Joshua ARMSTRONG b. 1 Aug 1756 Paxtang, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA d. 25 Dec 1844 , Greene, Illinois, USA: An Armstrong & A Heffernan

1756 - 1844 (88 years)

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Name	Joshua ARMSTRONG
Born	1 Aug 1756	Paxtang, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA [1, 2]
Gender	Male
Buried	1844	, Jersey, Illinois, USA
Buried	Address: Armstrong Cemetery Jersey County Jersey County, Illinois
Died	25 Dec 1844	, Greene, Illinois, USA
Person ID	I538	An Armstrong & A Heffernan
Last Modified	5 Feb 2014

Father	Robert ARMSTRONG, b. Abt 1716, Brookeborough, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , d. May 1772, , Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA (Age ~ 56 years)
Mother	Ann E THOMPSON, b. Abt 1727, Brookeborough, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom , d. Abt 1784, , Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA (Age ~ 57 years)
Married	1745	, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA
	Middleton Township
Family ID	F341	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Sarah MORRIS, b. 7 Jul 1763, , Rockingham, Virginia, USA , d. 6 Jan 1850, Fieldon, Jersey, Illinois, USA (Age 86 years)

Married 7 Jul 1785 , Rockingham, Virginia, USA

Children

	1. Robert ARMSTRONG, b. 4 Mar 1786, , Rockingham, Virginia, USA , d. Abt 1845, , Warren, Kentucky, USA (Age 58 years)
	2. Margaret ARMSTRONG, b. 27 Jan 1788, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. 28 Jul 1852, Girard, Macoupin, Illinois, USA (Age 64 years)
	3. Mary ARMSTRONG, b. 13 Jan 1791, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. 28 Jul 1829, , St. Clair, Illinois, USA (Age 38 years)
	4. Thomas ARMSTRONG, b. 28 Mar 1793, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. 13 Apr 1878, Ritchey, Newton, Missouri, USA (Age 85 years)
	5. William ARMSTRONG, b. 1 Sep 1795, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. 7 Jan 1879, , Morgan, Illinois, USA (Age 83 years)
	6. Andrew Jackson ARMSTRONG, b. 18 Apr 1798, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. 17 Oct 1852, Sauvie Island, Multnomah, Oregon, USA (Age 54 years)
	7. Hugh ARMSTRONG, b. 13 Feb 1799, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. Deceased
	8. Maurice ARMSTRONG, b. 17 Dec 1800, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. 15 Apr 1876, , Macoupin, Illinois, USA (Age 75 years)
	9. Nancy ARMSTRONG, b. 6 Jun 1803, , Warren, Kentucky, USA , d. 21 Oct 1860, Waverly, Morgan, Illinois, USA (Age 57 years)

Last Modified 6 Dec 2008

Family ID F358 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Notes

Or died at Fieldon, Jersey Co, Illinois.
Resided 1787-1801 Warren Co, Kentucky and 1810 Illinois, and 12/2/1833 Green, Illinois
Pension application #M23461 for service in a Pennsylvania Line Regiment
He was a Private, Artificer, and Scout and served (1777) in Captain Lorned's Company, and also Colonel Chamber's Pennsylvania Regiment. Also served under Colonel George Rogers Clark.
When John was about 8, his father moved the family west to Cumberland Co, Pennsylvania. During the Revolution, Joshua served several enlistments. Here is his sworn account as recorded in his application for pension under the Pension Act passed by Congress on 7/7/1832

State of Illinois, Greene County
Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress of the 7th of June 1832.
On this 2nd day of December, 1833, personally appeared in open court, (being a court of record) in and for the County of Greene, Joshua Armstrong, a resident of the County of Greene and State of Illinois, now in the 78th year of his age, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress (passed) june 7th 1832, that he was drafted into service of the United States as a private in the Pennsylvania Militia, in the year 1777 to serve a tour of 60 days under Captain Leard, attached to Colonel Chambers' regiment. General Potter's Brigade, while the British were in Philadelphia. He was in two engagements against the British, the first at Chestnut Hill, the second at the (Leven) Ford near the Guelph Mill, where his brother, John Armstrong, was taken prisoner and confined in Philadelphia until the British abandoned the place, after a few days of his release, he died, alleging that he was poisoned while in confinement.
2nd-Sometime after, the date not now distinctly recollected, he was drafted as a Private in the Pennsylvania Militia to go against the Indians at Standing Stone-he served two months of this expedition under Lieutenant Junkins from Cumberland Co, Pennsylvania, the services performed in Canoe Valley, Junietta-The Company was divided and stationed at different points to protect the frontier, the names of the different Officers not at this time recollected.
3rd-He served a tour of duty of two months at Wheeling Fort, and was engaged during the time in scouting-his impression is that during this service he was under subordiante Officers, who were changed during the time and their names not now recollected.
4th-In the year 1781, about the 1st day of August, he entered into the service of the United States at Pittsburgh, under General George Rogers Clark, Colonel Crockett, Majors Crittendon and Wells. He was in the service, this time four and a half months and served as an Artificer (besides performing military duty under Captain Bruce) under William anderson, foreman of Artificers-during this service, he was with the troops down the Ohio to the Falls, and returned by water to Wheeling. He lost his brother, Joseph Armstrong, who was killed in the expedition, having received a wound at the Falls, at the same time Captain Keller was wounded, who also died.
5th-He served a tour of duty of two months at Wheeling under Colonel Marshall of the Pennsylvania, who gave him a written discharge a few days before the expiration of his time for carrying an express to Deckers Fort Mingo at the bottom of the Ohio, which service was performed at great hazard, but the discharge has been lost. He states upon oath aforesaid that his whole service amounted to twelve and a half months. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any agency in any state.
Whereupon the court propounded the following interrogations to the applicant:
1-Where and what year were you born?
I was born in Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania, August 1, 1756 and was raised in Cumberland Co, PA.
2-Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
My age was recorded in a large family Bible now in my possession.
3-Where were you living when called to service, where have you lived since the Revolutionary War, and where do you now live?
I was living in cumberland Co, PA when called into service, since the Revolutionary War, I have lived first in Monongahala from thence to Virginia in Rockingham Co where I married, from there I removed to Bourbon Co, Kentucky, and after a residence of six years, I moved to Greene Co, KY, remained there six years, and then moved to Warren Co, KY lived there 16 years and then removed to the Territory of Illinois in the year 1810, since which time I have resided in the Territory and State and now in Greene Co, Illinois.
4-How were you called into service, were you drafted or did you volunteer or were you a substitute, and if a substitute, for whom?
I have stated in my declaration as near as my memory will serve me, the manner in which I was called into service-the service under General Clark was volunteered for a promise of pay as an Artificer, but I never received any.
5-State the names of the regular Officers who were with the troops where you serviced, such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your service.
I have already stated in my declaration all that is distinctly recollected and esteemed material to my application.
6-Did you receive a discharge from the service and, if so, by whom was it given and what has become of it?
I never received any discharge except the one from Colonel Marshall that I recollect, and that has been lost as before stated.
7-State the names of the persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood and who can testify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution.
The Reverend Major Dotson, Reverend Fletcher Dotson, Reverend William Smith, John Thompson, General John Thompson Jr, Chester Bethel, James Rusk, Jefferson Robertson, Morris Armstrong (his son), and Chelston Smith.
In witness whereof the said Joshua Armstrong subscribed his name in open court on the date before mentioned.
His mark, Joshua Armstrong.
Joshua Armstrong Pension file also contains the statement by his widow, Sarah, that was filed to obtain her Pension rights as a survivor of a Revolutionary soldier.

In 1810, Joshua moved to Illinois and was a Ranger until the Indians were driven from the southern part of the state. Prior to coming to Illinois, he had removed to Kentucky, and in the year above mentioned, he settled in what is now Madison Co, Illinois. Joshua remained where he first settled until 1824 when he removed his family to Jersey Co, near Fielding, where the old pioneer and soldier remained until his death.
In 1816, in Madison co, Joshua was permitted to buid a toll bridge across Silver Creek on the road leading from the 'Settlement' to the United States Salines, and to charge the following rates: Teams 25 cents, man and horse 12 1/2 cents, and men alone 6 1/4 cents.
Joshua served as Justice of Madison Co (appointed 1 Jan 1818) and as Trustee of the Schools in 1819.
Most of Joshua's and Sarah's children were born in Kentucky, but raised in Illinois.
Joshua died on Christmas Day in 1844 in Greene Co, IL and is buried in the Armstrong Cemetery (sometimes called the Richland Cemetery) in Jersey County.
Sarah continued to draw Widow's Pension until her death in January 1850
General John Armstrong, born 10/13/1717, in Brookboro, Ireland, died 3/9/1795 in Herman, Harrisburg Co, PA, is an uncle of Joshua Armstrong.?

ABSTRACT to the GEORGE ROGERS CLARK PAPERS Microfilm Roll #7
12732-7-978-979-September 23, 1781: Major George Walls certified to George Rogers Clark that William Anderson, Master Artificer, with 4 carpenter artificers: Joseph Cochran, William Johnson, William Heth and Joshua Armstrong had served their full time for which they were engaged and were discharged from further service. They were paid subsistence from Fort Nelson at Falls of Ohio until arrival at New Store on the Monongahela River. Verso described document as Artificers Certificate from General Clark.
12747-7-1000-1002-September 23, 1781: Expenditures for Western Expedition under command of Brigadier General William Craig from August 27, 1781 to September 23, 1781. Listing of artificers under Craig's direction. Names: Master Artificers, Alex Craig, William Anderson; Artificers, Thomas Smith, carpenter; Henry Burgess, blacksmith; Joseph Cochran; William Clark, William Johnston; William Heath; Joshua Armstrong. Other names: Major Crecraft; Henry Barnes, cooper; William White, blacksmith; William Sherman?; Jonathan Thomas; George Rogers Clark, Major George Walls.

ABSTRACT to the GEORGE ROGERS CLARK PAPERS Microfilm Roll #8
14448-8-1275-1276-August 28, 1771: Rations issued artificers employed in the Quartermaster's Department at Louisville. Listed by name, trade or employment, time of entry and remarks. Document signed by Major George Walls and William Anderson, Master Artificer. Names: William Anderson, Master Artificer, July 3, 1781; Joseph Cochran, carpenter; William Clark, left on command to islands, August 9, 1781; William Heath; Joshua Armstrong; Thomas Smith; Henry Burgess; William McPherson; Henry Barnes. Artificers were carpenters, blacksmiths, and coopers.

Sources
[S483] Pension File, #W23461.
Rev War Pension File Nat'l Archives, Washington, DC

[S627] Cemetery, Armstrong, Jersey IL.