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ARI ARMSTRONG, pioneer, was born in Wayne County, Ind., November 4, 1814,
son of John and Letitia (Dye) Armstrong; is the sixth in a family of thirteen children, and is of Scotch-German lineage. The father of Mr.
Armstrong was born in the Old Penn Commonwealth in 1776, and his mother in
New Jersey. The paternal grandparent of Mr. Armstrong was James Armstrong,
a native of Scotland, where the Armstrong family is supposed to have originated. When the father of Mr. Armstrong was thirteen years of age, he
came with his parents from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, where they remained
until 1810, when they removed to the territory that now composes Wayne County, Ind., and there the family remained until 1815, when it came to the
territory of which Lawrence County is now composed, and made settlement near
the present site of the town of Mitchell, and there the family remained two
years, and then came to what is now Perry Township, and a cabin was erected
where Mr. Ari Armstrong's house now stands. Here his father died in 1866,
and his mother in 1828.
The father of Mr. Armstrong was one of the first
white men to make settlement in Lawrence County. He was also a prominent
man, and was extensively known for his uprightness and integrity. He was
formerly a member of the Baptist Church, but late in life united with that
Christian Church. When the subject of this sketch had gained his years of
majority, he took up the successes and reverses of life for himself. His
first move was to borrow $300 of the Bedford Bank, and go to Cincinnati and
invest it in Peacock plows, and bring his investment to Springville for sale. These were the first iron mold-board plows ever known in Perry
Township, and consequently 1834 marks the new ear as far as plows are concerned in this township. The money which Mr. Armstrong borrowed was the
fist loaned from the Bedford Bank after its establishment.
The marriage of Mr. Armstrong took place in 1835 to Miss Mary Short, a native of Pulaski
County, Ky., but who came to Lawrence County in 1818. To this marriage were
born twelve children, six of whom survive their mother, whose death occurred
November, 1854. The subject to this sketch was married again in 1865 to
Mrs. Sarah A. Pitman, who was born in Lawrence county. To this union have
been born seven children. Mr. Armstrong is one of the most extensive land-holders in the county, and now has 1,700 acres. For many years he has
been dealing in stock, and is yet one of the leading stock-men of the country. Politically Mr. Armstrong is a Republican. Under the old law he
was one of the Trustees of Perry Township for a number of years. In 1871 he
was elected County Commissioner of Lawrence County, and as such he served
two terms. He has been a member of the Christian Church for fifty-six years, and has been an officer in that church most of the time. For nearly
seventy years Mr. Armstrong has been a resident of Lawrence County, and for
a half century he has been one of its leading and successful men. |
