Page 35 - Armstrong Bloodline - ebook_Neat

Chapter 5 – Elliot and

Eleanor (Phelps)

Armstrong and Family

Montage includes the state of Vermont in the middle flanked
by the headstones of Elliot and Eleanor Armstrong (located in
the Shoreham Village Cemetery). 84 & 85 Picture at top left is
the U.S. Post Office in Shoreham and on the bottom right is a
picture of the house in which Elliot and Eleanor lived on the
outskirts of Shoreham (pictures taken in Apr. 1998).

Elliot (Eliot) Armstrong, Martin's youngest son, is
The Name Elliot
believed to have been born in Willsboro, Essex, NY on
September 8, 1772, and is my great-great-great A curiosity about the name Elliot is that there are more than
th
grandfather. 74, 75, 86 About a month before his 20 seventy ways of spelling it, from Aylewood to Ilwand, and Dalliot
to Ellot (which was the form most commonly used on the Border
birthday, he married Eleanor Phelps of nearby Orwell, of Scotland and England, along with Elwood). Any permutation of
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VT. At age 21, he purchased 100 acres of land from l’s and t’s is said to be permissible except Elliott, which for some
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his father and appears for the first time on the tax reason the family affect to despise. An old Scottish rhyme goes
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lists of Shoreham where he resided and farmed most like this:
It is obvious that Elliot and Eleanor
of his life. 68 & 88
The double L and single T
enjoyed each other’s company, as they rapidly set Descend from Minto and Wolflee,
about beginning their family - their first child, The double T and single L
Chauncey, was born in the first year of their marriage, Mark the old race in Stobs that dwell,
and over the next 24 years they produced an The single L and single T
The Eliots of St Germains be,
impressive total of 10 children, including eight sons
But double T and double L
and two daughters – all of whom were born in Who they are, nobody can tell.
Shoreham.

Getting to really “know” a distant ancestor is never easy. However, there are several things about grandfather
Elliot that we do know and others that we can infer. For example, while we know little of his educational
background, we do know that he and Eleanor were very supportive of both the education and aspirations of
their children. We know that at least one of them held public office and was a successful hotelier (Ransom), and
another became a doctor (David Wing). He was also an original thinker, being one of the first to import and grow
Merino sheep in the area and financially supporting his sons Chauncey and Spencer in their farming businesses.
His oldest son Jerome also became a very successful farmer and businessman. Anyone who has ever had
children knows that the basics of their character and life outlook are developed when they are young, that good
parents set limits and then enable whatever constructive direction their children’s abilities and interests take
them. The success and character of his children say a lot about him as father and role model.

In addition he was also a patriot and adventurer. We know that Elliot and at least two of his sons served against
the British in the War of 1812. 89, 90 & 91 As mentioned in Chapter 4, no biographical mention is made of the
Armstrongs in Rev. Goodhue's book; however, Elliot is listed as serving twice as a volunteer in the War of 1812
54a - page 107
against the British . The frontier between the colonies and Canada was initially guarded by
detachments of the militia. However, the Legislature of 1812 authorized two brigades of volunteers to be

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