BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of
Wayne Co., Ohio
Vol. II
Illustrated
Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana
1910
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D. C. Armstrong
Residence |
DAVID CALVIN ARMSTRONG.
The first half of the nineteenth century was characterized by the
immigration of that pioneer element which made the great state of
Ohio what it is. These immigrants were sturdy, heroic,
upright, sincere people, such as constitute the intrinsic strength
of a commonwealth. It scarcely appears probable that in the
future history of the world another such period can occur, or indeed
any period when such a solid phalanx of strong-minded men and
heroic, self-sacrificing women will take possession of a new
country. Too careful or too frequent reference cannot be made
in the pages of history concerning those who have figured as the
founders and builders of a great commonwealth, and in connection
with this brief review of the personal history of Mr.
Armstrong it is our privilege to touch incidentally and
specifically upon interesting data in regard to the sterling pioneer
family of which he is a member and which has been identified with
the annals of the Buckeye state since an early period in the last
century. The subject of this sketch is known as one of the
influential and worthy citizens and successful agriculturists of
Seneca county, where he has passed practically his entire life.
David C. Armstrong was born in Canaan township,
Wayne county, Ohio, on the 2d day of October, 1853, and is a son of
Calvin and Mary (McKee) Armstrong, the former of whom was
born in Canaan township on June 3, 1826, and the latter in Wooster,
Ohio, Apr. 24, 1826. The subject’s paternal grandfather,
Thomas Armstrong, was born in Northumberland,
Pennsylvania, on the 22d of August, 1776. In his youth he came
to Ohio, locating in Columbiana county, where he grew to manhood,
and, in 1801,married Jane Cook. He was a soldier
in the war of 1812, and after the surrender of General
Hull at Detroit, he was commissioned a captain and won other
military honors. After the close of the war he came to Wayne
county, Ohio, and settled on Clear creek, where he lived two years.
He then located on what became the Armstrong homestead
in the southwestern part of Canaan township. This section of
the county was at that time very sparsely settled, there being hut
three families within a radius of four miles of his cabin. He
at once entered upon the herculean task of clearing this land and
putting it in shape for cultivation and none but those who have
performed this class of work can have any adequate idea of what it
really meant. Mr. Armstrong quickly took a front
place among the early settlers and long was considered one of the
most influential and prominent men in his part of the county.
He was the first justice of the peace in Canaan township and
officiated at the wedding of the first couple married in the
township. At the time of his death, which occurred on Mar. 2,
1842, he was the owner of about four hundred acres of land.
Mrs. Jane Armstrong died Apr. 14, 1856. They were both
members of the Wayne Presbyterian church, which he had materially
assisted in erecting in 1840, and his was the first body interred in
the graveyard adjoining.
Calvin Armstrong, the subject's father,
was married Sept. 5, 1847, and built a fine residence one mile east
of his father's home in Canaan township. In 1885 he moved two
miles south and bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, where
he lived until his death, which occurred on Apr. 21, 1901.
Mary McKee Armstrong died on June 16, 1909. They
were both members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics he was
a stanch Republican, and took an active interest in local public
affairs, serving efficiently as township trustee. The children
born to Calvin and Mary Armstrong were David C., the
subject of this sketch; Thomas Albert, born June 10,
1849, lives in Canaan township; Jane A., who was the wife of
W. F. Johnson and died on Dec. 14, 1905; Ina M., the
wife of Thomas Fletcher, of Illinois.
David Calvin Armstrong received
his education in the district school at Golden Corners and during
his vacation periods he devoted his time to assisting his father in
the work of the farm. He remained on the farm as assistant
until 1885, when his father left the farm to him and moved to
another place a mile south, since which time he has devoted his
attention to its operation and in which he has been eminently
successful. He lives in the commodious and attractive country
residence, standing back a distance from the highway and at the end
of an avenue of stately maples. His property embraces one
hundred and seventy-three acres of as fine land as can be found in
Wayne county.
On the 22d of February, 1900, Mr. Armstrong
was united in marriage to Alice J. Smith, who was born Jan.
25, 1859, in Lucas county, Ohio, the daughter of James and
Elizabeth Smith, of Chester township, this county.
James Smith had been a resident for many years near
Toledo, Ohio, and in 1859 moved to Chester township, where he spent
his remaining years.
Source:
History of Wayne Co., Ohio - Vol. II - Illustrated - Publ. by B. F.
Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1910 - Page 1208 |
| |
DAVID D. ARMSTRONG.
At this point we are permitted to touch upon the life history of one
who, if for no other reason, merits recognition in this connection
by reason of his having been a lifelong resident of Wayne county and
a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of this
section of the state. But super-added to this circumstance are
others which render the appearance of his biography within these
pages all the more consistent, for he has here attained a position
of prominence in connection with the agricultural activities of the
county and is honored as one of the upright, genial and whole-souled
citizens of his native county, having a fine farm home in East Union
township, the same being the center of a most cordial hospitality.
David D. Armstrong was born in the township in
which he now resides, on May 5, 1842, and is a son of Robert and
Mary (Hunter) Armstrong. Both of these parents were
natives of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where they were reared.
Their marriage occurred after they had removed to this county.
Here the father bought a farm of one hundred and thirty acres, for
which he paid the sum of eight hundred dollars, and in this
connection it is interesting to note that the same land is today
worth at least one hundred dollars an acre. At the time of purchase
the land was densely covered with the primeval forest growth, and
the first thing done by the pioneer was to clear a small place in
the forest and erect a little log cabin, which, though rough in
appearance and probably inadequately furnished, proved a sufficient
shelter for the happy family which came to brighten the pioneer
home. The land was all eventually cleared and was developed
into a splendid and fertile farm, which approved the wisdom of the
father in seeking the location. In this little home there were
born ten children of whom the three sons were David D., of
this review, Samuel, who now lives in the state of Washington
and Joseph, of Wooster township, this county.
David D. Armstrong was reared in the parental
home and in the winter months secured a fair education in the
district school, which at that early day was somewhat primitive in
methods and equipment. When he was but eight years old his
father died and there devolved on him much of the labor and
responsibility of the farm. It was hard work and at times it
seemed as if it would be necessary for the children to separate, but
by persistent energy and wise management the mother and the subject
were enabled to weather the storm and eventually prosperity rewarded
their efforts. David remained at home until he was
thirty-four years old, at which time he was married. He was at
that time the possessor of six hundred dollars, and during the first
year after his marriage he rented a farm. Afterward she came
in possession, through his wife, of one hundred and thirty acres of
what was known as the old Brown farm, which she inherited
from her father, the tract being devoid of any improvements.
Heat once went to work and in due time developed the place into one
of the choice farms of the township. He erected a full set of
commodious and well-arranged farm buildings, including an attractive
residence situated about a half mile back from the highway and most
beautifully situated. He has here carried on general farming
operations and has been highly successful. He raises all the
crops common to this section of the country and also devotes
considerable attention to the raising of livestock, in which also he
has been prospered. He is up-to-date and progressive in his
ideas and keeps in close touch with the latest ideas relating to
agriculture, not hesitating to adopt that which has been
demonstrated to be superior to old ideas and methods.
In 1876 Mr. Armstrong was united in marriage to
Emma J. Brown, the daughter of Amos Brown, of East
Union township, and to them have been born three children, namely:
Willis married Della Schultz and lives at Kent, Ohio;
Nellie L. is unmarried and lives with her father; Mabel
died at the age of three years. Mrs. Armstrong died in
June, 1899, since which time the daughter Nellie has devoted
herself to her father's care and comfort.
In religion Mr. Armstrong is a faithful and
consistent member of the Presbyterian church, of which he has served
as an elder for more than thirty years. He is a man of honest
convictions and in harmony with his views on the temperance question
he gives an ardent support to the Prohibition party, believing that
the temperance question is the greatest and most important issue now
before the American people. He is held in the highest esteem
in his native county and is known as an able business man and as one
whose probity is above question.
Source: History of Wayne Co., Ohio - Vol. II - Illustrated -
Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1910 - Page
804-806 |
Joseph Armstrong |
JOSEPH ARMSTRONG.
The record of an honorable, upright life is always read with
interest and it better perpetuates the name and fame of the subject
than does a monument, seen by few and soon crumbling into dust
beneath the relentless hand of time. Those who have valiantly fought
and suffered for their country are especially deserving of an honored
place in its annals, and their posterity will turn with a just pride
to these records of the founders and preservers of a prosperous,
united nation. Among the leading and influential citizens of
Wayne county, Ohio, is Joseph Armstrong, who owns and
operates a fine and fertile farm in section 14, Franklin township.
Mr. Armstrong was born in Saltcreek township, Holmes
county, Ohio, on the 6th day of December,1837. He is descended
from sturdy Irish ancestry, his great-grandfather, Joseph
Armstrong, Sr., having been born in county Cavan,
province of Ulster, Ireland. In the year 1800 he brought his
family to the United States, one child dying on the trip across the
Atlantic. They settled in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
where Joseph spent the remainder of his days. His son
Joseph, who also was born in Ireland, married and was the
father of the following children: Thomas, deceased; Joseph,
who died July 12, 1833; John S., father of the subject of
this sketch; Nancy, who became the wife of Robert
Lisle; Susan, who died Apr. 26, 1829. The father of
these children brought his family to Holmes county, Ohio, in 1816,
and settled on a farm which joined the Wayne county line. The
land was at that time densely covered with the primeval forest and
Mr. Armstrong at once entered upon the herculean task
of clearing it and rendering it fit for cultivation. He
married Susan Crowe, whose death occurred Oct. 12,
1852. Their remains now lie buried in the cemetery at
Fredericksburg. John S. Armstrong, father of the
subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1802 and in young manhood he
accompanied his parents on their removal to Holmes county, Ohio.
His education was necessarily somewhat limited, but he made up for
his limitations in this respect by a large fund of what is sometimes
called "horse sense,” being a man of sound judgment and practical
ideas. He was reared to the life of a farmer and to the
pursuit of this vocation he gave the active years of his life.
He was enterprising and progressive and was numbered among the
successful men of his community. He took a marked interest in
the local affairs of the community and in the early days he
organized and trained a company of militia. The splendid farm
of one hundred and sixty acres which he owned was bought of James
Moffitt, who lived in Pennsylvania, and Mr.
Armstrong had to make the trip back to that state with the money
in his saddlebags in order to complete the purchase of the place.
He was a sturdy old pioneer and is still favorably remembered by the
older residents of that community. John S. Armstrong
married Ann Johnson Searight, who was born Oct.
5, 1807, and to them were born the following children; Eliza
Jane, born Mar. 29, 1839, married Luther M. Roby,
and her death occurred Aug. 15, 1897; Joseph, the subject of
this sketch; William Searight, born Aug. 7, 1839, is a
resident of Holmes county, this state; Thomas James,
born Jan. 20, 1841, now lives on the old Armstrong farm,
which was originally entered from the government; Lucinda Ellen,
born Sept. 29, 1844, died Aug. 3, 1866; Gilbert, born Aug. 1,
1846, lives in Fredericksburg, this county. Mrs.
Armstrong was a faithful and active member of the Presbyterian
church. In politics Mr. Armstrong was a
Republican and took an active interest in local public affairs.
He died Apr. 1, 1880, and his wife died on Aug. 23, 1885, both being
buried in the cemetery at Fredericksburg.
Joseph Armstrong, the immediate subject
of this review, attended the old log school houses of the locality
where he was raised and his education was necessarily somewhat
limited. He was reared to the life of a farmer and remained at
home as his father's assistant until 1862, when, on August 13th, he
responded to his country’s call for defenders, and enlisted at
Cleveland in the Nineteenth Ohio Independent Light Artillery as a
private. During the winter of 1863-4 he was stationed at
Knoxville, Tennessee, where the army was besieged by General
Longstreet’s rebel forces. During this trying period
the commissary supplies of the Union were sadly depleted and at one
time the men were reduced to a ration of a half pint of corn meal
daily. After they were extricated from this trying position,
they engaged in the celebrated southern campaign under General
Sherman and remained with his army until the fall of Atlanta.
The company of which the subject was a member was then ordered back
to Nashville, Tennessee, in order to get an equipment of new guns,
their old ones having become practically worn out. During all
his service thus far Mr. Armstrong had sponged and
rammed one gun. After receiving their new equipment, the
Nineteenth Artillery did effective service in the engagements which
ended with the defeat of General Hood’s forces.
From Nashville, the Nineteenth went by way of the Tennessee river to
the Ohio, up which they proceeded until stopped by heavy floating
ice, when they were transferred to the railroad and taken to
Washington, D. C. From there they went by water down the
Potomac to the ocean and thence up the Cape Fear river to
Wilmington, North Carolina, and then to Raleigh, where they again
became a part of the army under General Sherman, with
whom they remained until the close of the war. Mr.
Armstrong received an honorable discharge at Cleveland, Ohio,
June 28, 1865, after nearly three years of hard and faithful service
for his country. During this period he passed through some
thrilling experiences and had some close calls from death or injury,
but escaped without injury.
After the conclusion of his military service, Mr.
Armstrong returned to his father’s farm and worked there
until his marriage, in 1869, when he located on the farm which he
now owns and which is eligibly located in section 14, Franklin
township. At that time only about sixty acres of the place had
been cleared and the only building there was a rude log cabin.
In this they resided until they could have a house erected, and from
that on they labored energetically and unremittingly to develop the
farm into their ideal of a homestead. In this laudable effort
they were successful to an eminent degree and in due time the place
came to be known as one of the best farms in the township, a
reputation which it has always sustained. The improvements
made by Mr. Armstrong are of a permanent and
substantial nature, embracing a convenient and attractive residence,
large and commodious barn and other necessary outbuildings. A
full line of modern and up-to-date machinery is employed in the
operation of the place and proper attention is given to the rotation
of crops and other features which contribute to the successful
operation of a farm. All the crops common to this section of
the country are here raised and in connection Mr.
Armstrong also gives considerable attention to the breeding and
raising of livestock, in which also he has been successful to a
marked degree.
On the 15th of April, 1869, Mr. Armstrong
was united in marriage with Martha Ann Stucker,
who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, Dec. 12, 1842, the daughter of
Elias and Sarah (Keller) Stucker, both of whom are now
deceased. These parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and came
to Holmes county in 1840. They here applied themselves to the
operation of a farm and spent the remainder of their lives here.
To Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong have been born the following
children: Lyda Jane, born Jan. 21, 1870; Elias
Charles, born Oct. 21, 1871; Anna Lucinda, born
May 4, 1874, died on the 23d of January, 1897; Sarah
Elizabeth, born July 10, 1875, married Burdett S. Bontrager,
of Fredericksburg, Nov. 21, 1906, and they have one child,
Blanche Ola, born Sept. 19, 1907; Blanche, born
Oct. 15, 1878, married Albert G. McCance Sept. 20, 1904, and
lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong are members of the
Congregational church at Fredericksburg, of which he is a member of
the official board in the capacity of trustee. His old army
associations are kept alive through his membership in the A. M. Mass
Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Fredericksburg. During
all the years of his residence in Wayne county, Mr.
Armstrong has enjoyed the unbounded confidence of all who know
him and today he is numbered among the representative citizens of
the township in which he lives.
Source:
History of Wayne Co., Ohio - Vol. II - Illustrated - Publ. by B. F.
Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1910 - Page 960-963 |
William Armstrong |
THOMAS ARMSTRONG, JR.
Wayne county, Ohio, is characterized by a full share of the honored
pioneer element who have done some much for the development of the
county and the state and the establishment of the institutions of
higher civilization in this fertile and well-favored section of the
old Buckeye commonwealth. The biographical sketches in this
work are to a large extent in recognition of those who are pioneers
or members of pioneer families, and it is signally fitting that
there should be perpetuated records which will defy the ravages of
time and betoken to the coming generations the earnest lives and
devoted labors of those who have been such noble contributors to the
state's prosperity and pride. The subject of this sketch is
one of the honored citizens of the county, where he has been for
many years successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits and where
he has maintained his home from the days of his childhood,
representing a period of sixty-five years of consecutive residence
in the county.
Tracing the ancestral history of the Armstrong
family, it is learned that the subject's paternal grandfather,
Thomas Armstrong, Sr., was born Aug. 22, 1776, in
Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared to manhood.
After his marriage he moved to Columbiana county, Ohio, and lived
there until the war of 1812. After the surrender of General
Hull at Detroit, the subject volunteered and was commissioned
captain and came with the forces under General Bell to
Wooster, Ohio. On the conclusion of hostilities he returned to
Columbiana county, and in the spring of 1815 he came to Wayne county
and settled on Clear Creek. Subsequently he came to what is
now known as the Armstrong farm in Canaan township, which
land he had entered from the government in 1811. Here he lived
until his death, which occurred on Mar. 2, 1842. His wife, who
was born in 1779 in Columbiana county, Ohio. survived him a number
of years, dying on Apr. 14. 1856. His children were William,
John, Thomas, Harrison, Eliza,
Juliana, Hannah, David, Jane and Calvin.
Of these William, who was born in Northumberland county,
Pennsylvania, in 1802, came to Wayne county in 1815, with his father
and the other members of the family, and during the first years of
their residence here much strenuous work was performed in the
clearing of the land and putting it in shape for cultivation.
William was extensively associated with his father in the
handling of land and at one time he was the owner of between five
hundred and six hundred acres. William Armstrong
was twice married, first to Mary Rose, a native of
Columbiana county, Ohio, and to them were born the following
children: Mrs. Jane Smith, of Medina county;
John, of Iowa; Mrs. Julia Slemmons, deceased;
Thomas, the subject of this sketch; Harrison, of Wayne
township, this county: Mrs. Mary Slemmons, of
Sterling, Ohio. After the death of his first wife, William
Armstrong married Catherine McFerson, of
Columbiana county, and they became the parents of two children,
William E. of Wooster, and Mrs. Isabelle
Elizabeth Wilson, of Doylestown, Ohio. The subjects
maternal grandparents, John and Mary Rose, were natives of
Pennsylvania and in an early day came to Wayne county and took up
land.
The life record of the subject of this sketch presents
no exciting or thrilling chapters. He was born on the home
farm in Canaan township, this county, in 1844, and received his
education in the common schools of his home neighborhood. He
remained with his father until he was twenty-three years of age,
when he moved to another farm in Canaan township, where he has since
devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits. His place
comprises one hundred and seventy-six acres, which are highly
improved, and here Mr. Armstrong carries on a general
line of farming, and in this line he has achieved a distinctive
success. The property, which is eligibly located, is well
improved and contains a full set of well built and conveniently
arranged farm buildings, which are at all times maintained in the
best of repair, the general appearance of the place indicating the
owner to be a man of sound judgment and good taste.
In 1864, when the fires of southern rebellion were
burning fiercely, the subject enlisted in the defense of Old Glory,
joining Company A, One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, for the one-hundred-day service, but he remained in the
service until the close of the struggle and the dove of peace once
more hovered over the land.
On the 20th of October, 1868, the subject was married
to Sarah Keeney, who was born in 1848, and is the
daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Elliott) Keeney. The
father was born in Canaan township, this county, on July 15, 1825,
and the mother was born at Duncan's Island, Pennsylvania, May 17,
1827; they were married Mar. 18, 1847. To Mr. and
Mrs. Armstrong the following children have been born:
Zeno, born Oct. 1, 1869, died Sept. 5, 1872; Frank,
born Jan. 13, 1872, a farmer of Wayne township, married a Miss
Garver, and they have two children, Evelyn and
Grace; Clyde C., born Apr. 8, 1880; Grace U., born
Mar. 11, 1883, married Emmet Carmony, of Wayne township.
Mrs. Armstrong’s paternal grandparents were Simon
and Sarah (Shankland) Keeney, the former born at East Hartford,
Connecticut, Sept. 29, 1790, and the latter born Dec. 27, 1794,
their marriage being consummated on July 26, 1821. This was
his second marital union, his first wife having borne the maiden
name of Polly Daniels, who died seven years after
their marriage, leaving three sons and a daughter. After his
second marriage Mr. Keeney came to Ohio, locating
first on the Killbuck river, but, because of the prevalence of ague
there, he came to Canaan township, Wayne county, where he made his
home for fifty-five years. He took up government land here and
at one time was the owner of an entire section.
Mr. Armstrong devotes his time and
attention closely to his own business affairs. He is a man of
strong purpose and unfaltering industry, and by the capable
management of his place he has gained a comfortable competence.
His friends - and they are many - know him to be a reliable and
enterprising gentleman, faithful to his duties of citizenship and
working in harmony with all progressive measures for the general
good.
Source:
History of Wayne Co., Ohio - Vol. II - Illustrated - Publ. by B. F.
Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1910 - Page 880-882 |
| |
CLEMENT
L. AULT. When Henry
Ault, his son Valentine and the latter’s wife came to
Wayne county, Ohio, in about 1830, from their ancestral home in
Pennsylvania, and located in Baughman township, they found
practically a wilderness, through which roamed deer, wolves, wild
turkey and many kinds of wild animals, and here and there a red man
was encountered who had been reluctant to leave the haunts of his
forefathers. The Aults, being hardy pioneers,
adventurous and hard workers, instead of being appalled at the
enormity of their task in establishing a home in the midst of the
wilderness, were delighted with such environments and took up three
hundred acres of land, which, to a great extent, they cleared and
improved the land, dividing it into farms which soon yielded
abundant harvests. There Henry Ault lived until
his death, rearing a family of seven or eight children.
Valentine Ault, grandfather of C. L. Ault, of this
review, spent many years in Milton township, where he followed
general farming. In his family were eight children, all of
whom, after receiving what education they could in the primitive
schools, taught in the old-fashioned log houses of those days,
located in Wayne county. Valentine Ault and his
wife, Katherine Ault, were both natives of Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania. Henry Ault, father of
Katherine Ault and grandfather of the subject, was also a
native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The maternal
grandparents of C. L. Ault were Jacob and Hannah Fry,
both natives of Germany. They came to America about 1854 and
settled in Orrville, Wayne county, Ohio, where Jacob Fry
followed cabinetmaking until his death.
William H. Ault, son of Valentine Ault
and father of C. L. Ault, was born in the old family
homestead in Milton township, this county, received his education in
the early schools and devoted his entire life to farming on the home
place; he was very successful as a farmer. He married
Caroline Fry and they became the parents of two children,
C. L., of this review, and Jessie, who died when
seventeen years of age.
C. L. Ault was born on the home farm in Milton
township, Mar. 25, 1873, and he received his early education at
Sterling, this county. He devoted his attention to farming on
the home place when he became old enough to start in life for
himself, continuing successfully in his general farming operations
until 1903, in which year he bought the place, consisting of one
hundred and sixty acres, where he now lives, a short distance south
of Creston. He has a highly productive and well-improved farm
on which he carries on dairying and general farming in a manner that
brings him an annual income that is substantial and gratifying.
He has a modern dairy and all necessary equipment, and he finds a
ready market for his products, which are always first class.
He has a very comfortable residence and good outbuildings.
Mr. Ault was married in 1896 to
Harriett Stucky, daughter of John and Sarah
(Steele) Stucky, of Greene township, well known people
of this locality. To Mr. and Mrs. Ault one child,
Katherine, has been born.
The early members of the Ault family were
Lutherans, but C. L. and his family are members of the
Presbyterian church. In his political relations Mr.
Ault is a Democrat, but he has never sought office or taken a
very great interest in political affairs; however, some of his
ancestors were prominent in politics. John Ault,
whose father was a brother of C. L. Ault’s grandfather, was a
state senator.
Source:
History of Wayne Co., Ohio - Vol. II - Illustrated - Publ. by B. F.
Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1910 - Page 929-930 |
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