On the 19th of January, 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution, my great-great-great-grandfather, Jordan Armistead, was born on the Armistead Plantation in Bertie County, North Carolina Colony in the British Empire. In a year and a half he would be living in a different country, the United States of America, and he wouldn't have to move an inch from where he was born to get there.
Patrick Henry's Speech
Description: Peter F. Rothermel's "Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House of Burgesses", a painting of Patrick Henry's "If this be treason, make the most of it!" speech against the Stamp Act of 1765
Date: 1851
Source: http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/r/p-rotherm2.htm
Author: Peter F. Rothermel (1817–1895)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Patrick_Henry_Rothermel.jpg
Jordan Armistead was born just 2 months before Patrick Henry declared "Give me Liberty or Give me Death", and five months before George Washington was appointed Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. William Armistead, Sr. was 45 years old at the time of Jordan's birth in 1775 with all 7 of his children (at that time) living at home. Their ages ranged from 17 to new born.
Charles Willson Peale - Washington-Custis-Lee Collection, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia And athttp://www.americanmilitaryhistorymsw.com/blog/536357-washingtons-mission/ Painting showing George Washington during his French & Indian War days. by Charles Volkmar, 1874, after Charles Willson Peale (Mount Vernon Ladies' Association)
http://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/french-indian-war/ten-facts-about-george-washington-and-the-french-indian-war/
Title: A new map of Carolina
Date Published: circa 1690
Creator - Individual: Lea, Philip, fl. 1683-1700.
Place of Publication: London
Publisher: Philip Lea
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
North Carolina Maps is made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina.
This item is presented courtesy of the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for research and educational purposes. Prior permission from the North Carolina Collection is required for any commercial use.
During the years from 1775 to the end of the war in 1783, William and Sarah Armistead continued to thrive in growing their family and their businesses. After Jordan's birth in 1775, their eighth child, another girl, Mary, was born in 1777. Stark (or Starkey) was born in 1780 and the last two children to be born were twins, Thomas and Priscilla, in 1783. Thomas only lived a short time before he died on Nov. 24, 1783.
The county records of these years in Bertie County reflect the fact that both William and his brother Anthony were important citizens of Bertie County. They witnessed land transactions, were appointed overseers of roads, and presided over courts, as well as served on juries and grand juries. They witnessed wills and helped divide estates. On one transaction in 1783, Anthony was described as "Justice of ye Peace". (2)
Map of the Colonies in 1775
"Map of territorial growth 1775" by Cg-realms; adapted from a scan from the National Atlas of the United StatesThis vector image was created with Inkscape. - Adapted from National Atlas of the United States scan uploaded by Kooma using File:Blank US Map.svg as a template. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_territorial_growth_1775.svg#/media/File:Map_of_territorial_growth_1775.svg
For the Thirteen Colonies these same years of 1775 - 1783 encompassed a time in our history where tremendous challenges faced the Colonists. It was a time of great change that ultimately led to the birth of a new and free nation where "all men were created equal", unless you were a slave or female and that "equal" part would take many more years to get spread around.
In January of 1776 Thomas Paine, published his pamphlet "Common Sense" and in it he wrote about America's right to create a democratic and free nation. He sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his pamphlets, which helped win the support of the Colonists for the cause of American Independence. (3)
As events were unfolding and escalating, the second Continental Congress appointed a committee to put together a document regarding their intentions. This document, written by Thomas Jefferson, was received from the appointed committee, and approved by the Congress. This document was The Declaration of Independence. (4)
"United States Declaration of Independence"
by original: w:Second Continental Congress; reproduction: William Stone - numerous. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Declaration_of_Independence.jpg#/media/File:United_States_Declaration_of_Independence.jpg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence#/media/File:United_States_Declaration_of_Independence.jpg
After publication of the Declaration of Independence, there was no turning back and the Revolutionary War grew in intensity. On Dec 25th of 1776 General Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River at night and defeated 1400 Hessian troops in the first Battle of Trenton. Then on Jan. 3, 1777, they defeated British General Charles Cornwallis at Princeton, New Jersey. European nations would begin to take notice of the Americans. (5)
Washington Crossing the Delaware
"Emanuel Leutze (American, Schwäbisch Gmünd 1816–1868 Washington, D.C.) - Washington Crossing the Delaware - Google Art Project" by Emanuel Leutze - KAHKUjVORM5STw at Google Cultural Institute, zoom level maximum. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emanuel_Leutze_(American,_Schw%C3%A4bisch_Gm%C3%BCnd_1816%E2%80%931868_Washington,_D.C.)_-_Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg#/media/File:Emanuel_Leutze_(American,_Schw%C3%A4bisch_Gm%C3%BCnd_1816%E2%80%931868_Washington,_D.C.)_-_Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Going into the winter of 1777 the Colonial forces suffered through battles at Brandywine and Germantown without a victory and then British forces captured Philadelphia. As winter set in, George Washington took his ragged and weary group of 11,000 men that comprised the Continental Army into Valley Forge for the winter. Upon arrival many of the soldiers lacked adequate clothing and many had no shoes. As they entered Valley Forge, they left bloody footprints in the snow. During the army's stay there, Friedrich von Steuben of the Prussian Army was directed to join Washington at Valley Forge to train the soldiers. In February of 1778 von Steuben began drilling the army in an attempt to turn it into a fighting unit. Also in February, France signed the treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States, officially recognizing the new nation. After a miserable winter at Valley Forge, the prospect of French assistance boosted morale. (7)
Painting of Washington at Valley Forge.
Description: George Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge.
Date: 1907
Source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/91792202/
Author: John Ward Dunsmore
Licensing: This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923. See this page for further explanation.
In June of 1778 British forces left Philadelphia to reinforce their troops in New York City. This action came as a direct response to French involvement in the war. But the war continued to go poorly for the Colonists. Georgia was lost to British control in December of 1778 at the first battle of Savannah. (8)
In June of 1779 the American General, Benedict Arnold, turned traitor against the American cause and began fighting with the British. George Washington and his troops spent this winter in Morristown, New Jersey. (9)
The war continued to go against the Colonists in 1780 as British troops took control of Charleston, SC on May 12th, but on July 11th, the arrival of French troops on American soil at Newport, Rhode Island brought hope of good things to come. In October things finally started looking better as the "over-mountain men" defeated British Loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina, and killed the British Major General Patrick Ferguson. This reversed the downward trend in the south and that victory was followed in January of 1781 with a victory at Cowpens, South Carolina. In March American forces under Major General Nathaniel Green were defeated at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina, but the British victory proved to be a costly one in terms of lives lost. As it turned out, this battle was the opening battle of the campaign that led to Yorktown and the end of the war. (10)
1st Maryland Regiment holding the line at the Battle of Guilford
Battle of Guilford Courthouse, 15 March 1781 General Nathaniel Greene observed as the veteran en:1st Maryland Regimentthrew back a British attack and countered with a bayonet charge. As they reformed their line, William Washington's Light Dragoons raced by to rescue raw troops of the en:5th Maryland Regiment who had buckled under a furious assault of British Grenadiers and Guards Source: downloaded from Prints and Posters: Soldiers of the American Revolution, Center of Military History. Access date: June 1 2006.
Original uploader was Oldwildbill at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia
The Guilford Courthouse battle was about 170 miles to the west of Bertie County, North Carolina. This seems to be the closest major battle to Bertie County and the Armisteads. Cornwallis and his troops did go through Halifax in Halifax County (about 40 miles to the northwest) on their way to Virginia in 1781. Local militia in that county tried to harass his troops and stop them but they were only successful in killing a few men before Cornwallis moved on into Virginia, headed to Yorktown. (11) From what I can tell, there were not any troop movements in Bertie County, probably because there were several large rivers to cross and lots of swamp land that would have had to be negotiated.
The battle at Guilford was followed on May 22 by Major General Greene and Harry "Light-horse" Lee leading the Continental Army in a siege of the British at Ninety-Six, South Carolina. The Continental troops were repulsed and were eventually forced to withdraw on June 18th. (12)
Although the Continental Army suffered losses and didn't "win" a lot of these battles, the constant pressure and harassment by the Continental forces started to have an effect on British forces. Lord Cornwallis began moving his weary troops toward the Virginia coast so he could maintain his sea routes and communications with the large force of General Henry Clinton in new York City. He settled in at Yorktown in August of 1781. Meanwhile General George Washington and the French Count de Rochambeau joined forces near Williamsburg, VA. Washington had previously instructed Marquis de Lafayette and his American force of 5,000 to block any land escape route by Cornwallis out of Yorktown. (13)
The First meeting of Washington and Lafayette, Philadelphia, Aug. 3rd, 1777·
Creator(s): Currier & Ives.,·
Date Created/Published: New York : Published by Currier & Ives, c1876.· Medium: 1 print : lithograph.·
Collections: Popular Graphic Arts
Date: 1876
Source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006691579/ http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/cph/3b50000/3b50000/3b50200/3b50200r.jpg
Author: Currier & Ives
Licensing: This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923.
On the high seas a very important naval battle at Virginia Capes raged on September the 5th of 1781 between the French Navy and a British fleet under Admiral Thomas Graves. The French Navy prevented the British from breaking through to the coast, where they would have been able to supply crucial reinforcements to Cornwallis. Instead this allowed a large French fleet of war ships under Count de Grasse to attack the British by sea and completely seal them off. (14)
In June of 1779 the American General, Benedict Arnold, turned traitor against the American cause and began fighting with the British. George Washington and his troops spent this winter in Morristown, New Jersey. (9)
The war continued to go against the Colonists in 1780 as British troops took control of Charleston, SC on May 12th, but on July 11th, the arrival of French troops on American soil at Newport, Rhode Island brought hope of good things to come. In October things finally started looking better as the "over-mountain men" defeated British Loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina, and killed the British Major General Patrick Ferguson. This reversed the downward trend in the south and that victory was followed in January of 1781 with a victory at Cowpens, South Carolina. In March American forces under Major General Nathaniel Green were defeated at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina, but the British victory proved to be a costly one in terms of lives lost. As it turned out, this battle was the opening battle of the campaign that led to Yorktown and the end of the war. (10)
1st Maryland Regiment holding the line at the Battle of Guilford
Battle of Guilford Courthouse, 15 March 1781 General Nathaniel Greene observed as the veteran en:1st Maryland Regimentthrew back a British attack and countered with a bayonet charge. As they reformed their line, William Washington's Light Dragoons raced by to rescue raw troops of the en:5th Maryland Regiment who had buckled under a furious assault of British Grenadiers and Guards Source: downloaded from Prints and Posters: Soldiers of the American Revolution, Center of Military History. Access date: June 1 2006.
Original uploader was Oldwildbill at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia
The battle at Guilford was followed on May 22 by Major General Greene and Harry "Light-horse" Lee leading the Continental Army in a siege of the British at Ninety-Six, South Carolina. The Continental troops were repulsed and were eventually forced to withdraw on June 18th. (12)
Although the Continental Army suffered losses and didn't "win" a lot of these battles, the constant pressure and harassment by the Continental forces started to have an effect on British forces. Lord Cornwallis began moving his weary troops toward the Virginia coast so he could maintain his sea routes and communications with the large force of General Henry Clinton in new York City. He settled in at Yorktown in August of 1781. Meanwhile General George Washington and the French Count de Rochambeau joined forces near Williamsburg, VA. Washington had previously instructed Marquis de Lafayette and his American force of 5,000 to block any land escape route by Cornwallis out of Yorktown. (13)
The First meeting of Washington and Lafayette, Philadelphia, Aug. 3rd, 1777·
Creator(s): Currier & Ives.,·
Date Created/Published: New York : Published by Currier & Ives, c1876.· Medium: 1 print : lithograph.·
Collections: Popular Graphic Arts
Date: 1876
Source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006691579/ http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/cph/3b50000/3b50000/3b50200/3b50200r.jpg
Author: Currier & Ives
Licensing: This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_du_Motier,_Marquis_de_Lafayette#/media/File:First_meeting_of_Washington_and_Lafayette,_Currier_and_Ives_1876.jpg
On the high seas a very important naval battle at Virginia Capes raged on September the 5th of 1781 between the French Navy and a British fleet under Admiral Thomas Graves. The French Navy prevented the British from breaking through to the coast, where they would have been able to supply crucial reinforcements to Cornwallis. Instead this allowed a large French fleet of war ships under Count de Grasse to attack the British by sea and completely seal them off. (14)
Plan of the Battle of Yorktown.
Date: 1875
Source: Goodrich, S. G. (1875). A Pictorial History of the United States. Philadelphia: J. H. Butler & Co., 277.
Author: S. G. Goodrich
Licensing: This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923. See this page for further explanation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yorktown#/media/File:Plan_of_the_Battle_of_Yorktown_1875.png
Washington and Rochambeau's armies joined Lafayette at the end of September 1781 and for two weeks these 14,000 French and American forces, along with the French warships, gradually beat down the British. On October 19th General Cornwallis surrendered "...7,087 officers and men and 900 seamen along with 144 cannons, 15 galleys, a frigate and 30 transport ships" to Washington's army. (15)
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
Description: This painting depicts the forces of British Major General Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738-1805) (who was not himself present at the surrender), surrendering to French and American forces after the Siege of Yorktown (September 28 – October 19, 1781) during the American Revolutionary War. The United States government commissioned Trumbull to paint patriotic paintings, including this piece, for them in 1817, paying for the piece in 1820.
Artist: John Trumbull (1756–1843)
Date: 1820, placed 1826
Medium: oil on canvas
Current location: Rotunda of the US Capitol Washington D.C.
Source/Photographer: http://www.aoc.gov/cc/photo-gallery/ptgs_rotunda.cfm
Permission(Reusing this file): This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yorktown#/media/File:Surrender_of_Lord_Cornwallis.jpg
Although there would be some battles at sea and other areas later on, the battle at Yorktown was the last major battle and effectively ended the revolutionary War. Peace negotiations began later in the year and ended on Sep. 3, 1783 with the Treaty of Paris, which formally recognized the United States as a free and Independent nation.
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
Description: This painting depicts the forces of British Major General Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738-1805) (who was not himself present at the surrender), surrendering to French and American forces after the Siege of Yorktown (September 28 – October 19, 1781) during the American Revolutionary War. The United States government commissioned Trumbull to paint patriotic paintings, including this piece, for them in 1817, paying for the piece in 1820.
Artist: John Trumbull (1756–1843)
Date: 1820, placed 1826
Medium: oil on canvas
Current location: Rotunda of the US Capitol Washington D.C.
Source/Photographer: http://www.aoc.gov/cc/photo-gallery/ptgs_rotunda.cfm
Permission(Reusing this file): This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yorktown#/media/File:Surrender_of_Lord_Cornwallis.jpg
Although there would be some battles at sea and other areas later on, the battle at Yorktown was the last major battle and effectively ended the revolutionary War. Peace negotiations began later in the year and ended on Sep. 3, 1783 with the Treaty of Paris, which formally recognized the United States as a free and Independent nation.
If you love history then you are like me and you can get totally involved in reading and studying the years from the early 1770s to the early 1800s. So many things were happening. Of course there is the war itself and the years of battles and the ups and downs of the Colonies, and then, after the war, you have the Continental Congress and the writing of the Constitution, the election of our first president and vice president, etc. President Washington, in his first term, had to get all the workings of the Federal Government established and up and running. It is quite amazing how everything actually came together. All of these men that were involved in events that led up to war, the war itself, and the establishment of the government and our Constitution are such larger than life figures in our history. Names like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, Monroe, just to name a few, have inspired hundreds of books over the years. I could write full time on a blog just about these 30 to 40 years and the people that founded our nation and be quite happy.
So, now back to the Armisteads. I mentioned above the births of the last four children which brought the total to eleven and as I said, Thomas died shortly after birth. Of the 10 surviving children, Elizabeth was married in 1785 and four others, Mary, Sarah, Robert, and Jordan, were married during the decade of the 1790's. I do not know when John married but it was possibly during this time as well, maybe in the 1780's as he would have been 33 by 1790. Anthony Armistead died in 1789, apparently without having married. So, by 1790, William and Sarah had as few as 5 or as many as 7 children still at home.
Bertie County, North Carolina
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertie_County,_North_Carolina#/media/File:Map_of_Bertie_County_North_Carolina_With_Municipal_and_Township_Labels.PNG
William Armistead, Sr. made his will on Jan. 19, 1791. He must have known he was very sick, because he died a few days later. As I mentioned above, probably at least half of the children were still at home, with the youngest being 7 years old. There was a lot for Sarah to have to take on by herself. She did have the older boys to help out, but four children under the age of 16, a plantation, ships, and a fisheries business would have been a very tall order to take over by anyone.
William Armistead, Sr.'s will is below. It is hard to read the old script but it is very interesting so maybe give it a shot. If you click on the image it will open up larger. At least it does for me.
"North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/DGS-004763695_00266?cc=1911121&wc=M9W4-NM9 : accessed 18 February 2015), Currituck County > A > Armistead, William > image 54-57; State Archives, Raleigh.
William's will and inventory of his estate reflects a wealthy plantation owner with a large amount of land. But surprisingly to me, he also owned a couple of ships or to be more accurate, schooners. A schooner "is a type of sailing vessel with fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts, the fore mast being shorter than the main and no taller than the mizzen if there is one. Originally gaff-rigged..." (16) (I have no clue what that means.) First used in the 16th or 17 century by the Dutch, these vessels were important in North Carolina because they could sail in shallow waters. The colonists used schooners to sail up rivers such as the Cashie River, where other type ships could not go. One of William's schooners was named Priscilla, apparently after his youngest daughter.
A traditional gaff topsail schooner.
Uploaded by: en.wikipedia user - taken from en.wikipedia at [1]
Taken: 4-JUL-1976, NYC.
Permission details: This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Scott Rasmussen at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.In case this is not legally possible:Scott Rasmussen grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.
Inventory of William Armistead's Estate.
"North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-21483-55235-65?cc=1911121&wc=93G9-L2N:183208201,183204102,183331001 : accessed 26 August 2015), Bertie County > A > Armistead, William > image 101-108; State Archives, Raleigh.
There is also listed, 32 Negroes (his slaves), right on the list with all the other property in the inventory. That is pretty hard to read and not cringe. I know it is the reality of the time and I will not go into a discussion of it here. This is obviously part of who he was and I have to accept that, but it doesn't mean I have to be proud of it.
For some time now I have been studying the description of William's land purchases and looking at topographical maps to see if I could determine where his land was located along the Cashie River in Bertie County. Not too long ago, I came across an article online titled: "PEOPLE & PLACES: Hidden History: Cashie Reveals Backwater Wharfs, written by Jerry Allegood. The URL is:
http://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/coastwatch/previous-issues/2010-2/summer-2010/people-places-hidden-history-cashie-reveals-backwater-wharf/
The article is about Bob and Becky Bowling, who live on the Cashie River, and discovered, during a temporary dropping of the river due to high Northwest winds, a previously unknown shipwreck a few feet from their shoreline. Exciting, right? As they say on TV ads, "But wait, there's more!" East Carolina University's Program in Maritime Studies researchers came in to examine the site. Theresa Hicks, an ECU graduate student studied the site as a North Carolina Sea Grant project. She believes the ship was a part of a wharf or landing and was possibly over 200 years old. These "remote landings were key points for shipping and trade at plantations and large farms along the river during the 1700s" (17)
Another short paragraph about the Bowling site is located at the URL below. When you get to the website, scroll to the bottom to find the article.
http://inlandseasinstitute.com/projects.aspx
Researchers found a curious thing about this landing. A ship had been pulled up to shore, stern first, an oddity they had not seen before. Ships usually enter to the shore bow first. It appears the ship somehow was used as a part of the wharf. The bow was actually sawed off and the remaining part of the ship was actually fixed in a way that it was used as a part of the wharf.
And now the really fun and exiting part. Theresa Hicks "believes the Bowling's 67 acre tract was part of 750 acres owned in the late 1700s by William Armistead Sr., a wealthy planter and merchant who died in 1791." (18) Holy Cow!! That's my ancestor!
Google Maps. The approximate location of the Armistead Plantation along the Cashie River.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Blanchards+Rd,+Windsor,+NC+27983/@35.9332573,-76.8468692,13z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89afa04eb4ebc7e1:0x918f7a6701016093?hl=en
According to the article the original property owned by William Armistead actually had two landings, one at Bowling Farm and another at what today is called Blanchard's Landing. I don't know when he got into the shipping business but I imagine he either bought land on the river intentionally for that purpose or after being on the river a few years he saw the potential and got into it then. Being located down river from Windsor, the destination for many ships, gave him a prime location to have his own landing and to bring merchandise in and out. So, if you remembered what I said in my Armistead Post # 9, about how important these landings along the rivers were to the county, and how important they were to my ancestors, well, I guess you get a gold star.
Google Maps. Obviously my lines do not indicate the exact outline of the plantation, but rather a rough idea of where William Armistead's land was probably located.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Blanchards+Rd,+Windsor,+NC+27983/@35.9332573,-76.8468692,13z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89afa04eb4ebc7e1:0x918f7a6701016093?hl=en
Ms. Hicks wrote her thesis on plantation wharves and the Armistead wharf is included. She covers the Bowling Farm (Armistead) wharf starting on page 116. I recommend you read both the People & Places article and Theresa Hicks discussion of the Armistead wharf. You can go to this URL to read her paper:
http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/bitstream/handle/10342/3837/Hicks_ecu_0600M_10666.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
This is a very long post but I hope you enjoyed it. Finding the article about the Armistead Plantation in Bertie County, NC., was one of the most exciting things I have ever come across and this time period in history has been the subject of many of the books I have read over the years. So, I really enjoyed researching and putting this one together.
I will take up the Armistead story again next time, starting after William's death in 1791.
References:
(1) Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution: With an Appendix Containing a Collection of Miscellaneous Records, Clearfield Company, Inc., Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD, 2003. pg. 571, 589.
(2) Bradley, Stephen E., Jr., The deeds of Bertie County, North Carolina, 1772-1785, Bradley, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 1994, pg. 69.
(3) - (15) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1770.html
(16) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schooner
(17) Allegood, Jerry, PEOPLE & PLACES: Hidden History: Cashie Reveals Backwater Wharfs, Coastwatch, http://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/coastwatch/previous-issues/2010-2/summer-2010/people-places-hidden-history-cashie-reveals-backwater-wharf/
(18) Ibid.
