Joseph Albert Armitage
Surname: Armitage
Given Name: Joseph Albert
Sex: M
Birth: 18 Aug 1811 in Oldham,Lancashire,England
Death: 2 May 1894 in Oconomowoc,Wisconsin.
Burial: Labelle Cemetery in Oconomowoc
Ancestral File #: 3B3H-Z5
_UID: 09C1B68B94E2694EAEE9A5CF6DB6E60955C3

Note: Joseph's father Thomas disapproved of'their marriage and wouldn't communicate forseveral years. Neither would Mary name a childfor him until he made friends. Joseph and Maryemigrated to US in 1842 via the "Siddon's" fromLiverpool to NY. He worked in cotton mills(as he had in England) in NJ, RI, and MA. beforesettling on a farm near Neosho, Dodge County, Wiin 1846.RUBICON TOWNSHIP, DODGE COUNTY, WI.Farmer, The south East Quarter (1/4) of the North East Quarter(1/4)and the North East Quarter (1/4) of the South East Quarter(1/4), Section Thirty-two (32), Township Ten (10)North of Range Seventeen (17) East.Goverment Entry: dated Nov 17, 1846.according to abstract....S.E.. 1/4 of the N.E. 1/4, Sec. 32-10-17. andother lands.This peice of land was sold to John Hadfield on21-June-1852.He bought more land adding 280 acres.Joseph did not know how to farm and had to learn howfrom reading books and from what others would tellhim...He also was a Assessor, Treasurer of School District fortwenty five years. Was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 108Neosho, and the Justice of Peace for twelve years. He was aRepublican in politics.EXCERPTS FROM WM ARMITAGE BOOKGOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY JUNE 21, 1880The Armitage family is an ancient one in England, and hasproduced a number of men eminent in its annals; but ourimmediate ancestors belonged to the common people. Ourgrandfather Thomas Armitage, came from near Huddersfield, alarge manufacturing town in Yorkshire, and when a young man, hemoved to Oldham in the county of Lancaster, where he settled andmarried Hannah Winterbottom, a young woman belonging to the sameclass as himself. Our grandfather was a man of medium height,thickset, and of a ruddy complexion, one of those sturdy,rugged, independent, upright men that are the glory and pride ofold England.Our grandmother was a medium sized woman, noted for her kinddisposition, and her deep, and earnest religious faith.Our grandparents were not gifted with much wealth, but had tolabor daily for a livelihood.Our father was the second of nine children, and was born atOldham on the 18th day of August in the year 1811.Our father was early taught to work, before he was seven yearsold, he had woven more than 40 yds of thick velveteen., beingsmall he had large clogs made for his feet, and blocks of woodplaced in the treadles to enable him to reach his work. After hehad got to this age, his daily work was to weave three yards ofthis kind of cloth.In the year 1826 grandfather moved with his family to Hyde, aplace becoming noted for cotton factories, and father was sentto work in one of these at his old business of weaving.In the course of time he became acquainted with Mary Sykes, ayoung woman of the same town - and were married on the 21st dayof June 1830 - fifty years ago today.This Mary Sykes had left her fathers family living atHeckmondwike (a small town near Leeds) to work in one of thesecotton factories. Her father was a carpet weaver, and was also alocal preacher in the Wesleyan Methodist Church, a man respectedand honored by his townsmen.Her mother , a woman of great common sense died at an early age,leaving a family of five small children, of whom Mary was thesecond child.And these two began life, in this town of Hyde (near Manchester)in the good county of Chester, began life as toilers in a cottonmill.About the time of their marriage, there was the beginning of agreat upheaval in the working lower classes of England - thechartist movement which shook the political fabric to its veryfoundations, the results of which we see so plainly at this time- and another movement, which was an effort to better theircondition both financially and intellectually, and at the same arevolt against the bigotry and corruption of a state church.Our father was stirred up by these two great movements, and tookan active and prominent part in them, in the little town inwhich he lived, having inherited the sturdy independence of hisfather, modified by the kindliness of his mother.One of the results of this upheaval of the working people, wasthe establishment of numerous building societies, to enable themembers to obtain houses of their own, and at the same time toobtain more political power. Father belonged to one of thesesocieties, by which means he was enabled to build two houses, inone of which the early days of the family were spent.I must not forget to mention that about this time father beganto develop his musical talent, playing with considerable skillupon the Flageolet, Flute, and Bass Violin, but his greatestachievement in this line, was his performance on the double BassViolin: - in endeavoring to imitate his performance on thisinstrument I can remember some well merited castigations.As time passed along, children began to increase around thefamily board - making it necessary to increase the income tosupport the family, instead of this however owing to the stateof the cotton trade the income was less. To remedy this, fathermade up his mind to go to the United states of America, to tryand better his condition there. He first thought of going alone,but mother said no, if one went, all should go.To furnish the means the two houses were disposed of - and toshow the energy with which the matter was carried out - onMonday forenoon father came home from his work and said he wasgoing to America, and on Friday morning of the same week, thewhole arrangements were complete, and the family on the road toManchester in grandfathers wagon.At this time the family consisted of Father, Mother, Williamaged 9 years, Albert 7, Thomas 5, Ambrose 3 and Sykes 1. On the14th day of February in the year 1842, we left our home in Hyde,and took passage at Liverpool, on board the good ship Siddons,landing at New York on the 5th day of April after a very stormypassage of 7 weeks.The same day we landed we were taken to Newark a city a dewmiles from New York. Arriving at his journeys end father countedup his means, when he found he had 30 shillings (English money)or about $7.50 - not a very large capital to start with in thenew world.Now began a struggle for live. Father travelled over the countryfar and near to get work, but without much success, for it wasvery hard times, and none could afford to hire.In the early summer, he got a place on a canal boat, but afterworking several weeks, and lending the captain a dollar in moneyand a shirt, and not being able to get any pay he left, and hasnot got his pay to this day.After this he obtained work helping to build a new lock in thecanal, he worked three weeks, when just before pay day, thecontractor left for parts unknown, leaving father without anypay again. All this time mother was going out washing andcleaning house to obtain the barest necessaries of life.I write the more minutely of this period, to show you that theearly career of our family was not strewn with roses, and toshow the first summers experience in this country. Gettingdiscouraged, in the fall father started for Rhode Island, wherehe got work in a cotton mill in the town of Woonsocket, where hetook the family as soon as he earned the means, getting thereabout the 1sst of October. The trials were now over for a time,everything moving along smoothly. In August 1843, Joseph wasborn.Father still cherished the idea that made him leave England, theidea of having land and a home of his own, of being master ofhis own time, and of bringing up his children free as the air ofheaven, so in the spring of 1844 he went to the southern part ofIllinois to try and get a farm, the result however was acomplete failure; coming home in the fall sick with ague, andseveral ribs broken the effect of a fall on the journey home.In the fall of 1845 owing to some dissatisfaction; we moved inthe course of a few months first to Farnumsville, where Robertwas born, next to Holbrooks from there to North Oxford, all inMass., where we staid until the fall of 1846. At this place(North Oxford) in the summer of 1846 came the first, and so farthe only break in our family. Albert, the second son died agedtwelve years and is buried in the cemetery at Oxford.Soon after this we started for Wisconsin, still following up thepurpose to get land and bring up the family independent of thefactories.We arrived in Milwaukee in the fall of 1846, coming by steamboataround the lakes - after stopping a short time at Eagle,Waukesha Co. at an old acquaintance, while looking up a piece ofland, we moved to the town of Hustisford, Dodge co. on the 25thof Dec 1846.During the winter we built a log house, and we moved to thisplace on the day of March 1847 a little more than 33 years agoand this has been the family homestead since that time.And here let me pause a moment in my narrative to state thecondition of our family at this time, to us the beginning of anew era.The family at this time consisted of Father, Mother, William,Thomas, Ambrose, Sykes, Joseph Jr. and Robert. Father and theolder boys had worked in the factory, and earned means enough tobring us here, to buy 80 acres of land from the government, andto purchase provisions for the first year; and here we began ournew life, without experience its true, but full of hope anddetermined to do our best to succeed.We chopped about 4 acres during the winter and spring, clearedit off and planted it with corn, potatoes etc. Now our lack ofexperience began to show itself. Our corn was planted too late,it was poorly tended, and the frost came in the fall and killedit before it was of much value. Potatoes did pretty well.Now was the beginning of troubles, here we were in the woods ofDodge Co,, nothing raised form the place, money all gone, andnot enough of credit to buy a paper of saleratur of the value of8cts.How we got through is difficult to tell. Father worked out, hetook a job, of chopping a piece of heavy timber for $3.00 peracre taking his pay in corn at 50 cts per bushel - for Johnnycake. Every particle of middlings was saved for bread. But withall our working, saving and scraping, every thing eatable giveout.The bran was brought out and sifted for bread, and I would justsay if you think bran makes good bread just try it once, theprincipal diet was this bread and greens. At this interestingperiod when even the bran and greens were failing, Phebe, thefirst girl was born, August 12, 1848. I must say she came atrather a poor time.We pulled through somehow, until the corn this year 1848 beganto glaze, we would take this and dry it on the stove, and grindit in the coffee mill of which Sykes was constituted miller,with the rest of the boys assistants, (truthfulness compels meto admit however that we avoided this work whenever we could)this furnished our bread until the corn was ripe enough to taketo mill some 7 or 8 weeks.Things begin to brighten up a little, we had a good piece ofcorn, plenty of potatoes and some wheat, we had the promise ofsomething to eat once more, but our troubles were not all overyet. About the time we should take care of our crops, we werenearly all taken sick with the ague and chill fever, whichcontinued till into the winter, so that the corn was notharvested until spring.Another difficulty now arose the clothes we brought from theEast were worn out, with nothing to replace them, barefoot andnearly naked, how we got through this winter is more than I cantell, every rag about the house was brought into use.With the coming of Spring our hardest trials were ended, - ofcourse the way was not entirely smooth but from this time therehas been a steady advance in all that makes life enjoyable. Twomore children were added to the family Willis, January 1, 1851and Fanny, July 16, 1853 making 9 living children, 7 boys andtwo girls. But I must draw these ambling remarks to a close.In course of time the family began to scatter - one afteranother, got married and started in life for themselves, - untilthis day when we are assembled together once more. Without abreak since we came to Wisconsin, assembled with our wives, ourhusbands, our children (grandchildren) on this 21st day of Junein the year 1880 - Met to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of thewedding of Joseph Armitage and Mary Sykes our father and mother,the whole family in health and strength, in the prime of manhoodand womanhood each one filling their place in the battle oflife, honored and respected in the community in which they live,coming from four different states to attend this celebration.god grant that when we break up our reunion here, and to to ourseveral homes, we may so live that when the summers comes tojoin the grand reunion above we may be ready.Rubicon Township Joseph Armitage: Farmer, Sec. 24, Hutisford,Sec. 19 and 30, Rubicon; P.O. Neosho; born in England in 1811;came to Wisconsin in 1846, locating in Hutisford, where hepurchased 40 acres, afterward adding 280, his present homestead;Mr. A. is on of the old settlers, and a very successful farmer,raising both stock and grain. Married, in 1830, Miss Mary Sykes,a native of England; have had 11 children, nine living.Assessor, Treasurer School District 25 years, also a member ofthe Masonic Lodge, No. 108, Neosho; Justice of the Peace twelveyears. Republican in politics.Father: Thomas ARMITAGE II b: 19 FEB 1786 in Huddersfield, YorkCo., EnglandMother: Hannah WINTERBOTTOM b: 17 SEP 1787 in Oldham, Lancaster,EnglandMarriage 1 Mary SYKES b: 26 OCT 1809 in Heckmondwike, Yorkshire,EnglandMarried: 21 JUN 1830 in Huddersfield, York Co., EnglandChildrenJohn ARMITAGE b: 1831 in Hyde, Chester, EnglandWilliam ARMITAGE b: 26 JUL 1832 in Hyde, Cheshire, EnglandAlbert ARMITAGE b: 20 JUL 1834 in Hyde, Chester, EnglandThomas ARMITAGE b: 5 OCT 1836 in Hyde, Cheshire, EnglandAmbrose ARMITAGE b: 26 MAR 1839 in Manchester, EnglandSykes Prince ARMITAGE b: 30 APR 1841 in Hyde, Chester Co.,EnglandJoseph ARMITAGE , Jr. b: 1 AUG 1843 in Woodsocket, ProvidenceCo., Rhode IslandRobert Shelley ARMITAGE b: 8 SEP 1845 in Farnumsville, MassPhoebe Hannah Mary ARMITAGE b: 12 AUG 1848 in Rubicon, DodgeCo., Wisconsin.Willis Knowles ARMITAGE b: 1 JAN 1851 in Neosho, Dodge Co.,WisconsinFrances Sarah Ann ARMITAGE b: 15 JUL 1853 in Hustisford, DodgeCo., Wisconsin 1
Change Date: 11 Jan 2008 at 09:38:20

Father: Thomas Armitage b: 19 Feb 1786 in Almondbury,Yorkshire,England
Mother: Hannah Winterbottom b: 1787 in Oldham,Lancashire,England

Marriage 1 Mary Sykes b: 26 Oct 1809 in Oldham,Lancashire,England
Married: 21 Jun 1830 in England

Note: Father Thomas disapproved of their marriage and wouldn'tcommunicate for several years. Neither would Mary name a childfor him until he made friends. Joseph and Mary emigrated to USin 1842 via the "Siddons" from Liverpool to NY. He worked incotton mills (as he had in England) in NJ, RI, & MA beforesettling on a farm near Neosho, WI. in 1846.

Children
Joseph Albert Armitage Jr. b: 1 Aug 1843 in Woonsocket,Rhode Island
Willis Knollys Armitage b: 1 Jan 1851 in Neosho,Dodge,Wisconsin
Thomas Armitage b: 5 Oct 1836 in Hyde,Chester,England
John Sykes Armitage b: ABT 1831 BC
William Armitage b: Jul 1832 in Hyde,Chester,England
Albert Armitage b: 1834 in Hyde,Chester,England
Ambrose Armitage b: 1838 in Hyde,Chester,England
Sykes Prince Armitage b: Apr 1840 in Hyde,Chester,England
Robert Shelly Armitage b: 6 Sep 1845 in Farnumsville,Mass.
Phebe Hannah Mary Armitage b: 14 Aug 1848 in Neosho,Rubicon Township,Dodge County,Wisconsin
Frances Sarah Ann Armitage b: 15 Jul 1853 in Hustisford,Dodge County,Wisconsin