The following census information came from Marilyn Cordill at [email protected] on January 27, 2004.
1860 census - Monroe Twp., Holmes Co., OH - p.349:
James Armstrong, 42, PA
Rebecca, 30, OH
Jane, 4, OH
Hugh R., 1, OH
*Jane Armstrong, 76, PA
Margaret Armstrong, 40, PA
1870 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 147B:
James Armstrong, 52, PA
Rebecca, 40, OH
Margaret, 50, PA
John, 8, OH
Mary, OH
William, 2, KS
1880 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. ?:
James Armstrong, 68 (62?), PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA, Farmer
Rebecca, 51, OH, parents b in PA
Mary, 14, OH
Anderson, 12, KS (probably is William Anderson)
William, 7, KS (probably supposed to be Robert U.)
Margret Armstrong, 50, PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
1900 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 129:
James Armstrong, Aug 1817, 82, PA, md 45 yrs, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
Rebecca R., Aug 1829, 70, OH, mother of 7 children, 3 still living, parents b in PA
~~~
Evidently the James Armstrong family moved from Ohio to Kansas about 1867, because Mary was born in Ohio about 1866 and William Anderson was born in Kansas in about 1868. - Harold Eugene Armstrong Jr. - 6/2/2004.
~~~
James B. Armstrong was a twin. His brother's name was William, He was killed when a house in Pennsylvania blew down. This information is from the Armstrong family Bible which was in the possession of William Harold Armstrong in 1970 - Carol J. (Pence) Johnson - 6/30/1990
~~~
By 1873 James B. Armstrong owned at least 120 acre parcel of land, a portion of which (the southeast corner) he, on October 19, 1867, granted to be use as a school. He also owned a 160 acre parcel of land which, a portion of which was granted to be used as a church and cemetery which is now the Bethel Cemetery. By 1898 the 160 acre parcel had been equally divided between, R. Armstrong and W.A. Armstrong. Both of the parcels originally owned by James Armstrong are located south of Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas . Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/2/2004.
~~~
The following census information was received from Jill Herzog of the Topeka Historical Society in Topeka, Kansas on April 2, 2004.
1875 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 13:
James Armstrong, 57, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
Rebecca Armstrong, 45, OH
Margaret Armstrong, 53, PA
M. E. Armstrong, 10, OH (This is Mary Elizabeth Armstrong)
W. A. Armstrong, 7, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 2, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
1885 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 19:
James Armstrong, 67, Farmer, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
R. Armstrong, 55, OH, (This is Rebecca Armstrong)
Mary E. Armstrong, 20, OH
A. W. Armstrong, 17, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 12, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
H. R. Barns, 27, Farmer, Ohio, Lived in Ohio prior to coming to Kansas)
Note: It is uncertain who H. R. Barns was or how he relates to the Armstrong family. He may have been a friend or a relative who was staying with them when the 1885 Census was taken. Their was no previous mention of him or none found later. However after receiving information from Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson on June 5, 2004 H. R. Barns may have been Robert Burns, born in 1858, whose family was from Holmes County, Ohio and who was the son of Garrett Burns and Margaret Robison, Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong's sister - Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/12/04.
1895 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 6:
James A. Armstrong, 76, PA, Lived on Ohio prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (The middle initial was probably an error made by the census taker)
Anderson Armstrong, 27, KS, Farmer/Laborer (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
Florence Armstrong, 27, IA, lived in Iowa prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (This is William Anderson Armstrong's wife Florence E. Phinney)
R. U. Armstrong, 22, KS, Farmer (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
Harry Armstrong, 4, KS (This is William Harold Armstrong, son of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
Irene Armstrong, 5 months, KS (This is the daughter of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
~~~
James B. and Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong were married September 28, 1854 in Holmes County Ohio. They lived on the farm with James' mother, Jane Armstrong and his sister Margaret, who never married. Their children were born there and two of them are buried in Hopewell Cemetery near their grandmother, Jane, who died in 1861. [Hugh died in 1864 at the age of 5 years and Jane B., who was 6 when she died in 1862]. In her will Jane Armstrong left the farm to her son James, with the stipulation that he would take care of his sister Margaret and give her a "decent burial", which he did. She is buried in the same plot as he is in Bethel Cemetery, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas. To her other three surviving children Robert T. Armstrong, Mary Gilson and Elizabeth she left $100 each. James B. Armstrong sold the property in 1864, and in about 1867 moved to Kansas. - Information provided by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson.
~~~
Turning to the Armstrongs.
We got copies of plot maps from the Kansas State Historical Society for 1873 and 1898 showing the farms of James B. Armstrong. In 1873 he had 160 acres between land owned by Robert B. Robison (on one side) and L. Decker (on the other side). You will recall that his (James) wife was Rebecca Robison. Across the road and down a bit J. Armstrong owned another 120 acres and in a corner of that property there is a school house (now abandoned) with the date 1881. Decker School . It is on the corner of 29th and Ratner Rd. (one mile beyond Tecumseh Rd.) on a corner of property once owned by Great-grandfather James B. Armstrong. The Decker acreage was across the street. There is also an 80 acre plot owned by "Hook" and I assume that was Keziah's which Joseph Molton was farming after their marriage. The plot map of 1898 doesn't show any property for J. Armstrong but the 160 acres is now divided between W. A. Armstrong and R. Armstrong. On a corner of the R. Armstrong plot the church and cemetery are marked. The church is no longer there but the cemetery is and we found the graves of Keziah and Joseph Molton. Her monument is the larger one and reads: " Mother, Keziah Wife of Joseph Molton Dec. 8, 1822 May 1892. (These dates are different from what I have for her) His marker reads: "J. W. Molton. Co. H. 11th Calvary. The small marker in the ground by his tombstone commemorates his participation in the Civil War.
We also went to the library at Washburn University and I looked in old catalogs and found Mary Elizabeth Armstrong listed in 1885-86. She was taking English Preparatory classes.
From Topeka we drove to Parksville, Mo. (now a suburb of Kansas City) and visited the campus of Park College where Mary E. Armstrong and her brother William Anderson Armstrong were listed as members of the Junior class 1883-84. Dick Moulton has letters written to them by their father when they were there. Park College is no longer affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. About 10 years ago the Mormon's bought it.
The above statments are excerpts from a letter written by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson to her sister in May 1990 after visiting Topeka, Kansas.
1860 census - Monroe Twp., Holmes Co., OH - p.349:
James Armstrong, 42, PA
Rebecca, 30, OH
Jane, 4, OH
Hugh R., 1, OH
*Jane Armstrong, 76, PA
Margaret Armstrong, 40, PA
1870 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 147B:
James Armstrong, 52, PA
Rebecca, 40, OH
Margaret, 50, PA
John, 8, OH
Mary, OH
William, 2, KS
1880 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. ?:
James Armstrong, 68 (62?), PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA, Farmer
Rebecca, 51, OH, parents b in PA
Mary, 14, OH
Anderson, 12, KS (probably is William Anderson)
William, 7, KS (probably supposed to be Robert U.)
Margret Armstrong, 50, PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
1900 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 129:
James Armstrong, Aug 1817, 82, PA, md 45 yrs, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
Rebecca R., Aug 1829, 70, OH, mother of 7 children, 3 still living, parents b in PA
~~~
Evidently the James Armstrong family moved from Ohio to Kansas about 1867, because Mary was born in Ohio about 1866 and William Anderson was born in Kansas in about 1868. - Harold Eugene Armstrong Jr. - 6/2/2004.
~~~
James B. Armstrong was a twin. His brother's name was William, He was killed when a house in Pennsylvania blew down. This information is from the Armstrong family Bible which was in the possession of William Harold Armstrong in 1970 - Carol J. (Pence) Johnson - 6/30/1990
~~~
By 1873 James B. Armstrong owned at least 120 acre parcel of land, a portion of which (the southeast corner) he, on October 19, 1867, granted to be use as a school. He also owned a 160 acre parcel of land which, a portion of which was granted to be used as a church and cemetery which is now the Bethel Cemetery. By 1898 the 160 acre parcel had been equally divided between, R. Armstrong and W.A. Armstrong. Both of the parcels originally owned by James Armstrong are located south of Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas . Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/2/2004.
~~~
The following census information was received from Jill Herzog of the Topeka Historical Society in Topeka, Kansas on April 2, 2004.
1875 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 13:
James Armstrong, 57, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
Rebecca Armstrong, 45, OH
Margaret Armstrong, 53, PA
M. E. Armstrong, 10, OH (This is Mary Elizabeth Armstrong)
W. A. Armstrong, 7, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 2, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
1885 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 19:
James Armstrong, 67, Farmer, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
R. Armstrong, 55, OH, (This is Rebecca Armstrong)
Mary E. Armstrong, 20, OH
A. W. Armstrong, 17, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 12, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
H. R. Barns, 27, Farmer, Ohio, Lived in Ohio prior to coming to Kansas)
Note: It is uncertain who H. R. Barns was or how he relates to the Armstrong family. He may have been a friend or a relative who was staying with them when the 1885 Census was taken. Their was no previous mention of him or none found later. However after receiving information from Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson on June 5, 2004 H. R. Barns may have been Robert Burns, born in 1858, whose family was from Holmes County, Ohio and who was the son of Garrett Burns and Margaret Robison, Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong's sister - Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/12/04.
1895 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 6:
James A. Armstrong, 76, PA, Lived on Ohio prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (The middle initial was probably an error made by the census taker)
Anderson Armstrong, 27, KS, Farmer/Laborer (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
Florence Armstrong, 27, IA, lived in Iowa prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (This is William Anderson Armstrong's wife Florence E. Phinney)
R. U. Armstrong, 22, KS, Farmer (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
Harry Armstrong, 4, KS (This is William Harold Armstrong, son of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
Irene Armstrong, 5 months, KS (This is the daughter of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
~~~
James B. and Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong were married September 28, 1854 in Holmes County Ohio. They lived on the farm with James' mother, Jane Armstrong and his sister Margaret, who never married. Their children were born there and two of them are buried in Hopewell Cemetery near their grandmother, Jane, who died in 1861. [Hugh died in 1864 at the age of 5 years and Jane B., who was 6 when she died in 1862]. In her will Jane Armstrong left the farm to her son James, with the stipulation that he would take care of his sister Margaret and give her a "decent burial", which he did. She is buried in the same plot as he is in Bethel Cemetery, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas. To her other three surviving children Robert T. Armstrong, Mary Gilson and Elizabeth she left $100 each. James B. Armstrong sold the property in 1864, and in about 1867 moved to Kansas. - Information provided by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson.
~~~
Turning to the Armstrongs.
We got copies of plot maps from the Kansas State Historical Society for 1873 and 1898 showing the farms of James B. Armstrong. In 1873 he had 160 acres between land owned by Robert B. Robison (on one side) and L. Decker (on the other side). You will recall that his (James) wife was Rebecca Robison. Across the road and down a bit J. Armstrong owned another 120 acres and in a corner of that property there is a school house (now abandoned) with the date 1881. Decker School . It is on the corner of 29th and Ratner Rd. (one mile beyond Tecumseh Rd.) on a corner of property once owned by Great-grandfather James B. Armstrong. The Decker acreage was across the street. There is also an 80 acre plot owned by "Hook" and I assume that was Keziah's which Joseph Molton was farming after their marriage. The plot map of 1898 doesn't show any property for J. Armstrong but the 160 acres is now divided between W. A. Armstrong and R. Armstrong. On a corner of the R. Armstrong plot the church and cemetery are marked. The church is no longer there but the cemetery is and we found the graves of Keziah and Joseph Molton. Her monument is the larger one and reads: " Mother, Keziah Wife of Joseph Molton Dec. 8, 1822 May 1892. (These dates are different from what I have for her) His marker reads: "J. W. Molton. Co. H. 11th Calvary. The small marker in the ground by his tombstone commemorates his participation in the Civil War.
We also went to the library at Washburn University and I looked in old catalogs and found Mary Elizabeth Armstrong listed in 1885-86. She was taking English Preparatory classes.
From Topeka we drove to Parksville, Mo. (now a suburb of Kansas City) and visited the campus of Park College where Mary E. Armstrong and her brother William Anderson Armstrong were listed as members of the Junior class 1883-84. Dick Moulton has letters written to them by their father when they were there. Park College is no longer affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. About 10 years ago the Mormon's bought it.
The above statments are excerpts from a letter written by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson to her sister in May 1990 after visiting Topeka, Kansas.
The following census information came from Marilyn Cordill at [email protected] on January 27, 2004.
1860 census - Monroe Twp., Holmes Co., OH - p.349:
James Armstrong, 42, PA
Rebecca, 30, OH
Jane, 4, OH
Hugh R., 1, OH
*Jane Armstrong, 76, PA
Margaret Armstrong, 40, PA
1870 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 147B:
James Armstrong, 52, PA
Rebecca, 40, OH
Margaret, 50, PA
John, 8, OH
Mary, OH
William, 2, KS
1880 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. ?:
James Armstrong, 68 (62?), PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA, Farmer
Rebecca, 51, OH, parents b in PA
Mary, 14, OH
Anderson, 12, KS (probably is William Anderson)
William, 7, KS (probably supposed to be Robert U.)
Margret Armstrong, 50, PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
1900 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 129:
James Armstrong, Aug 1817, 82, PA, md 45 yrs, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
Rebecca R., Aug 1829, 70, OH, mother of 7 children, 3 still living, parents b in PA
~~~
Evidently the James Armstrong family moved from Ohio to Kansas about 1867, because Mary was born in Ohio about 1866 and William Anderson was born in Kansas in about 1868. - Harold Eugene Armstrong Jr. - 6/2/2004.
~~~
James B. Armstrong was a twin. His brother's name was William, He was killed when a house in Pennsylvania blew down. This information is from the Armstrong family Bible which was in the possession of William Harold Armstrong in 1970 - Carol J. (Pence) Johnson - 6/30/1990
~~~
By 1873 James B. Armstrong owned at least 120 acre parcel of land, a portion of which (the southeast corner) he, on October 19, 1867, granted to be use as a school. He also owned a 160 acre parcel of land which, a portion of which was granted to be used as a church and cemetery which is now the Bethel Cemetery. By 1898 the 160 acre parcel had been equally divided between, R. Armstrong and W.A. Armstrong. Both of the parcels originally owned by James Armstrong are located south of Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas . Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/2/2004.
~~~
The following census information was received from Jill Herzog of the Topeka Historical Society in Topeka, Kansas on April 2, 2004.
1875 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 13:
James Armstrong, 57, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
Rebecca Armstrong, 45, OH
Margaret Armstrong, 53, PA
M. E. Armstrong, 10, OH (This is Mary Elizabeth Armstrong)
W. A. Armstrong, 7, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 2, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
1885 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 19:
James Armstrong, 67, Farmer, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
R. Armstrong, 55, OH, (This is Rebecca Armstrong)
Mary E. Armstrong, 20, OH
A. W. Armstrong, 17, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 12, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
H. R. Barns, 27, Farmer, Ohio, Lived in Ohio prior to coming to Kansas)
Note: It is uncertain who H. R. Barns was or how he relates to the Armstrong family. He may have been a friend or a relative who was staying with them when the 1885 Census was taken. Their was no previous mention of him or none found later. However after receiving information from Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson on June 5, 2004 H. R. Barns may have been Robert Burns, born in 1858, whose family was from Holmes County, Ohio and who was the son of Garrett Burns and Margaret Robison, Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong's sister - Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/12/04.
1895 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 6:
James A. Armstrong, 76, PA, Lived on Ohio prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (The middle initial was probably an error made by the census taker)
Anderson Armstrong, 27, KS, Farmer/Laborer (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
Florence Armstrong, 27, IA, lived in Iowa prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (This is William Anderson Armstrong's wife Florence E. Phinney)
R. U. Armstrong, 22, KS, Farmer (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
Harry Armstrong, 4, KS (This is William Harold Armstrong, son of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
Irene Armstrong, 5 months, KS (This is the daughter of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
~~~
James B. and Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong were married September 28, 1854 in Holmes County Ohio. They lived on the farm with James' mother, Jane Armstrong and his sister Margaret, who never married. Their children were born there and two of them are buried in Hopewell Cemetery near their grandmother, Jane, who died in 1861. [Hugh died in 1864 at the age of 5 years and Jane B., who was 6 when she died in 1862]. In her will Jane Armstrong left the farm to her son James, with the stipulation that he would take care of his sister Margaret and give her a "decent burial", which he did. She is buried in the same plot as he is in Bethel Cemetery, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas. To her other three surviving children Robert T. Armstrong, Mary Gilson and Elizabeth she left $100 each. James B. Armstrong sold the property in 1864, and in about 1867 moved to Kansas. - Information provided by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson.
~~~
Turning to the Armstrongs.
We got copies of plot maps from the Kansas State Historical Society for 1873 and 1898 showing the farms of James B. Armstrong. In 1873 he had 160 acres between land owned by Robert B. Robison (on one side) and L. Decker (on the other side). You will recall that his (James) wife was Rebecca Robison. Across the road and down a bit J. Armstrong owned another 120 acres and in a corner of that property there is a school house (now abandoned) with the date 1881. Decker School . It is on the corner of 29th and Ratner Rd. (one mile beyond Tecumseh Rd.) on a corner of property once owned by Great-grandfather James B. Armstrong. The Decker acreage was across the street. There is also an 80 acre plot owned by "Hook" and I assume that was Keziah's which Joseph Molton was farming after their marriage. The plot map of 1898 doesn't show any property for J. Armstrong but the 160 acres is now divided between W. A. Armstrong and R. Armstrong. On a corner of the R. Armstrong plot the church and cemetery are marked. The church is no longer there but the cemetery is and we found the graves of Keziah and Joseph Molton. Her monument is the larger one and reads: " Mother, Keziah Wife of Joseph Molton Dec. 8, 1822 May 1892. (These dates are different from what I have for her) His marker reads: "J. W. Molton. Co. H. 11th Calvary. The small marker in the ground by his tombstone commemorates his participation in the Civil War.
We also went to the library at Washburn University and I looked in old catalogs and found Mary Elizabeth Armstrong listed in 1885-86. She was taking English Preparatory classes.
From Topeka we drove to Parksville, Mo. (now a suburb of Kansas City) and visited the campus of Park College where Mary E. Armstrong and her brother William Anderson Armstrong were listed as members of the Junior class 1883-84. Dick Moulton has letters written to them by their father when they were there. Park College is no longer affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. About 10 years ago the Mormon's bought it.
The above statments are excerpts from a letter written by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson to her sister in May 1990 after visiting Topeka, Kansas.
1860 census - Monroe Twp., Holmes Co., OH - p.349:
James Armstrong, 42, PA
Rebecca, 30, OH
Jane, 4, OH
Hugh R., 1, OH
*Jane Armstrong, 76, PA
Margaret Armstrong, 40, PA
1870 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 147B:
James Armstrong, 52, PA
Rebecca, 40, OH
Margaret, 50, PA
John, 8, OH
Mary, OH
William, 2, KS
1880 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. ?:
James Armstrong, 68 (62?), PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA, Farmer
Rebecca, 51, OH, parents b in PA
Mary, 14, OH
Anderson, 12, KS (probably is William Anderson)
William, 7, KS (probably supposed to be Robert U.)
Margret Armstrong, 50, PA, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
1900 census - Tecumseh Twp., Shawnee Co., KS - p. 129:
James Armstrong, Aug 1817, 82, PA, md 45 yrs, father b in Ireland, mother in PA
Rebecca R., Aug 1829, 70, OH, mother of 7 children, 3 still living, parents b in PA
~~~
Evidently the James Armstrong family moved from Ohio to Kansas about 1867, because Mary was born in Ohio about 1866 and William Anderson was born in Kansas in about 1868. - Harold Eugene Armstrong Jr. - 6/2/2004.
~~~
James B. Armstrong was a twin. His brother's name was William, He was killed when a house in Pennsylvania blew down. This information is from the Armstrong family Bible which was in the possession of William Harold Armstrong in 1970 - Carol J. (Pence) Johnson - 6/30/1990
~~~
By 1873 James B. Armstrong owned at least 120 acre parcel of land, a portion of which (the southeast corner) he, on October 19, 1867, granted to be use as a school. He also owned a 160 acre parcel of land which, a portion of which was granted to be used as a church and cemetery which is now the Bethel Cemetery. By 1898 the 160 acre parcel had been equally divided between, R. Armstrong and W.A. Armstrong. Both of the parcels originally owned by James Armstrong are located south of Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas . Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/2/2004.
~~~
The following census information was received from Jill Herzog of the Topeka Historical Society in Topeka, Kansas on April 2, 2004.
1875 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 13:
James Armstrong, 57, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
Rebecca Armstrong, 45, OH
Margaret Armstrong, 53, PA
M. E. Armstrong, 10, OH (This is Mary Elizabeth Armstrong)
W. A. Armstrong, 7, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 2, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
1885 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 19:
James Armstrong, 67, Farmer, PA, Lived in Ohio prior to moving to Kansas
R. Armstrong, 55, OH, (This is Rebecca Armstrong)
Mary E. Armstrong, 20, OH
A. W. Armstrong, 17, KS (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
R. U. Armstrong, 12, KS (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
H. R. Barns, 27, Farmer, Ohio, Lived in Ohio prior to coming to Kansas)
Note: It is uncertain who H. R. Barns was or how he relates to the Armstrong family. He may have been a friend or a relative who was staying with them when the 1885 Census was taken. Their was no previous mention of him or none found later. However after receiving information from Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson on June 5, 2004 H. R. Barns may have been Robert Burns, born in 1858, whose family was from Holmes County, Ohio and who was the son of Garrett Burns and Margaret Robison, Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong's sister - Harold Eugene Armstrong - 6/12/04.
1895 Census, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee County), Kansas, page 6:
James A. Armstrong, 76, PA, Lived on Ohio prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (The middle initial was probably an error made by the census taker)
Anderson Armstrong, 27, KS, Farmer/Laborer (This is William Anderson Armstrong)
Florence Armstrong, 27, IA, lived in Iowa prior to moving to Kansas, Farmer (This is William Anderson Armstrong's wife Florence E. Phinney)
R. U. Armstrong, 22, KS, Farmer (This is Robert Uriah Armstrong)
Harry Armstrong, 4, KS (This is William Harold Armstrong, son of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
Irene Armstrong, 5 months, KS (This is the daughter of William Anderson and Florence E. (Phinney) Armstrong)
~~~
James B. and Rebecca (Robison) Armstrong were married September 28, 1854 in Holmes County Ohio. They lived on the farm with James' mother, Jane Armstrong and his sister Margaret, who never married. Their children were born there and two of them are buried in Hopewell Cemetery near their grandmother, Jane, who died in 1861. [Hugh died in 1864 at the age of 5 years and Jane B., who was 6 when she died in 1862]. In her will Jane Armstrong left the farm to her son James, with the stipulation that he would take care of his sister Margaret and give her a "decent burial", which he did. She is buried in the same plot as he is in Bethel Cemetery, Tecumseh Township (Shawnee Co.), Kansas. To her other three surviving children Robert T. Armstrong, Mary Gilson and Elizabeth she left $100 each. James B. Armstrong sold the property in 1864, and in about 1867 moved to Kansas. - Information provided by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson.
~~~
Turning to the Armstrongs.
We got copies of plot maps from the Kansas State Historical Society for 1873 and 1898 showing the farms of James B. Armstrong. In 1873 he had 160 acres between land owned by Robert B. Robison (on one side) and L. Decker (on the other side). You will recall that his (James) wife was Rebecca Robison. Across the road and down a bit J. Armstrong owned another 120 acres and in a corner of that property there is a school house (now abandoned) with the date 1881. Decker School . It is on the corner of 29th and Ratner Rd. (one mile beyond Tecumseh Rd.) on a corner of property once owned by Great-grandfather James B. Armstrong. The Decker acreage was across the street. There is also an 80 acre plot owned by "Hook" and I assume that was Keziah's which Joseph Molton was farming after their marriage. The plot map of 1898 doesn't show any property for J. Armstrong but the 160 acres is now divided between W. A. Armstrong and R. Armstrong. On a corner of the R. Armstrong plot the church and cemetery are marked. The church is no longer there but the cemetery is and we found the graves of Keziah and Joseph Molton. Her monument is the larger one and reads: " Mother, Keziah Wife of Joseph Molton Dec. 8, 1822 May 1892. (These dates are different from what I have for her) His marker reads: "J. W. Molton. Co. H. 11th Calvary. The small marker in the ground by his tombstone commemorates his participation in the Civil War.
We also went to the library at Washburn University and I looked in old catalogs and found Mary Elizabeth Armstrong listed in 1885-86. She was taking English Preparatory classes.
From Topeka we drove to Parksville, Mo. (now a suburb of Kansas City) and visited the campus of Park College where Mary E. Armstrong and her brother William Anderson Armstrong were listed as members of the Junior class 1883-84. Dick Moulton has letters written to them by their father when they were there. Park College is no longer affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. About 10 years ago the Mormon's bought it.
The above statments are excerpts from a letter written by Carol Jeanne (Pence) Johnson to her sister in May 1990 after visiting Topeka, Kansas.
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