other possibilities are: 12 Mar1803 Vol 2, pg 76 John A*, illeg. son of Elizabeth A*: 4 Mar 1806 Kirkbeckstown Bewcastle Bishop Transcripts, John, illeg son of Peggy POTTS & JOHN A*. Help needed on who John’s father was.

5274 Dave’s pedigree takes him from Australia, through New Zealand to Scotland where he established that his gg grandfather JOHN was a butler. This made things somewhat easier. In the 1851 Census John was butlering at Aikenhead Lodge, Cathcart RFW SCO along with his wife Ann and children ALEXANDER (1842), ELIZABETH (1845) and JOHN (1848). John’s age is given as 47 and born in Ruthven PER SCO. Alexander was born in Kilbarchan RFW and married Isabella HENDERSON in 1869. Son John (1871) was born in Auchendinny MLN SCO and married Laura BLOTT in Thames NZ. From the transcription (Ancestry) of the 1851 Census John’s age equated to a birth year of 1804. However in the extraction of other Censuses between 1851 and 1891 it appeared to be more like 1809. Always practise what you preach… never fully trust transcriptions. This proved to be true as 41 had been transcribed as 47! With this solved we were able to link all the census 1851-1891 together. Although the 1851 Census gave John’s birthplace as Ruthven all the others gave it as Methven. This is a village north of Perth while Ruthven is to the south. Now having a more accurate idea of John’s birth year and possible place names of the event we found the following in Methven baptisms: 11 June 1790 John Armstrong, father ALEXANDER Armstrong. While one cannot prove conclusively that this is the correct family both the place and year of birth are similar and more so with the naming of John’s son Alexander. There is no evidence of who Alexander’s wife was. Help needed here!

6087 New member Nicola has traced her husband’s pedigree back through seven generations to Caunton NTT ENG. We start with WILLIAM Armstrong (C1752) and married Sarah FAIRBANKS there in 1794. Son WILLIAM was born in South Collingham NTT in 1797. He married Elizabeth MILNES and son ROBERT was born in Collingham in 1830 and married Ann RICHMOND in Glanford Brigg NTT. SARAH SOPHIA was born in 1856 in Broughton NTT as was sister MARY ANN in 1858. Another sister, ANN ELIZABETH, was born in 1860. The next generation relates to Mary Ann. Her daughter EMMA was born in 1881 to a single mother. By 1891 she was enumerated as Mary JACKSON who was married to Joseph with stepsons WILLIAM (1883), GEORGE (1885) and HERBERT (1888) Armstrong. There is no trace of this marriage and by 1901 the three boys had been joined by Arthur (1892) and Mary Ann had reverted to being an Armstrong. George was born in Lowdham NTT and married Annie Tomlin in Mansfield NTT. Son Herbert was born there in 1911. The puzzle is that in 1795 he was sent back to Collingham for settlement. Possibly he was deemed a pauper and Caunton didn’t want to be responsible for them. Collingham disputes this but nevertheless the court said he should return and he and Sarah went on to have their family there. Any ideas?
6096 We have been able to move Penny on three generations on from GEORGE Armstrong (1818). He was born in Kirlinton CUL ENG and was married there in 1840 to Ann MOFFAT. The Armstrongs and Moffats seem to have got on very well as George’s two brothers, RICHARD (1816) and JARED (1820) married Ann’s sisters! Father JOHN married Eleanor TURNBULL in Kirklinton in 1815. She had been previously married to William TURNBULL who died in 1811. Her maiden name was ELLIOT. John’s father is WILLIAM, he was born in Canonbie DFS SCO in 1764. Canonbie is in Scotland just north of the border close to Longtown. Kirklinton where George was baptised is just south of the border. In 1767 William married Mary ARMSTRONG, Armstrong's marrying! We have been unable trace anyone else in her line. This connection is based on a family narrative recorded in notes by John's great grandson George Wilson (1890-1949). 'William Armstrong, father of John Armstrong, three sisters Mary, Peggy and Margaret.' Peggy is assumed to be a misremembering of Betty. The Canonbie Armstrong's were located at Barrascroft, a farm in Canonbie. William’s father was SIMON. There are various guesses when and where he was born and where he came from but an estimate of his birth date relating to his marriage and birth of children would be about 1708. Incidentally this is the same line as the Armstrong-Wilsons who bought and restored Gilnockie Tower in the 1970s. Any ideas on Simon and his parentage?

6066 Stephen’s first Armstrong is his grandfather ROBERT (1880) born in Hartlepool DUR ENG. He was the son of another ROBERT born in Newcastle NBL ENG in 1849. He married Hannah ROSS in 1870. Proving the link to Robert’s father has been somewhat difficult. In 1851 he said he was born in Keswick CUL in 1805 whereas all the other ‘activity’ took place around Gateshead and Newcastle on the other side of England. However in the 1851 census the last entry shows another JOHN A*(1804) clearly stated ‘wife’s brother’. This led to finding the marriage of John and MARY in Gateshead in 1830. They are stated to be ‘of this parish’ and a witness is Mary’s brother John. So whatever John must have been in Gateshead prior to 1830. This gives us a couple of other bits of info on Mary’s mother, Mary, in 1841 aged 70. It should be remembered that this is a rounded down so her birth would be between 1767 and 1771. As Mary and John were siblings we then tried to find baptisms which had similarities. It was also prudent to look at Newcastle baptisms as the 1841 Census was in Newcastle. From John’s details as the brother of Mary the census would give his birth as 1804. A baptism that would fit with parents being John and Mary again! There seems to be some confusion here as it would appear that he has been baptised twice in different denominations! I then found a Mary baptised in the same place as John in 1806 (and with the same parents). This doesn’t correlate with the possible ages on the two censuses (We can’t trace anything on Mary 1767-1771). However the other thing to remember is that the 1841 Census was taken in Newcastle, Northumberland and they all, with the exception of John, said they were born in that county. Mary said she was born in Co Durham in 1851. As the counties are adjacent it is likely that she was born in Northumberland. Coming back to John (1805). His entry in 1841 is consistent as he said he was wasn’t born in Northumberland. A Cumberland baptism gives a John A* born in Crosthwaite, Cumberland in 1805. The parents are listed as ROBERT and Jane SHORT. This appears to be a different place to the 1851 Census and although they are but Crosthwaite is a parish adjacent to Keswick. In fact today the Keswick bypass goes to the north of it! One can say that these two points of evidence are correct and are possible but not quite beyond reasonable doubt. So his parents can be said to be Robert and Jane Short with a small question mark. Sadly we can’t find anything on Robert and Jane. Why? Simply it is because Gateshead and Keswick are a long way apart especially in the early 1800s. Any help with either of these Armstrong lines would be much appreciated.

5276 Joan’s Armstrong ancestors start with her grandmother MARY ANN who was born in 1867 in Maryport CUM ENG. Her father was JOSEPH born in 1838 in Cockermouth CUM. He married another Armstrong, BARBARA who was born in 1837 in Bassenthwaite CUM. They were married in Liverpool LAN ENG (why?) in August 1861 but in the Census of that year they were living with their separate parents - Barbara with son JOHN! Joseph’s father was ISAAC, born 1815 in Cockermouth who had married Mary Ann ROSEWELL at Cross Canonby CUM in 1836. Isaac’s parents were JOSEPH (C1776) and ANNE (C1791). Looking at the maternal line Barbara’s parents were JOSEPH (1795) born Torpenhow CUM whose wife was Ann SCOTT, born 1801 in Caldbeck CUM and married in Bassenthwaite, 1821. We are looking for connections with the two Joseph Armstrongs.
0348 Beverly one of our longest serving members (she joined in 1977!) has been trying to chip away at her brickwall which remains at 1734. Her ancestors were tenant farmers at Greenburn Canonbie DFS SCO. This farm still operates today herding British Charolais cattle. Her brick wall relates to JOHN Armstrong who died in Canonbie in 1818, his memorial stating that he was aged 88 which puts his birth at 1734. There are several candidates in the OPR of Canonbie births that could be him but not an obvious one. Pinning his date precisely to 1734 relies on his given age. Sadly they couldn’t confirm at the time of death that this was correct as he couldn’t be asked! It’s amazing when you Google what you can turn up when you really don’t know how you got there. Here is a classic example! Who would dream that we could turn up a list of tenant farmers in Canonbie dated 1608. This is a list of yearly rentals paid by tenants to the Duke of Buccleuch in Canonbie and there at Greneburnsyde is a JOHN A*!! However to get to John (1734) you would likely have to go through another 5 generations. What will be worth doing is having another look at the Canonbie birth records and see if there is anything that might give us some clues to the succession with this new piece of 1630 evidence. Or maybe you have some ideas!

5273 Linda shares a common ancestor with two others in JACOB Armstrong who was born in Irthington CUM ENG in 1830 and married May IRVING in Carlisle in 1856. We had previous discovered that he had the following siblings JANE (1812), SARAH (1813), THOMAS (1814), JOSEPH (1816), JOHN (1817), MARY ANN (1820), WILLIAM (1821), ISAAC (1823), JAMES (1826) and EDMUND (1828). Father THOMAS is listed as a slater on one of the baptism entries and the mother on another one as Ann THOMPSON. According to a Cumberland index the marriage took place on 9 October 1810. In following various leads related to Jacob’s siblings we came across that on 4 May 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. On 1 January 1786 the baptism of THOMAS A* is recorded at Irthington the son of Thomas A* miller of Newby and Jane. The evidence piled up that this must be Jacob’s father. The marriage banns gave us the miller’s birth year as being 1749 and his wife’s as 1744. We just have two leads to extend this pedigree further. Thomas Bowman and Thomas A*were witnesses to the 1784 marriage. They might be the fathers of the bride and groom. On 2 Jan 1720 there was a lease of Irthington Mill for 11 years at £20 rent from Charles, Earl of Carlisle, to Robert Armstrong of Irthington Mill, miller. Could Thomas’s father be the son of Robert?

8025, 8035, 8072, 2465, 4396 The common ancestor here is BENJAMIN A* 1648-1718 & his wife Rachel. We are still searching for Rachel's maiden name as none of the documents we have found include it. Benjamin & Rachel had 4 sons, BENJAMIN 1674 m Sarah RAYMOND, John 1678 m Ann WORTH (2465 & 4396 ancestor), JOSEPH 1684 m Lydia WORTH (8025, 8035 maternal & 8072), & STEPHEN 1686 m Hannah WILLCOSON, all born in Norwich, and all living when Benjamin's will was written in Nov 1717. Joseph A* & Lydia Worth's children all born in Norwich were: JOSEPH 1713, ABNER 1714, WILLIAM 1718, ELIJAH 1723, SILAS 1725, LYDIA 1727 & ELIAS 1731. Joseph A* & Lydia Worth's son ABNER A* b 1714 & wife, thought to be Abial Grose, had a son Asahel A* 1742-1825 who married 1st Elizabeth Nelson (Abt 1747-Abt 1787, and had at least 8 documented children, He married 2nd Martha [said to be the widow of Henry DUSENBURY d 1784] about 1789. ASAHEL A* & his 2nd wife Martha had a son JOSHUA A* 1791-1866 and now thanks to 8025 Dan & Lesley 8035, we have a Family Bible that includes the parents of both Joshua A* & his wife Susannah HOAG 1816-1878, which clearly says Joshua A* was the son of Asahel A* and his 2nd wife Martha, [maiden name not stated]. Their son LUTHER H. A* 1828 NY d 1898 CA & Amanda [thought to be nee WARD] 1830 Canada or NY, m Sep 1851, and they had a son CHARLES EDWARD A* 1847 Allegany Co., NY d CA, & Harrietta VanCampen MAJOR 1850 NY d CA. Charles Edward A* & Harrietta had a son THOMAS LATHROP A* 1876 who married Bertha HEINRICHS who are the ancestors of both 8025 Dan & 8035 Lesley. Joseph A* & Lydia Worth's son WILLIAM A* 1718-1807 m 1st Mercy PITCHER 1722-1760. They had 8 children including a son JOSEPH A* 1752 who married Sarah Ann [maiden name not known so we are still searching]. Joseph A* & Sarah Ann had seven children including a dau CLARISSA A* 1782-1868 who married 1st Abraham SHELDON 1778-1810 the ancestors of 8072 Tom. There are several books published that all say Benjamin A* 1648-1718 was the son of JONATHAN A* & Martha PRIEST, and that they had at least two sons. What we really need here is primary evidence for Jonathan A* possibly born Kent, England, d MA & wife Martha Priest b Rhode Island d MA. Any primary evidence is more than what we have so we sure could use all the help we can get.

8035 Lesley's maternal Armstrong line was addressed in roots item above, however she also has a paternal Armstrong line through her father's grandmother Emma MORSE. Emma Morse was the dau of Henry Morse 1806-1885 & HANNAH A*. Hannah A* 1819 NJ d 1900 NY was the dau of SAMUEL A* 1792-1824 & Elizabeth VAN PELT 1797-1856. Thanks to Lesley who has shared her Armstrong-Van Pelt Family Bible, we know they married 10 Feb 1816 and their children were BENJAMIN A* 1817 m Caroline FURNALD, ALEXANDER A* 1818, HANNAH A* (8035's ancestor), SARAH ANN A* 1822-1862 m Peter R FELL, and HIRAM A* 1823 m Mary L TICE. Lesley strongly suspects Samuel A*'s father was possibly BENJAMIN A* Abt 1751 prob in Coxsackit NY d Aft 1810 Duaneburg NY and has been searching for what seems like forever, looking for him, his parents and wife. Now most of you have run across all of the John's, William's, Robert's, Christopher's etc etc etc, but this one is Benjamin, more than one born about the same time and no primary evidence found for this time frame to separate the families. Any leads would be greatly appreciated to find Samuel A*s parents and for the Benjamin A* b Abt 1751. You have to have evidence to prove as well as disprove an ancestor.

2676 Maureen’s ancestry can be traced to her 3x gr grandfather DAVID A* who married Ann DAN on May 14, 1826, in Lorton, CUM, England. David’s second marriage record in 1868 in Ontario, Canada, which records his parents as ANDREW and Nancy, and an 1871 Ontario Census entry state he was born in Scotland, although an 1841 Census entry in Tynemouth, NBL, states he was born in Northumberland, an 1861 Census entry in Whitchurch Township, York County, Upper Canada, gives his birth place as England, and his 1878 gravestone states he was a native of England. Given the possible Scottish connection he may have been DAVID A* born April 2, 1798, and baptized in New Castleton, ROX, Scotland, parents ANDREW A* and Agness NUBLAW (Nancy was a common nickname for Agnes; Nublaw is otherwise non-existent as a surname), as was a brother THOMAS in 1802. Four baptism records from Lorton, CUM, and one from Cockermouth, CUM, exist for five children of David A* and Ann: Maureen’s great great grandfather WILLIAM A* 1827, DAVID 1829, ANDREW 1832, JAMES 1835, and MARY ANN 1836. These children plus JOHN 1836 were listed in the 1841 Tynemouth Census with David and Ann, and JANE born in England in 1843 was listed in the 1861 Whitchurch Census. The family emigrated to Upper Canada about 1845 according to William’s 1901 Census entry, which fits the records found although the earliest Canadian record is Mary Ann’s marriage in Ontario in 1858, parents David and Ann, and only three children, William, Mary Ann and Jane, have been identified in Canadian records. Although no record has been found Ann apparently died before 1868 when David remarried, to another Ann, by which time he was living in Elderslie Township, Bruce County, Ontario, as was William who married Margaret MAXWELL in 1860; William’s son DAVID born 1863 is Maureen’s great grandfather. William and his sisters Mary Armstrong STRANG, whose second marriage record identifies her mother as Ann Dann, and Jane Armstrong FORSYTHE can be traced to their deaths in Bruce County, but his brothers David, Andrew, James and John have not been found after the 1841 Census. Can anyone provide any information about these siblings or confirm David A*s parents and birthplace?

8110 New member Kate's grandparents were Rufus SCALES & HELEN A*. Helen A* was the dau of WILLIAM RAYMOND A* 1874 & Dora K Cope. William Raymond A*'s parents were JOHN CRAWFORD A* 1843 OH d IN & his 2nd wife Acenoth MONEY. John Crawford A* was the son of JOHN VANCE A* 1817 Franklin Co., OH d Jay Co., IN & Leannar TROUT. John Vance A*'s parents were GEORGE A* 1791 Fayette Co., PA d 1865 Franklin Co., OH & Alice VANCE 1795 VA, d 1878 OH. John V’s siblings were GEORGE 1819, ELIZABETH 1821, SAMUEL 1824, MARY V. 1826, ABRAM SMITH abt 1828, JOB 1831-1848, CHARLES HOOVER 1832, JOSHUA 1835 and LUCINDA J. 1838. GEORGE A* 1791 PA was the son of GEORGE A* b 1761 MD d 1840 Licking Co., OH & Elizabeth who died d 1852 Licking Co., OH. Thanks to Kate we now have two images of a Sermon Book purchased by George A* b 1761. The first page is inscribed as follows: "George Armstrong his Sermon Book bought of Joseph Hufton. Price Eight Shilling and three pence. When I am Dead and Buryed and all my bones Be Rotten When this you see Remember me lest I Should be forgotten." "George Armstrong his hand July the 22, 1797 [or possibly 1791]" The Sermon Book has been passed down through descendants and is currently in the possession of a great grandson of John Crawford A*, C. Nicholas A* who graciously gave his permission to Kate to share the images with us.   George recorded the names and births of his three children in his Sermon Book on what appears to be page 12 as follows: George Armstrong was Born January the 11th 1791. Rachel Armstrong was Born November the 1st 1793. Ruth Armstrong was Born April the 25th 1796. We are continuing our search for George's parents, and his date and place of marriage to Elizabeth to find her maiden name.

8149 New member Todd's great-great-grandfather was John Harris ADAMS 1830 who married ELIZABETH A* 1830 PA d.1866 PA. Elizabeth A* was the dau of DAVID A* 1810 PA d 1878 PA & 1st wife Mary McMILLIN. Elizabeth's siblings were THOMAS A* 1832-1834, Sarah A* 1835-1857 mar Archibald McCUNE, GEORGE A* twin of SARAH 1835-1836, JOSEPH A* 1836-1840 and MARY ANN A* 1840, who mar Wm H H ADAMS, brother of John Harris Adams. David A* mar 2nd Margaret ROBISON 1807-1869, and 3rd Amanda BRACKENRIDGE (1824-1884). This is where our documentation ends. According to Thomas Elmer Armstrong's 1939-1940 book, which does not contain sources, the parents of David A* b 1810 are thought to be George A* 1780-1830 & Elizabeth McCune, with George's parents as David A* 1746-1811 & Sarah HARRIS. We could sure use your help to find actual documentation.

2683 New member Gordon thought he had got back to the 1780s in Canonbie DFS, SCO but we had to disappoint him! However we have managed to get his line back to the 1780s in Falstone NBL ENG instead! Currently the line is well established in Canada through ROBERT JARDINE A* (1869-1952) (emigrated in 1881) and his son JAMES JOSEPH A* (1898-1978). Robert J was the son of JAMES A* (1836-1893) born Cavers, ROX, SCO (or Ettrick, SEL, SCO) who married Janet JARDINE. He was the son of THOMAS A* b 19 Sep 1813, chr 17 Oct 1813, Presbyterian Church, Falstone, NBL one of twins to ALEXANDER Armstrong & Margaret (probably BROWN). Thomas had married Christian PATERSON in 1834. James’ siblings were: ALEXANDER (1834), ROBERT (1838), JOHN (1839) and JANE (1841). This is where it gets tricky with finding that Thomas (resident in Scotland) was the son of Alexander born in Falstone as there is no primary evidence proving this although others on Ancestry had decided it was fine and they copied things on with no primary evidence. However viewing the pedigrees the argument but not the evidence is pretty sound. The argument is that all the info correlates in the censuses to show that the family were moving between England and Scotland no doubt that as the occupation of ‘shepherd’ runs through the family and that this is an occupation which is always on the move. Geographically all the locations are within reasonable distance of each other taking in consideration the era coupled with the occupation. There are also strong links with the Presbyterian movement linking the choice of church for Alexander in Falstone NBL with the remarks in the local newspaper when recording Thomas’ death. The one that is probably the clincher is the family naming. This runs through the generations starting with the first being named THOMAS as the father of Alexander chr 6 Mar 1785 Presbyterian Church, Falstone. It also links Alexander’s wife’s maiden name in later generations.

6101 Anna Armstrong pedigree starts with her G Grandmother MARY (1866) who married Felix SNOWDON in Sundeland DUR, ENG in1890. Mary had five siblings JOHN (1862), WILLIAM (1864), MARGARET (1868), LOUISA (bp 4/9/1870, Bishopwearmouth DUR) and ELIZABETH (bp 20/2/1876, Bishopwearmouth). Her parents were THOMAS (1836/7) who married Mary Craggs in 1839. His parents were John A* (1793/4) and Mary Rowell (1793/4). They married in Monkwearmouth DUR in 1816. They had at least five other children Mary ROWELL (bp 29/5/1817), JOHN (bp 24/4/1824 at Bishopwearmouth), FRANCES (bp 18/7/1827), ELIZABETH, and MARGARET (bp 25/4/1838). John married Ann BULMER in 1853. Well quite straightforward up to now! John’s (1793/4) birthplace on the 1851 Census is ‘Scotland’. Sadly John didn’t make the 1861 Census where, at times, enumerators were more flexible and put more than just the country. The only other clue to this was his occupation was ‘a pot maker for glasshouses’ which led us to the family in 1841 at Ballast Hills, Bishopwearmouth. However John is missing but son John is down as a pot maker. ‘Folk lore’ hints that John was from Dumbarton DNB, SCO. Using this information Scottish records were searched for John’s birth without success. Help would be welcome!
6104 This Roots is probably the first in 51 years where we are bringing together two members together who have the same surname but not Armstrong. How did it happen? Well it was due to the transgression of a certain WILLIAM A* (1784) at or near Kirklinton CUM in 1813. More amazing is that our first member didn’t know he had Armstrong blood at all as he was researching his wife’s line! On 17 July 17 1813 a marriage at Plumbland, CUM, ENG is recorded between Mary GRAVE [GRACE?] (1790–1873) and William. On 24 July 1813 a Bastardy Bond at Carlisle, CUM, ENG at the Michaelmas Sessions: Principal: Wm. Armstrong of Threapland, Lab., £30; Mother: Sarah WOOD of Bothel & Threapland. Bond: Wm. Ferguson, Threapland, Lab., £30; Hugh Ridley, Plumbland, Lab., £30. Swift revenge by Sarah only a week after William’s wedding! It is likely that William’s father was EDWARD (1754-1801) of Canonbie who married on18 June 1777 married Jenny HAUGHTON of Bewcastle. A memorial in Canonbie Graveyard strengthens the case of his parentage. ‘In memory of William Armstrong, smith in Shillingmoss who died 13 Feb 1805 aged 83 yrs. Also Jean Hotson his spouse who died 20 Jan 1801 aged 83 yrs. Also Edward Armstrong their son who died 12 Jan 1801 aged 47…..’ William Armstrong of Shillingmoss, was baptised at Canonbie on 21 January 1721/22 [Old style date] the son of WILLIAM Armstrong & Jean nee ARMSTRONG.

8221 Dick’s Armstrong connection is through a great aunt, Mary Jane WILLIAMS, who was born in December, 1860 in Wales, and emigrated to Pennsylvania, USA with her family in 1870. She married JOHN THOMAS A* before June 4, 1880 when they were enumerated as a married couple in the 1880 Census in Luzerne, PA. John Thomas A* was born April 1, 1850 in Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of JOHN A*, born about 1815, and Mary WEALE, born about 1822, both in Wales; they married Dec. 20, 1842, in Bedwellty, MON, Wales. John Sr. died in July 1864 in Ebbw Vale, Bedwellty, and Mary apparently died before 1871 as she does not appear in the 1871 Census when her children were living in various households. John Sr.’s father was another JOHN, born about 1790 in Cardiganshire, died Mar 10, 1854, in Bedwellty, and his mother was Margaret WILLIAMS, born about 1791 in Breconshire, died Dec 7, 1864, in Bedwellty. They married Dec 12, 1814 in Trevethin, MON, a short distance from Bedwellty. John Thomas A* probably emigrated from Wales to PA about 1870 as he cannot be found in either the 1870 US Census or the 1871 Welsh Census; immigration dates in later US census entries range from 1868 to 1879. John died Dec 12, 1925 and Mary Jane Sep 16, 1926, both in Kingston, Luzerne, PA. Dick is particularly interested in finding out more about a grandson of John Thomas A* and Mary Jane Williams, LEE TOFF A*, who emigrated from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Australia, probably around 1970. An Albuquerque newspaper obituary for Lee’s wife Muriel SAVALE, who died in Adelaide, South Australia May 17, 1992, seems to suggest that three children went with them to Australia, CATHY, BOB and BILL, while three children remained in the USA, a daughter SUSAN Cubitt with her family in Sante Fe and two sons, JOHN LEE and JAMES, in Albuquerque.

8066 Al's grandparents are ALBERT LEROY A* Sr b 1892 KS & Mizpah HAUSER. Albert Sr was the son of CHARLES W. A* b 1858 OH & Clara REIMER. His parents were JOSEPH A* b 1820 PA & his 2nd wife Mary RAMER. His siblings were CYRUS OLIVER A* b 1860, LUELLA A* b Abt 1864, & possibly JOHN A* whose was b Abt 1856 who only appears in the 1870 census. At this point, we are not sure if John was the son of Joseph A* & Sarah or Mary or neither. Joseph A*'s 1st wife was Sarah CRAIG. Their children all born OH were GEORGE WASHINGTON A* b Abt 1841 m Lydia CORLETT, ANN E. A* b Abt 1844, SARAH FRANCES A* 1846-1880 m Charles H PLYMPTON, WILLIAM HENRY A* 1850-1893 m Genette L MOORE, THOMAS B. A* 1853-1903 m Edith [possibly nee Mcmullin], & JAMES b Abt 1854. Joseph's Ohio, Soldier Grave Registration lists next of kin as ALEXANDER & Ann A* (parents). It seems strange that none of Joseph's sons were named Alexander. Anyone looking for an Alexander A*b Bef 1800 living in PA or OH knows just how many of them there are. LOTS! Any clues you might have would be greatly appreciated.

ROOTS ENQUIRIES FROM EDITION 91 November 2020

8106 Diane’s grandfather CHRISTOPHER A* immigrated to the USA about 1883, being naturalized Oct. 27, 1890 living Rock Island, Illinois. He married Elizabeth Jane THOMPSON Sep 25, 1895, in Rock Island, but they were living in Kansas by 1904 and he died there Oct 6, 1955. Christopher A* was born June 7, 1864, in County Fermanagh, Parish of Galloon, townland Drummusky; in the Civil Registration record the County shows as Monaghan, the Civil Registration District being Clones, which straddled the Fermanagh-Monaghan border, and thus many of the records for the parish are indexed in Monaghan, while others are in the Enniskillen Civil Registration District, County Fermanagh. Five of his siblings also emigrated at different times, the first USA records for all of them being in Rock Island, Illinois: ELIZABETH (married Joseph CORR in 1881 in Rock Island, in Kansas by 1884, died 1947 Kansas); WILLIAM (emigrated 1880, but married in Drummusky in 1890, eldest child born Rock Island 1891, died Rock Island 1920); CATHERINE ANN (emigrated about 1885, married Robert J JOHNSTON in 1890 in Rock Island, died Rock Island 1912); MARGARET Migrated about 1890, probably returning with William, married Joseph LONGMORE in 1896 in Rock Island, living Iowa in 1920, died Iowa 1959); and JAMES (emigrated about 1890, probably returning with William, with Catherine Ann / Annie in Rock Island in 1900, but married in Drummusky in 1911, in Vancouver, BC, Canada by 1920, died Vancouver 1959). Two other siblings stayed in Ireland: JOHN who was born in Drumsastry but lived and died in Drummusky, and SARAH JANE who married John COULTER and lived and died a short distance north of her birthplace. Only a baptismal record has been found for another sibling, an older MARGARET; family lore says she and another sister Mary died one day apart of diphtheria. Their parents were CHRISTOPHER JAMES A* and Margaret BROWN, married Jan 16, 1846, Christopher’s address being Clincarn, Parish of Galloon, County of Fermanagh as it was on his baptism record (Aug 8, 1819, parents JNO A* and ELIZ. Graham for whom no birth, marriage or death records have been found). Addresses on the baptisms for the children of Christopher and Margaret were variously Clinagh (which was not a townland but appears on many records for the area, location unknown), Drumsastry / Drumsestry, Drummusky, or Clincarn. The townland also varied on the baptism records for Christopher James A’s* nine siblings, all of which list their father as Jno Armstrong and mother as Eliz’th Graham, the earliest being for Jane in 1800; they included Drumsastry, Drummusky, Clincarn/ Cloncarn and KILREADY. These townlands are all very close together around Newtownbutler and Magheravelly (see townland lists and maps here: https://www.townlands.ie/fermanagh/galloon/). If you think you may be related to this family, or have other relations in County Fermanagh, you should check out the online church records for Fermanagh found here: http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/fermanagh/church.htm. None of these records have been found indexed on any of the main genealogy websites. The search function is unfortunately rather primitive, so it can be time consuming trying to find a particular person, unless you are lucky enough to have a reasonably reliable date and parish, although it really does not take that long to check all the records for a particular time period.

6071 Alan thought he had Irish ancestry that he could trace through Christie’s Will, supposedly one of the border reivers from southern Scotland who were sent as part of the Plantation of Ulster to displace uppity Irish during the first half of the 17th century. While border reivers, both Scottish and English, were likely part of this group, and there were undoubtedly Armstrongs among them, Clan researchers have found no historical evidence for this Christie’s Will. His existence and Scottish exploits have apparently been based on Sir Walter Scott’s 1812 Border Exploits and a ballad he published in 1849 in his Minstrelsy (Vol 4) which he acknowledged as primarily modern (at the time); that such a person emigrated to Ireland appears to be based on one unsourced reference in John Burke’s A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland (1st edition 1838), although Burke provides a pedigree only for Will’s supposed nephew Andrew who was said to have followed him. These references were picked up as supported fact in Chronicles of the Armstrongs published in 1902 and have corrupted Armstrong family pedigrees ever since! Alan, furthermore, has a more unusual take on the connection with Christie’s Will than many with Irish Armstrong ancestors, tracing his ancestry from Scotland thru Will to Ireland and then back to the border country by around 1665, only a few short decades after Christie’s Will’s supposed arrival in Ireland. However, the sources provide no support for an Irish connection for Alan’s ancestors who can be traced to Northumberland, England with some confidence, the first likely good record being a marriage in Woodhorn, Northumberland, between JOHN A* and Anne GRAY on Aug 19, 1680 (possibly a mistranscription for 1690 given John was said to have been born in 1669, and their eldest child in 1695). Their son GEORGE, born about 1698 (record not found), married Jane MICHAELL/MICHELL/MICHAL Nov 30, 1723, in Newbiggin, NBL. Their family remained in the area until the 20th century, including George and Jane’s son WILLIAM, baptized Nov 7, 1732 in Newbiggin who married Alice ARMSTRONG Sep 19, 1753 in Woodhorn (Wm and Alce); William and Alice’s son JOHN baptized May 23, 1756 in Woodhorn who married Jane THOMPSON Aug 17, 1783 in Woodhorn; John and Jane’s son RALPH born Jan 12, 1792 baptized Jan 26, 1792 in Newbiggin who married Hannah TAYLOR about 1813 (not found); and Ralph and Hannah’s daughter ISABELLA born about 1826 in Newbiggin (not found) who married William GIBSON in 1846, registration district Morpeth. William Gibson died 1897 and Isabella 1902, registration district Morpeth, Northumberland for both. Any English relatives out there?!

6038 Ken presented us with two problems on opposite sides of his pedigree. The Armstrong name links both died out in the early 1800s. The first was JANE A* born in Stapleton CUL in 1812. She was the daughter of THOMAS A* and Mary IRWIN (1774). This was all Ken had but with sheer fortune in the meantime he had got a transcription of a Stapleton headstone. This was a family at Luckens which is a homestead in the Parish of Stapleton. It had already been established that Thomas and Mary were living at Luckens when they married in Jan 1799 and they were still there in 1817 and 1818 (Carlisle Patriot 29th Nov 1817 and 22 Aug 1818) relating to illegal production of whisky! From the transcript came the following: ABIGAIL A* died 4th February 1797 aged 86. JANE A* daughter, died 28th May 1813 aged 69. THOMAS A* son, died 25th October 1819, aged 67. Mary, wife of Thomas died 25th July 1852 aged 84 at Waltonwood Head. From this we were able to establish that Thomas was the son of JAMES A* who married Abigail MOSCROP at Stapleton in 1731. Any links to this line?
The other link has proved to be rather frustrating relating to two MARGARET A*s both born in Wigton CUL in 1811. Ken’s Margaret married George LANGHORNE. The other Margaret married George STUBBS and all the evidence really points to the fact that the line thereby follows was not related to Ken’s Margaret. In one Stubbs census entry one child is called Thomas and an Ann A* lives at the same address aged 35 born in Cumberland living in Wigton. Extracting as many of Thomas and Elizabeth Potter’s children Margaret was christened in 1811 in Wigton) that could be found. The latter births all correlate but there appears to be a gap of 11 years between the first and second births which is unlikely. Ann could well be the sister of Margaret as she was born in 1807. The naming of the first son Thomas is also significant. Also the marriage of daughter ELEANOR (1804) to Andrew Stubbs in 1839. The census entry is rather strange as the children hold the surname A*! Age wise this would correlate with the first two children but not with the third. Enumerator error? The 1841 Census showing Thomas A* also shows two others with the same name. THOMAS (1771) had a son THOMAS in 1809 so this would account for the 32 year old as being 30 due to the rounding down process in 1841 Census entries. The 14 old Thomas could be his son (just!). He is found in the 1851 Censuses married to an Ester (sic) who next appears as a widow in 1861 with three children in the workhouse. Thomas (1771) was the son of THOMAS A* (1746) and his wife ELINOR (died 1775). Thomas remarried in 1776 (no wasted time there!). His wife Abigail PROCTOR produced nine children giving Thomas a grand total of 12! Sadly none of this info is relevant to Ken, so we are still looking for that and also anyone related to Thomas’s 12!

6073 Karen has a line which has now extended to seven generations all based in the north of England. JOSEPH A* her great grandfather was born in 1884 in Annfield DUR ENG. His father was THOMAS A* (1856) and mother was Jane but that was far as it went. So the search began. First stop Ancestry pedigrees. (Large pinch of salt at hand - that is to say one person puts a piece of unsourced information on a tree and everyone else copies it!) However it is always worth a look as one never knows if the info is genuine. There were a few trees which covered Thomas and his wife Jane giving her maiden name as Robinson – with no proof whatsoever but with names similar to those that had been picked up both for Thomas and Joseph in censuses ranging from 1881 to 1911 (but not quite). However we were in trouble with Thomas in 1871 with too many of them in Co Durham of the same age. Thomas being 15 at the time. The piece of info that would help us would be knowing details of his marriage to Jane. The only way this could be done was to find out her maiden name. The four censuses we had weren’t very helpful info on places of birth (Thomas gave all four differently and Jane with only one being similar!) So it was a case of going for a very long shot taking all Thomas’ children, tracing their registration at birth and trying from the number of possibilities that were thrown up getting one common maiden name which matched them all… am I am rather surprised that we managed it but we did! As we had the maiden name of Jane as STOREY it was an easy matter to find reference to her marriage (1877) to Thomas which led to the extraction of the certificate to find Thomas’ father’s name which was SAMUEL. Fortunately this is a good surname to use in a Census search so we were able to find the correct ancestral family with two other generations of Samuels to make life easy! Samuel A* (Thomas’s father) was born in Haydon, Warden NBL in 1836 and married Margery PARKER in 1854. His father, also SAMUEL, was born in Kirkhaugh NBL in 1797 and married in 1823 Margaret BELL in Alston CUL. His father, yet again SAMUEL was born C1755 and in 1785 married Hannah ELIOT in Whitfield NBL. Samuel, a miner, died in 1825 in Kirkhaugh. Does anyone have a connection to this line?

6077 New member Alan didn’t know that we hold massive files on Bewcastle CUL so it was quite easy to get him back three further generations. WILLIAM A* (baptised 23 Jun 1724 in Longbrough, Simonburn, NBL and died on 28 Jan 1804 in Longlee Mill, Simonburn, NBL) and his wife Jane DODD (baptised 09 Dec 1726 in Simonburn and died 03 Mar 1803 in Longlee Mill, Simonburn) were married on 23 Nov 1749 in Simonburn. This was the extent of Alan’s searches. William’s father was LEONARD Armstrong (baptised 26 Sep 1698 in Steppings, Belbank, Bewcastle and died 07 Feb 1841 in Ramshaw's Mill, Wark, NBL). His mother was Elizabeth CLARK (baptised 1702 in NBL and died 02 Jun 1727 in Simonburn.) They married in Simonburn on 29 Nov 1723. LEONARD was the son of William A* (born in 1656 in of Steppings, Belbank, Bewcastle and died there in 1702). His wife was Margaret WAUGH (born C1675 in of Simonburn and died at Steppings in 1702.) They were married on 12 Nov 1691 in Simonburn. JOHN A*, his father (born C1644 in of Steppings, Belbank.) His mother was Jennett WILSON (C1644) in of Bewcastle.) They married in Bewcastle on 22 Nov 1665. John’s father was GEORGE (C1623).

6078 Julie sent an interesting document relating to her which went back four generations to ROBERT A* who was born in 1815 (actually this proved to be 1812!) in the form of an Ancestry search in 2007. (Their presentation has changed somewhat since!) The family were based in Walton le Dale LAN ENG. This proved to be consistent through the generations that were discovered. Julie is connected to the Armstrongs through her grandmother PRISCILLA who married Joseph REYNOLDS in 1912. Her father was THOMAS, born in 1854 in Walton le Dale and married in 1878 Priscilla BALDWIN. It appears that Thomas was the second child of that name born to ROBERT A* and Elizabeth HOUGHTON as there is evidence of an earlier Thomas baptism in 1843. Thomas and Elizabeth were married in Walton in 1836. Robert, born 03 October 1812, was the son of JOHN A* and Sarah MATHER. He was born in Walton in 1787 and married Sarah there in 1805. His father was THOMAS who married in 1780 Martha BREMELEY at Walton. This puts his birth at C1758. There are other Thomas A* around at that time but one can’t be certain which is the correct one….. unless you know different!

6082 Gavin’s grandfather Leonard was born in Stockton DUR ENG in 1929. His father was JOHN (1884) born in Frizington CUL. He married Margaret Ann RUANE in 1909. His father born in 1856, was the last of three generations born in Alston CUL ENG who married Olivia GEORGE in 1883. His father JOHN married Elizabeth SUMMERS between Apr-Jun 1850 in Alston. She was born in Alston in 1828. John’s father HUGH was born about 1795 in Alston. He died in 1872 in Stanwix CUL He married Esther DIXON on 19 Aug 1820 in Alston. She was born about 1800 in Alston. ‘Officially’ this is where the pedigree ends but it is worthwhile noting that Alston’s geographical position in Cumberland is adjacent to both Northumberland and County Durham. There is a birth with the following information: Hugh Armstrong christened 5 Apr 1795 Ninebanks (Chapelry of Allendale), NBL son of JOHN A* & Jane. It is quite conceivable that Hugh’s parents were John and Jane of Ninebanks. Certainly Ninebanks is just ‘up the road’ in NBL and it is stated that he was NOT born in CUL in the 1841 Census. Also with the rounding down to the nearest ‘0’ could put his age at 44. Obviously not totally exact but possible. However on the plus side 1851 and 1861 put him at a birth year of 1795 which is consistent with his christening in Ninebanks but there again he said he was born in Alston! Anyone any ideas on this one?

6083 Elsa’s great grandfather HAROLD was born in Leeds YRK ENG in1897, Yorkshire being the common denominator for four generations in her pedigree. Harold married Margaret VERRILL in Whitby YKS in 1923. His father was GEORGE born in July 1866 in Leeds. He married in January 1892 Maud STOREY in Hunslet YKS. His father, THOMAS, was baptised in Barnard Castle YKS on 9 Oct 1832 at the Parochial Chaperlry. His parents were registered as GEORGE A* and Elizabeth. Thomas had married Margaret SEMPLE in March 1854 in Dewsbury YKS. In the 1851 Census we find him living in Barnard Castle with his mother who is named ‘Head’ of house and married. Also above ‘Head’ is written ‘mother’ which is a curious, but nevertheless correct. In addition there are two other children, ELIZABETH (1838) and MARTHA (1846). In 1861Elizabeth is still ‘Head’ but classified as a ‘pauper’ but now widowed. Elizabeth is still living with her but in addition there is SARAH (1843) – where was she in 1851? By 1871 Elizabeth describes herself as a ‘road labourer’s widow. Through all this we have had only one mention of husband GEORGE who died somewhen after the 1851 Census. In order to find a bit more about Elizabeth senior we searched the GRO birth index yet again using their facility of now giving the mother’s maiden name for all entries from 1837 for the three known daughters we had a consistent match of LONGSTAFF but couldn’t trace her marriage which was prior to Civil Registration. So… what was left? Where was Sarah in 1851 as she was only seven? This led to the breakthrough. Sarah was in Barnard Castle Workhouse! Listed next to her was a Margaret A*. She checked out as a sister when she was found with the same mother in the birth indexes. Such establishments seem to have no particular method when recording large numbers of people so we wondered if Martha was there (she wasn’t) but patience was rewarded with the discovery of a George A* aged 51 born in Barnard Castle! This correlated with the burial of a George A* born in and 1800 buried on 8 March 1852 Barnard Castle. From this was found his birth 22 Mar 1800 (Baptism 7 Oct 1803), father DANIEL A* and mother Elizabeth BISHOPBRIDGE. Sadly the trail runs cold after this… unless you know better!

6081This was probably the best search for a long time combining the vagaries of contributors to Ancestry trees, the help (for the third time recently) of the GRO birth indexes, the wealth of information found in Wills and last, but certainly not least, the contribution from new member Dave with a bit of lateral thinking! Dave had presented a pedigree gleaned from a number of Ancestry trees giving the ancestors of his gg grandfather WILLIAM A* born 1829 in Bury St Edmunds, SFK ENG. This continued with a father John who proved to be a case of ‘best fit technology’ with then an outrageous connection to another John in Scotland! Did this John (who actually existed) marry, at the age of 50, a girl of 19 after travelling a virtually unheard-of distance in the early 19th C?! Well, of course not. The first thing was to check out William’s marriage to, allegedly, Sarah Gould. Same problem …. Find a likely Sarah and fit her in! By this time we realised that we had now had to start with William afresh. Using the Censuses of William’s children and the GRO indexes we were able to find that Sarah’s maiden name was MORTLOCK so the next thing was to extract the marriage certificate to prove that his father was not John! Dave then said ‘I did notice that looking at Sarah Mortlock on the 1851 Census at age 22 (3 years before her wedding to William) she was residing with a Matthew Armstrong Clergyman [and his sisters]. I wonder if they were related to William....or maybe just coincidence?’ So off we went in search of MATTHEW A* and his sisters. It was easy to find Matthew and Mary’s christenings which gave us their parents WILLIAM and WINNIEFRID (sic). We then found Matthew’s Will and also William senior’s will. Well, Matthew’s one immediately brought a wealth of information with Sarah Mortlock, noted as Matthew’s servant with William A* regularly mentioned. At a closer look this was written just before their marriage and there are many stipulations about certain things happening depending on the marriage (or not) taking place. The next piece of info which was the BIG breakthrough was on page 2 where twice we read ‘William Armstrong MY NEPHEW’!!! That means that Matthew had a brother! Further search proved there was – WILLIAM born 08/03/1788. Also backed up with a mention of my sons ‘Matthew and William’ in William senior’s will. So William must have had a son to make William (1829/30) his nephew. Further following William Senior we have found what appears to be his marriage to Winifred WHITE in Hentland, Hertfordshire ENG on 18/02/1786 which would fit Matthew’s birth in December of that year. You might say that this is a bit off the map but there again if for example you looked at all Civil birth registrations since 1837 a William A* has never married a Winifred White, so the chances of it happening in C18 is less than remote. She is also listed as being born in Hentland.   …. What was William doing there! The last observation is that William senior’s burial took place in a non-conformist church in Bury so that is possibly why there is a dearth of info on the family since the 1790s although Matthew was a Church of England clergyman! Matthew’s will also says that Sarah Mortlock was his ‘adopted daughter’. The certificate came back and yes, William’s father was WILLIAM! A grocer. However he is proving to be very difficult to locate but has been found in Pigot’s Directories showing he was grocering in 1830. Also in 1839 William A* was a Hatter with an address of ‘Meat Market’ which is the same address of Matthew in 1841. However, William senior’s will in 1825 comes up with an intriguing piece of information that mentions his ‘cousins’ JOHN, MATTHEW, CHARLES, WILLIAM AND MARGARET in Carlisle, Cumberland’ Can you help there?

6084 Cheryl is linked to the Armstrongs through her three times great grandmother SARAH FRANCES, born in 1844 in Leeds YKS ENG and married William OXFORD. Her father was EDWARD A*, born 1815 in Leyburn, Wensley YKS and married, in 1833, Isabella RAYNER. He was an Ostler, Groom and Carter following his father JAMES who had married Elizabeth HEWGILL at Wensley in 1814. The 1841 Census gives his birthplace as Carlisle CUL ENG. Sadly ‘Carlisle’ was transcribed as ‘Earlsher’ in Ancestry and was faithfully copied by a number of subscribers in Ancestry Trees! However in the 1841 Yorkshire Census he is marked as not born in this county and has an origin in Ireland. All we know of James was that he was born C1782. His occupation does relate to Irish immigration and he might well have come to England through Carlisle with his parents as he was married fairly late on at 32. Other than that we have nothing to go on. Ave you?

6075 Dee can trace her Armstrong ancestry through her mother back to CHRISTOPHER A* born in the Belfast area about 1838, probably near Lisburn. Christopher married Elizabeth McADAM in Lisburn in 1863. Their son ROBERT, born Hillsborough, County Down in 1866, married Dorothy GIBSON in St. Annes, Belfast, 1891, had a son CHRISTOPHER born 1893 in Belfast who married Ann Jane DUNSEATH, and they had a son THOMAS DUNSEATH A*, Dee's grandfather was born in 1920 in Belfast. This line can be traced through original documents back to Christopher 1838's marriage which identifies his father as CHRISTOPHER, but that is where the certainty ends. Both Christopher 1838 and his father were weavers, Robert was a labourer, and Christopher 1893 and son Thomas were in the UK navy. The problem with identifying the father of Christopher 1838 is that there is more than one possibility in the Lisburn area based on marriage records of children who fathers were said to be weavers whose birth dates compute to approximately 1821 to 1841. Based on three of the children's names being repeats and the townlands stated on the children's marriage records being in two distinct clusters there were two families, with Christopher 1838's siblings with approximate birth years likely being MARGARET 1828, JAMES b. before 1829, WILLIAM 1829, OLIVER 1832, MARY JANE 1833 and HUGH b. before 1841. No marriage has been found for either of the senior Christophers or any evidence for the names of their wives. There is, however, one possibility for the death of Christopher father of Christopher 1838, assuming he was a little older than recorded: Christopher A* died Jan 15, 1884, in the Lisburn Workhouse age 70, widower, a weaver from Hillsborough, the right parish for Christopher 1838. There is also a possible baptism of a Christopher A* in 1805 with father William mother Elizabeth but as this was in the parish of St. Anne's, Shankill, in the centre of Belfast it seems less likely. Dee would of course love to be able to trace the ancestors of Christopher 1838 further back. Family lore suggests they originally came from Scotland. Can anyone help her with this quest?

8079 New Member John hales from Michigan and his grandparents FREDERIC GEORGE A* (b 1883) & Anna B. SCHAIRER (b 1885) did as well. He was the son of ROBERT LEWIS A* b 1846 Dromahair, Leitrim, Ireland, and his 2nd wife Sarah Ann BRADLEY b 1848 Ontario, Canada. Robert Lewis A* & Sarah Bradley had 8 children, the first 5 born in Ontario. Their children were: SELENA AUGUSTA A* b 1873 m George A STONE, JACOB ALONZO A* b 1875 d 1889 MI, MABEL DELILA A* b 1877, m Charles CASSELL, EVA ANN A* who married 3 times, ROBERT FRANKLIN A* 1880-1880, Frederic George A* (8079’s ancestor) b MI, WILLIAM HECTOR A* b 1885, and CHARLES EARL A* b 1891. Robert Lewis A* was the 5th child of ROBERT A* b 1808 Ireland (of Leitrim when his first child was born), d 1888 North Gower, Ontario, & Margaret ECCLES b 1814 Denmark, lived in Ireland when married, d. North Gower, Ontario. Robert A* & Margaret Eccles emigrated from Ireland to Canada Aft 1846 and bef 1849 with 5 children. Family history says it was 1847, and that one child, ARCHIBALD died on the voyage and was buried at sea. We were surprised to find baptism records for 4 of their children and possibly a 5th who may have died an infant before 1846. Their residence on the baptism records was Dromahair / Drumlease, county Letrim, Ireland. (1) ADAM 14 Aug 1836 m Jane LEWIS, (2) WILLIAM ECCLES 7 Oct 1838 m Julia BERNHARDT, (3) ISABELLA 3 Aug 1843 m George LEWIS brother of Julia Lewis, and (4) ROBERT 21 Jan 1846 [Robert Lewis 8079’s ancestor], and possibly a ROBERT 13 Jan 1841. Archibald is missing but family history says he was b 1 Mar 1840. They had 6 more children in Ontario: 1) ELIZABETH m1st James BOYLE, m2nd Sidney SWITZER, 2) ANNIE ECCLES m1st George SCOTT, m2nd John FERGUSON, 3) JOHN m Emma Maria NIXON, 4) MARIA, 5) SARAH JANE m Adam SERVIS & 6) JAMES ECCLES m Carrie BARTLEY. Robert Lewis A* was the only one of this generation to emigrate to the US. We are still searching for the parents of Robert A* b 1808 Ireland. Recognize any names??

7077/8 Kay's grandmother was MINNIE MYRTLE A* 1896 VT d MA who married Dell Fred VanORNUM b 1889 WA, d VT. She was dau of LUGENE A. A* b 1861 VT d VT & Helen Sophia WILLIS b 1862 Quebec d VT. Her siblings were IRVILLE ATWARD A* b 1887 VT m1st Ethel Maud WADSWORTH, m2nd Susan BURROWS, ORIS URBAN A* b 1889 VT m Helen Maria RICE, ALPHEUS MYRL A* b VT m Jessie D SAWYER, WILBUR BOWMAN A* b 1862 VT m1st Cora Ethel VanORNUM [sister of Dell], m2nd Florence TATE, and WILLIS HAROLD A* b VT m1st Dora M ALDRICH. LUGENE A. A* son of JOSEPH b 1817 NY, d NH, & Auria WASHURN 1828-1886. Siblings of Lugene A. A* all born in VT were LAURA 1849, LUTHER 1850, LUNA E. Abt 1853, LYMAN E. b Abt 1854, LOUIS 1856-1857, LESLIE b 1858, LUCY 1862, LILLIAN AMELIA 1868 and LEONARD 1871. Anyone Recognize any names?

7052-4 8033 4238   Thanks to Wally (7052) we now have family bible information for the JOSEPH A* & Elsie STRAWN family, which includes births, marriage and some deaths of their children. It appears to have originally belonged to Elsie as it also includes her parents and siblings and was passed down to PERRY AUSTIN A*. Of real importance to us are several entries which says following: 1. "JOHN Armstrong and family consisting of Ann, nee HENDERSON his wife and JOSEPH, JOHN, WM & JAMES his sons, and MARGARET and MAGDALINE his daughters and located in Somerset Co Pa in AD 1789 came to the US to Somerset Co Pa from Bell? [thought to be Belcoo] Fermanagh Co Ireland." 2. "Joseph Armstrong was born in Ireland 25 Sep 1779 and was the son of John Armstrong & Ann Henderson" 3. "JOHN Armstrong his father died 17 Dec 1831 aged 88 years and was buried in Union Cemetery, Somerset Co PA." 4. "Ann Armstrong nee Henderson wife of Jno Armstrong died 15 Nov 1836 aged 76 years and was buried beside her husband." 5. "Magdaline ELDER nee Armstrong died 12 Aug 1855 aged 76 years and was buried in ?? Cemetery". 6. "Margaret MARPLE nee Armstrong died 21 Nov 1862 aged 74 yrs and was buried in Union Cem? beside her brother Joseph" So we have now added another generation to this family. John A* 1743-1831 & Ann nee Henderson 1760-1836, parents of Joseph A* 1779-1856 m Elsie Strawn, Magdaline A* 1784-1855 m William Elder, William A*, Margaret A* 1789-1862 m David Marple, John H A*, and James A*. Joseph A* & Elsie Strawn (1779-1871 had nine children 1) John Strawn A* 1810-1189 m Margaret Trumbo, [8033’s ancestor]; 2) George Washington A* b1812 m Anna NANCY GREEN [4238’s ancestor]; 3) WILLIAM ELDER A* 1814-1850 m Sarah Ann; 4) JOEL WEST A* 1817-1871 m Cordelia CHAMPLIN; 5) JAMES HENDERSON A* 1819-1842; 6) JEREMIAH REED A* 1821-1850 m Lucinda HOLLAND; 7) PERRY AUSTIN A* b 1803 m 1st Mary BORBEIDGE [7052’s ancestor]; 8) CLIFFORD IRVING A* 1825-1828; and 9) ISAIAH J. A*, b 1828 m Martha HOLLAND. All but James and Clifford who died young, married at least one time. We are still 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??

8041-8044 Rodney’s great-grandfather was LEWIS WILLIAM A* b 1893 WI d IL who m Anita L. SHAW. Lewis William A* was the son of WILLIAM JOHN A* b 1866 Londonderry N. Ireland d Milwaukee WI & Lucy A YOUNG b 1865 WI. Lewis's siblings were CLINTON M. A*, ESTHER C. A*, and WILLIAM A*, all born Milwaukee WI. William John A* was the eldest child of JAMES A* b 1838 Tyrone N. Ireland d Cook Co., IL & Jane LAING b Abt 1839 Aberdeenshire Scotland, d Milwaukee WI. They married in 1865 Londonderry N. Ireland. James & Jane had 4 other children: MARY JANE A* b 1868 Londonderry, ANNIE A* b Tyrone, JAMES GILBERT A* b 1872 Tyrone d MI m Phoebe BRERETON, & FANNIE A* b 1876 Milwaukee WI d IL. We also know the family emigrated to the US in 1873 from Glasgow on the ship India. In addition we have an 1880 US census record in Milwaukee that says James had a brother JOHN b Abt 1850 in N. Ireland. We have not found him again. The 1865 marriage record names James' father as WILLIAM A*, a mason. So here is where we are stuck.

8087/8104 Barbara (8104) who connects through sisters in the 1830s-1840s. Don's (8087) ancestor is HARRIETT ARVILLA A* b 1836 Cohocton, Steuben, NY d Albany, Whiteside, IL who married Samuel ROSENKRANS (1834-1887). Barbara's (8104) ancestor is SUSAN MINERVA A* b 1843 Cohocton, Steuben, NY d Republic Co., KS, who married Frank SAGER (1843-1926) Both are daughters of JAMES A* (1811-1879) & his 1st wife, Permilla DANFORTH (1813-1846), whom we now have documented thanks to Barbara sharing her Family Bible. Siblings of Harriett & Susan all born Steuben Co., NY are: EDWIN COOK A* b 1834 m Elizabeth TUCKER; LUCY MARILLA A* b 1838 m David MATTICE; MARTIN J. A* (1839-1866), MYRON MERRIT A* (1841-1862) and LANSING H. A* b 1845. Lansing H. A* has been the elusive one, has anyone seen him??   After Permilla's death James A* married 2nd in 1860, Mrs Mariah FRASIER nee Magoon. There were no children from this marriage. James A* was the son of MARTIN A* (1781-1824) & Ruth SAWDY (1783-1846), his 2nd wife. Siblings of James from the Family Bible are: HIRAM (1805-1824), MARGARETTA (1807-1823), THOMAS COOK (1809-1897), LUCIA "Lucy" (1814-1891), RHODA (1816-1886), and twins HANNAH (1820-1821) & JONATHAN (1820-1823). Martin's 1st wife was Peggy ONDERKIRK (1780-1799) and they had one child NATHAN MARTIN A* (1799-1859). Martin A*'s parents were NATHAN A* (1757-1839) & Hannah COVILLE (Abt 1759-1826). From Nathan's 1836 will we know he had two daughters, SOPHIA ELDRED & SUBMIT [Amitty Submit]. We know Sophia A* married Nathaniel ELLIOTT in 1797 Montgomery Co., NY. Did Nathaniel die and Sophia marry a second time to an Eldred? Or is Eldred an old surname spelling for Elliott? Submit [aka Amitty Submit] A* married Zephrman FLINT in 1802 Montgomery Co., NY. Zephrman Flint was one of the executors. He also named his dau-in-law ABIGAIL and grand-dau MELITA A*, wife and dau of his deceased son JAMES A*, as well as grandchildren JAMES A*, HANNAH A* and EVE A*. We believe that James A* was the son of his deceased son Martin A*, but we are not really sure who the parents of Hannah and Eve are. We are also still searching for Nathan's parents, so if you have any clues send them to us.

8094 8099-8101 Peggy is the sister of Lorrimer A* a long time member who passed away in 2017 and whom we miss. Their parents were LORRIMER BERTIE A* & Catherine L ODER, Lorrimer being the son of JOHN ALEXANDER A* b 1880 KS & Ella BERRY. John Alexander A* was the youngest child of ROBERT WALKER A* b 1822 PA d 1897 OK & Amanda GREAVES b 1834 PA d 1887 OK. His ten siblings were, DEWIRA ISABEL A*, OLIVE JANE A*, LEANDER PRESLEY A*, SAMUEL LORRIMER A*, MARGARET MARIA "MAGGIE" A*, LOUISA CLARISSA A*, JAMES SMITH A*, MINNIE MAY A*, MARY EULALIA A* and ROBERT WALKER A* JR. Robert Walker A* was the eldest child of SAMUEL A* 1797-1867 & Isabel WALKER 1802-1881 who lived and raised their children in Lawrence Co., PA. His eight siblings were SAMUEL A*, ELIZABETH JANE A*, MARGARET S. A*, ISABEL B. A*, JOHN ALEXANDER A*, SAMUEL PRESLEY A*, JAMES TAYLOR A* and REBECCA EMELINE A*. Samuel A* was the son of ALEXANDER 1762-1836 & Catherine TAYLOR 1764-1835. We are still trying to decipher who all of their children were as well as the parents of Alexander A*. We could sure use assistant from our Pennsylvania researchers.

7088 Lisa's mother is an A* of Pennsylvania born in Lackawanna Co., dau of CHARLES EDWARD A* & Marguerite PENTECOST, eldest child of GEORGE EDSON A* & Fannie JONES also of Dalton, Lackawanna Co., PA. George's parents were JAMES A* 1816-1895 & his 1st wife Cordelia GORMAN 1831-1877. James A* was the son of JOSEPH A* b 1777-1778 possibly New York or Ireland, d 1869 Pittston, Luzerne Co., PA & Phebe GOBLE 1781 New Jersey, d 1864 PA. Joseph A* is most likely the son of JAMES A* 1742-1815 & his wife Amy 1744-1832 or 1833, b New York. We have census records showing that James A* Sr, Joseph A* and James A* Jr were clearly living next to each other in Pittston, Luzerne Co., PA as early as 1800. Widow Amy A* is next door to Joseph A* in 1820 and residing with James A* Jr in 1830. We do not know what Amy's maiden name was, if she was previously married as some believe, or actually when/where she married James A*. James A* & Amy are thought to have had at least four children: JAMES A* Jr, 1775-1846, JOSEPH A* [7088's ancestor], DAVID A* b 1780 PA d 1861 in Delaware Co., OH, & NANCY A* 1782-1847 m John KENNEDY, who stayed in Luzerne Co., PA. Any of you who come from this area of PA know just how difficult it is to figure out which Armstrong belongs to which Armstrong family as there were several and they all have the same names, and there are a lot of missing records. We could sure use your help documenting James's place of birth, his marriage to Amy, & Amy's maiden name.

8129 Chuck whose grandparents were WERNER EDWARD A* b 1891 and his 1st wife Hazel MEYERS of Wisconsin. Werner mostly went by Edward and was the son of HENRY CLAY A* b 1859 and Delia WERNER. His siblings were CHARLES DOUGLAS A* b 1878, CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH A* b 1879, EMMA A* b 1882, and HENRY CLAY A* b 1883.
Henry Clay A* b 1859 was the son of BENJAMIN GREEN A* b 1820 AL & Charlotte MA-DWA-GWAN, a Chippewa Indian b 1832 La Pointe (or Bad River) d 1882 Ashland Co., WI. Needless to say there are a lot of different spellings for Charlotte's surname. Most all of the records we have for Benjamin say he was born in AL, but we have not located him prior to 1855 in Wisconsin, so the truth is we do not know where he was actually born, or who his parents were. Benjamin Green A* is a very interesting and noteworthy individual. He was a trader, interpreter, author & in 1854 became the adopted son of Chippewa Chief Buffalo. He is the author of "Early Life Among the Indians" published in 1892. We do have a 1851 letter that Benjamin wrote to stay in touch with his brothers & sisters. The letter was written to ALFRED J. A* in Marion Co., MO, and names brother WILLIAM, sisters ELIZA, MINERVA and JANE [possibly Mary Jane]. Census records we have for Alfred J., and possibly William, say they were both born in TN. We found Alfred J. (A.J.) A* 1810 TN-1885 MO, who married 1846 Marion Co., MO, Nancy H. (widow) EVANS. William is thought to be Rev William Haskew A* 1828 TN-1913 OK, who married 1851 Sumner Co., TN Mary Elizabeth FORESTER. Do any of you have any clues?? Also as a side note, if any of you have any expertise researching Chippewa Indian records in WI or MI, this Genealogist could sure use your assistance.

8047/5421/4242/4348/4401 Tom (8047) joins us connected to a large Armstrong family. His 6th gen ancestor was Jacob CONKLIN b 1790 & his 1st wife JOANNA A* 1796-1830. Now Jacob Conklin b 1790 NY d 1866 IN, married two related Armstrongs. He m 1st in 1814 Joanna A* (1796-1830) who was the dau of FRANCIS A* 1735-1799 & his 2nd wife, Patience Rowley FINN (1765-1830). Jacob Conklin m 2nd Frances JAYNE, who was the dau of William Tremble Jayne & JANE A* b 1784, sister of JOANNA A*, also a dau of Francis A* 1735-1799 & Patience Rowley Finn (1765-1830). Siblings of Joanna and Jane were ROBERT 1782, MILLICENT 1785, ELSIE ALICE 1787, FRANCIS 1788, LEWIS 1791, SALLY 1794, and PATIENCE, twin of Joanna 1796. Francis A* 1735-1799 m 1st Jean BORLAND 1743-1780. Children of this marriage were REBECCA 1765, ISAAC 1768, MARY 1769, AMZI 1771, JOEL 1774, JOHN 1777 and ANNA 1779. Francis A* 1735-1799 was son of FRANCIS A* (1695-1783) & Deborah LATTIMORE (1695-1760), both born Ireland and died in NY. Bringing 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?

2679 James can trace his Armstrong ancestry to his 3x great grandfather THOMAS A*. He was probably Thomas A* baptized in Nichol Forest, CUL ENG Nov 17, 1769, father William, who was likely WILLIAM A* who married Hannah LITTLE (likely baptized Feb 7, 1742, in Arthuret, father Christopher mother Janet) Feb 1, 1767, in Arthuret, CUL. Thomas married Elizabeth GOODFELLOW in Lanercost, CUL July 21, 1790. Baptisms for five of Thomas and Elizabeth’s known children were recorded in either Nichol Forest or Lanercost, including James’ ancestor William in 1792, JANE in 1794, ROBERT in 1797, HANNAH in 1799, and ELIZABETH in 1802. Canadian records establish another daughter MARGARET was born in England in about 1811. The family emigrated to Canada, possibly after March 22, 1822 when Jane married Archibald WARD in Nichol Forest, and probably via Quebec as Thomas died in Montreal Aug 10, 1823, being noted on his burial record as aged 55, an emigrant, which suggests they had just arrived. The gravestone for Thomas and Elizabeth in Markham confirms his death date and age and adds that he was of Nichol Forest. The family soon moved on to Markham, York County, Ontario, where William purchased land before October 6, 1824 and where his mother and siblings lived, died and were buried in Grace Anglican Church Cemetery. William and his wife Esther REESOR, whom he married about 1834, raised seven children on their Markham farm, including William A*, James’ great grandfather, born Jan 31, 1842, who also farmed in Markham. He married Maria McCREIGHT September 18, 1866, one of their eight children being ARTHUR EARNEST A* born January 7, 1878, James’ grandfather. Most of Arthur’s siblings remained in Markham, but Arthur by 1901 had moved to Pickering to live with his mother’s unmarried sister Margaret McCreight on what had been his grandfather James McCreight’s farm, which was deeded to them jointly by James’s heirs in 1903, James having died in 1895 and his wife Mary Ann in 1899. Arthur married Margaret / Maggie KIRTON in West Hill, Scarborough, April 4, 1922; he died April 2, 1954, and was buried in Erskine Cemetery, Pickering. James is fortunate to be able to trace his Armstrong ancestors with confidence back to at least 1790, but he would of course appreciate additional evidence that Thomas’ parents were indeed William A* and Hannah Little and, if so, more information about William A*.
6080 Paul’s first Armstrong ancestor was MARY ANN NORA A* (1878) with parents William (1831) and Charters JACKSON (1833) b: 08 Jul 1833 who married 25 Sep 1862 in Longtown, CUL, ENG. ‘Luckily’ they were based in Parknook Bewcastle CUL for which we have countless records! This led to adding three more generations to the pedigree. William’s parents were: THOMAS A* (1772) and Sarah NIXON; grandparents: WILLIAM A* (1739) and Sybilla LITTLE; G grandparents: THOMAS Armstrong (1680) and an unknown Janet.

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.