Orville
Spencer Armstrong
I am writing
of my maternal grandfather, Orville Spencer Armstrong who I never
saw. As a young boy he started a diary, and kept a weekly entry
until 12 days before he died. From reading I have formed a very
favorable impression of him. From reading I have formed a very
favorable impression of him. His early writing recorded family
events - quite a happy boyhood, content on the stony Vermont
farm - one of a large family, very eager to learn. After completing
8 grades - of winter session only - his last teacher spoke to
his parents about his continuing school which he seemed eager
to do but money was scarce and he had to give up that dream.
He taught school for several winter terms boarding a week with
each family that sent a child to school. He married a school
mate and close neighbor - Lucia Barnum, a practical girl who
balanced his more impractical disposition well.
He liked
to express himself on paper; she put her dreams into beautiful
needlework and perfection in housekeeping. They moved West the
year after their marriage - stopping several months in Freeport,
IL but the climate was unfavorable to his health so they continued
west to Chatfield (MN), where the chosen valley was in embryo
state. He helped run a store there and in 1856 my mother Winnieshiek
Alice was born to the young couple.
They had
lived at the Medary House, an enterprising hotel until he had
erected a small house on Main Street consisting of two large
rooms, one on the first floor and one on the second - connected
by a ladder. Another young couple by the name of Burnap moved
into the loft room. They moved in while the plaster was still
wet - a terrible storm and intense cold wave came on that night
the plaster froze dry and never thawed out. The next day Lucia
moved into the lower apartment.
The winter
continued severe. They spread the homespun blue counterpane (a
quilt or bedcover) woven from the marino sheep wool raised on
the Vermont Barnum farm, spun, dyed and woven by Lucia's mother
Mary. On the floor they sat in two chairs in front of the wood
coolstove. Between them they stretched the walnut board used
to roll out the biscuits as their first table. For 90 days the
eves on the south side of the house never dripped. A crust formed
on the snow that made travel most difficult.
He attended
to his duties at the store, kept a huge supply of wood on hand
for the stove and gradually accumulated their furniture - all
made by the local cabinet maker, (and) hewn from the walnut logs
sawed in the mill on Mill Creek in Chatfield. The hills were
covered with virgin timber. The neighbors were close knit by
necessity. The first doctors struggled with a small pox epidemic
- fears of the disease was so prevalent that they buried the
victims after dark. Orville helped in these sad duties.
In March
two babies were born in this primitive home, during the same
week. A young girl came to attend the mothers. The baby girl
of the Burnap's died of pneumonia. My mother had it too but survived.
During
these first years in Chatfield my grandfather was associated
in business with Milo White in the first store and with Bemis
of the Bemis Bay Co. later formed in Mpls.
Letters
came and went to the Shoreham home. Spencer and Clarinda decided
to move west. They preempted the farm later known as the Ruby
Harrison farm at Pilot Mound and when arrangements were complete
the whole family migrated west. Anson settled on an 80 adjoining
his father's land. He and Marian also taught school in an academy
in Chatfield until their untimely deaths.
Henry (Ransom
Armstrong - Orville's brother) married Mr. Coffin's daughter
(Harriet) and lived up the valley towards Allen Cody. Laura (Clarinda
Armstrong - Orville's sister) and Stephen (Souther) were married
in Vermont and after Anson's death, they moved onto Anson's farm,
living there to raise their large family and Henry's baby girl
Eleanor. After his wife died, Ruth went to live with Orville
and family and Carrie, age 12 kept house for her father. She
developed pneumonia and lost the use of one lung but grew into
a gracious lovely person later to become John Chermak's wife.
Sarah (Elizabeth Armstrong - Orville's sister) married Birney
Cravath. They farmed near Henry's farm. Birney was killed saving
the life of a school teacher who boarded with them. She attempted
suicide and in working over her, Birney inhaled the poisonous
fumes and died while the girl lived. Wallace and Laura (Birney
and Sarah's children) were left without a father. Sarah later
married Sidney Maynard at Troy and they continued to farm. Caroline
was born to them. Uncle Sidney was the one usually asked to say
grace at our Thanksgiving reunion. Also John McKeown's (Kate
Souther's husband - the son-in-law of Stephen Souther and Laura
Clarinda Armstrong) words of thanks to our Heavenly father still
remains in my memory.
Talk of
a railroad began to fill the papers. Several men were delegated
to go to St. Paul (MN) to induce the RR company to route thru
Chatfield, but the road was surveyed to run thru Eyota with a
branch to be built to Chatfield and Painview. Orville became
the first station agent and left Lucia and Winnie (their daughter
Winnieshiek - Lois' mother) in Chatfield until a place was built
for them.
Written
by Lois May Early [21 May 1900 to 11 Feb 1987]
A handwritten
note appears at the bottom of the original typewritten sheet
which reads as follows:
He was,
from his diaries, a thoughtful sensitive man who cherished family
ties. He was a prudent, industrious man who loved to plant trees
and flowers for the future and was most of all - a good Christian
man and neighbor.
Orville S.
Armstrong was the oldest of 10 children born to Spencer and Clarinda
Armstrong.