John Armstrong of Falmouth, Boston and Saco

As I have mentioned in previous posts, James Armstrong arrived with his children to America in 1718. These children were:  Jean (married to Robert Mean, James, John, Thomas and Simon.

Simon Armstrong remained in the Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth, Maine area.  However, his siblings all moved to other areas.


John Armstrong seemed to spend most of his time in Falmouth, but may have left for a few years to remove to Boston.  It is believed that he married Rebecca Thomas on July 28, 1724 and returned to Falmouth before 1726.


On March 26, 1726 he became an elder of the First Congregation Church of Falmouth and in 1733, John Armstrong, William Jameson, Robert Means, Robert Thorndike and Johnathan Cobb were dismissed from the First Congregation Church to form the Second Congregation Church in Falmouth/Cape Elizabeth.

Land sales of John Armstrong to Samuel Waldo, York deeds book 16, Fol 167 pg 509. Sept 14, 1733. 

Land sales of John Armstrong to James Winslow, Cumberland County website 8/16/1760.  At this time, John Armstrong is living in Pepperllborough (present day Saco, Maine) and is described as a cabinetmaker. States that this land was originally belonging to his father, James Armstrong.

Robert Means and Jane Armstrong Means removed to the Scotch-Irish community at Saco, Maine.

In the Means Family Genealogy, it indicates that James Armstrong Sr (Jean's father) already lived there.   In addition, it appears that after 1733 John Armstrong moved back to Boston.   For how long isn’t know.  He developed the skill of being a cabinetmaker.  John Armstrong who was the head of the Boston line of the Armstrong family had moved to Saco (Pepperellborough) Maine from about 1750 to about 1770.  After 1770, It is believed he returned to Boston.  

While living in Saco, he lived not far from his sister Jane Armstrong Means.  This is from the book published in 1830 named History of Saco and Biddeford pg 262. 

We only know of one child of John and Rebecca Thomas Armstrong.  His name was John Armstrong b. circa 1725 in Falmouth and moved with his parent to Boston after 1733.  

Simon Armstrong of Cape Elizabeth

When you read about the Armstrongs who arrived in America and specifically Falmouth, Maine you will see several references to John Armstrong and some of James Armstrong.  You don't see hardly any references of John's brother, Simon Armstrong.

In fact, there is not many of records of Simon at all.  Which is too bad as he is my 5th great-grandfather.

Simon Armstrong was born circa 1701 in Ulster, Ireland.  His family was originally from Scotland.

Simon Armstrong came to Falmouth, Maine with his father and siblings in the Winter of 1718.  He married his wife Isabella very soon after he arrived in America.

Simon and Isabella had the following children:

i. Isabella Armstrong:  b. 1719 m. John Jordan 1738
ii. Elizabeth Armstrong: b. 20 Apr 1729
iii. John Armstrong:  b.  Oct 1731 m. Lucy Cop 23 Dec 1755
iv.  Sarah Armstrong:  b. 1736 m. Andrew Simonton Jr. 27 Dec 1754

Based on the gaps in the dates of the birth of Simon and Isabella's children that it is likely we are missing several of their children.

Simon was a corporal in Col Westbrook's regiment between Nov 22, 1724 and May 22, 1725.  While fighting Native American's he suffered a wound to his head, but did survive.

Simon received multiple land grants from the Town of Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. In 1733, Simon Armstrong sold a portion of his land to Samuel Waldo.  (York Deeds Book 16, Fol 161 pg 492-493.  Sept 5, 1733.  This land transaction identifies Simon's wife as Isabella Armstrong.

My great grand Aunt, Marion Armstrong, stated that as a young girl she has seen one of the original land grants from 1747.  She incorrectly remembered that it was a land grant to Samuel vs Simon. Unfortunately, those original land grants were lost in a fire.

According to the list of parishioners of the Second Parish of Falmouth in Cape Elizabeth the only Armstrong listed in 1743 is Simon Armstrong.   All of James Armstrong's other children had moved out of Cape Elizabeth by this time and Simon's children are too young to be parishioners.

In a land transaction from March 7, 1772, John Armstrong (Simon's son) sold land to Nathaniel Dyer which was partial from land grants to Simon Armstrong and James Armstrong (John had purchased some of the land granted to James a few years before from another relative).  This land transaction further indicates that this John Armstrong was Simon's son.

In fact, John Armstrong and Andrew Simonton Jr owned several parcels of land jointly.  Which would be unusual except for the fact that John and Andrew were brothers-in-law.

I recently found this document which is Simon Armstrong providing an affidavit in 1770 where he testified to the fact that William Roberts had owned a piece of land which must have been in dispute. Here is a copy of that document.

We don't know exactly when Simon Armstrong died, but I did see a reference to probate of his estate as follows...administration granted to John Armstrong, gentlemen of Cape Elizabeth, on the estate of his father, Simon Armstrong, yeoman.  Dated July 18, 1778.

Talented Tuesday - Professions of the Armstrong's of Cape Elizabeth, Maine

My 3rd Great Grandparents, John Armstrong and Betsey Woodbury Dyer Armstrong, together had at least 8 children:  Simon, Mary, Eben, Lucy, John B., Israel, Arthur and George.

I am interested in the professions of my ancestors and relatives.  It is fascinating to see how occupations change over time and this is what I was able to uncovered about the Armstrong sons professions.

Much of this information is extracted from the City of Portland, City Directory from 1871.

Simon Armstrong (1812-1839) - Simon was a mariner.  The only evidence of this is that he died while traveling by ship in Havana, Cuba.  If he made his living on the sea, it wasn't for long, since he died far too young at the early age of 27.

Eben Armstrong - (1818-1884) - Eben was a cooper.  The profession of cooper is not one you hear about often anymore, but it was an important profession in its day.   A cooper is the traditional occupation of making barrels out of wooden staves.  These barrels would be used to contain dry and liquid goods for storage and sale.  It should not be underestimated the skill required to make these barrels.  Coopers are still used to make barrels for specialty products such as aging wine, but wooden barrel containers have been replaced by pre-made plastic, wood and metal containers.

John B Armstrong - (1822-1900) - John B had a few professions including as a farmer, but in 1871 he was a Ferryman.  Portland, Maine and Cape Elizabeth (Now South Portland) are separated by Portland Harbor.  The most efficient way to go from Portland and Cape Elizabeth was to take the ferry.  John B. Armstrong ran the ferry business bringing people and goods between the two locations.  Eventually, their was a bridge built between the two locations which effectively ended the ferry business.

Israel Armstrong (1824-1892) - Israel is described as a mariner.  I didn't see any evidence of what type of business he conducted on the sea in 1871.  However, I did see that he was involved running the Portland-to-Cape Elizabeth Ferry in 1866.  Making a living from the sea was very popular in coastal Maine.

Arthur B Armstrong (1827-1893) - Arthur was a sparmaker.  A sparmaker is someone who works on building masts for ships.  This was during the time when most shipping was done by sailing ships and making and repairing "spars" or masts would have been a very desirable profession.  As more shipping moved to steam ships, this would have become less in demand.

George Armstrong (1832-1884) - I don't find any records of George in any profession.

Many of these professions would be considered obsolete today.  It is interesting to consider that some of the professions that we take for granted will be obsolete in 100 years.

Wisdom Wednesday - "Facts are Stubborn Things" - My Family Connection to Two US Presidents

There is no question that George Washington was the true father of our country.  His tireless leadership in the American Revolution was critical to the successful forming of our country.

He is the only US President to ever be unanimously elected by the Electoral College (100% of the electoral vote).  He set precedence in almost every area of the office of President which every US President has followed since.   

What he did which was truly remarkable was that after two terms as President he stepped down and relinquished power.  He did not run for a 3rd term.  No revolution.  No coup.  No hand-picked successor.  Just an orderly transfer of power through popular election.  It is possible that this was the first time this had occurred since the pure democracies of ancient Greece.

His Vice President, John Adams, won the 2nd presidential election vs. Thomas Jefferson. John Adams was a revolutionary patriot, founding father and my distant cousin.

President John Adams and I share ancestors, Thomas Gardner and Lucy Smith.  Thomas Gardner and Lucy Smith were my 8th grandparents and President Adams' great-great grandparents.  This makes President Adams my 3rd cousin 6 times removed.  So not a close relative.

Here is the relationship in a little more detail.

President John Adam his parents were John Adams Sr. and Susanna Boylston

Susanna Boylston's parents were Peter Boylston and Ann White

Peter Boylston’s parents were Dr. Thomas Boylston and Mary Gardner

Mary Gardner's parents were Thomas Gardner and Lucy Smith

Mary Gardner's sister was Abigail Gardner.  Abigail married Rev. John Wise (Rev Wise has some good stories to tell which I will be detailing in future postings)

They had a daughter, Lucy Wise who married Rev John White

Their son, William White moved to Cape Elizabeth, Maine and married Christian Simonton

Their daughter, Anna White married Israel Woodbury

Their daughter, Betsey Woodbury married John Armstrong

I have covered the relationship to John Armstrong and Betsey Woodbury extensively in my blog.

Did I happen to mention that President Adams' son, John Quincy Adams went on to be our 6th President?

When you find you are related to someone (even distantly) it does increase your interest in that historical figure.  

One of John Adams earliest known impact on history involved a famous event, but his role in that event is not nearly as widely known.

The event was the Boston Massacre.  

On March 5, 1770, British soldiers stationed in Boston shot and killed 5 civilians and wounded 6 others.  British soldiers had been stationed in Boston due to increasing unrest in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.   As the name "British Massacre" would infer, there was widespread outrage over the killing of civilians by the soldiers and the populace of Boston wanted to see the offending men hanged.

The British soldiers maintained their innocence that they fired in self-defense.

There was little chance of them receiving a fair or unbiased trial in Boston.

No one wanted to defend the British soldiers at trial knowing that it could ruin their reputation and their livelihood.  Eventually, they found one lawyer who would defend them in the search of the truth and justice....John Adams

During the trial, the future Pesident was able to root out the actual series of events which led to the shooting.

The incident started when a group of men were harassing a British soldier named Private Hugh White standing guard duty outside the Custom House on King's Street.  The men and the private exchanged insults.  The private struck one of the men and a mob started to form.  Over 300-400 people of Boston started to hurl insults, snow and small objects at the soldier as other soldier arrived to support him.

The crowd taunted the soldiers.  It is even said that some of them shouted, "Fire!"  The soldiers stood their ground and waited for commands from Captain Thomas Preston (who stood in front of his line of men).  No command was given to fire.

An object struck Private Montgomery, knocking him to the ground.  It is stated that he got up and shouted, "Damn you, fire!" and shot into the crowd.  From there one of the civilians hit one of the soldiers with a club and it unraveled quickly.  Without orders some of the soldiers shot into the crowd.  The main issue to be decided was did Captain Preston order his men to fire on unarmed civilians as the people of Boston believed or was this a question of self-defense.

The trial began in November 1770 and John Adams was able to prove to the jury that they had to treat the British soldiers not as despised British, but as any men accused of such as crime.  He convinced the jury of the evidence that these men were threatened and if they were guilty of anything it would be manslaughter and not murder.

In the end, Adams prevailed and six of the soldiers were found innocent of any wrong doing and two others were found guilty of manslaughter.

As part of his defense he issued his famous quote:

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

Try to think of the times and the quality of the man who was John Adams.  Revolutionary feelings were growing and the British were reviled in many parts of Boston.  It would have been easy to get caught up in the fervor of the times and wish ill on these men.  Watch innocent men hang.

Unlike when the revolutionary feelings and events were rushing toward a Declaration of Independence, at this time and in this event, John Adams stood alone to stand for truth and justice.  He showed a level of integrity which is always in short supply, whatever the time period.

It is heartening to know that a few of the genes that made him a man of such sterling integrity also are a part of my make-up.  Something to be proud of and something to remember when I am confronted with ethical problems and it is time for me to wonder, "What would John Adams do?"

Sunday's Obituary - Capt William White Woodbury

I have never been a huge fan of Forest Gump, but there is no disputing that genealogy research is "like a box of chocolates", because you never know what you are going to find.

I have been focusing a lot of my time researching the Armstrong line of my family living in Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth (now Portland, Maine).  I have traced the Armstrong family back to the early 1700's, but have hit a road block and I am hoping that there are some other distant relatives which will may have some information which can help me break through.

However, in the meantime, I have been researching Betsey Woodbury Dyer Armstrong's family.  I have multiple post on Betsey Woodbury Dyer Armstrong including:  Betsey Armstrong Probate Mystery, Armstrong Family Land Division - 1897, The Armstrongs and Woodburys of Cape Elizabeth.   

Betsey Woodbury was born Nov 16 1787.  Her parents were Israel Woodbury and Anna White Woodbury.  She married her first husband, William Dyer, Sept 27, 1804.  She was only 16.  They had at least three children:  Woodbury, Benjamin and William Dyer.  Her husband, William, died sometime between 1813-1817.  On Nov 1, 1817, she married her second husband, John Armstrong.  They had at least eight children:  Simon, Mary, Eben, Lucy, John B, Israel, Arthur and George.

Betsey had at least 9 siblings:  Hugh, Jane, Lucy, William, Christina, Jonas, Israel, John and Anna.  I will be making more blog posts on Betsey's mother family as they have some historical significance and some very interesting stories.

Today's post is about Betsey's brother, Captain William White Woodbury.  He died April 29, 1861.

Those of you who have researched in Maine, you know how rare it is to find any significant obituaries prior to 1900.  It is typical to find a death notice that says little more than the name and date of someone who has died.  So I was very excited to uncover such an information rich obituary for Captain Woodbury.  

I have transcribed it below:

Woodbury, William, Portland, April 29 at 90.  He arose on Monday morning at his usual hour and partly dressed himself; in two hours after, he was dead.  Capt. Woodbury was a descendant of John Woodbury, one of the Cape Ann company, who went to that place with Roger Conant in 1624; he afterwards settled in Beverly, Mass., from which the immediate ancestor of our deceased friend, Joshua Woodbury, came to Falmouth in 1727, and settled at Cape Elizabeth.  The parents of the deceased were Israel Woodbury and Ann, dau. of William, and dau. of Rev. John White of Gloucester, Cape Ann.  He was born on the old White farm near Simonton's Cove, at Cape Elizabeth, Oct. 2, 1772 (Maine records show DOB as Aug 4, 1772).  The Whites were ancient settlers at Cape Elizabeth; they occupied farms there previous to the Indian war, in which one was killed, and their land descended from their family to present day.  Capt Woodbury was long a successful shipmaster; afterward, he engaged in commercial pursuits on shore; was a prime mover in establishing the Marine Railway, incorporated in 1826;  he conducted it near thirty years, until it closed its affairs.  He was many years President of the Marine Society, and twenty-seven years President of the Merchants Bank of Portland, holding the office at the time of his death, and having been a Director from its incorporation in 1825.  He married in 1798 (Maine records show Nov 17, 1797), Mary, dau. of Capt William Hoole, who went to Portland from Boston just previous to the Revolution, which whom he has happily lived more than sixty-three years, and by whom he leaves one son and five daughters.  She survives to lament her faithful and long-cherished companion.  Capt W. was a man of most determined will, of sound judgement, of great discernment, and inflexible integrity. 

One of the great benefits of this obituary for my research was that I was trying to confirm that Betsey's mother Anna or Ann White was related to Rev John White of Gloucester.  This obituary was able to confirm this for me.  In addition, since the obituary was written at the time of his death, that I can have a high level of confidence in its accuracy.

The fact that I can confirm my lineage to Rev John White opens up some very interesting genealogy. More on that to come in future posts.

Obituary Source:New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol 15 (1861) pg 287

Mystery Monday - Betsey Armstrong Probate Mystery

My great aunt has written up a short history of the Armstrong family.  One of the more interesting items was that she stated that the Armstrong's had received their original land grant in Cape Elizabeth, Maine from the King of France back in 1747.  She stated that she had seen the original land grant document, but it was destroyed by accident in a fire.

It is likely that the land grant was issued by the King of England as Maine was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1747.  This is prior to the colonies winning their independence from England, which would mean all deeds would have stated that they were grants issued in the name of the King of England.  At this time the King of England used a title which stated he was King of England, Scotland, Ireland and France.  So I could see where some confusion may have occurred.

Another mystery has been the fact that my 3rd great grandmother, Betsey Woodbury Armstrong died April 26, 1876, but the Will land division wasn't executed until 1897.  The explanation for the long period between her death and resolution of her estate was blamed on the fact that the Will needed to be probated in England for some reason.   This is what I have been told as the reason why it took over 20 years to complete probate.

I recently found Betsey's Will which was proved November 7, 1877, which appears to shed some light on this family mystery.

Betsey Armstrong's Will states the following:

First:  I give and bequeath all my property real-or-estate or personal, to my son George P. Armstrong, in order that its income may be applied by the means below named, that may be used for his subsistence and comfort which on account of his infirmities of body and mind, I fear cannot be well provided for by his own labor.

Second:  My will is that upon the death of said George, what then remains of my property shall be distributed among my own legal heirs and Mary Sawyer of Chelsea, Massachusetts, if said Mary is then living, giving said Mary a distributed share equal to that of my heirs in the nearest degree of kindred.

Thirdly:  I hereby institute and appoint Ebenezer (Eben) Armstrong of Portland and Israel Armstrong of Cape Elizabeth, who are my sons, (and in case of their non-acceptance, death, resignation or incapacity to hold and exercise the trust, then my other sons, John and Arthur or such kind and discreet persons as the Judge of Probate may appoint if said John and Arthur do not act) Executors of this my last Will and Testament and appoint them as trustee to hold, manage, or invest said property or estate, during the life of said, George, for his benefit and to apply its income for his subsistence and comfort in the manner most likely to be for his permanent advantage, and if said income is not sufficient for subsistence and comfort to spend the principal part of said property as may be prudent for his comfort and benefit.

As you can see above, Betsey Armstrong's Will is predominantly focused on providing for the support of George P Armstrong.  My research has uncovered that it appears that George had some form of mental retardation.  He must have not had the capacity to take care of himself and his mother was very concerned what would happen to him after her death.  Betsey died in 1876 and it appears that George continued to live in the family home with his brother, John B Armstrong (according to the 1880 US Census).

George P. Armstrong died September 16, 1884.  He was only 51 years old.

I have to say from reading the Betsey's Will it isn't entirely clear how her estate should be distributed.  It seems reasonable to imply that there should be an equal distribution of the assets to all of her children, plus an equal share to Mary Sawyer (Israel Armstrong's wife).  So there may have been some questions about how it should be executed.   This would be something the named executors would need to work out.  Eben and Israel were named executors.  However, Eben died March 18, 1884 and Israel had moved with his family to Salem, NH.  Salem is about 90 miles from Portland, Maine.  What today is only an 1 hour and 30 minute drive probably would have taken at least a whole days travel in the 1880s.  At that time there were no cars and no highways.  This may have impacted his ability to act as  executor.   His wife, Mary Sawyer Armstrong, had passed away in 1875.  

My 2nd great grandfather, John B Armstrong, became the executor of the estate.

It is important to note that Betsey Woodbury Armstrong had been married prior to her marriage to John Armstrong.  She had been married to William Dyer.  Together they had at least three children:  Woodbury Dryer, Benjamin and William.  Only Benjamin was still alive in 1884.  Benjamin is not mentioned in the Will, but he is one of Betsey's sons and may have contested the Will if the executors may have been reluctant to provide him an equal share.  Also, the land that Betsey references has been in the Armstrong family for over 100 years and none of the land was from the Dyer family. It is almost certain had Betsey's husband, John Armstrong, outlived her, that none of the Dyer children would have been included in distribution of the family lands.

The theory of a contested Will seems to be the most likely reason for the delay in the final distribution of the estate.  The final property distribution took place in 1897 and is the subject of my post "Armstrong Family Land Division - 1897".  

Check out that post for the final details.

When conducting this research around land records and probate records on the Armstrong family, I found an invaluable online resource, the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds Online.  They have records from 1855 to present day, with original records available for viewing online by clicking on the "view images" tab.  If you have relatives who lived in Cumberland County, Maine this is a great source for more information about them and their land transactions and possibly find a copy of their Wills.

Military Monday - Lt. John Armstrong, Revolutionary War Patriot

During the American revolution, it is estimated that Patriots numbered less than half the colonial population, but in Cape Elizabeth, Maine that number was much higher. British regulations “angered Cape residents so much that they established [on Dec. 18, 1772] a committee of 11 men (familiar names such as Sawyer, Maxwell, Armstrong, Jordan, Dyer, and Strout) to interpret and take action on a ‘Letter of Correspondence’ from the General Court in Boston. Their conclusion was ‘That this district unite with the town of Boston and every other town and district … to endeavor in a legal way… for the removal of agrievances (sic)…’ caused by what they believed to be ‘manifest violations of our Charted Rights and Privileges.’” (Source:  The Cape Courier, June 21, 2008)

The Burning of Falmouth, Maine by British forces on October 18, 1775 fanned the flames of revolution across the country, for those living in and around Falmouth (present day Portland, Maine) and Cape Elizabeth, it reinforced their feelings for the need for the creation of an independent nation from England.

Shortly after this atrocity, my 4th great grandfather, John Armstrong, enlisted in the revolutionary cause and joined the Massachusetts Militia.

One of his first roles in the revolution was to be assigned under Colonel Jonathan Mitchell in the construction of Fort Hancock to build a defense in Maine against further potential attacks.  Fort Hancock became the basis for Fort Preble and was expanded and used during the War of 1812, Civil War, WWI and WWII.  

According to the records I could uncover, John Armstrong attained the rank of Lieutenant and served in Colonel Thomas Craft's Artillery Regiment.  He served in both the Massachusetts Militia or Continental Army from November 1775 - February 1779.  After the British abandoned Boston, the colonials took over Castle Island, then known as "Castle Williams" which was a fort built on a small island in Boston Harbor.  This is where Col. Craft's regiment was stationed to protect the city against any future attacks by British forces.  

The British did not return.  

There is no evidence I can find that Lt. John Armstrong saw any combat.  One of the most interesting things I did find about his service is that he served under someone you may have heard of Lieutenant Colonel, Paul Revere.  While we all know about Paul Revere's ride to alert the colonists that the "British are coming!!", many don't realize that he then served in the Massachusetts Militia for the rest of the war.

From the records, it is difficult for me to be sure when Lt John Armstrong would have joined the artillery regiments in Boston.  He was definitely there by January 1777, but may have been there earlier in 1776.  One significant event, which he may have witnessed, was the public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston as recorded by the N.E. Chronicle on July 25, 1776:

“Thursday last, pursuant to the order of the honorable council, was proclaimed from the balcony of the State House in this town, the Declaration of the American Congress, absolving the United Colonies from their allegiance to the British crown, and declaring them free and independent states.  There were present on the occasion in the council chamber, a committee of council, a number of honorable house of representative, the magistrates, selectmen and other gentlemen of Boston and the neighboring towns, also the commission officers of the Continental regiments stationed here, and other officers.  Two of these regiments were under arms in Kings Street, formed into three lines on the north side of the street and in thirteen divisions, and a detachment from the Massachusetts regiments of artillery, with two pieces of cannon, was on their right.    At one o’clock, the Declaration was proclaimed by Col. Thomas Crafts, which was received with great joy expressed by three huzzas from a great concourse of people, assembled on the occasion.  After which, on a signal given, thirteen pieces of cannon were fired from the fort on Fort-hill; the forts of Dorchester Neck, the Castle, Nantasket, and Point Alderton likewise discharged their cannon.  Then the detachment of cannon thirteen times, which was followed by the two regiments giving their fire from thirteen divisions in succession.  These firings corresponded to the number of American states united. 
The ceremony was closed with a proper collation of the following toasts were given by the president of the council and heartily pledged by the company, viz:

'Prosperity and perpetuity to the United States of America'

'The American Congress'

'General George Washington, and success to the arms of the United States'

'The downfall of tyrants and tyranny'

'The universal prevalence of civil and religious liberty'

'The friends of the United States in all quarters of the globe'

It must have been quite a stirring occasion, to hear the public reading of the declaration and be there to take the first steps of America as a free nation.

And, maybe, just maybe, Lt. John Armstrong, may have been there to hear it.

Source: "The Crafts family, A genealogical and biographical history of the descendants of Griffin and Alice Craft, of Roxbury, Mass. 1630-1890", by William Francis Crafts

2012 Genealogy New Years Resolutions

2011 was an amazing year on the research and discoveries I have made about my family.  It took me about 1 year, but I think I have uncovered all the "low hanging fruit".  The family information which is easy to find.  

In 2012, it will get harder to find new items about my distant family members, but that is what makes it exciting.
Here are some goals I want to set for myself to achieve for 2012:

1. Prove my Mayflower ancestry.  I am 80% certain, but I am putting a few last pieces together before I am willing to make the final leap to putting it onto my blog.  Once I have that information, I can apply for membership to the Mayflower Society.
2. Find David Fuller.  David Fuller, my 3rd great grandfather died between 1855-1860.  I want to make it a focus to uncover a death certificate, probate information or other evidence of where and when he died and his connection with the Horton, Nova Scotia Fullers.
3. Uncover John Armstrong's (1731-1822) father and origins.  I have traced one line of my family to John Armstrong in Falmouth (now Portland, Maine), but I can't seem to find his parents.  It seems likely he is descended from the early Ulster-Scotts who arrived in 1717/1718 to Portland, Maine.  Now I have to prove it.
4. DNA Test.  I want to see if I can find any clues about my father's father's family.  My dad was adopted and I have connected with his mother's family, but not had a starting point for tracing his father's family.
5. Track down my Rusyn ancestry in Poland.  My mom's family, the Gula's, came from a small town in present day Poland.  I want to obtain some documents from Poland and start tracking down my family back to Europe.

I am sure I will uncover a lot more than 5 things in 2012 in my family research, but let us see how well I can do with these key challenges and see what the new year brings.

Armstrong Family Land Division - 1897

My recent trip to Portland, Maine paid additional dividends.  I was able to go to the Portland courthouse which holds the land records for Cumberland County, Maine.  I wish I could have spent more time there, but I was able to obtain records of how John Armstrong and Betsey Woodbury Dyer Armstrong's family land was divided and distributed.


Family lore indicates that land was granted to the Armstrong family in 1757 for South Portland, which is now Cape Elizabeth, Maine.  This land had been kept in the family for well over 100 years.  There are records that indicate additional land grants which go back even further, but that will be the subject for a future post.


John Armstrong (Born:  Feb 24, 1782) died in 1838, leaving his land and apparently his entire estate to his wife. Betsey Woodbury Dyer Armstrong.


Prior to marrying Betsey, John Armstrong has been married to Rhoda Miller.  John and Rhoda appear to have had three children:  Simon, William and Mary Armstrong.  Both Simon and William died in their 20's.  Rhoda Miller Armstrong died fairly young in 1816.


John Armstrong remarried about a year later in 1817 to Betsey Woodbury Dyer.  Betsey was a widow.  She had at least three children from her first marriage with William Dyer including:  Woodbury Dyer, William Dyer and Benjamin Dyer.


John and Betsey had at least 6 children together including:  Eben, Lucy, John B, Israel, Arthur B and George P Armstrong.


Betsey died on April 21, 1876 at the age of 88.  The disposition of her estate took a long time and was finally resolved in 1897.


The Armstrong family land holding appeared to be about 475 acres which was divided into 8 equal sized lots for the following heirs:

1. John B. Armstrong (He received one lot as well as the existing house and barn)
2. Lucy Armstrong Walton (Lucy Armstrong married William Walton)
3. Mark W & Henry B Walton (Lucy and William Walton's sons)
4. Mary L. Armstrong
5. Benjamin Dyer (Benjamin was Betsey's son from her marriage to William Dyer)
6. Mary Strout (Not sure if this is Eben Armstrong's wife who has remarried)
7. Arthur Armstrong's heirs (I don't have an exact date of death, but it appears that Arthur Armstrong died prior to disposition of his mother's estate ***Update****  Arthur B. Armstrong died in San Francisco, CA Nov 18, 1893)
8. Joseph W. Armstrong (Joseph is Israel Armstrong's oldest son)

Each lot was approximately 135ft of frontage on Shore Road and the lot went back approx. 19,000 ft.   These were very long thin lots.  Each division was roughly 60 acres.

The Armstrong family house at 905 Shore Road is still there today.

Tombstone Tuesday - The Armstrongs and Woodburys of Cape Elizabeth, Maine

I live in Florida, but was recently visiting New England to visit family.  I was lucky enough to spend a few hours in Portland and Cape Elizabeth, Maine (the long-time home of many of my Armstrong and Woodbury ancestors).

I had contacted Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in S. Portland, before my visit.  The caretaker was able to direct me to many of the graves of my ancestors.  Here are the ones I was able to capture.

John Armstrong (24 Feb 1787 - 27 May 1838) - Revolutionary War Veteran (my 3rd great-grandfather)

Betsey Woodbury Armstrong (16 Nov 1787 - 21 Apr 1876) - John's wife

John B. Armstrong (My 2nd great-grandfather), Jennie Campbell Armstrong and Clarence W. Armstrong

Robert E. Armstrong (My great-grandfather), Elizabeth M. Fuller Armstrong

Hugh Woodbury (My 5th great-grandfather) and his wife Jane Green Woodbury

I recently joined BillionGraves.  They have a goal of capturing gravestones for over a Billion graves all over the world.  This month they have a contest for those people who capture 1,000 or more gravestones using their iPhone app by August 31st get a BillionGraves T-shirt.  I am up for the challenge and think I can do it.

Check out their website for more details.  I am a big believer in having all tombstones available online.

Fanning the Flames of The American Revolution - The Burning of Falmouth in 1775

We are all familiar with the Boston Tea Party, Lexington and Concord, and Battle of Bunker Hill, but a lesser known event probably had an important role in fanning the flames of patriotic feeling that galvanized the colonials to fight for freedom from England.

The event was the Burning of Falmouth (now Portland) Maine on October 18, 1775.

Maine, then a part of Massachusetts, was not the hotbed of revolution that Boston was, but did have some limited mob actions and riots in reaction to taxation and Tory activity. In many ways Falmouth was seen as a stronghold of loyalists, who continued to profit and trade with England.

Under orders of British Admiral, Samuel Graves, to burn sea ports from Boston to Halifax, Captain Henry Mowatt, sailed to Falmouth with the specific purpose of burning the town.

Here is the recounting of the event by an eye witness, Pearson Jones, which appeared in many colonial papers as a dispatch from General George Washington.

The fire destroyed more than three quarters of the city, turning to ashes more than 400 buildings and houses, leaving over 1,000 people without homes with winter coming soon.

Here is George Washington's reaction to the burning of Falmouth in an excerpted letter to  the Committee of Falmouth: 

"The desolation and misery which ministerial vengeance which has so lately been brought on the town of Falmouth, I know not how sufficiently to detest. Nor can my compassion for general suffering be conceived beyond the true measure of my feeling...add my wishes and exhortations that you repel every future attempt to perpetuate like savage cruelties...  

I am, gentlemen, your obedient and humble servant."  

George Washington

While history books have widely ignored the events of the impact of the Burning of Falmouth, it can not be underestimated that the accounts of the unprovoked attack and burning of Falmouth appeared in all the major colonial newspapers and  would have raised anger and fear of the despotism of England.

According to the book, "The Story-Life of Washington" by Wayne Whipple, it noted that "..the burning of Falmouth enabled every patriot to hate England with out feeling guilty about it, and it even cured Washington of whatever love he may have had for royal rule..."

In many ways, the burning of Falmouth was a pivotal atrocity and indicated that England was capable of similar act of barbarism in any other seaport towns.

What is my historical connection to the event of the Burning of Falmouth?

My 4th Great-grandfather, John Armstrong, witnessed the event and it had a dramatic impact upon him. It provoked him to volunteer for military service.

John Armstrong of Cape Elizabeth, Maine enlisted November 1775 and served until February 26, 1779. He retired as a lieutenant from the Continental Army (I am trying to dig up exploits of the regiments in which her served for future posts).

This is the perfect time of the year to remember those patriots who fought and sacrificed to secure the birth of the United States.

Sources:

"Falmouth Neck in the Revolution",Nathan Goold,1897,P.34

"Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War,Vol.1",1896, Pg.294

Thomas Woodbury Last Will and Testament (1700-1757)

Thomas Woodbury is my 5th Great-grand uncle.  He was born 9/5/1700 in Beverly, Massachusetts and died 10/3/1757 in Falmouth (now Portland), Maine.  I believe this will was written shortly before his death in 1757.


You start to get an idea of just how far I am digging into my family ancestry :-)


His last will and testament was the first family will document I was able to uncover.  As I have said, Maine is a genealogists dream come true (I wish all my family had lived there).  They have done such a thorough job of cataloging historical documents and making them available to the public.  I have included a full copy of Thomas Woodbury's will.  I was able to find this from searching an online Google e-book titled "Maine wills: 1640-1760 By Maine Historical Society".  


If you have relatives that died in Maine in that time period, check this out.  


I do recommend searching Google e-books, they can be an effective source of historical information.  


In addition, Thomas Woodbury's will is witnessed by my 5th Great-grandfather, John Armstrong.


From the will you can see that Thomas Woodbury was pretty well off by the standards of the time.  

I especially like that he bequest each of his daughters, Priscilla and Joanna Woodbury, their  own heifer.


Nothing like a cow to remember daddy and show your love.