A Testimonial for Family History
I will define the term “family history” as a study of a particular family and other events surrounding the family which when put into proper sequence becomes an historical account of their lives. There may be assumptions made, but the study should be based upon facts that not only concern their lives but also background and historical facts of the times and places where they lived.
In the last post, the movement of the Armstrong family was mapped from the time they left Pennsylvania until they arrived in Ohio. This post is related to the last post.
I have recently started to study and write the history of the James Potter Armstrong family. I had begun on this project several years ago, but I had set it aside for many reasons. One of the reasons was that it would have been nice to have started the history with the parents of James Potter Armstrong but I had absolutely no information about them, not even a name. This recent beginning again was not because I had more information, but I wanted to put into my mind the proper sequence of events and to perhaps to discover what caused them to be at different locations during their lives.
The lives of these fore fathers have always been of great interest to me. I have found that by studying and reconstructing their history, it puts me in close contact with them and helps me to understand and appreciate them even though they have been gone from this existence a long time. It seems to me there are two great benefits to becoming involved with studying the history of our ancestors: (1) the discovery of information that may shed more light upon earlier generations and (2) a knowledge and appreciation for the sacrifices they have made to my family.
I had often wondered why the Armstrong family had moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia. One of their son’s James Potter Armstrong had been born in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1801 and the next record was found in Randolph County in Virginia where James Potter Armstrong was married to Mary Taggart in 1833. This is a thirty two year period which is quite a significant period of time in most people’s lives. Why had they moved and when did they move?
The Armstrong’s were of Scot-Irish descent and probably joined with the Quaker beliefs in the community in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The father of James Potter Armstrong would probably have been born near the end of the revolutionary war and would not have been involved in that conflict. However, the War of 1812 came along about the time when he would have had a young family. If their religious beliefs were to avoid conflict, then they may have moved south into Virginia to avoid the conflict in the area (Chesapeake Bay) close to where they lived. The Jefferson- Louisiana purchase and the general movement westward may have contributed to a decision to go to Virginia also.
If all of this were true, then perhaps they would have moved before the War of 1812. A Census search of Virginia in 1800 revealed that no Armstrong’s were in the State at that time. However, by 1810, 73 Armstrong families were living in the State of Virginia and only one family, Robert Armstrong, was living in Randolph County, Virginia, the location were James P. Armstrong was married. Robert Armstrong was also the only family living in Randolph County in 1820. This little tidbit of information is probably the information I have been seeking for years, i.e., the name of the father of James Potter Armstrong. It remains to be verified, of course, but I believe it illustrates the importance of studying the history and events that were occurring at the times of the involved family.
RHB
