Tecumseh
Location of the Armstrong Farm
An Obsession
It is very interesting to me that Family History as a subject of study affects people in various ways. I believe that most of the readers of this BLOG have only a passive interest in their family history or maybe not at all. I know that providing for your family, temporally and spiritually, attending to church callings, and attending to friends and neighbors are truly time consuming aspects of life, but nevertheless, essential. But for me, the study and activity of family history seems to consume me in ways I cannot explain. It is not that I have nothing else to do, because I have many obsessive interests. Temple work, church assignments, bread baking, clock restoration and now vegan cooking, anyone of which, could consume my time totally. But, I can’t seem to lay family history aside.
A Bit of History
My recent discovery of the parents of James Potter Armstrong (second great grandfather), Robert Armstrong, has produced a level of joy and excitement that I have not felt in the recent past. I guess it can be compared to the discovery of the James Potter Armstrong families many years ago. Robert had nine children and I haven’t been able to finish counting the grandchildren and great grandchildren. For each of his children, I have a designated a notebook and as I go down the list from the oldest to the youngest, they are being filled with facts and information about each one and their families. Of course, James Potter Armstrong, being my direct ancestor, has many filled notebooks in my den regarding his family and descendants.
Robert and his wife, Ann, came to Ohio about 1805 with two sons born in Pennsylvania and settled on 165 acres, which he purchased in Mahoning County, Ohio, the Township being Goshen. The county seat is Youngstown, Ohio. This county is on the eastern edge of Ohio close to the Ohio River. In 1805, the county was called Columbiana and it truly was on the edge of the frontier. His privations and sacrifices in building a home on the frontier will probably never be known. Not many miles to the west, Tecumseh, was on the war path with the whites that were brave enough to expand the frontier further. Robert was elected to become one of the Trustees’ for Goshen and later became their Treasurer. His wife, Ann Potter, died in 1826 and then Robert died in 1843 at the age of nearly 80 years.
One of his son’s, James Potter Armstrong, whom he brought with him from Pennsylvania was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania (1801) and then in 1833 he was married to Mary Catharine Taggart in Randolph County, Virginia. I drew the conclusion that entire family came to Virginia from Pennsylvania; however, I never could find any evidence to the contrary until now. Now, it appears that Robert’s son, James Potter Armstrong, most likely, went to Virginia after becoming of sufficient age in Ohio, traveled to Virginia probably with an uncle and there married. James Potter Armstrong , wanting to be part of the family in Ohio and perhaps inherit part of the family farm, returned to Ohio after his marriage and after having several children along the way, arrived back in Mahoning County in 1850. It was at that time that his grandfather, James Potter, gave him a farm in Marion County, a number of counties to the west of Mahoning where he died in 1874.
new.Familysearch.org
After, the new familysearch comes on line for your Temple District you will have the opportunity to go online and select deceased family members and provide them with the saving ordinances if they are needed and you so desire. This new procedure will simplify that process from an 18 step process to 5 simple steps and it can be done from your home computer. Most of you are familiar with my PhP Ged View site where one can contribute and correct information which seems to be incorrect based upon documented evidence. The new familysearch will allow you to see your own family group, ancestors and descendants and make corrections in a similar way. The problem with the new familysearch is that you cannot download the information that is there to your computer, as can be done on the PhpGed View. Each one of you will be in the new familysearch data base whether you contributed your genealogy to be published at the church site (familysearch) or not. If you did not contribute any of your 4 generation pedigree charts as requested years ago, your family group will be in the new familsearch anyway because it will be generated from church records, but the tree maybe small. I hope that you will have a desire to become more active in bringing your family and my family records to a more acceptable form.
If you can’t become active in your own family history work, then try to become a volunteer as an indexer for familysearch. You’ll be greatly blessed! Anytime contributed to indexing will help the cause of family history immensely and it can be done from your home.
Final Thoughts
Now, if you are not bored out of your minds, let me share a thought with you that have come to me in recent weeks. Our ancestors who have passed to the other side, most of whom we have never met, know us far better than we know them. They have a stake in what we do and the choices we make because, whether you believe it or not, our actions will impact their salvation. I don’t believe that we can ever say, ”well, it is all done”. I know, without a shadow of doubt, that those who have been waiting on the other side for the saving ordinances to come to them had a great influence upon the work that I have been doing. I have been led and I have discovered records, not because of my own intelligence, but because of their influence. We sometimes call this influence “the spirit of Elijah”, but it is far more than that. The few years I’ve spent in working to find our deceased family members is but a pittance compared to the time they have been waiting. If they are more acquainted with us than we with them, should we not become better acquainted with them?
I guess one point I would like to clarify, is that I have been judgmental in thinking that all should be as interested in family history as I. Yes, some may be, but what I have done has been for my enjoyment and for their salvation, not for yours. However, I hope it will be of value to you and a convenience. In addition, I hope this BLOG will be of interest and for your benefit as well as mine. For those who want to take advantage of the genealogy site PhPGed View, I may ask you to begin to share in the costs. Your comments on this BLOG and others will be of interest to me and perhaps we can make it more beneficial for all concerned. I find it interesting that not a single reader has commented on any recent BLOGS. Come on! You can do better than that!
RHB
It is very interesting to me that Family History as a subject of study affects people in various ways. I believe that most of the readers of this BLOG have only a passive interest in their family history or maybe not at all. I know that providing for your family, temporally and spiritually, attending to church callings, and attending to friends and neighbors are truly time consuming aspects of life, but nevertheless, essential. But for me, the study and activity of family history seems to consume me in ways I cannot explain. It is not that I have nothing else to do, because I have many obsessive interests. Temple work, church assignments, bread baking, clock restoration and now vegan cooking, anyone of which, could consume my time totally. But, I can’t seem to lay family history aside.
A Bit of History
My recent discovery of the parents of James Potter Armstrong (second great grandfather), Robert Armstrong, has produced a level of joy and excitement that I have not felt in the recent past. I guess it can be compared to the discovery of the James Potter Armstrong families many years ago. Robert had nine children and I haven’t been able to finish counting the grandchildren and great grandchildren. For each of his children, I have a designated a notebook and as I go down the list from the oldest to the youngest, they are being filled with facts and information about each one and their families. Of course, James Potter Armstrong, being my direct ancestor, has many filled notebooks in my den regarding his family and descendants.
Robert and his wife, Ann, came to Ohio about 1805 with two sons born in Pennsylvania and settled on 165 acres, which he purchased in Mahoning County, Ohio, the Township being Goshen. The county seat is Youngstown, Ohio. This county is on the eastern edge of Ohio close to the Ohio River. In 1805, the county was called Columbiana and it truly was on the edge of the frontier. His privations and sacrifices in building a home on the frontier will probably never be known. Not many miles to the west, Tecumseh, was on the war path with the whites that were brave enough to expand the frontier further. Robert was elected to become one of the Trustees’ for Goshen and later became their Treasurer. His wife, Ann Potter, died in 1826 and then Robert died in 1843 at the age of nearly 80 years.
One of his son’s, James Potter Armstrong, whom he brought with him from Pennsylvania was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania (1801) and then in 1833 he was married to Mary Catharine Taggart in Randolph County, Virginia. I drew the conclusion that entire family came to Virginia from Pennsylvania; however, I never could find any evidence to the contrary until now. Now, it appears that Robert’s son, James Potter Armstrong, most likely, went to Virginia after becoming of sufficient age in Ohio, traveled to Virginia probably with an uncle and there married. James Potter Armstrong , wanting to be part of the family in Ohio and perhaps inherit part of the family farm, returned to Ohio after his marriage and after having several children along the way, arrived back in Mahoning County in 1850. It was at that time that his grandfather, James Potter, gave him a farm in Marion County, a number of counties to the west of Mahoning where he died in 1874.
new.Familysearch.org
After, the new familysearch comes on line for your Temple District you will have the opportunity to go online and select deceased family members and provide them with the saving ordinances if they are needed and you so desire. This new procedure will simplify that process from an 18 step process to 5 simple steps and it can be done from your home computer. Most of you are familiar with my PhP Ged View site where one can contribute and correct information which seems to be incorrect based upon documented evidence. The new familysearch will allow you to see your own family group, ancestors and descendants and make corrections in a similar way. The problem with the new familysearch is that you cannot download the information that is there to your computer, as can be done on the PhpGed View. Each one of you will be in the new familysearch data base whether you contributed your genealogy to be published at the church site (familysearch) or not. If you did not contribute any of your 4 generation pedigree charts as requested years ago, your family group will be in the new familsearch anyway because it will be generated from church records, but the tree maybe small. I hope that you will have a desire to become more active in bringing your family and my family records to a more acceptable form.
If you can’t become active in your own family history work, then try to become a volunteer as an indexer for familysearch. You’ll be greatly blessed! Anytime contributed to indexing will help the cause of family history immensely and it can be done from your home.
Final Thoughts
Now, if you are not bored out of your minds, let me share a thought with you that have come to me in recent weeks. Our ancestors who have passed to the other side, most of whom we have never met, know us far better than we know them. They have a stake in what we do and the choices we make because, whether you believe it or not, our actions will impact their salvation. I don’t believe that we can ever say, ”well, it is all done”. I know, without a shadow of doubt, that those who have been waiting on the other side for the saving ordinances to come to them had a great influence upon the work that I have been doing. I have been led and I have discovered records, not because of my own intelligence, but because of their influence. We sometimes call this influence “the spirit of Elijah”, but it is far more than that. The few years I’ve spent in working to find our deceased family members is but a pittance compared to the time they have been waiting. If they are more acquainted with us than we with them, should we not become better acquainted with them?
I guess one point I would like to clarify, is that I have been judgmental in thinking that all should be as interested in family history as I. Yes, some may be, but what I have done has been for my enjoyment and for their salvation, not for yours. However, I hope it will be of value to you and a convenience. In addition, I hope this BLOG will be of interest and for your benefit as well as mine. For those who want to take advantage of the genealogy site PhPGed View, I may ask you to begin to share in the costs. Your comments on this BLOG and others will be of interest to me and perhaps we can make it more beneficial for all concerned. I find it interesting that not a single reader has commented on any recent BLOGS. Come on! You can do better than that!
RHB
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