Armstrong
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Armstrong Surname Genealogy
Armstrong comes, as its name suggests, from one who is strong in the arm. It was originally a Scottish border name. One story has it that an ancient king of Scotland, aided in battle by his armor-bearer Fairbairn, bestowed on him the name Armstrong. It is also said that the family took their name from Siward Digry ("sword strong arm"), a nephew of the Danish King Canute. The early Armstrongs were Norse in characteristic, blue-eyed and fair-haired and often described as "fair."
Scotland. The Armstrong seat in Scotland was Gilnockie near Eskdale. They were fearless border raiders who, however, eventually paid the price. Their clan leader Johnnie Armstrong, later commemmorated in song, was executed as a "border freebooter" in 1529. Hector Armstrong of Harelaw and Sandy Armstrong of Cleughfoot carried on this brigandage.
However, the clan incurred the hostility of both the English and Scottish crowns. In 1603, they lost all their land holdings, further evictions and executions occurred, and many Armstrongs were left homeless and often penniless. Of those who remained in the borders, many gravitated later towards Glasgow.
Ireland. The main exodus was to Fermanagh, in present day Northern Ireland. Andrew Armstrong, a descendant of the Laird, was one of the "Scottish undertakers" granted land there. Other Armstrongs followed as tenant farmers.
Andrew's descendants distinguished themselves as lawyers and clergymen and particularly as soldiers, fighting in a number of British campaigns overseas. Notable among them in the 17th century was Sir Thomas Armstrong. One of his sons, Thomas, was executed for treason in 1684; another, William, was granted land in Tipperary. His family resided there at Moyaliffe House.
During the eighteenth century many Armstrongs lost their tenancies and there begun a second exodus, first to America and later to Canada.
America. The principal destination in America was Pennsylvania. The first arrival appears to have been a Joseph Armstrong in 1731. Then came James Armstrong, reputed to be a descendant of the Laird. The same was also said of John Armstrong who arrived in 1748. He helped plan the new community of Carlisle and later distinguished himself in the Revolutionary War (his son John was briefly American Secretary of War). Their numbers in Pennsylvania were in fact so many that there was even a Fermanagh township created.
Some Armstrongs stayed in Pennsylvania, others (or their descendants) moved on; Robert Armstrong's family, for instance, to Tennessee and William Armstrong's across the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky. The Rev. Richard Armstrong, a missionary, went further afield, to Hawaii. He had two notable sons: Samuel, an enlightened educator, and William, a friend of the last King of Hawaii whom he accompanied on a grand world tour.
Then there was the remarkable Armstrong pioneer family of Kansas and Colorado. The story started in 1783 when Robert Armstrong was captured as a young boy by Wyandot Indians on the Alleghany river near Pittsburgh. He grew up among them and later made his mark as an interpreter. His two sons, John Armstrong and his brother Silas, were instrumental in the founding of the Wyandot nation near present-day Kansas City. John provided the legal brains, Silas the business acumen.
The next generation of Armstrongs were scouts and buffalo hunters and pioneer settlers in Colorado. One branch settled near Colorado Springs where Willis Armstrong founded the Colorado Springs National Bank in 1907. Other Armstrongs were to be found in Fort Collins along the route of the old Colorado trail. The historic Armstrong Hotel in Fort Collins, built in 1923, was named after Andrew Armstrong whose house once stood on the property.
Canada. Many early Armstrong arrivals were Scots Irish, such as:
South America. Scots Irish Armstrongs also found their way to South America. The Armstrongs from Garrycastle in county Offaly had set up a merchant trading house in Buenos Aires and Thomas Armstrong, along with his brother John, arrived there in 1817 to run it. Thomas, a banker and railway promoter, married into the local Creole community and soon became influential in Argentine political circles. A town and railway station in Santa Fe is named after him.
Australia. The first Armstrongs in Australia were convicts, some fifty or so between 1800 and 1840. Later came settlers. John Armstrong arrived from the Scottish borders in 1839. He became a sheep farmer at a bush station in Geelong. William Armstrong went to Melbourne and became mayor of the town. The best-known Victorian Armstrong was Warwick Armstrong, a huge mountain of a man described as "the big ship" who captained the Australian cricket team in the early 1900's.
England. The Armstrongs in England were mainly to be found in the border counties of Northumberland and Durham. Many became miners. Tommy Armstrong, who wrote songs in the Northumbrian style, was known as the bard of the northern coalfields.
But perhaps the most notable Armstrong was the Victorian engineer and industrialist William (later Lord) Armstrong from Newcastle who developed the Armstrong naval gun. His descendants still live in Bamburgh Castle which he had acquired in the 1890's. A more modest Armstrong house today is Sylvia Armstrong's Household and Farming Museum to be found just outside Alnwick.
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Andrew Armstrong, a descendant of the Laird who moved the Armstrongs to Ireland.
Sir Alexander Armstrong from Fermanagh, the Victorian arctic explorer.
Thomas Armstrong was a 19th century banker and railway promoter in Argentina who was instrumental in founding the Argentine Stock Exchange.
William (Lord) Armstrong, the industrialist and inventor of the Armstrong gun.
Louis Armstrong from New Orleans was one of the world's greatest jazz musicians.
Neil Armstrong, from Scottish border roots, was the first man (in 1969) to walk on the moon.
Lance Armstrong of Norwegian stock was the American cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven times.
Select Armstrongs Today
Select Index of Names
Armstrong comes, as its name suggests, from one who is strong in the arm. It was originally a Scottish border name. One story has it that an ancient king of Scotland, aided in battle by his armor-bearer Fairbairn, bestowed on him the name Armstrong. It is also said that the family took their name from Siward Digry ("sword strong arm"), a nephew of the Danish King Canute. The early Armstrongs were Norse in characteristic, blue-eyed and fair-haired and often described as "fair."
Select Armstrong Resources on
The
Internet
- Clan Armstrong. The history of the Armstrong clan in Scotland.
- The Armstrongs in Ireland. History of the Armstrongs in Ireland.
- Armstrongs in Australia. Early Armstrongs in Australia.
- Armstrong DNA Project.
Y-chromosome DNA study.
Scotland. The Armstrong seat in Scotland was Gilnockie near Eskdale. They were fearless border raiders who, however, eventually paid the price. Their clan leader Johnnie Armstrong, later commemmorated in song, was executed as a "border freebooter" in 1529. Hector Armstrong of Harelaw and Sandy Armstrong of Cleughfoot carried on this brigandage.
However, the clan incurred the hostility of both the English and Scottish crowns. In 1603, they lost all their land holdings, further evictions and executions occurred, and many Armstrongs were left homeless and often penniless. Of those who remained in the borders, many gravitated later towards Glasgow.
Ireland. The main exodus was to Fermanagh, in present day Northern Ireland. Andrew Armstrong, a descendant of the Laird, was one of the "Scottish undertakers" granted land there. Other Armstrongs followed as tenant farmers.
Andrew's descendants distinguished themselves as lawyers and clergymen and particularly as soldiers, fighting in a number of British campaigns overseas. Notable among them in the 17th century was Sir Thomas Armstrong. One of his sons, Thomas, was executed for treason in 1684; another, William, was granted land in Tipperary. His family resided there at Moyaliffe House.
During the eighteenth century many Armstrongs lost their tenancies and there begun a second exodus, first to America and later to Canada.
America. The principal destination in America was Pennsylvania. The first arrival appears to have been a Joseph Armstrong in 1731. Then came James Armstrong, reputed to be a descendant of the Laird. The same was also said of John Armstrong who arrived in 1748. He helped plan the new community of Carlisle and later distinguished himself in the Revolutionary War (his son John was briefly American Secretary of War). Their numbers in Pennsylvania were in fact so many that there was even a Fermanagh township created.
Some Armstrongs stayed in Pennsylvania, others (or their descendants) moved on; Robert Armstrong's family, for instance, to Tennessee and William Armstrong's across the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky. The Rev. Richard Armstrong, a missionary, went further afield, to Hawaii. He had two notable sons: Samuel, an enlightened educator, and William, a friend of the last King of Hawaii whom he accompanied on a grand world tour.
Then there was the remarkable Armstrong pioneer family of Kansas and Colorado. The story started in 1783 when Robert Armstrong was captured as a young boy by Wyandot Indians on the Alleghany river near Pittsburgh. He grew up among them and later made his mark as an interpreter. His two sons, John Armstrong and his brother Silas, were instrumental in the founding of the Wyandot nation near present-day Kansas City. John provided the legal brains, Silas the business acumen.
The next generation of Armstrongs were scouts and buffalo hunters and pioneer settlers in Colorado. One branch settled near Colorado Springs where Willis Armstrong founded the Colorado Springs National Bank in 1907. Other Armstrongs were to be found in Fort Collins along the route of the old Colorado trail. The historic Armstrong Hotel in Fort Collins, built in 1923, was named after Andrew Armstrong whose house once stood on the property.
Canada. Many early Armstrong arrivals were Scots Irish, such as:
- William Armstrong from Monaghan in 1820 to Iberville county, Quebec
- Robert and John Armstrong from Tipperary in 1823 and 1825 as part of a settler movement to Ottawa.
- Rainey Armstrong from Antrim in 1852 to Huron county, Ontario.
- William and Hannah Armstrong in the mid 1850''s to Gloucester, New Brunswick.
South America. Scots Irish Armstrongs also found their way to South America. The Armstrongs from Garrycastle in county Offaly had set up a merchant trading house in Buenos Aires and Thomas Armstrong, along with his brother John, arrived there in 1817 to run it. Thomas, a banker and railway promoter, married into the local Creole community and soon became influential in Argentine political circles. A town and railway station in Santa Fe is named after him.
Australia. The first Armstrongs in Australia were convicts, some fifty or so between 1800 and 1840. Later came settlers. John Armstrong arrived from the Scottish borders in 1839. He became a sheep farmer at a bush station in Geelong. William Armstrong went to Melbourne and became mayor of the town. The best-known Victorian Armstrong was Warwick Armstrong, a huge mountain of a man described as "the big ship" who captained the Australian cricket team in the early 1900's.
England. The Armstrongs in England were mainly to be found in the border counties of Northumberland and Durham. Many became miners. Tommy Armstrong, who wrote songs in the Northumbrian style, was known as the bard of the northern coalfields.
But perhaps the most notable Armstrong was the Victorian engineer and industrialist William (later Lord) Armstrong from Newcastle who developed the Armstrong naval gun. His descendants still live in Bamburgh Castle which he had acquired in the 1890's. A more modest Armstrong house today is Sylvia Armstrong's Household and Farming Museum to be found just outside Alnwick.
Select Armstrong Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Armstrong Names
Andrew Armstrong, a descendant of the Laird who moved the Armstrongs to Ireland.
Sir Alexander Armstrong from Fermanagh, the Victorian arctic explorer.
Thomas Armstrong was a 19th century banker and railway promoter in Argentina who was instrumental in founding the Argentine Stock Exchange.
William (Lord) Armstrong, the industrialist and inventor of the Armstrong gun.
Louis Armstrong from New Orleans was one of the world's greatest jazz musicians.
Neil Armstrong, from Scottish border roots, was the first man (in 1969) to walk on the moon.
Lance Armstrong of Norwegian stock was the American cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven times.
Select Armstrongs Today
- 57,000 in the UK (most numerous in Cumbria)
- 43,000 in America (most numerous in Texas).
- 34,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames