Robert Armstrong, Father of James Potter Armstrong

Found At Last

In a recent blog, September 2007, I indicated that there may be a connection between the Robert Armstrong and his brother Alexander Armstrong (Upper Paxtang Township of Lancaster County) with the Armstrong clan that is part of our family where James Potter Armstrong (1802 – 1874) being the earliest progenitor that I was aware. I have been searching for over a decade for his parents expending significant resources and energy. However, the above Robert Armstrong mentioned above and in the previous Blog is not what this Blog is about. There may be a connection between the two Roberts, i.e. the one previosly mentioned and the one that I am writing about on this Blog, but it is of little concern for now.

I am overwhelmed with joy to announce that the parents of James Potter Armstrong have been found. All of the research that I have been doing over these past few years has not been in vain. (This photo is of James Potter Armstrong with is Wife, Catharine Taggart)
The father of James Potter Armstrong is Robert Armstrong from Ireland and his mother is Ann Potter. That may not be surprising to some, but the evidence seems to be convincing. The evidence found supports the answers to questions pondered over many years as to why James Potter Armstrong, who was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania went to Virginia where he married Mary Catharine Taggart and then traveled to eastern Ohio where he finally settled (see Blog 2006).
The gathering of the pieces to this ancestral puzzle is a true demonstration of how the spirit of Elijah and the Holy Ghost directs one as one earnestly seeks to identify ancestors. I will attempt to refer to only a few of the pieces that brought about the final conclusion and the end result. Of course, there is no end until we reach Adam, but as we are able to connect the various generations together the joy experienced is truly unspeakable. The previous Blogs and the unpublished research reports in my file tell the complete story, but here are a few of the details.
In a report that I wrote in January of 2001, one of the research findings was that a Robert Armstrong, aged between 70 and 80 years was living with a female person, aged between 20 and 30 years in Goshen Township during the census enumeration of 1840. Three other Armstrong families were living in close proximity to him, Joel, John and William at the same time. The William household had two families living together as evidenced by the ages of family members. The conclusion was drawn at that time, that Robert was living with a daughter and that James Potter Armstrong’s family was living with William and his family. Further, it was concluded that John and Joel were probably related to Robert and most likely he was their father. Ten years later, James Potter Armstrong and his family is enumerated for the first time in Goshen Township in 1850. At this time, Joel, John and James Potter Armstrong were all living in Goshen Township, but Robert and William were not to be found on any census records for that year nor for any subsequent censuses.
In a Blog dated July 2006, titled “Direction”, a book was mentioned and a page was quoted describing an Armstrong family that came from Ireland, settled in Pennsylvania for a time then moved and settled in eastern Ohio. That person was described as Robert Armstrong and gave the names of several of his descendants, one of which was Joel. This find produced a great deal of excitement and encouragement toward making a connection with James Potter Armstrong, my second great grandfather. Was James Potter Armstrong a brother to Joel Armstrong?
In a recent trip to the Family History Library in Salt lake City, March 26, 2007,research resulted in finding the Wills of Joel and John Armstrong. Heirs were mentioned with relationships all of which was very helpful. However, nothing could be found concerning a Robert Armstrong. In a subsequent visit to the Family History Library in September, 2007 in connection with attending sealing and wedding ceremonies of family members as noted in the most recent Blogs, The connection among all of the Armstrong’s that I have been studying was found. On this particular occasion, I had viewed several microfilms, for wills, land records, etc, but without finding anything significant. Finally, I decided to browse the book section on the third floor where county histories may be found and well as other books and documents pertaining to localities. A set of three volumes caught my eye, titled “History of Youngstown and The Mahoning Valley, Ohio”. I picked up volume three and turned to the biographical section and found Sylvester H. Armstrong. I had previously copied and read Sylvester’s biography in the book purchased mentioned in the Blog above and so I didn’t think much about it but decided to make a copy anyway. Since it was time to meet the others and go to lunch, I hurriedly made the copy and put it with my research papers on the first floor. On returning from lunch, I began to read closely what I had copied. To my great amazement and joy, Robert Armstrong’s family was described in detail including all of his children, their birth dates and when they died. Included in the children list was James Armstrong, born November 11, 1802. Here was what I had been working and praying to find for these past many years. The joy that filled my bosom was unspeakable
The reader will have to go to my PhpGedView to see the family groups as soon as I can put them al together.

RHB

Bear Lake Family Gathering and 58th Anniversary

Athe end of every rainbow is a pot of Gold
These are the GOLD

Beau and Nickole Brooks

Charlet and Benjamin

Charlet & Chris

Clock test Stands

Geoff and Kylene Brooks

Geoff and Taunya Brooks

Happy Anniversary Anita and Roy (58 years)

Happy Birthday Nickole and Happy Anniversary, Anita

It doesn't work

Kylene and Anita


What a memorable occasion to be with David's children and their grandchildren at Bear lake, Utah. We drove up from Ogden saturday morning, Sep 1, 2007 to dave and Taunya's mountain retreat to relax for the weekend. We were overjoyed as children and grandchildren arrived to become requainted and become familiar with their lives. David and Taunya are both very gracious hosts, giving up their beds, providing delicious meals, even to a vegan. Here are a few pictires of our associations. Clock test stands were made using Dave's wood working shop, a clock belonging to Geoff and Ky was worked on without success and must be returned to the shop in Charbonneau. It was a great week end and memories will last a life time and thereafter.

RHB

Beau Brooks & Nickole Allen's sealing Sep 7, 2007

The thrill came when three boys dressed in white walked up to the alter to be sealed to their parents as though they had been born under the new and everlasting covenant. A very touching moment indeed. Families who are faithful to the end are truly forever. That is my witness to you all. As I work within the walls of His holy edifice each week, I truly know the meaning that families are forever and they are the only meaningful possession that we have on this earth. Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you where He awaits on the other side. We were so blessed to have been given the opportunity to travel to Utah to witness and be part of these great events.

RHB

The Brooks' at the Bountiful Temple

Allen Family
Geoff Brooks & His Aunt Julie

Anita Brooks and her brother-in-law Loren Brooks


Beau Brooks and his Mother, Taunya Brooks

Everyone a Brooks at the Bountiful Temple


Bountiful Temple

Beau Brooks and his wife Nickole Allen

Temple Gathering at the Bountiful Temple.

For the first time in my remembrance, ten Brooks clan family members all gathered at the Bountiful Temple to witness the endowment of Nickole Allen Brooks, wife of Beaumont Jason

Brooks. Nickole's family was also represented in the same numbers and it was a glorious gathering where we may all gather at some future time to taste of the blessing of the hereafter. This beautiful temple that looks out over the great Salt Lake shines like a great beacon in the night calling upon all to come and taste of the sweet waters that flow from its heavenly font. Hopefully the day will arrive when descendants of Royal Harvard Brooks Jr. and their spouses will stand together in the house of the Lord and receive their blessings. This couple and their children were sealed together in the Salt Lake Temple one week later (7 Sep 2007).

RHB

Travel to Utah and Joe's Wedding

The wedding company, three generations of Wrights, after 58 years (Roy and Anita), and Mrs Naomi Wright

The Wright family

Joe and Naomi leaving the Temple

Wanda, Anita and Naomi's Sister

The Salt lake temple

The wedding ceremony held in the Salt Lake Temple August 31, 2007 was wonderful and inspiring. We were privileged to be invited. Here are a few of the pictures taken after the ceremony. The groom's dinner was held the night before in Layton, Utah where we had a chance to meet all of the families involved in this wedding. Joe and Naomi lived with us in Charbonneau for several months prior to the wedding which allowed us to become better acquainted with them.

The following are a few comments regarding our trip to Utah prior to the wedding.

Travel and Time with David’s Family
Leaving Charbonneau late on Sunday (8/26/07) permitted us to make the 750 mile journey to Ogden in two days. After an overnight in Boise, Idaho, a late breakfast and a phone call from my brother, we detoured into downtown Boise to obtain 40 pounds of Panko for my little brother that lives in Bountiful Utah. Panko is used to fry fish that he catches. Our arrival was greeted joyfully by David and Taunya and we soon caught up on all the family news.
Thursday was the dinner party for the groom (Joe Wright’s wedding) in Layton, Utah. We met the Wright family and the family of the bride (Naomi). The dinner was lovely and we enjoyed our association with both the Bagley (Joe’s mother’s family) and Wright families. As noted above, the Joe Wright and Naomi Hernandez wedding took place the following day in the Salt Lake Temple. Other significant happenings that occurred during our time in Utah will be noted in subsequent blogs. They will include (1) an anniversary and birthday at Bear Lake, (2) Temple Sealings in the Salt Lake Temple of the Beau Brooks family, (3) Family History Findings
RHB

Armstrong Research - Update

(August 2007)

I have worked for many years on the task of trying to extend my father’s maternal line of ancestors, ( more than, 10 years). Not an every day task, but as time permitted. My second great grandfather, James Potter Armstrong, moved extensively during the child bearing years of his marriage to Mary Catharine Taggart. He left no personal records, only public records of his comings and goings are available. Most of the information concerning him and his family has been gathered from census, probate and vital records recorded in society by officials or descendants. By leaving no personal records behind, it has been difficult to trace his ancestry.
During the time of his life spent in Ohio, apparently, he was unaware of a gospel restoration that was occurring in the vicinity of his home. There was no way for him to realize that several of his second great grandsons would accept this restored Gospel where faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost would be the means of salvation for he and his family. Further, that one of his second great grandsons, who would hold the holy priesthood of God, would be his Savior on Mount Zion nearly one hundred and thirty years after his death. Nor, did he realize that this same second great grandson would be of a stubborn nature and have the tenacity to research and find, not only his family, but many of his kindred relatives that lived near him, albeit not proven relatives with known relationships.
Direct evidence to extend the generations of James Potter Armstrong have been unsuccessful, but the process of this work has brought into the fold of God many of these relatives, most of which, were not so blessed as to have descendants that would be concerned about their eternal welfare in later generations. A simple man, directed by the spirit of Elijah and the Holy Ghost has brought to pass the salvation of many who were lost, but not forgotten. Some of these relatives will come to light shortly as this work progresses.

The Armstrong’s in Pennsylvania

The following research activity regarding our Armstrong ancestors may be significant and it may provide some clues for future research.
It is not known when the ancestors of James Potter Armstrong first came to Pennsylvania, but it may have been before the Revolutionary War and perhaps before the French Indian War. The settlers who were trying to establish homes on the western frontier of the Colonies were fraught with hardships and Indian atrocities in establishing peaceful surroundings. An early settler by the name of Robert Armstrong and his brother Alexander Armstrong lived on the edge of this frontier in 1751 where they received a warrant for 150 acres in Upper Paxtang Township of Lancaster County. (Note: The second born of James Potter Armstrong was a son named: Robert Alexander Armstrong.). The deed for this parcel was given by Thomas and John Penn, proprietors, to Robert Armstrong. The warrant of survey bears the date April 17th 1764 and the deed February 8th 1775. These Armstrong’s were the first settlers in this vicinity.
In 1755, the improvements made by the Armstrong’s were destroyed by the Indians. The Provincial Government decided to use the Armstrong tract of land to build a fort to protect the movement of settlers against the constant threat of Indians. “The fort was built in 1756 by Colonel William Clapham. The Colonel selected it as the most convenient place on the river between Harris and Shamokin for a magazine, on account of its good natural situation above the Juniata Falls. In addition to this there were plenty of pine timber on the ground and the nearness of this place to Shamokin, he therefore concluded to erect a fort at this place. According to plans furnished he had squared two hundred logs about thirty feet in length which he drew to the place in order that it could be built as quickly as possible, so the troops would not be delayed. After he had done all these things he undertook to finish it in two weeks. Under guard of an officer and thirty men, being satisfied with the progress that was made at the fort he proceeded on the march with these troops up the river in bateaux to McKee's store”
In a letter dated June 20th to Governor Morris from Col. Clapham states, "The progress already made in this fort renders it impracticable for me to comply with the Commissioner's desire to contract it at which I was surprised, as I expected every day orders to enlarge it, it being yet, in my opinion, too small. I shall leave an officer and thirty men with orders to finish it when I march from hence." In a postscript the Colonel adds, "The fort at this place is without a name till your honor is pleased to confer one." Up to this time, this place was known as Camp Armstrong.”
Philadelphia, June 25th, 1756, Governor Morris writes: "The Fort at Armstrong's, I would have it called Fort Halifax”. This fort was classed among a line of fortifications erected at different periods between 1752 and 1763, by the Provincial government, between the rivers Delaware and Potomac. Fort Halifax was built at the mouth of Armstrong creek about half a mile above the present town of Halifax. An early map of the area is shown above.

“John Meetch is said to have located upon the land now owned by one of his descendants, William B. Meetch, some time in 1752, and is claimed to have been the pioneer in this section of the county. Some member of the Armstrong family must either have been here then or came shortly after, as Governor Morris in his letter to Col. Clapham, dated June 21st, 1756, in relation to the name of the fort said: "The Fort at Armstrong I would have it called Fort Halifax." From this it is evident that there was then in the vicinity some settler by the name of Armstrong from whom the fort took its temporary name. And what is more conclusive, a Moravian missionary, passing through in 1746 reported Armstrong as being here then and the only white man in the vicinity. It is probable, therefore, that Armstrong was the first settler and at the time the fort was constructed his family and that of John Meetch were the only white persons in the neighborhood. It would, consequently, seem rather strange that the Provincial government should incur the expense of erecting a fort for the protection of such a handful of people. It is more than likely however, that the primary object of the fort was to afford a safe shelter for the wagon trains which made the journey from Fort Hunter to Fort Augusta in two days. This fact is borne out also by letters written between the Provincial authorities and Col. Clapham that it was to be a place used more particularly as a base of supplies for those forts north or up the river.”
“Travelers and wagon trains passing here spent the intervening nights at the fort, in going up and down the river between Fort Hunter and Fort Augusta. Such protection was essentially necessary at that time, because the large island now owned by Albert Clemson was the home of a considerable number of Indians who would have exterminated the trains had there not been some safe place for them to pass the night. At or near this historic place, lived Simon Girty the outlaw's father of the same name, an Indian trader.” (All of the above information was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Donna Bluemink and Georgette Ochs; “Report of the Commission to Locate the Sites of the frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, vol1)
According to this record, Robert Armstrong had a neighbor to the north of his place owned by Simon Grity who probably was the father of Simon Girty of renown with Simon Kenton, the Frontiersman, scout and defender of the frontier settlers. The occasion of the meeting of these latter two men is of interest in this context as noted below:

“And now, having left Cartwright and Lock at Provance Settlement, Simon (Kenton) had arrived at Pittsburgh to find the atmosphere charged with excitement and the whole area swollen with new arrivals, most of whom immediately being sworn in as militia. At this moment his curiosity piqued by a large group of men gathered along one of the walls and he headed toward them. He was surprised to see a short, thickset man with black hair come stumbling violently backward through the edge of the crowd and fall when one of the onlookers inadvertently tripped him. His face was bloody and one eye was partially closed, but he struggled to his feet as three men in uniform closed in on him. One grasped him by the hair and hauled him to his feet, thrusting him at the other two who struck heavily at the same time, one in the face and the other in the stomach. He tumbled to the ground again but this time had more difficulty in attempting to rise.
The officer who had hauled him to his feet by the hair stepped up again and drew back his booted foot to kick him, but it never landed. Instead, he was spun around by a huge young man who gripped him by the throat in one hand and shoved him against the other two with such force that two of them fell to the ground and the third staggered. Simon leveled his rifle at the three, who remained frozen where they stopped and calmly announced he would kill the next man who laid a hand on the smaller fellow. Not a person there doubted his word. Slowly and cautiously the two fallen officers stood up. One of them, a man of about thirty and nearly Simon's size, glared at the young frontiersman and absently brushed the dust from the white bands that formed a large X on his chest. His voice was tight and his lips barely moved as he asked his assailant who he was. “Simon Butler."
There was an excited murmur from the crowd. Simon knew none of them but apparently there were few here who had not heard of him. The eyes widened for a moment and then narrowed again. "If you were in the Army” he said, ''I'd have you hung for that." He appeared on the verge of saying more but abruptly pivoted and shouldered his way through the crowd followed by his two companions.
Simon paid little attention to the muffled cheers and the calls of his name that came from the crowd. He lowered his rifle and gave the smaller man a hand to his feet. The man's good eye was a piercing black but now the corners crinkled with the effort to produce a lopsided grin. He motioned to Simon to follow him and they walked several blocks toward the east end of the fort area where there stood a cluster of cabins. Into one of these the man walked and, after a moment's hesitation, Simon joined him.
The man was pouring water from a pewter pitcher into a basin. He began mopping the blood from his cracked lips with a cloth and spoke without turning around. "So you're Simon Butler. I remember now seeing you here about three years ago. You've changed a lot since then."
Simon was embarrassed. This man remembered him but he had no recollection of ever seeing him before. The dark-haired man glanced at the youth and grinned, then winced as the cracked lip split again. He indicated a chair between the two beds with a dip of his head and Simon sat.
"Those boys were a little rough," the man said, resuming his cleanup. "Good thing you came along. I was about ready to kill one of them." He lifted his buckskin blouse and pulled out a fine knife which he flicked away with hardly a glance. The knife arrowed across the cabin and thunked heavily into the handle of a makeshift broom leaning against the wall. Broom and knife fell with a clatter. "They don't like me much," he added. "Call me an Indian lover. Say I'm spying for them on the side. I'm not, but I don't hate 'em. Hell, lived with 'em· for years. That was Dave Williamson you shoved. He's a captain, believe it or not. The other two don't matter. I'm translator here. Scout, too, among other things. Deal with the different tribes a lot. Sort of a go-between when Croghan wants to talk to the chiefs. Oh," he turned around and held his hand out to the youth, "my name's Simon, too. Simon Girty." (about 1774) (The Frontiersmen, A narrative, by Allan W. Eckert; Little, Brown and Company, Boston. Pg 85,).

Simon Kenton, sometime known as Simon Butler, was born in April of 1755 in Virginia, about the time that Robert and Alexander Armstrong established their place in Upper Paxton, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Armstrong neighbor, Simon Girty, was no doubt the father of Simon Girty noted in the incident above.
It not a good idea to jump to earlier generations or to jump over the proverbial “brick wall” to make connections to latter generations because the connecting proof is usually not there, but at times it may facilitate the research process and one may discover a lead that will open up the line of forefathers. This is the author’s rationale for presenting the above information. The names given to the first and second sons of James Potter Armstrong are probably very significant and that may be one of the reasons for jumping to this Armstrong event.

Testamonial - Family History

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

Movements of The Armstrong Family 1801-1852

The attached two figues give the graphical details of the text on the last Blog. If you want to read these two images, you need to select the image and enlarge it before printing it.
RHB

The Armstrong Family

The Armstrong Family
By
Royal Harvard Brooks, Jr.[1]

Introduction
Royal Harvard Brooks, Jr is the grandson of Catherine Elizabeth Armstrong and Francis Harvard Brooks who was the daughter of Robert Alexander Armstrong and Mary Bennett. Robert Alexander Armstrong was the son of James Potter Armstrong and Mary Catharine Taggart, the principle subjects of this brief history.
Pennsylvania became a state in 1787, 15 or 16 years before James Potter Armstrong was born. Virginia became a state about the same time (1788), but, it wasn’t until 1863, as a result of the Civil War that West Virginia became a state. Thus, the state presently known as West Virginia was called Virginia at the time James Potter Armstrong was born (1801) and at the time he was married in 1833. James Potter Armstrong was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, but by the time of his marriage the family, probably, was living in Virginia. When they made their move from Pennsylvania and their length of stay in Virginia is not known. At this time of writing, neither the parents for James Potter Armstrong are known nor any of his siblings.
Pennsylvania was the place of arrival of most early Armstrong immigrants. History suggests that following clan custom, they came to join relatives who had pioneered earlier, but by 1790 most of the good land (and all the free land) in Pennsylvania had been taken. Many of the relatively new immigrants of the Armstrong’s began to filter west into Ohio or south into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Migrations south into the present state of West Virginia from Pennsylvania were basically confined to those areas to the north and east of the Allegheny Mountains which acted as a barrier to overland travel. This area is the head waters for many rivers that flow from these mountains making travel to the south and west relatively easy as opposed to overland travel. Many of these rivers are tributaries to the Ohio River, the western boundary of the state of West Virginia.
The area to the west of the great Ohio River was known as the Ohio Territory. In 1803, it became the 17th State of the Union. It was at this time that the great Shawnee warrior, Tecumsech, was attempting to gather a great coalition of Indian Nations to stop the spread westward of the Whites. The reader may obtain a better feeling of the circumstances of the westward movement and the feelings of both settler and Indian as settlers came from Pennsylvania and Virginia by learning some of the thoughts of Tecumsech as he talked to some of his Sioux brothers.
“The Sioux are a great and numerous nation, Tecumseh told the assembled chiefs, proud of their heritage and jealous of their country and rightly so. Long had the stories been told in their tepees and before their council fires of the troubles brought upon Indians east of the great mother of: rivers (Ohio) by the white men. No matter whether the Indians had offered peace or war, yet they had been pushed back out of their lands.
The times it had happened were too many to number. Had not the Delawares lost their home on the shores of the great eastern sea and been thrown back to the Ohio country? Had not the Onondagas finally split in the mountains of New York and those who had not remained there come to this Missouri country? Had not the same thing happened to the Shawnees, who long ago had been forced away from their warm coastal territory in the land called Florida, then forced to move again and again until finally, in the Ohio country, they too had split and most of them crossed the mother of rivers to seek peace? And what of the Cherokees and the Tuscarawas, the Pamlicos and Powhatans, the Susquehannas, Narra­gansetts, Cayugas and Senecas and a hundred other tribes? Had not all of them been pushed back? Were not all of them still being pushed back?
The Sioux must peel back the husks from their eyes and see what was coming. No longer was the great mother of rivers a barrier to hold back the white flood. No! Until last year there had come only a few scattered Americans, alone or in small parties, to penetrate deep into their country, coming in peace, they said, to trap and trade and no more, as the Frenchmen who were already there along the Mississippi were doing. But now the great white chief, Jefferson, had bought from the French, who had no just title to it, all this land and more and would soon be coming to claim it. At this very moment, as the Sioux were aware, a large force of whites under the young captains Clark and Lewis moved upstream on the Missouri to find their way across the great mountains far to the west and reach the western sea..
And heed well this fact: this young Captain William Clark was the brother of the white chief George Rogers Clark who had helped take Ohio lands from the Indians, as all assembled here knew. Other men would follow. It was always thus. Thirty summers ago the lands of the Shawnees .had seen the same; and though they had fought, yet they had seen their game destroyed, their forests leveled, their prairies burned, their lands taken, their villages ruined, their warriors killed. And now the Can-tuc-kee country and the Ohio country had become part of the Seventeen Fires-­individual States in the Union of the whites.
So it would happen here west of the mother of rivers. Not might happen. Would happen. Unless the union of the Indians became too strong for the whites. Already many tribes are ready, when the great sign is given, to join together in such union as one people; Senecas and Oneidas, Mohawks, Ottawas, Wyandots, Winnebagos, Sacs, Foxes, Kickapoos.
There are more. There will be many more than that. Fifty nations or a hundred joined into one to hold and protect what is theirs and to reclaim what has been taken from them. When the great sign is given, the Sioux should take up their weapons and come. Would they? “ (The Frontiersman -,A Narrative, by AllenW. Wckert)
The prophecies of Mormon made several millennia earlier had already begun to come to pass: “the Lord hath reserved their blessings, which they might have received in the land, for the Gentiles who shall possess the land. But, behold it shall come to pass that they shall be driven and scattered by the Gentiles ….” (Mormon 5:19-20)
As noted above in the words of Tecumsch, they would come and push the Red Man further West. Treaties were made, treaties were broken! And come they did! The word spread rapidly throughout the newly organized states and the colonies of President Jefferson’s real estate deal with Napoleon Bonaparte where one-third of the present USA was purchased from the French for $15 million, or for about 4 cents per acre. Before buying the land, Jefferson had hired fellow Virginians Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find out what was out there. They traveled 8,000 miles in 2 1/2 years, going to the mouth of the Columbia River and returned to give a detailed report of the vast area and its tremendous potential. The news of this acquisition gave the frontier people confidence that they could move west and still be under the protection of the US government.
Another very significant event occurred near the location where the Armstrong’s lived in 1801. They may have been involved in the conflict between the United States and Great Britain, called the war of 1812. This war was mainly fought in three regions.
The land fighting of the war occurred along the Canadian border, in the Chesapeake Bay region, and along the Gulf of Mexico; extensive action also took place at sea.
Of particular interest to our history of the Armstrong’s was the fact that Americans won control of the Detroit frontier region when Oliver Hazard Perry's ships destroyed the British fleet on Lake Erie (Sept. 10, 1813). This victory forced the British to retreat eastward from the Detroit region, and on Oct. 5, 1813, they were overtaken and defeated at the battle of the Thames (Moraviantown) by an American army under the command of Gen. William Henry Harrison. In this battle the great Shawnee chief Tecumsch, who had harassed the northwestern frontier since 1811, was killed while fighting on the British side.
The British appeared near success in the late summer of 1814. American resistance to the diversionary attack in Chesapeake Bay was so weak that the British, after winning the Battle of Bladensburg (August 24), marched into Washington, D.C., and burned most of the public buildings. President Madison had to flee into the countryside. The British then turned to attack Baltimore but met stiffer resistance and were forced to retire after the American defense of Fort Mchenry, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words of the "Star-Spangled Banner."
James Potter Armstrong was 13 years old; would his father have been involved in this conflict? This will a research subject as the search for the parents of James Potter Armstrong continues. The end of the war gave more confidence to the settlers that movement westward could be undertaken with even more security.

Marriage and Children
The marriage of James Potter Armstrong to Mary Catharine Taggart in 1833 indicates that the Armstrong family, our subject of interest, relocated themselves from Chester county, Pennsylvania to Randolf County, West Virginia, sometime between 1801 and 1833, most likely after the war of 1812. This marriage occurred in 1833 in Randolph County, (possibly Elkins, the county seat), West Virginia or Virginia as it was known then. Little is known at this writing about either family. Future research will be the subject of the families of this couple. Family records (Pitts, 1994) and various census records always used the name Catharine as the first name of Mary Catharine Armstrong. In early research of this family, Catharine was the only name used in census and other records. The name Mary was never used. It took about 9 months of searching to finally locate the maiden name of Catharine Armstrong (wife of James Potter Armstrong). Her grand daughter living in California in 1910 supplied this information when her father William, the eldest son of James Potter Armstrong and Catharine Taggart, died. It wasn’t until the author visited the archives in that county where William lived, that this information was found (Brooks Research Report, Nov. 1995).
On November 13, 1833, not long after the marriage of James Potter and Mary Catharine, a great phenomenon occurred that has not been equaled since. For many hours the heavens were ablaze with shooting stars, flaming meteors, tongues and balls of fire and sheets of flame, darting in every direction presenting a grand and brilliant though terrifying spectacle. Many of these as they approached the earth seemed to go out or disappear. This brilliant and unusual display created great excitement and terror. Many supposed that the end of things had at last come, and hundreds prepared themselves accordingly and prayed for protection from the threatened calamity (Harrison County History).
Apparently, James Potter Armstrong and his wife, Mary Catharine Taggart, moved into Harrison County from Randolf County, West Virginia, about 1834/35 where their first son , William, was born. Where the family lived in Harrison County is not known. Since Clarksburg is the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, this location may well have been where William was born (1835). The distance from Elkins to Clarksburg is about 55 miles.
Victorian modesty caused people to try so hard to make the “stork” story true that the birth was often denied by protocol which demanded that doctors deliver children of mothers from under a sheet, a practice in Harrison County at the time of William’s birth. (History of Harrison County). Whether or not William was delivered by a physician is not known.
The population of Clarksburg in 1835 was about 500. There was only one store and perhaps only one physician. These were hard times in this frontier town and most everything had to be grown or obtained from the forests. The unbroken forests which originally covered West Virginia was inhabited by numerous animals, most of which have disappeared by mid nineteenth century. Buffalo were the first in size. They did not exist in great numbers due to the lack of forage, especially during winter months. The last known buffalo to be killed in Harrison County was in 1825. Elk was also found but not as numerous as deer and bear both of the latter contributed largely to the support of the settlers. Fruits, nuts and berries were found in great abundance. All of these were of use to the settlers. The sugar tree produced sugar in the spring and contributed much to the comfort of the settlers. Thus it should be noted that God our Father provided in these lands east of the mountains a great variety of fruits, nuts, and plants for use by the early settlers and perhaps was not excelled by any other part of the country.
Little is known of this Armstrong family, as no known journals or dairies have been found to supply personal family history. The early U.S. Census records were used to track the family and their lives as they moved westward. It seems certain that the siblings and parents of James Potter Armstrong moved together and that many of the Armstrong’s in the communities in which they lived were related. If one assumes that the census data is correct, this Armstrong family moved considerable distances as noted from the birth of their children. According to his own record, it was in 1839 that Robert Alexander Armstrong, was born in Chiveot, Hamilton County, Ohio. This is now a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio near the banks of the Ohio River. What was it that drew James Potter Armstrong and perhaps others family members to Chiveot, Hamilton county, Ohio? Perhaps, other family members who had moved there earlier? Whatever was the attraction, the great River was the fastest and surer way to travel there. The closest port on the river from Clarksburg was most likely St Marys on the Virginia side of the River.
The distance from Clarksburg, to St. Marys, West Virginia on the Ohio River is about 57 miles. By 1835, travel on the Ohio River was safe and affordable and the best way to get to the Cincinnati area. Whether or not they traveled by the river to that location is not known, but it seems likely according to the times.
One begins to wonder if James Potter Armstrong may have been some kind of a traveling minister as the next child is born in Morrow County, (possibly Washington Township) Ohio in 1842, Edwin D. Armstrong. Morrow and Marion Counties are located in the northern central part of the State of Ohio as shown on the map noted herein.
The exact location of the family when the next child was born is uncertain. The naming of this male child is a mystery also, in that he is named William J. Armstrong in as much as the first son was named William I Armstrong. He was born in 1844 as the fourth child. His name appears in the 1850 U.S. Population Census for the State of Ohio, Mahoning County, Goshen Township at the age of 6 years. It is quite likely that he was born in either Morrow or Stark County since the family lived at these locations before moving to Mahoning County where they were enumerated in the 1850 census. William J. lives only to be 8 years of age as he dies in 1852 on the 4th of October. The fifth child to be born to James and Catharine Armstrong is Lydia Armstrong, the only female child to come into the family. She is born in 1845. Due to conflicting information, the location of her place of birth is uncertain. When she was enumerated in the 1850 census in Mahoning County at the age of 5 years, her birthplace is given as Ohio. Ten years later at the age of almost 15 in the 1860 U.S. Population Census for Marion County in the Tully Township of the State of Ohio, her birthplace is given as Virginia the same as given for her oldest brother, William I. The 6th child to come into the family is Franklin born the 19th of June 1846, in the state of Ohio, probably in Stark County. He later dies at the age of 6 years. Both of the latter sons, William J. and Franklin, die in October and September respectively of 1852 and they were buried in the Iberia Cemetery of Morrow County. The last child to be born into the family is John Armstrong in 1848 in Limaville, Stark County, Ohio.
Did the Armstrong’s move back to Virginia for the birth of Lydia or is the census record in error? It is the opinion of the author that the census record is in error and that she was probably born in Stark County, Ohio. Why did they move to Limaville in Stark County from Morrow County where Edwin was born and then to the Goshen Township of Mahoning County? There is some indication that the family lived near Canfield in Mahoning County, if so, the distance from Limaville to Canfield is about 24 miles due east. But, why was the family temporarily located at these many locations for short periods of time? Their moving around in Ohio has occurred over about a twenty year period (1839 – 1859). A final question: was William J. Armstrong the biological son of James Potter Armstrong and Mary Catharine? Could he have been taken in by the family from a close relative?
By 1860, the Armstrong family had settled onto a farm in Marion County in the Tully Township. James Potter Armstrong remained on this farm the rest of his life. His life here and how the farm was obtained is the subject of the next Chapter.
To briefly summarize the movements of this Armstrong family: After James Potter Armstrong is born in 1801, he is found in Randolf county, West Virginia; then Harrison county West Virginia; then Hamilton county, Ohio; afterwards to Morrow county, Ohio; then to Stark county, Ohio and then to Mahoning county, finally settling in Marion county, Ohio probably about the year 1952. A map showing possible routes to these various locations is shown in Figure 1.
The thirty year period between 1801 and 1830 is an interesting period to contemplate. Surely there should be a record of some type left at their residences where the blanks could be filled in, but to no avail. When the father of James Potter Armstrong is known, then the family, perhaps, can be tracked from Pennsylvania to West Virginia and then to Ohio. It seems probable that other family members may have been at these locations finally helping James Potter Armstrong to settle down.
It is interesting to note that the center of The Church development and growth and where many sacred revelations were received by the Prophet Joseph Smith just ten years earlier occurred only 58 miles due north at Kirtland, Ohio and only 28 miles to Hiram, Ohio from Limaville. Had the Armstrong family been in this area ten years earlier would their history have been different?
[1] The basis for writing and constructing this history is to formalize the facts, events of the time, and the environs in such a way that additional information may be found by the writer so as to extend the genealogy backward to more of the fathers. Likewise, this document may be of interest to descendants so they may better appreciate the sacrifices made by their fathers.

DIRECTION

Direction

Several years ago, as a gift to my children at a family reunion, I presented them with my personal history. One of the great realizations in writing this history was the fact that I was and we were as a family directed by the Holy Ghost throughout our lives. At moments of decision, I did not feel any direction, yet when I looked back at those decisions later I could see the hand of the Lord in every aspect of our lives.
This realization was forcefully brought to my attention again in a recent event that occurred with Anita and I. We had lunch in a little restaurant near Lake Oswego immediately across the street from a used bookstore. The lunch was delightful and at the conclusion of lunch, Anita made the comment and suggested that we go across the street and see what used books the store had to offer. She often visited this store when she was out away from home by herself, so she was well acquainted with it. I made my usual comment that it would be interesting, but we are supposed to be in the Family History Center at 1:00 so should we really take the time now, maybe later would be better ( It is husband trick to avoid shopping). I finally gave- in and so off we went across the street. The bathroom was the first stop for me while Anita began to browse. I finally came into the shop and as I began to browse for interesting books, my eye caught a locked book case standing near the check out desk. It was labeled: “Rare Books”. As I viewed the back spines of the books inside, one caught my attention, “The History of the Upper Ohio Valley” , Columbiana County, Volume II. I asked the store keeper, if I could have a close look at the book. After she opened the case, I observed the book to be in excellent condition. It was dated 1890 with a leather cover and gold edged pages. As I opened the cover, the price was noted as $75.00. My immediate reaction was: “well, that settles that, too expensive!” I continued to thumb through the book and noted that there were some biographical sketches of individuals that lived in the Goshen Township of what is now called Mahoning County. Umm! No, it is too expensive! I said to myself. The nagging continued in my mind and I called Anita over to show it to her. Her reaction was to go ahead and buy the book as it looked to her to be under priced. We love books as evidenced by our book case in the den at home where there is not room for any more books. Umm, “Go ahead you old tight wad and buy it, it looks like a good deal”. Anita had several other books she found that were out of print and so we bought them along with the rare Ohio book.
We arrived at the Family History Center on time and I took the Ohio book into the Center to show it off to the other staff who were there. They oohed and awed over it and said what a nice book. I scanned over the book again and after we finished our duty at the center we went home and I found a spot in the den book case to store it.
Over the past ten years, I have been trying to extend my Armstrong ancestors back another generation or two without success. I have found a great deal of evidence that many of the Armstrong’s noted in the vicinity of my research may be related but no positive connections could be made. In recent days, I have been reviewing the research I have conducted over these past years as I believed that some key information was hidden in this research data. On July the 2nd (Sunday), I was reading in the Gospel according to John and contemplated the first two miracles that the Savior preformed and the discussions he had with the Pharisees where they heard His words as he spoke to them symbolically, but they understood him not. I began to think about my linage and the gift of the Holy Ghost that I received when I was twelve years old. I knew that when individuals come into Christ’s church who are of the blood of Israel, that in general they do not experience a great manifestation of the spirit when they are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. But, if they are true and faithful, the Holy Ghost is always there. My thoughts were carried to the research on the Armstrong’s and to the history I was reconstructing of my second great grandfather, James Potter Armstrong. In my previous scanning of the Ohio rare book, I had noticed some mention of Armstrong’s that lived in the same vicinity of James Potter Armstrong. I decided at this time that I should include this reference in the history I was writing, so I went to the book and reread this reference noted earlier. I began to see that this reference may indeed hold a key to extending my research back several generations. It was at that moment that I saw the hand of Elijah leading my wife to discover a reference of incomparable value at the bookstore I was so reluctant to go and to buy. Why is it we are, so often, lead by the spirit unknowingly and we go so reluctantly? I thanked Anita that morning for her influence and finding.

Here is the noted reference:
“Sylvestor Armstrong, a well known farmer of Goshen Township, was born in Columbiana county, now Mahoning county, Ohio, September 26, 1846, and is the son of Joel and Mary A.(Thompson) Armstrong, the father a native of Ohio, and the Mother of Pennsylvania. ……………….Mr. Armstrong’s paternal ancestors came originally from Ireland, in which country his grandfather Robert Armstrong, was born and raised. Robert Armstrong in company with three brothers and a sister came to America in the latter part of the last century and settled in Pennsylvania. He afterward moved to Mahoning county, Ohio settling in Goshen township, on the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch (Sylvester Armstrong) and Robert Lewis, the stone residence of the latter having been erected by Mr. Armstrong in the year 1826. One of the brothers of Robert Armstrong was impressed into the service of the crown and was never afterward heard from. James, another brother, settled in Virginia, and became a prominent planter. William located in Louisiana, and became a general in the war of 1812. A sister, Mary, married a Mr. Burnside, and was the mother of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, who served with distinction in the war, afterward became the governor of Rhode Island. Joel Armstrong, the father of Sylvster H., was a farmer by occupation and a well known citizen of this county. He was a prominent member of the Friends Church, and to him is due the credit of establishing one of the first Sunday-Schools in this part of the country, of which he was many years superintendent. He was born August, 1808, and died February, 1865. His wife was born in 1823, and departed this life May, 1880. These parents had eight children, six of whom are living at this time.” History of the Upper Ohio Valley, Vol II, Illustrated; Madison, Wis; Brant & Fuller, 1801 "
The above paragraph may prove to be the link needed to make a connection to my ancestor James Potter Armstrong.
RHB

In Search of the Parents of Francis Harvard Brooks

Figure 1 Crossing the border from Austria to Italy in the Alps

Figure 2 One of many beautiful castles on the road from Innsbruck to Bolzano

Figure 3 Geoff & Kylene Brooks in Austria
Figure 4 A view from the road of the city of Bolzano where we searched for records

Figure 5 Typical Architecture and Vinyards

Figure 6 One of many trams used for transportation from villages atop mountains to the city of Bolzano

Figure 7 A view from our balcony to adjacent buildings in the city of Bolzano

In Search of the Parents
of
Francis Harvard Brooks
By
Kylene and Gerffery Brooks[1]

Recently Geoff and I took a trip to Austria and Italy during Christmas time. The purpose of our trip was two-fold: we were returning for the first time to visit our missions together as well as searching for a record of our great-great-grandfather, Francis Harvard Brooks. Our Grandpa Brooks has done an extensive genealogy research on Francis Brooks however nothing has ever shed light on his parents, Michael and Anna Brooks, to take this line any further back in history. Geoff and I both feel strongly that we can play an important part in the research for Francis Harvard due to the fact that between the two of us, we served our missions in the area that was in 1862 Tirol, Austria (where we believe that he was born) and speak the languages (German and Italian) of that area and the records kept there.

Before going on our trip, we dug into the research already done by Grandpa Brooks to learn as much as we could about Francis Brooks. Francis Brooks came to America in 1882 when he was twenty years old. According to the two census records that he filled out (in 1900 and 1920) he was born in 1862. In the 1900 record he indicated that he was born in Tirol, Austria. In the 1920 record, he indicated that he was born in Tirol, Italy. In 1862 Tirol was a region that today covers South Tirol, Austria, Bolzano, Italy and Trento, Italy. Before our trip to Austria and Italy at Christmas time we were not aware that what is now the region of Trento, Italy was part of the region of Tirol, Austria in 1862.

Figure 1 Crossing the border from Austria to Italy in the Alps

There is a small “village” in the present-day region of Bolzano, Italy that is also called Tirol. We were very hopefully that Francis Brooks was born in this small village, however before we went to Italy we emailed the Archives of the Bolzano region in Italy explaining to them when we were coming and what we were looking for. They checked for us in the small village of Tirol and there were no records of a “Brooks” being born anywhere near 1862. They informed us that without knowing a specific city, only the region we would be searching for a needle in a haystack. For months before going to Austria and Italy, Geoff and I prayed and fasted for a help to find something while we would be in Italy. Several weeks before our trip we decided to go to the temple together. As we were leaving, Geoff did something I have never seen him do before. He stopped at the prayer roll box and wrote down a name and put it in the box. On the way out I asked him who he had written down and he said he didn’t want to tell me. I gave him a kind of confused look and then he said “Well I don’t know if I am allowed to write his name because he is dead but I did anyways.” Of course then, I knew exactly who he had been thinking of and wrote down.

Figure 2 One of many beautiful castles on the road from Innsbruck to Bolzano

On Christmas morning we departed from Salt Lake City at 8:30 in the morning only to arrive in Munich, Germany the next morning on December 26th at 8 am. After several days in Innsbruck, Austria we crossed the Austria/Italy border and headed for Bolzano. Bolzano is the “capitol” city of the Bolzano region. Although Bolzano is in Italy it has a stronger Austrian “influence” than Italian “influence”. The people in Bolzano speak both Italian and German. Their signs are written in both languages. The menus of their restaurants are not only written in both languages but include both Italian and Austrian dishes. The city is nestled into the side of the Alps and surrounded by vineyards built into the side of the mountain like staircases. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. Geoff and I loved every minute we spent in Bolzano which seemed like a city perfect fit for the two of us because of the Austrian/Italian blend in every part of it. On the first day that we arrived in Bolzano we went to the Archive which was on the 3rd floor of the public library. When we entered the room there was a long desk with four men sitting at it. I explained who we were, where we are from, and what we were looking for by saying that we were two American, I spoke Italian and Geoff spoke German and we had come to look for a man. Before I could continue, the old man sitting closest to where we were standing interrupted me and said pointing the men next to him “One, two three, four! Here are four men!” We all laughed and I explained about the specific man, Francis Brooks, who we were looking for.

Figure 3 Geoff & Kylene Brooks in Austria

It took me a short while to explain that although the man we were looking for did not have an Austrian or an Italian name we were pretty sure he was born in this region because of the census records he filled out stating in 1900 that he was from Tirol, Austria and then in 1920 that he was from Tirol, Italy. Also from the census records we believed that his father was from England and his mother from Austria (hence the English name.) It then took the archivists another short while to explain to us what we were really asking to do by searching all of the records of the region of Tirol in 1862 for one name. Bolzano is really just ½ of the region of Tirol at the time of Francis Brooks’ birth. In the region of Tirol there are hundreds almost thousands of small cities. At that time, the births were recorded by baptisms in the church of the town. There is another region next to Bolzano called Trento that was also a part of the Tirol region in 1862. They have just as many cities in their region. South Tirol in Austria was also part of Tirol in 1862. Again, there are hundreds or thousands of cities in that region. We told them that we understood it would be a miracle to find the record we were looking for. We had come to look through their records. We had planned to stay in Bolzano for three days.

Figure 4 A view from the road of the city of Bolzano where we searched for records

Before we could begin working, we were required to fill out several papers about ourselves. Both Geoff and I did this as required. The papers asked for our names, birthdates, where we were from, and our passport numbers among other things. They first let us look through the book of registries for the 8 or 9 large cities of the region of Bolzano. We always checked a year or two before 1862 and a year or two after 1862 when we were checking. It struck me as strange that in some of the largest cities in the region there would be listed only one or two names for an entire year. Sonear the city of Bolzano, Italy me years had many but there were many that had only one or two.

Figure 5 Typical Architecture and Vinyards

When we left the archive that evening, Geoff asked me what I wrote on the forms they had us fill out under where I was from. I told him that I wrote Utah, USA. He said he had written the same but as soon as he wrote it he realized what it might have felt like to be Francis Brooks filling out a census form. Neither one of us felt it was important to the archive there in Bolzano to write down a specific city. In my form, I wrote down the place I currently lived which just so happens to be 2,000 miles away from where I was born. It was an important lesson for us on perspective. We did not consider those questions to be of great importance to the archive. I was not about to explain in the space given for the purpose of searching through records that I was actually born in Columbia, Missouri but moved when I was only a year old and then grew up mainly in Washington DC only to go to school in Utah where I met and married Geoff. Why would they care?? It surely would not be important to them to know all of those details. This new perspective has opened our minds to looking at any and all possibilities of where the record of birth for Francis Brooks may be found.

Figure 6 One of many trams used for transportation from villages atop mountains to the city of Bolzano

The next two mornings we returned to the archive to look through 413 microfilms. Thanks to the help of one archivist in particular who searched with us, we managed in two days to look through all of them. Some were written in German, some were written in Italian, some where not legible. There was not a consistent format used. On one microfilm were sometimes several cities. Sometimes for some of the cities they did not have the records for the date range we were searching. Some cities had no records for that entire century. It was incredible tiring and taxing on our eyes and minds to concentrate like that for such a long period of time not to mention a hint of motion sickness from watching the film roll by. We did not unfortunately find any record of Francis Brooks in the microfilms. We did find out one important thing however. When we started looking through the microfilms we noticed at the beginning of each new roll of film was a stamp stating that the microfilm had been filmed by the Genealogy Society of Utah located on West Temple in Salt Lake City and had a reference number. We would be able to look through the other regions of Italy and Austria that made up the region of Tirol back at home in Utah.

We will keep searching back in the United States to see what records we might find to help us locate the city of Francis Brooks’ birth. Since we have gotten back we have heard from the U.S. government immigration Agency who could not find any record of Francis Brook’s application for citizen ship or declaration of intention. We want to look for a record of entry at one of the ports as well as look in the microfilms for the Trento, Italy region. We will continue to search and pray for guidance and help from heaven.

The Trip was very enjoyable and was nice for me and Geoff. We saw old friends which was nice. We ate great food that we had not had in such a long time. We grew closer to each other and had fun looking for the records. Italy and Austria are truly beautiful countries. The people are so nice and wonderful. It was truly a blessing for us to get to go and search for the parents for Francis Harvard Brooks.

Figure 7 A view from our balcony to adjacent buildings in the city of Bolzano

Note: Since the blog does not allow pictures to be inserted into the text, the reader must match up the caption with the picture. There is an extra picture taken on the steep road to Bolzano showing the vinyards below on the landscape
[1] Geoff and Kylene live in Provo, Utah. Geoff works in International Graphic Design/Web for “Stampin-Up” and Kylene holds the position of Constituent Liaison for Senator Robert F. Bennett of Utah.
They are the grandchildren of Royal and Anita Brooks of Wilsonville, Oregon.