I will open this little part of my ancestry with my Great Grandfather William Henry Grattan Armstrong. Ah an ostentatious name if ever there was one. More of how I came about his full name later.

Well William Henry Grattan Armstrong was born I believe, but not fully established, in County Armagh but the precise birth place or his subsequent addresses in Ireland I don’t yet know, Born on 04 August 1866 worked out from his marriage detail later in Canada and from Canadian Census Records in 1901 & 1911. The story goes according to my mother Betsy Armstrong, who would have heard it from her folk although I presuppose not much was heard as in those days family skeletons were not talked about and definitely not in front of children.

Her account is as follows, William Henry Grattan Armstrong I will call him William Henry for short got if that is the correct terminology my Great Grandmother Isabella Hamilton into a spot of difficulty, that is pregnant. Isabella lived in Ballyshielmore. This townland lies ‘ up the hills’ outside Clare, Co Armagh. Isabella was the daughter of a farmer (n/k Hamilton) who had died by 1911 therefore I am not aware of his Christian name at the time of writing. The reason I conclude this is that on the 1911 Census my Great Great Grandmother Ann Hamilton was a widow aged 80 living on a farm in Ballyshielmore with her children Isabella and her brother James Hamilton.

The story goes on to say that William Henry having done the dirty deed then ‘ran’ away with Isabella’s sister. Again whether this is true or not is dubious as I will show later in this storyline. As to the existence of a sister that might also be a erroneous belief as in 1911 there is no sign of Isabella’s sister. If she did go to Canada in 1889/90 with William Henry has not been established. In my opinion I rather much doubt there was a sister and William Henry had gone off to Canada by himself and could have been ignorant to the fact of the expectant Isabella. Also worthy of note are the birth dates of William Henry born 1890, Isabella born 1876 and William James the child born 1886. This would of course mean that Isabella would have only been 10 when she gave birth to my grandfather William James. So could there have been another twist to this story could Ann have been William James mother, in all probability not. It is more probable that one of these dates of birth is inaccurate and that I would hazard a guess would be Isabella.

To continue with the story, William Henry left the scene and Isabella gave birth to my Grandfather William James Armstrong. Isabella duly christened him with his father’s surname Armstrong opposed to Hamilton. This proves I’m not sure, could there have been hope of a marriage after the birth, pride. Compelled to, I don’t know but Armstrong it was. Isabella never married and ended up running the little farmstead, which was located beside Ballyshiel Orange Hall and is in the Hamilton name on the Griffiths Valuation Records of landowners. She later lived at Derryallen with her son William James and his wife Dinah (nee Totten) until she died and was buried in Clare Presbyterian Churchyard, Co Armagh. I have concluded that Ann Hamilton died by 1914 as a letter to William James (while he was in France with the British expeditionary Forces during WW 1) from his mother Isabella hints at her being the farm owner, more of the letter later.

I tried many avenues to map out and trace William Henry & his family. I had little to go on apart from one of his sons Cecil was a politician, which turned out to be a partial truth and another son was called Melvin, who I am named after coincidentally. Again this turned out to be not quite correct. As far as I was concerned he had skipped town i.e. Ireland and ran away to America with Isabella’s sister. I also knew that Cecil, his son had come back to visit his half brother, my grandfather William James in the 1930's and had opened a couple of Orange Halls one of which was Tamnamore (Cabra). I do know that he visited whether or not he opened Orange Halls I have yet to reveal.

Many months passed and I was clutching at straws but a breakthrough came at last when I found William Henry on the Canadian Census with a family & dates that fitted. The family were on the 1901 & 1911 returns. In 1901 they were living in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada and by 1911 had moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The family consisted of William Henry Grattan Armstrong his wife Mary Ann Armstrong nee Richardson (note not Hamilton as my mother’s story had suggested) and their two sons Melville Leslie Grattan Armstrong and Cecil William Richardson Armstrong. All impressive names would you agree. So the Melvin was actually Melville, close enough for Chinese whisper purposes and there was a Cecil who was later to visit his half brother William James (my grandfather) in Co Armagh during the thirties. Whether Isabella’s supposed sister never existed, didn’t actually go to Canada, went but they never married I don’t know but as can be seen William Henry Grattan Armstrong married a Mary Ann Richardson who according to the Census had came from England and not Ireland. The Armstrong surname was common enough in Peterborough, Ontario and the repeat of for instance William & Melville may suggest that my bunch had already kindred in that area of Canada and I would presuppose I would be correct here.

I wrote to the Canadian Library in both Ontario and Saskatchewan in 2007 and lo and behold a few weeks later when I had given up hope of hearing anything back I got a reply from a very kind City Archivist called Jeff O’Brien from the Saskatchewan Archives. This is the content of his email from 04 Dec 2007.

Dear Mr Pearson
Thank you for contacting the City of Saskatoon Archives. Mr. Armstrong is first listed in our city directories in the 1910 edition, living at 318 27th St. West (these directories were compiled in the early summer, usually, and gave names, addresses and occupations). His occupation was given as "Grand Organizer, L O L [Loyal Orange Lodge]. Also living at that address was Melville G. Armstrong, "Book keeper". The 1911 directory notes that the Loyal Orange Lodge #1801 met "1st and 3rTuesdays at Oddfellows Hall" and that its Secretary was W. Armstrong. Cecil is also listed in the 1911 directory, as a clerk. Both William and Melville Armstrong appear in a group photo of members of the "First Grand Black Chapter of Saskatchewan" (the "Royal Black Knights") taken in Saskatoon in 1911 (see attached images). From our notes on the photograph:

"The Grand Black Chapter was part of a secret Orange Order, variously called, including Royal Black Knights, etc, claiming descent from the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem in the 11th century."

By 1922 the family had moved to 401 28th St. West (a considerably larger house, just down the block from Christ Church Anglican, which stands today and of which the family were undoubtedly members). Melville's occupation was listed as Assistant Accountant for the Imperial Canadian Trust Co., and Cecil was an "agent". Of what, it does not say. William is listed in the 1924 directory, but he is absent from the 1925. "Mary A. Armstrong, widow Wm. H.G." is listed and her address is given as 401 28th St. West. She does not appear to have stayed, however. Neither she nor the boys are listed in the 1926 directory or in the 1926 Voters Lists.

Mr. Armstrong is not buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. As this was the only cemetery in Saskatoon at that time, he must have been buried elsewhere. I take it that you have seen the CEF attestation papers at the Library and Archives of Canada web site showing that Cecil William was born in Peterborough?  Could there have been a family plot there that he was returned to be buried in? If you have not done so, the full CEF records can be ordered from LAC.

You may also be able to order his death certificates from the provincial Vital Statistics Office -

<http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/vital-statistics>

I see from your note that a Cecil William Armstrong ran for office in Ontario in the mid-1920’s. There  is also a Cecil W. Armstrong listed as a Past Grand Master of the Orange Lodge for Ontario West in 1945 (see here: <http://orangeroots.tripod.com/OW1945.html>)

It seems likely, however, that the trail leads back to Ontario after the elder Armstrong's death. I'm afraid I do not know that much about genealogical research in Ontario. However, if you were to try the Archives Advisor for the Ontario Association of Archives (Carolynn Bart-Riedstra at archivesadvisor@rogers.com) she may be able to put you in the right direction.

I have attached maps showing the two houses that the family lived in as well as photographs of William and Melville Armstrong taken from the Grand Black group photo in 1911. I hope this helps. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do for you here.


Sincerely,


Jeff O'Brien
City Archivist

Well as you can see a wealth of information was gleaned from this correspondence from Jeff.  Information and images to boot of both William Henry & his sons Melville and Cecil that none of my Co Armagh Armstrong Family knew much about. Melville I owe my Christian name to as I have previously stated thus another very good reason to find out a little about this particular name donor.

So to Canada then and what I now know of William Henry Grattan Armstrong and family.

William Henry probably set sail for Canada between 1886/90. Who was with him on this trail blazing expedition I don’t know. Was Mary Ann Richardson with him? I doubt it, I think she was already in Canada having come from England with her family who were settled in the Quebec region by 1889/90.

I have found the marriage record of William Henry and Mary Ann. Both were aged 24 at the time of the wedding. The ceremony place in St Mathews Anglican Church, Quebec The transcript is as follows:

‘Armstrong & Richardson – married – William Henry Grattan Armstrong, Mechanic of the City of Sherbrook in the Province of Quebec and Mary Ann Richardson, Spinster, over the full age of 21 years in the City of Quebec in said Province were married by Licence on the 17th Dec 1890 by me TA Williams – Signatures William Henry Grattan Armstrong, Mary Ann Richardson, H Hick, John PJ Ras…, Kate Dacred’’

The Armstrong Canadian connection had begun