On these pages I'd like to share interesting and
medical stories about the individuals which make up our family
tree. If you have an amusing, interesting or medical story about
our family members please share them with me.
The Armstrong Clan is generally of Scottish
Decent. Debbie's Armstrong linage has been difficult to trace.
Debbie's grandmother Florence did not disclose a great deal
before her death and her uncle George, who has been attempting
to trace the linage for some time, had not made much headway
before his death this year. Undaunted, Debbie has made great
progress in this family line this year, establishing the family
line to colonial times.



Ancestry Report for
Merle Dewitt Armstrong
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Merle
Dewitt Armstrong was a longshoreman
working the San Pedro Docks until his death. He had served
in WWII. Flying first in the Canadian Air Corps and then
flew P38s and B24s in the US Army Air Corps. He was
stationed in the southern Philippines. Upon his return to
the U.S., he was stationed near Sacramento as a flight
instructor.
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Elsberry
Armstrong
- The religious history of Arrington is, in the main,
the same as in other portions of the county. Elsberry
Armstrong was probably the first one to preach to the
scattered inhabitants of this section. He delivered his
discourses in the Walton Creek Schoolhouse, which was used
for religious purposes for several years. He was of the
Regular Baptist denomination, as were also William Watkins,
old man French, who taught school also, and Robinson
Eskridge, all of whom were early preachers in this township.
Elsberry served as a Sergeant under William Henry Harrison
during the Battle of Tippecanoe. The battle was fought in
1811 between United States forces led by Governor William
Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and forces of
Tecumseh's growing American Indian confederation. The battle
took place outside Prophetstown, near present-day Battle
Ground, Indiana, and was part of what is sometimes known as
Tecumseh's War, which continued into the War of 1812.
Although Harrison's side suffered greater casualties despite
its far superior numbers, the battle was an important
political and symbolic victory for the American forces.
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John
Armstrong - John Armstrong, was descended
from Irish parents and born in N. C.. His parents died when
he was young, and at the age of fourteen he went to sea,
where he made his home until he grew to manhood. During his
sailor days he was shipwrecked three times. He quit
seafaring and married Molly Swayne. Her parents emigrated at
an early period from Scotland, and settled in Nantucket
Island. After his marriage Mr. Armstrong returned to N. C.,
subsequently moved to KY., and in 1809 with his family, came
to Gibson County. He afterwards moved to the north part of Vanderburg
Co., where he lived until his death. He had seven children,
four sons and three daughters. One of his sons, Miles
Armstrong, was a noted hunter and killed a great number of
bear and deer. He served as a private soldier at the battle
of Tippecanoe; he was after the war made Captain of the
Militia. Elsberry, another brother, was also in the
Tippecanoe battle. By the marriage of Nancy, the Waters and
Armstrong families were united.
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Philomon
Armstrong - The Town of Easton, Maryland, seems
to have received its official beginning from an Act of the
Assembly of the Province of Maryland dated November 4, 1710.
The Act was entitled, "An Act for the Building of a Court
House for Talbot County, at Armstrong's Old Field near
Pitt's Bridge". Prior to this date, the Court had met at
York, a small settlement located on Skipton Creek. The Court
decided that this location was not convenient to all
sections of the County and, in order to change the location,
the above Act of the Assembly was passed. As a result of
this Act, two acres of land were purchased from Philemon
Armstrong, at a cost of 5,000 pounds of tobacco, the
currency of the times. The tract was of the original lands
of Philemon's father, Francis Armstrong, and a part of
Francis' 1667 London-Derry Grant from Lord Baltimore. Upon
this tract, the same plot upon which the present Talbot
County Court House now stands, the Court House, a brick
building 20 x 30 feet, was erected at a cost of 115,000
pounds of tobacco. The Courts of the County were held in
this building from 1712 until 1794. A Tavern to accommodate
those who attended Court was one of the first buildings
erected; stores and dwellings followed. The village was then
known as Talbot Court House. These were not the first
buildings in the area. The frame meeting house of the
Society of Friends was built between 1682 and 1684, again on
land sold by Philemon. Undoubtedly some homes were built
nearby. Pitt's Bridge crossed a stream forming the
headwaters of the Tred Avon or Third Haven River. It was
located at a point where North Washington Street crosses
this stream, now enclosed in culverts, north of the
Talbottown Shopping Center, and passes under the Electric
Plant property. http://www.town-eastonmd.com/Plan
Background.htm
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John
Swain - During the summer of 1659, John
Swain, his father, Richard, Tristram Coffin, Thomas Macy,
Christopher Hussey, Thomas Barnard, Peter Coffin, Stephen
Greenleaf and William Pike joined together to purchase the
Island of Nantucket from Thomas Mayhew. Mayhew's price - "30
pounds and 2 Beaver hats....1 for myself and 1 for my wife."
(Source: Nantucket Island History - Nantucket Chamber of
Commerce). Thomas Mayhew kept a small portion of the island
for himself. The Wampanoag Indian tribe was friendly to the
settlers and helped them get through the first years of
trying to establish a settlement. Not all of the original
purchasers of the Island made their home there. John Swain,
his father, Richard, and their families moved to Nantucket
about 1661. It would be many years before there were
sufficient numbers to form a community. In 1700, only 300
whites and 800 Indians occupied Nantucket Island. At one
time there had been about 3,000 Wampanoag on the Island.
Over the years the Indians had contracted some of the
diseases introduced by the whites when they first began to
inhabit Nantucket.
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There are many new family member entries
in this line. Debbie has been working overtime and has made
a lot of headway.
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