By Nancy Thaut, 26 February 2000

My ggreatgrandmother was Olive Melissa Armstrong Heath Goold was the 9th of
the 10 known children of Dr. David Wing Armstrong and Sarah Treadway
Armstrong,. She was born May 12, 1847 in West Haven, VT. Before she reached
the age of 2 years, her family moved to Parma, Jackson, MI and her father established his own residence and medical practice in town.

The 1850 census taken August 22, 1850, showed the following family members
living in Parma, MI. as: David 45, Sarah 41, Jerome 18, Sarah 15, Ellen 12,
Alva 8, Rolla 6, and Olive 3.

Olive's mother Sarah died in Nov 1856 when Olive was 9 years old. From the
information that I have found to date, the Armstrong family was quite a
close knit group. In times of hardships, brothers and sisters took over the
care and raising of other family members. On June 5, 1859 David Wing
Armstrong married Marietta Brown and according to the 1860 Michigan census
Olive was living with her sister Sarah and husband George M Lewis.

The civil war effected this family like it did most families during 1861-65
and beyond. Family members and spouses of family members had died or had
health problems because of wounds from this period of time. Other health
problems and deaths occurred also with the lose of children in infancy and
the women with various other complications. George Lewis, Sarah's husband
died in 1865 apparently from wounds suffered during the Civil War.

According to David Wing's medical account book, on 21 December1864, "Olive
departed the area (Parma, Michigan)." My guess is that she went to live
with her sister Ellen and Trumbull Goold in Galesburg, IL. I believe she
met Sidney Heath while living with them when he returned from active duty
in the Civil War. Sidney was born and raised in Galesburg, Knox Co, IL.
Sidney had been in the Civil War, 83rd infantry, company E, residence
Center Point, Knox, Il. mustered in 7 Aug 1862 and discharged 26 Jun 1865.

Olive married Sidney F. Heath in Galesburg, Knox Co, Illinois on March 22,
1866.

According to the Andreas Plat Book, 1900 Land abstracts, Page County, Iowa,
in 1868 Sidney F Heath bought 120 acres in the township of Colfax and
worked the land as a farmer. According to the August 15, 1870 census,
Sidney 27, Olive 23, and Nora 1 were living in Washington Township, Page
County. He showed that the value of real estate was 1600 and personal value
of 700.

Things had changed a lot for Olive in the next 10 years. She had 3 more children - Nora was now 11, Rolla 9, Lillie (Lillian Lucinda my great grandmother) 8, and Sidney 2, as the June 15, 1880 census showed her living in Colfax Township, Page County. (Probably on the land Sidney has purchased in 1868.) Sidney F. had died April 18, 1878, one week before their son Sidney was born April 25, 1878, according to Sidney F's Civil War pension papers. Olive's brother Alva Armstrong was living with her at the time along with 2 of his children Lillie 11 and Rolla 9.

It must have been confusing having two Rolla's and two Lillie's in the
household. Alva's wife Mary Colton Armstrong and Olive's husband Sidney
Heath had died in about 1878. Alva had 2 other children that were living
with their sister Ellen Armstrong Goold at that time, then Ellen died of
cancer in November of 1880.

November 14, 1881 Olive married her brother-in-law Trumbull Goold and moved
to Illinois with her 4 children. Trumbull and Ellen had 6 children with the
youngest one born the month before Ellen died.

In 1884 Trumbull, Olive and family moved to Howard, Miner, SD. In January
30,1886 Howard Ralph Goold was born and October 22, 1888, Raymond Harrison
Goold was born.

In 1888 the Goold's were very active in the Methodist Episcopal Church .
Trumbull is shown as the S.S. Superintendent and on the board of trustees
and stewards. Miss Adelle Goold was the treasurer of the Ladies Aid.
Members of the family at that time were: Adelle, Ellen, Olive M., Ollie,
and T.C (Trumbull) Goold and Lillie, Nora and Sidney Heath. In 1890 Olive
was found in SD drawing Sidney Heath's Civil War pension. June 5, 1900
census showed that Trumbell, Olive, Adelle, Howard and Raymond Goold were
still living in Howard, Miner SD. Trumbull died in 1903 and was buried next
to his first wife Ellen in New Windsor, IL. Olive died in Los Angeles in
1914 and was buried next to her first husband Sidney in Rose Hill cemetery,
Shenandoah, IA..

Dr. Emil Kirchgessner begin his practice in South Dakota 1891 after
graduating from Benett College of Eclechic Medical Surgery Chicago, Il. He
met Lillian Lucinda Heath, they married and moved to Medford Jackson OR in
1893 where he settled into his permanent medical practice location.

Emil Kirchgessner had been born in Germany in 1857 and had migrated to
America in 1874. He had also graduated from Medical and Surgical College of
the State of NJ, Jersey City in 1889.

September 24, 1893 their son, Francis Sidney (my grandfather) was born. On
August 28, 1895 twin girls Eva Johanna and Edith were born. In about
1901-03 Lillian and Emil divorced and he remarried in 1904. Lillian
Kirchgessner never remarried and died in Hollywood, CA April 18, 1938.

Frank Sidney Kirchgessner changed his last name to Kirk when he was around
20 years old. On February 2 1917 he joined the Canadian Army, was wounded
twice and released Nov 8, 1918. He met and married Jean/Jeanette Anna
McClelland who had been born in Scotland and came to Canada as a 'home
child' and had worked as a domestic. They moved to Tacoma, Washington in
1919.

On August 25, 1919 their 1st daughter Edith Estella was born and on that
same day Frank began working for Sperry Flour Mills and he later became
foreman. On October 7, 1920 Walter Frank (my father) was born. On November
26, 1921 Florence Jean was born and Evelyn Margaret was born August 31,
1926.

Jean died of Influenza November 12, 1932 at the age of 33. At the time of
her death the two youngest children went to live with their Aunt Edith in
California and also visited with their grandmother Lillian Kirchgessner who
was also living in Los Angeles, until their father could make arrangements
for them at home in Tacoma. On April 18, 1936 Florence Jean died of General
Septicemia (overwhelming bacterial infection, blood poisoning). Both mother
and daughter are buried at Mt View Cemetery in Tacoma, WA. Frank died in
May 1955.

Walt quit high school and enlisted in the Army February 4, 1938 at Ft Lewis
and began as a truck driver. He played football for Ft. Lewis, wrestled,
and was a lifeguard at American Lake. May of 1940 he transferred to
recruiting service and served in Prosser, Pasco, Spokane, and Yakima area.
He planned on being a recruiting officer as a permanent career.

About a year after he joined the service he met my mother Evelyn May
Carlson who was in nursing training at Tacoma General Hospital. In June of
1939 she graduated and became an RN. They were married in1940 in Pasco,
Washington. On July 5, 1941 their only child, Nancy Jean was born in
Tacoma, Washington.

December 30, 1942 Walt was assigned to the 104th Timberwolf Division at
Camp Adair, OR and later trained at Camp Carson, CO. His last trip home
was the summer of 1944 when Nancy was 3 years old. After that leave he went
to New York, was shipped overseas and landed in France at Cherbourg,
September 7,1944. Walt was a 1st Sgt with the 104th "Timberwolf" Division,
Headquarters 386th Field Artillery Battalion. He was killed in action in
Duren, Germany February 25, 1945. He was buried at Henri Chapelle in
Belgium the next day. In October of 1947 he was brought back to Tacoma and
buried near his mother and sister at Mt. View Cemetery.

Nancy grew up in the Tacoma area. She started her seventh school in 7th
grade. Six of those schools were in Tacoma. She graduated from Bethel High
School in 1959 and that fall went to Western Washington College in
Bellingham, WA. where she met her future husband, Roy Calvin Thaut.

Roy graduated from Western in June of 1960 and Nancy went to work for the
Tacoma New Tribune until they married February 4, 1961. Roy was working for
the Boeing company in Seattle and February of 1962 they bought a home in
Burien. Their 1st child, Bradley Kirk was born July 27, 1962. In August
1966 the SeaTac airport bought their home as part of a runway expansion
project and they moved to Kent. November 21, 1966 their daughter, Terri
Layne was born. On April 4, 1969 their son Jason Carl was born.