1. John Armstrong (III) was born in Livingston Co NY on 31 Dec 1819.[1] He died at Bethany, Harrison Co NY on 22 Jan 1890[2] and is buried at Wesley Chapel in Washington Center, Harrison County, Missouri.[3] He was a son of John and Mary (Barron) Armstrong.[4]
About 1842 in Illinois, John married as his first wife, Susannah Moran, who was born in 1823 in Allegheny Co MD and died 1 Jun 1851, probably in Fulton Co IL.[5]
On 15 Dec 1852 in Mason Co IL,[6] John married as his second wife, Nancy Ann Morris. Nancy was born 21 Sep 1829[7] in Adams Co OH,[8] the eldest child of George and Elizabeth (Hurd) Morris.[9] She died 27 Aug 1891 in Bethany, Harrison Co MO and was buried beside her husband and daughter at Wesley Chapel in Washington Center.[10]
John Armstrong was the father of fifteen children, by his two wives. All lived to adulthood, with only one daughter, Jennie, dying at the age of 22. Recent publication online of Missouri death certificates has allowed me to find many dates of death as well as several middle names.
John moved back and forth from Illinois to Missouri several times; the first time he left Missouri it was reportedly because the area was full of Southern sympathizers, and the Civil War had just started. Alice was the only child born in Missouri, in November, 1860. A story was told in the family army units often passed by the family’s home. One time little John Franklin ran out waving his American flag; unfortunately, it was a Rebel troop. They did not, however, harm the boy or his family. This must have been in 1861 or 1862; I have not investigated what happened in Harrison Co MO or Henderson Co IL during the war. By November, 1863, the family was back in Illinois.[11]
John Armstrong’s census record is as follows:
1850 Fulton Co IL, Centre Twp, p 619, 110-116.[12]
1860 Spring Lake PO, Mason Co IL, p 26, hh 170.[13]
1870 Bethany PO, Lincoln Twp, Harrison Co MO, page 11, 76-76.[14]
1880 Harrison Co MO, Lincoln Twp, ed 291, sheet 12, 101-101.[15]
The children of John Armstrong and his first wife, Susannah Moran, were:
2. Mary M ARMSTRONG. Born on 20 Sep 1846 in Fulton Co IL. Mary died in Winfield, Cowley Co KS, on 26 Mar 1922; she was 75. On 10 Dec 1868 when she was 22, she married James S DILTS in Canton IL. Born ca 1842 in NJ. James died in Winfield, Cowley Co KS, ca 5 Jan 1923. They had the following children:
i. (daughter)
ii. Jessie M (ca1875-)
iii. Kittie (ca1880-1930)
iv. Charles Lyle (1890-1971)
3. Margery Ann ARMSTRONG. Born in Jun 1848 in IL. Margery Ann died on 28 Apr or 8 May 1908; she was 59. About 1873 Margery married Silas PARSONS. Born in May 1848 in Ohio. Silas was living in Henderson Co IL, in 1900. They had one child:
i. Royal B (1882-<1967)
4. Susannah ARMSTRONG. Born in 1851 in IL. Susannah died on 10 Jun 1923; she was 72. On 21 Sep 1871 Susannah married Percy S PERRINE in Fulton Co IL. Born on 12 Feb 1848 in Raritan, Henderson Co IL. Percy died on 5 May 1905. They had the following children:
i. Ethel A (1872-<1967)
ii. Doren (1875-<1967)
iii. Earl (1882-1886)
The children of John Franklin Armstrong and his second wife, Nancy Ann Morris, were:
5. Sarah Rebecca ARMSTRONG. Born on 1 Dec 1853 in Fulton Co IL. Sarah died in Ridgeway, Harrison Co MO, on 8 Apr 1950; she was 96. In 1872 when she was 18, she married John Samuel RANKIN, son of Thomas C RANKIN & Elizabeth Eliza SMITH. Born on 20 Oct 1852 in Morgan Co VA [later WV]. John Samuel died in Ridgeway, Harrison Co MO, on 21 Jun 1947. They had the following children:
i. John T (ca1874-)
ii. Charles S (1875-1941)
iii. Rose E (ca1877-)
iv. Nellie A (ca1880-)
v. Mabel C (ca1882-)
vi. William A (ca1883-)
vii. Grace (ca1889-)
viii. Dick O (1890-1973)
ix. Lillie (1892-)
x. Lora B (1894-)
xi. Ralph (ca1898-)
6. William F ARMSTRONG. Born on 3 Dec 1854 in IL. William died in Grant City, Worth Co MO, in 1941; he was 86. William married Josephine BLANCHARD. Born on 12 Apr 1855 in Allendale, Worth Co MO. Josephine died in Grant City, Worth Co MO, on 26 Mar 1936. They had the following children:
i. Robert Preston (1879-1936)
ii. Clarence (1891-1901)
iii. Orville Fred[16] (1897-1976)
7. John Franklin ARMSTRONG. Born on 29 Aug 1856 in Knoxville, Knox Co IL. Frank died in Clinton, Custer Co OK, on 28 Jan 1942; he was 85. On 22 Sep 1877 when John Franklin was 21, he first married Sarah J RUTH, daughter of Henry and Mary RUTH, in IL. Born on 20 Sep 1855 in Harford Co MD. Sarah J died in Terre Haute, Henderson Co IL, on 4 Mar 1887; she was 31. On 15 Mar 1888 when he was 31, he second married Lulie (EDMUNDS) HAYS in Terre Haute, Henderson Co IL. Born on 26 Feb 1864. Lulie died in MO on 17 Apr 1891; she was 27. They had the following children:
i. Clifford (1891-1893)
ii. Margie (1890->1893)
On 14 Jun 1892 when he was 35, he third married Anna Samantha TURNER, daughter of Reuben Webster TURNER & Margaret Ellen PARKER, in Grant City, Worth Co MO. Born on 19 Aug 1869 in Allendale, Worth Co MO. Anna Samantha died in Clinton, Custer Co OK, on 23 Jun 1942. They had the following children:
i. Golda L (1893-1903)
ii. Nannie Jane (1895-1948)
iii. Mansel Grant (1897-1977)
iv. Ralph Flynn (1900-1938)
v. Jeter Fay (1903-1912)
vi. Frankie (1906-1909)
vii. Glyde Lavon (1910-1992)
8. Kittie Bell ARMSTRONG. Born on 22 Sep 1857 in IL. Kittie died in Grant City, Worth Co MO, on 28 Jan 1942; she was 84. She married William Andrew RANKIN, son of Thomas C RANKIN & Elizabeth Eliza SMITH. Born on 30 Nov 1850 in Morgan Co VA [later WV]. William Andrew died in Grant City, Worth Co MO, on 28 Nov 1932. They had the following children:
i. Thomas E (1876-)
ii. Nora Belle (1877-1885)
iii. John Samuel (1880-1956)
iv. Cora E (1881-1975)
v. W Harry (1888-1968)
9. Alice M ARMSTRONG. Born on 15 Nov 1860 in Harrison Co MO. Alice died in Mt Morris, Ogle Co IL, on 26 Jan 1952; she was 91. On 28 Oct 1885 when Alice was 24, she married James Cossitt COULSON. Born on 24 Sep 1845 in LaHarpe, Hancock Co IL. James Cossitt died in LaHarpe, Hancock Co IL, on 9 Aug 1921. They had the following children:
i. Margery Cossitt (1886-1923)
ii. George Childs (1889-1965)
iii. Edna Caroline (1890-1981)
10. Jennie E ARMSTRONG. Born on 3 Jul 1862 in IL. Jennie died in Harrison Co MO, on 17 May 1885; she was 22. Buried in Wesley Chapel, Allendale, Worth Co MO.
11. Charles L ARMSTRONG. Born on 1 Nov 1863 in Illinois. Charles died in Kansas City, Jackson Co MO, on 20 Oct 1931; he was 67. On 15 Feb 1888 when Charles was 24, he married Arminnie ROBERTS. Born ca 1866 in Illinois. Arminnie probably died in St Joseph, Buchanan Co MO, in the 1920s. They had no known children.
12. Ulysses Grant ARMSTRONG. Born on 13 May 1865 in IL. He died in Custer Co OK, on 17 Aug 1963; he was 98. On 7 Sep 1887 he married Lillian Iula TURNER, daughter of Reuben Webster TURNER & Margaret Ellen PARKER, in Allendale, Worth Co MO. Born on 4 Dec 1866 in Worth Co MO. Lillian Iula died in Foss, Washita Co OK, on 21 Dec 1945. They had the following children:
i. Ada Lee (1889-1972)
ii. Harry Elbert (1891-1975)
iii. Hazel Dale (1894-1971)
iv. Mabel Ida (1897-1979)
v. Edna Ellen (1900-1985)
vi. Orville Chester (1906-1984)
13. George Henry ARMSTRONG. Born on 23 Oct 1866 in IL. George died in 1950; he was 83. On 8 Oct 1891, he married Margaret Prudence GUMP. Born on 1 Aug 1861 in Monongalia Co WV. Margaret Prudence died in Lee Co IA, in 1925. They had the following children:
i. Eva M (ca1893-)
ii. Isaac John (1896-1983)
iii. Bert M (ca1897-)
14. Frederick D ARMSTRONG. Born on 19 Apr 1869 in Harrison Co MO. Frederick died in McFall, Gentry Co MO, on 2 Apr 1949; he was 79. On 30 Apr 1901 Frederick married Minnie Maryellen VANHOOZER probably in Harrison Co MO. Born on 14 Jan 1868 in Harrison Co MO. Minnie died on 6 May 1960. They had no children.
15. Aaron Christopher ARMSTRONG. Born on 12 Sep 1870 in Harrison Co MO. He was called Dick, and died in Foss, Washita Co OK, between 1942 and 1950; he was 71. Dick married Dora C BRAM. Born ca 1874 in MO. They had the following children:
i. Orville E (1894-1981)
ii. Roy N (1897-1988)
16. Lillie Mae ARMSTRONG. Born on 22 Oct 1872 in Harrison Co MO. Lillie Mae died in 1937; she was 64. Lillie married Mark Leslie BELDEN. Born on 24 Mar 1868 in North Plains, Ionia Co MI. Mark died in Kansas City, Jackson Co MO, on 17 Feb 1936.
They had the following children:
i. George Leslie (1893-<1967)
ii. Charles Lee (1895-1920)
iii. Lois Lucille (1899-1990)
© 2009, Kathy Alvis Patterson
[1] A Reprint of the Original 1888 History of Harrison and Mercer Counties, Missouri (1888; reprint, Princeton MO: Mercer County Historical Society, Inc., 1972), 604-605. John Armstrong “was born Dec. 31, 1819 in Livingston Co NJ [sic] and moved to Fulton Co IL in 1838 and from there came to Harrison Co MO in 1860. A year later he returned to IL, but in 1866 settled upon his present farm in Harrison Co MO. This farm contains 260 acres of well improved land, which is the result of Mr. Armstrong’s own labor, as he started in life a poor man. In 1852 [sic] he married Miss Susannah Moran, a native of Baltimore Co MD, by whom three children were born, Mary M., wife of James Dilts; Margery Ann, wife of S. S. Parsons; and Susannah, wife of Percy Prune [sic]. Mrs. Armstrong died June 1, 1851, and Mr. Armstrong was married December 15, 1852 to Miss Morris, a native of Adams Co OH and daughter of George and Elizabeth (Hurd) Morris, by whom 12 children have been born. Mr. Armstrong is a Republican and has served both as assessor and register. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.”
[2] The birth and death dates for John Armstrong Jr as given in the LaHarper article are both wrong. The correct birthdate is given in the Harrison Co MO article; the correct death date is from the cemetery inscription [now apparently missing from the cemetery] and implied in the date of his will. The Harrison Co book also mistakes the year of John Armstrong’s first marriage. See also, John Armstrong will (1890), Harrison Co Will Book, Probate Judge’s Office, Bethany MO. Typed transcription, no specific source data included, in Ramona Duff, Armstrong Album and Light Lines, 5-8.
[3] Letter from Orville F Armstrong (Grant City MO) to Kathy Patterson and Sue Snyder, 21 Aug 1972. The letter included transcriptions of the Armstrong tombstones, Westley Chapel, near Grant City MO, copied by Orville F Armstrong, a grandson of John and Nancy Ann (Morris) Armstrong. We could not locate the parents’ tombstones in 1993, although daughter Jennie’s marker was still there. See also findagrave.com.
[4] “Mother Coulson Celebrates Eightieth Birthday, Friday,” La Harper, LaHarpe IL, 22 Nov 1940, original clipping. The clipping from the LaHarper, edited at the time by Alice (Armstrong) Coulson’s son, gives details on all the children of John Armstrong Jr, as well as his two wives, his mother and her family. This article was written during the lifetime of John Franklin Armstrong and saved in the family. The fact of John’s mother being named Mary Barron was a strong tradition in the family, much stronger than anything about the Armstrongs.
[5] 1888 History, loc cit. She was a daughter of Thomas and Sarah J (Bowler) Moran. In the 1860 census, Mary and Susan Armstrong were living with Thomas Moran in Fulton Co IL, p 448.
[6] Mason County Marriage Book A:78, County Clerk’s Office, Havana IL.
[7] Orville F Armstrong, loc cit.
[8] Adams Co OH, Sprigg Twp, p 86-87, 576-576. George Morris 60 VA, Elizabeth 43 OH, Nancy 22 OH, Jane 20 KY, William 18 laborer KY, Julia Ann 17 KY, David 16 KY, Rose Ann 12 OH, Charles 10 OH, Martin V 8 OH, Margaret 6 OH, Mary 3 OH, John 2 OH.
[9] Nancy’s sister was Margaret (Morris) Kent, whose death certificate, Mason Co IL, p. 16, 12 Aug 1910, gives the birthdate and place for her father, George Morris, as 1790, Lexington KY, and the birthdate and place for her mother as 1807, Adams Co OH.
[10] Orville F Armstrong, loc cit. See also findagrave.com.
[11] Union sympathies probably account for John Armstrong having been a Republican. His family was still Republican in strongly Democrat Oklahoma; Evelynne (Armstrong) Alvis remembers riding along with her father, probably in the 1930s, distributing election brochures and having people insult them.
[12] John Armstrong 29 farmer NY, Susan 27 IN, Mary 3 IL, Marg. A 11/12 IL. Also 1855 Illinois State census: 1855 IL, Mason Co, p 5: John Armstrong, 2m-10, 1m10-20, 2m30-40, 3f-10, 1f20-30, “Mason County IL—The 1855 State Census,” published by the Mason Co Members LDS, 1988. This census might include some members of the Morris family.
[13] John Armstrong 40 farmer $525, NY, Nancy Armstrong 31 OH, Mary 14 IL at school, Margery 11 IL at school, Sarah R 7 IL at school, William T 5 IL at school, John F 4 IL, Katie 2 IL, Margaret 15 OH, Harriet 9 OH.
[14] John Armstrong 50 wm farmer NY, father of foreign birth, male citizen of US, Nancy 40 wf keeping house OH, Sarah 17 wf IL at school, Wm 16 wm IL at school, Frank 14 wm IL at school, Kitty 13 wf IL at school, Alice 10 wf IL at school cannot write, Jennie 9 wf IL at school cannot write, Charles 7 wm IL at school cannot write, Grant 5 wm IL at school cannot read or write, Henry 4 wm IL, Frederick 1 wm MO. The census-taker here mistakenly checked “cannot read” and “cannot write” when the reverse was meant.
[15] J. Armstrong 60 mar farmer NY NY England, Nancy Ann 50 wife mar keeping house OH KY OH, Alice 19 dt sg at home MO NY OH, Jennie 17 dt sg at school IL NY OH, Charles 16 son sg work on farm attended school IL NY OH, Grant U. S. 15 son sg work on farm attended school IL NY OH, Henry 13 son attended school IL NY OH, Frederick 11 son at MO NY OH, Christopher 9 son at school MO NY OH, Lillie 7 dt attended school MO NY OH. 102-102. J. F. Armstrong 23 mar farmer IL NY OH, Sarah 25 wife mar house keeping MD MD MD.
[16] This is my grandfather’s first cousin whom my sister and I met in 1971, who provided cemetery references.
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