Brig. General John Armstrong, Sr. (Continental Army)

Not the same as John ‘Jack’ Armstrong

John Armstrong (October 13, 1717 – March 9, 1795) was an American civil engineer and soldier who served as a major general in the Revolutionary War. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress for Pennsylvania. Armstrong County in Pennsylvania is named in his honor.

John died at home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on March 9, 1795, and is buried in the Old Carlisle Cemetery.[5] In 1800, when Pennsylvania created a new county with its seat at Kittanning, it was named Armstrong County in his honor.[15]

Family

Seen as son of James Armstrong (died 1645 in Brookeborough, Ireland) by an unknown mother, one of 11 siblings, but evidence is needed. As of October 2021, the Armstrong Clan has no origins for him.

John Armstrong married (Unknown). Rebecca Lyon Armstrong is not Rebecca Turner’s (Armstrong) mother. Her mother is unknown.

1. Rebecca Armstrong (1737 - 1828), who married James Turner. Named Rebecca Turner in his will, but not as daughter

John Armstrong married. Rebecca Lyon (1719 - 1797) as listed on her tombstone. The “Lyon” may have been a previous married name. She is seen as the daughter of Archibald Armstrong of New Castle (emigrated about 1740). The marriage date is seen as about 1736 in Ireland or 1745 in Pennsylvania.

Rebecca and John Armstrong were the known parents of James and John, named in his 1795 will (see attached).

1. James Armstrong (1748–1828), who married Mary Stevenson (1766–1813), daughter of George Stevenson, Esq.
2. John Armstrong Jr. (1758–1843), who married Alida Livingston (1761–1822), the sister of Robert R. Livingston and Edward Livingston.

Estate

• ARMSTRONG, JOHN (Carlisle township, Cumberland Co., PA.)
• -- February 1795. [proved] July 25, 1797.
• Wife Rebeccah. [he left her a very generous estate]
• Sons James and John.
• Rebeccah Turner of Chester Co. [not his wife, she inherited just 50 pounds sterling].
• Bro. Andrew of the Kingdom of Ireland.
• Plantation in Middleton Twp.
• Exs: Wife Rebeccah and sons James and John Armstrong.
• Wit: George Patterson, David Lindsay, Willm. Lyon [nephew]
• Will book for Cumberland Co. PA: Book F. pps 76-77.
• http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/wills/willbkf.txt
• Entire will attached: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000150403897825

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Family notes

A Patriot of the American Revolution for PENNSYLVANIA with the rank of MAJOR GENERAL. DAR Ancestor # A003132. Listed are wife: Rebecca Lyon. Children: Jane (m David Drennan); Rebecca (m James Turner); James (m Mary); John, Jr. (m Alice Livingston).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Armstrong_Sr._ retrIeved 7 September 2020: Armstrong was born on October 13, 1717, in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Ireland, parents not determined, who married in 1704.[1] [He was one of approximately 15 children born to his parents that included: Margaret Armstrong (1737–1817), who married Rev. George Duffield (1732–1790),[2] and Rebecca Armstrong (1738–1828), who married James Turner (1737–1803).[3][4]] In 1747, Armstrong was married to Rebecca Lyon Armstrong (1719–1797),[13] [daughter of Archibald Armstrong and Ann Armstrong.[6]] Together, they were the parents of:[14] James and John. Comment: contains errors.

https://www.armstrongclan.info/roots-researches.html

Other children: (a) dau ALICE A* m Abt 1756 as his 1st wife, William LYON [who emigrated Abt 1745 with his uncle John A*, a surveyor in Carlisle]. William Lyon m2d Abt 1768 Ann FLEMING.  He was son of John Lyon [who emigrated Abt 1763] & hw MARGARET Armstrong, sister of Gen (Col) John A* [3495's ancestor]; (b) possibly a son ARCHIBALD and (c) possibly dau Jane who married a Drennan.

Biography

Armstrong, John (1717-1795) — also known as "Hero of Kittanny" — of Pennsylvania. Born in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Ireland (now Northern Ireland), October 13, 1717. Son of James Armstrong ; married to Rebecca Lyon; father of James Armstrong (1748-1828) and John Armstrong, Jr.. Civil engineer; surveyor; general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War; Delegate to Continental Congress from Pennsylvania, 1778-80. Died in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pa., March 9, 1795. Interment at Old Carlisle Cemetery, Carlisle, Pa. Armstrong County, Pa. is named for him.

Revolutionary War Major General. He received his education in Ireland and became a civil engineer. He came to Pennsylvania as a surveyor for the Penn family. He laid out the plans for Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1750 and became one of its first settlers. He was then appointed as surveyor for the newly established Cumberland County. When the French and Indian Wars began, he was a colonel in charge of militia troops stationed in Cumberland County. When a group of Indians and Frenchmen overtook Fort Granville and captured prisoners that were taken back to their fortified village of Kittanning on the Allegheny River, it was Armstrong that led an expedition that destroyed their village and rescued the prisoners. He led the "Forbes Expedition" of 2,700 Pennsylvania troops that forced the French to evacuate and blow up Fort Duquesne. There was another militia commander on that expedition who became a good friend of Armstrong, Colonel George Washington. Armstrong began the Revolutionary War as a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia, but on March 1, 1776, the Congress appointed him to the same rank in the Continental Army. With his engineering skill he was sent to Charleston to contribute to the construction of its defense. Later he returned to his regular army and Pennsylvania militia duties. His Continental Army duties ended when he accepted the position of Major General in the militia, but his war duties and cooperation with General Washington would continue. He would participate valiantly in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, but with only modest success. At the age of sixty, his health not being what it once was, and old wounds bothering him, he was allowed to leave active command after Germantown. He was elected to the Continental Congress after returning to his home town of Carlisle and served from 1877 to 1878, strongly supporting Washington and the army. He was elected to the Congress again in its final days of 1787 and 1788 and was firm in supporting a new United States Constitution. In 1880, when Pennsylvania formed a new county at Kittanning, where he first became a hero, it was named Armstrong County in his honor. (bio by: Tom Todd)

Colonel John Armstrong - one of the prominent and patriotic Pennsylvanians of Provincial and Revolutionary Times - From Pennsylvania: Genealogies chiefly Scotch-Irish and German by William Henry Egle

References

• Chronicles of the Armstrongs; Author. Armstrong, James Lewis. Page 375. Archive.Org
• “The Family of John Armstrong, Sr. (1717-1795) of Carlisle, Pennsylvania” Journal Issue: 1991 Winter, Volume 8, Issue 2 Author: Bell, Raymond Martin.
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6664788
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Armstrong,_Sr.
• "Armstrong" in Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, Volume 1
• [https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclop... “ John Armstrong Jr. Born: November 25, 1758 Died: April 1, 1843” Armstrong was born on November 25, 1758, in the town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His father, General John Armstrong Sr., had founded the town and was a veteran of the French and Indian War. His mother, Rebecca Lyon, moved with John Armstrong Sr. and her family to America in 1746 from Ireland. Armstrong had an older brother, James, who studied medicine at the Academy of Philadelphia. Armstrong received an advanced education and at age 16 entered the College of New Jersey (today Princeton University) as a sophomore. Yet, he never finished his education and instead, followed the lead of his father and brother by joining the Revolutionary War.
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 16 2016, 22:20:09 UTC
• “Rank and Gravity, The Life of General John Armstrong of Carlisle: The Life of General John Armstrong of Carlisle.” Paperback – December 30, 2019. by William W. Betts Jr. (Author). “Drama attended him everywhere. The life of John Armstrong was a life of service-to his fellow Scotch-Irish, to his Carlisle community, to his Pennsylvania, to the birth of the nation, to his family, and to his Presbyterian God.”

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  *
• Ancestry.com. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. AncestryImage
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6664788/john-armstrong
• No known images exist of John Sr. Here at the Armstrong Micro Museum in Phoenix Arizona we are trying to correct these mistakes on the internet. Visit us at http://facebook.com/armstrongmmarc
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Armstrong_Sr.
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 8 2024, 6:23:37 UTC
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 8 2024, 6:24:49 UTC
• Military service: Led 2700 Pennsylvania troops on the Forbes Expedition & became good friends with Georage Washington - 1758 - Fort Duquesne
• Military service: Battle of Brandywine and Battle of Germantown - Sep 11 1777
• Immigration: Immigration from Ireland - 1740 - Pennsylvania, British Colonial America
  • Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Jun 8 2024, 12:09:20 UTC