Where Martin resided prior to 1775 has not yet been ascertained, but in that year we know that he lived in a small settlement in Essex County, New York named Willsboro. At some point prior to that date he had met a man by the name of William Gilliland who had purchased several thousand acres of land near Lake Champlain in northern New York (see Reference Listing, #19). In 1765, Gilliland induced several mostly Irish families to try their fortunes with him in this new settlement which he named Willsboro (Map of Willsboro, NY). From his extremely interesting diary which he kept through midyear of 1767, we find no mention of Martin. However, it is reasonable to assume that he arrived at some point shortly thereafter as we believe that his daughter, Lois, was born there in 1767. The settlement, which was established on the west bank of the lake, was too remote to be under the protecting arm of the Government, so it is somewhat remarkable that on Saint Patrick's Day (March 17) in the year 1775 the settlers convened a solemn assembly and constituted themselves a pure democracy. That Martin Armstrong had been in the area for some time is further supported by the fact that he had clearly achieved a position of some standing (see Reference Listing, #20, pages 109 - 111). For example, the covenant discusses the building of roads and bridges and makes reference to the decision to build a bridge across Armstrong and McGinniss brook. At this same assembly, it was resolved that Will Gilliland would be the moderator of the assembly, Mr. Jotham Gardner town clerk, and Mr. Thomas Day and Mr. Martin Armstrong overseers of the road, fences, and cattle. However, when the first town meeting held in Willsboro on April 9, 1776, both Will Gilliland and Martin Armstrong had been replaced in the assembly hierarchy, and were most likely no longer in the area.
The first of our ancestors from whom we can definitively trace our surname was Martin Armstrong. Family genealogists have estimated that Martin was born between 1735 and 1750. However, based on the birth year of his oldest child (Lois - 1767), it is probable that he was born some time between 1738 and 1748 in either Ireland or America. As of this writing, we do not know the name of his father, his mother or his siblings (there were probably several). One source (see Reference Listing, #17) states that his second wife was named Abigail, and that she died in Shoreham, VT on 11 Dec 1811. Land records in Ticonderoga, NY show that Martin's grandson (also named Martin) and another probable relative by the name of Edgar F. Armstrong, purchased two lots on 21 Mar 1861 (see Reference Listing, #18). The younger Martin is identified as the son of Jewitt Armstrong, (the) son of Martin Armstrong of Willsboro, N.Y. and Shoreham, VT. Per Reference #40, page 249, we know that Will Gilliland served as a 1st Lieutenant in Lasher's Regiment, New York Militia, from 28 June 1775 to the April-June timeframe of 1776. This would seem to explain his absence from Willsboro during the 1776 town assembly. Just over a month after the first assembley, the first blood of the American Revolution was shed at Lexington and the beginning of the War likely contributed to their absence. Will Gilliland was a well-known and influential revolutionary, having the dubious honor of being proscribed and outlawed by name in June, 1775, by the Governor of Canada who offered a reward of 500 pounds for his arrest (see Reference Listing, #19, page 234).
Gilliland was reported to have been an associate of Colonel Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, and it is said that it was he that first proposed the daring capture of Fort Ticonderoga (see Reference Listing, #19, pages 234 and 235). He is also believed to have been present at the expedition rendezvous point in Castelton, VT when Benedict Arnold arrived. General Benedict Arnold had received authority from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety to raise and command a body of troops in that area for the purpose of capturing Ticonderoga. However, he had not carried out this undertaking, and when he learned of Allen's proposed expedition he hurried to Castelton and demanded that command of the forces be turned over to him. At this point a dispute arose between Arnold and Allen, and the pioneers who had assembled in haste under Allen for the purpose of capturing the King's forts, were in no mood to yield to Arnold's insolent demand. Allen and his men threatened to abandon the expedition and it was at this point that one account indicates that Will Gilliland stepped in to help settle the dispute. It is interesting to note that another source (see Reference Listing, #21, pages 12 - 15), claims that the role of mediator in this disagreement should be credited to another man, Amos Callendar of Shoreham, VT, and that several residents of that community were members of Allen's band. In fact, this same reference claims that the offensive against Fort Ticonderoga was actually launched from a point known as Hand's Cove in the town of Shoreham. In any event, Gilliland is said to have been friendly with both men, and succeeded in reaching a compromise where both men would enter the captured fort together. On May 10, 1775 (just 20 days after the Battle of Lexington), Fort Ticonderoga was surprised and captured without bloodshed, as were British-occupied forts at the head of Lake George and Crown Point (see Reference Listing #21, page 15). According to a written family history (see Reference Listing, #12), an Armstrong family member was said to have been a member of Colonel Allen's group that day -- could this have been our Martin?
Still another source exists that further suggests that our ancestors were involved. Reference #10, is a biography of Jerome B. Armstrong, who we have already mentioned in Chapter 3. In this biography, the following statements are made: The grandfather of our subject (Jerome) and three of his uncles, two on the paternal side and one on the maternal, served throughout the Revolutionary War. Two of the number held commissions, seeing official duty in connection with the struggle for independence. One of the uncles was shot in the neck at the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the bullet, passing through his body, ranged downward and was taken out of his back. He recovered from the wound, however, and lived to a good old age. It appears, that he is actually referring to his great-grandfather, Martin, as his grandfather, Elliott, was only a toddler when the Revolution began. While we know his maternal great-grandfather served under General George Washington, he does not appear to have been involved in the encounter at Fort Ticonderoga. This, however, is the third reference that we have come across to the events at Fort Ticonderoga, and a family member's involvement. The reference to two paternal uncles also brings back to mind previous family folklore that referred to two of Martin's brothers named John and Eliot. In any event, this seems to infer that Martin and three other family members served throughout the conflict. In addition, per Virginia Armstrong, a Martin Armstrong is listed at the National Archives as number 1042, Hays' Regiment, NY Militia. From Gilliland's diary, a Major Udney Hays was known to have been in Willsboro, NY, during the American Revolution. She theorized that he may have there to help Gilliland organize his group of militiamen (see Reference Listing, #22), and also believed that it is with this group that Martin fought throughout the Revolutionary War.
Somehow, during these events, Will Gilliland seems to have incurred the enmity of Benedict Arnold, as Arnold concentrated on raiding Gilliland's homestead and property on several occasions during 1776. Gilliland complained to Arnold in a letter written in September 1776, and Arnold responded by instigating charges against Gilliland, accusing him of disloyalty to the American cause. In 1776/1777, Gilliland was arrested and imprisoned in the fort at Albany, NY, but released early the following year. When the American troops retreated from Canada, the environs of Lake Champlain became exposed to the incursions of the British forces and the sanguinary ravages of their tory and indian allies. Gilliland's estate on the Boquet River was ransacked, and most of his tenants hastily abandoned their farms and improvements, and fled with what little property they could take with them (see Reference Listing, #19, page 236). It is likely that this is what happened to Martin and his family.
Martin is believed to have married the first time about 1766, possibly in Willsboro, to a woman whose name, unfortunately, we do not know. His first two children--Lois and Jewett--are believed to have been born in New York in 1767 and 1769. One source states that his youngest son Elliott was born in 1772 while he was a resident of Shoreham, Vermont (see Reference Listing, #23, page 277). I believe this to be a publisher's error, however, as the first settlers in Shoreham arrived in 1766 and few families settled here prior to the Revolutionary War (see Reference Listing, #21, page 11). It is more likely that Elliot was also born in NY as correctly stated on page 278 of reference #23 (see also Reference Listing, #24)-again, probably in Willsboro. Even after the war, Shoreham was a pretty primitive setting with the first school teacher not arriving until at least 1785 and no regular physician in residence until 1788 or 1789 (see Reference Listing, #81 and #74).
One source states that Martin's first wife died in Shoreham on 4 Jan 1776 (see Reference Listing, #23, page 277), although I doubt the validity of such a claim as another source indicates that the death of the first woman of the early settlers did not occur in Shoreham until 1783 (see Reference Listing #21, page 134). Virginia also believes that his first wife died in 1776, and that her death may have coincided with attacks by the British and their indian allies that drove the settlers from Willsboro( see Reference Listing, #19).
Virginia also came across the will of an Englishman who makes reference to certain family members living in colonial America. His will raises some interesting coincidences and questions and reads as follows:
Nicholas Coxe of Newington Green, Middlesex, gentleman, 17 July 1765, proved 16 November 1765. To my niece Elizabeth Jennys fifteen hundred pounds capital stock in Annuities of four pounds per cent per annum, transferable at the Bank of England, and to be transferred to her within three months after my death; also the interest of eight hundred pounds &c. for life; and after her death I give the capital of the said eight hundred pounds (three per cent Annuities) to her brother, Richard Jennys of Boston in New England and Richard Jennys, his son, and to her sister Rebecca Armstrong, wife of Mr. Martin Armstrong of Jamaica (Long Island, NY), equally to be divided amongst them or the survivors of them. One thousand pounds due me on mortgage of my late nephew Dr. Coxe's house in Dover Street &c. Mrs. Martha Smith, late Martha Coxe, the widow of the late Dr. Coxe. My niece Martha Rogers, wife of Mr. Thomas Rogers. My sister-in-law Mrs. Hannah Coxe. Mr. John Christopher Smith and Martha his wife, late Martha Coxe. To my nephew Mr. Richard Jennys of Boston in New England two hundred pounds, if living at time of my death, and if not then to his son Richard. My nephew Richard Coxe son of my brother Coldham Coxe. My nephew Mr. Martin Armstrong of Jamaica and Rebecca, his wife. My great-nephew William Coxe. Coldham Coxe an infant son of my nephew Richard Coxe, and Cecilia Coxe an infant daughter of the same. All the children of my late nephew Dr. Coxe deceased by the said Martha his wife, now Martha Smith, that is to say, William, Edward, Peter, George, Martha and Emilia Coxe.
Rushworth, 405.
Later research has tentatively led me to believe that this is the same Martin Armstrong that subsequently took up residence in Somerset County, New Jersey.
As stated in Chapter 3, Wilma DeCourcey believes that Martin's first wife's name was Elizabeth, and that she had family who owned land in Haverstraw, Orange County, NY. She also believes that she and Martin may have lived in that area until her death in the early 1780's (see Reference Listing, #25). Mrs. DeCourcey also is said to have located a deed where a Martin Armstrong sold property in New York in March 1786 (see Reference Listing, #14). She further believes that this Martin Armstrong moved to Shoreham, VT shortly thereafter. As mentioned in the preceding chapter, there is reason to believe that this may have been a different Martin Armstrong. As a result, Martin's whereabouts and activities throughout the course of the American Revolution (or from about 1776 to 1786) are unclear.
In 1786, it is reported that Martin took the Freeman's Oath in Shoreham, Addison County, VT (see Reference Listing, #14), and he appears as a resident there in 1790 (see Reference Listing, #26). On September 3, 1791, he purchased 100 acres of land from Joseph Ames for 25 pounds (lot 70, 1st. Division). His daughter Lois is believed to have married Joseph Ames' son William in 1789, and the meager amount charged for a land purchase of this size, makes for some interesting speculation. For example, on January 1, 1788, this same Joseph Ames sold 50 acres of land to another of his sons (Elijah) for a total of 30 pounds. Why this obvious favoritism in the price of land shown to Martin? Wilma DeCourcey speculates that this could have been a payment-in-kind for a marriage arrangement between William Ames and Lois Armstrong in order to provide a home for William's young bastard son Barnabus born in 1788 (see Reference Listing, #17).
Martin appears on the Shoreham tax lists from 1790 through 1806 and he and his second wife, Abigail, are believed to have resided with his son Elliott some years thereafter (see Reference Listing #17). The land that he purchased from Joseph Ames he sold to his son Elliott on October 22, 1793, and signed the deed in Orwell, Vt. on March 24, 1794. His son-in-law, William Ames, witnessed the transaction. Martin sold his final four acres of land at Shoreham (lot #58) in 1814. Mrs. DeCourcey believes that he may have moved with his son Jewett to Crown Point, NY where he died between 1815 and 1820. However, one summary of our family history claims that he was buried in Shoreham, VT (see Reference Listing #11), so this may not be true (Map of Vermont).
An interesting side note - In Rev. Josiah Goodhue's History of the Town of Shoreham, 1761 to 1861 (see Reference Listing, #21, he goes into great detail to identify the early residents of Shoreham, yet no where in the narrative history of the town are the Armstrong's mentioned--even though they are known to have resided in Shoreham as early as the mid 1780's and the last of the Shoreham Armstrong's (Elliot) died there in 1852, just nine years before Goodhue's book was published. In his book, Rev. Goodhue demonstrates a distinct bias towards those citizens he views as serious-minded and godly, and must less interest in those other elements comprised of the ex-soldiery, many of whom had what he viewed as an impious interest in demon spirits. Perhaps this at least partially explains why the Armstrongs as well as the Treadways (see Chapter 6) are not mentioned (except as discussed in Chapter 5).
Two typewritten summaries of an Armstrong family history have been handed down over the years (see Reference Listing, #11 and #12), and all were in the hands of descendants of Rolla Silas Armstrong, who we will learn more about in Chapter 6. Both of these summaries are interesting, not only because of the family folklore that they provide, but also because of differences between them. The first of these summaries came into the hands of Kaye Powell in 1994 among materials sent to her by James McLaughlin of Michigan, another descendent of Rolla Silas Armstrong. Somehow, he had come across a letter written by Henry Ransom Armstrong (the son of Spencer Armstrong who we will meet in Chapter 6 - see Contributing Relative Listing, #9) prior to 1912. The second version was sent to me by Judy Walgren (see Contributing Relatives Listing. #10), and was attached to a family tree listing of Phelps and Armstrong ancestors. The author and time frame of preparation are unknown. While there are some definite factual inconsistencies, as with most folklore (written or verbal) much of it may be true. The two versions share much of the same wording, although both versions seem to contain some information that has been inserted by family members at some period after the piece was originally written). The two narratives read as follows: The Armstrongs came from Normandy, France, with William the Conqueror to England. (Version #1 - That is the reason of Armstrong instead of Strongarm). At the time of the War between England and Scotland a clan of them had a castle or stronghold on the border from which they raided England for supplies for the Scotch army. After the war some of them moved over to Ireland. Years after three brothers went over to Long Island, America. Afterwards one of the brothers (Version #2 - Martin) moved over on to the mainland to a settlement of Dutch Puritans so strict that a child couldn't have an apple on Sunday unless he got it before sundown Saturday evening. There were two boys, half brothers, Eliot (named after his mother's clan) married Eleanor (Version #2 - spelled Elinor) Phelps. Before the Revolutionary War, the Armstrongs, some Phelps and Wrights (Version #2 - ancestors of Kent Walworth in Chelsea) went over the mountains to Lake Champlain to the protection of the Ticonderoga fort, then a French trading post. (Version #1) Eliot and his father stopped on the east side, Thomas went west side. Years after some of his children moved to South Bend, IN. Great grandfather was buried in a little yard walled in with a rough stone wall in what is called now East Shoreham, VT. (Version #2) When Ethan Allen captured Fort Ticonderoga he was accompanied by 77 Green Mountain Boys - one of whom was named Armstrong. Elliot Armstrong was buried in a little yard walled in with a rough stone wall in what is called now East Shoreham, VT.
As mentioned earlier, most of these two versions are practically identical. It does not appear that Henry R. Armstrong's version was the original, but we do know that the summary was included in a letter written by his daughter, Mrs. Carrie Chermak (see Contributing Relatives Listing, #11), along with other genealogical information and sent to a J. B. Armstrong (probably Jerome Bonaparte - see Chapter 6) at an address in Tampa, Florida in 1912 (see Reference Listing, #27). We know that there were several family members during that period who were interested in genealogy and made sporadic contact with each other, but we do not know how a modified version of this narrative also ended up in the hands of Rolla Silas Armstrong's descendent, nor can we account for the localized or historical differences between the two. However, the information presented in these two brief summaries certainly is interesting to those of us who are descendants, and does serve up some tantalizing clues when considered in combination with what we know to be factual, as well as other information handed down from generation to generation over the years.
The first difference between the two summaries appears in version #1 where the author attempts to explain the origin of our surname. However, the logic behind the argument is unclear, as the difference between the name Armstrong in English and Strongarm (or Fortenbra) in French is the result of inherent differences between the two languages, a linguistic juxtapostion of adverbs, rather than differences in the spelling of our surname itself.
The second difference appears in version #2 where Martin is identified as the brother that moved to the American mainland to a settlement of Dutch Puritans. If Martin did live in a settlement of Dutch Puritans, it would have been prior to the middle to late 1760s when he was a resident of Willsboro, NY. The location of such settlements during America's colonial period, as well as any surviving records relevant to residents during this time frame, may well be worth researching further.
A third difference between the two narratives also appears in version #2, when a person by the name of Kent Walworth of Chelsea, MI is identified as a descendent of a family with the surname of Wright. The Wrights are identified as associates of the Armstrongs prior to the Revolutionary War. While this may be nothing more that folklore, if it is true, it would lead one to believe that there was much more known about the history of these two families than we now know. How would this possibly be known approximately 150 years later if some forgotten genealogical treasure chest of information about these two families did not exist? If it did exist, does it still exist today?
The most significant difference between the two narratives appears in the next to last sentence in each version. Version #1 refers to Eliot and his unnamed father who are said to have settled on the east side of Lake Champlain (apparently referring to Shoreham, VT). Then introduced is a previously unknown Armstrong by the name of Thomas. However, the narrative is worded somewhat unclearly, and the reader is left somewhat confused as to whether this Thomas is supposed to be Eliot's half brother, or perhaps one of his father's brothers (as Elliott was born in 1772 and would have been a baby at the time, it would apparently be the latter). Further, the introduction of a half brother is also new to those of us who have researched our family. The only brother we know of is Jewett, who is believed to be Elliott's brother, not a half brother. Some additional historical credibility is added to this rendition, however, as the author goes on to say that Thomas settled on the west side of Lake Champlain. We know that Jewett settled in Crown Point, on the New York side of Lake Champlain (see Reference Listing, #20, pages 335, 335, 358 and 359, and that both Elliott and Jewett's son Martin owned property in Ticonderoga (see Reference Listing, #28). We also know that another probable son of Jewett named Josiah, lived in Hannover, NY for a time. Did whoever originally prepared this family history, transpose the name of Thomas for Jewett, or is there actually a half brother that we do not know about? The author goes on to relate that some of Thomas' children later moved to South Bend, Indiana. Research of census records after the turn of the 19th century should reveal if any Armstrong family members from Vermont or New York later moved to the South Bend area.
Version #2 references a completely different historical event in its penultimate sentence. It references Ethan Allen's capture of Fort Ticonderoga, and goes on to mention that one of his Green Mountain Boys was named Armstrong. While this does not specifically say that this Armstrong was our ancestor, this would appear to be the only reason that the author would even bother to mention this historic event. As Martin was previously a resident of New York, it would be a bit of a stretch to call him a Green Mountain Boy, but the fact that Virginia's research of Will Gilliland had already led her to this early occurrence in the American Revolution, again seems to add to its credibility.
The final discrepancy appears in the last sentence of these narratives. Version #1 states that great-grandfather was buried in East Shoreham, VT. If this portion was written or modified by Henry Armstrong, then the ancestor being referred to would be Martin Armstrong. Wilma DeCourcey's research has led her to believe that Martin may have lived out his last years with his son Jewett in Crown Point, NY, and that he may have died there between 1815 and 1820 (see Reference Listing, #17). She makes this assumption based on the fact that Martin last appeared on the Shoreham Tax Lists in 1806, and that he sold his last four acres of land in Shoreham in 1814. This final sentence of our family history, would tend to lead one to believe that Martin may have stayed with his son Elliott (who, per the 1810 census, we believe he lived with) until his death. However, the second version identifies Elliott Armstrong as the ancestor who was buried in East Shoreham. We know from other sources that Elliott was buried in Shoreham (see Reference Listing, #29), so this discrepancy does little to resolve the issue of where Martin died.
In June 1996, Bill Spencer (see Contributing Relatives Listing, #13) (who originally contacted me after having seen my home page on the Internet) sent me a handwritten copy of the Armstrong family history mentioned above (see Reference Listing, #37). The history was written in pencil on both sides of two yellowed, 5" by 8" sheets of paper and was barely legible. I spent several hours going over it and carefully transcribed the history in typewritten form. I found it to be virtually identical to version #1 (Reference #11) discussed above. In fact the only difference I found was that instead of referring to Eliot as being named after his mother's clan it reads named after his mother's kin. This excerpt from the letter is difficult to read and it is understandable how such an error could have been made when originally typed. This gives me reason to believe that version #2 was rewritten by someone who had additional knowledge of our Armstrong history and applied it to his/her rewrite. As a result, the above discussion of version #1, I now tend to wonder a bit more as to whether there really was a brother by the name of Thomas, and suspect that Shoreham, VT may actually be where Martin was buried.
In summary, while much of the above may be nothing more than familial story-telling, the fact remains that Martin did live in Willsboro and was an associate of Will Gillialnd. In turn, Will Gilliland was with Ethan Allen at the capture of Fort Ticonderoga (see Reference Listing, #41) as were several residents of Shoreham, VT, and neighboring towns. It does not take much of a leap of imagination to theorize as several family researchers have, that it may have been through this encounter that Martin first became acquainted with the men of that Vermont settlement located just across the waters of Lake Champlain. Although he is known to have been in Shoreham shortly after the conclusion of the War, there is nothing to indicate that he was not actually there several years earlier -- there must have been some protected nest in the New England wilderness where he felt his young, motherless family was secure.
While this combination of facts, folklore and circumstantial evidence makes for a compelling story, other information, I feel, tends to bring them into doubt. As mentioned above, Will Gilliland and several men from Shoreham, VT, were present at the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. However, neither Martin's name or that of any other Armstrong is included in the above list of participants or any other list of participants in that skirmish that I have seen. Also not listed were any participants with the surname of Treadway and no where is any mention made of an American being shot during the fort's capture. Interestingly, there was a Captain Noah Phelps and a Captain Elisha Phelps, both listed as being from Simsbury, CT, who were listed as affiliated with Allen's group. As will be discussed in a subsequent chapter, Martin's youngest son Elliot, married a member of the Phelps family.
Virginia Armstrong also believed that the Hay's Regiment referred to in Martin's service record was actually commanded by Major Udney Hay. While I tend to agree with her, I do not believe that Major Hay commanded a combat unit composed of Willsboro militia members. The supplement to Reference #42 makes 10 or 12 references to a Colonel Udney Hay, Esq. as the NY State Agent and later as the NY Deputy Quarter Master General. In Gilliland's diary, Hay is mentioned in connection with food purchases for the American army that he made from Gilliland and the initials A.D.Q.M.G. are shown after his name (Assistant Deputy Quarter Master General). Apparently, noncombatants are not listed in the DAR Patriot Index, thus explaining why neither Hay or Martin's names appear there.
During the one hundred plus years that passed from the actual events of that period until the publishing of Joseph Armstrong's two biographies, it is probable that these stories had been repeated and embellished in family circles several dozen times. Unfortunately, it also appears that the facts became somewhat obscured and that family and even generational relationships may have become confused. Additional research needs to be done to determine what kind of American War records exist for members of the Quartermaster Corps during this era. In the meantime, Martin Armstrong remains an intriguing enigma.
Martin Armstrong's Offspring
1. Lois (Armstrong) Ames
Lois married William Augustus Ames in Shoreham in approximately 1789 and in 1803 moved with her husband and family to Canton, St. Lawrence, NY, where she died in 1849. In addition to her husband's oldest son, Barnabus, who was born to another womean before he married Lois, the had their own family of at least seven children.
2. Jewett Armstrong
Shortly after the war of 1812, Jewett moved north to Crown Point, Essex County, NY, where he is cited as being one of the founding fathers of that town in 1813. He is also shown on the assessor's roles for that village in 1818. Little else is known of Jewett other than he married and had as many as five sons and two or three daughters. One son was named Martin, and he and his wife Lucy Ann Crumb, are known to have owned property in Ticonderoga, NY in the 1860s (see Reference Listing, #28). Two other sons are believed to have been named Josiah and John. Jewett's son Josiah was born in 1806 in Vermont, and is believed to have married a woman by the name of Jerusha. They have three sons and three daughters, the first five of whom were born in Canada. There last child, named Charles, was born in Hannover, Chataqua County, NY about 1849/1850 (see Reference Listing, #15).
Jewett's wife is believed to have died in Crown Point, NY between 1840 and 1850. In 1850, Jewett lived in Chatauqua, NY, where he is said to have been a blacksmith and pauper, living in a house for the poor (see Reference Listing #17).
3. Elliott Armstrong
See Chapter .
