Last time I said we would pick up in my next post after William Armistead's death in 1791. I'm going to hedge on that just a little bit.
Before we part ways with William Armistead, I want to look back at the years prior to his death in 1791. Have you ever stopped and thought about the things you have experienced in your life? Who were the presidents, or what great events do you remember? I wonder what Sarah and William thought about the great events of their lives prior to 1791? Let's suppose that they some how found time in the late hours of Dec 25, 1790 to sit down and reflect on their lives over the previous 20 years. It's possible William had been sick or maybe he was simply feeling the effects of being 60 years old but let's say something caused him to take a little time to take stock of his life. Imagine that we are able to listen in on William and Sarah Armistead reminiscing. Outside a cold winter wind is howling and the snow is blowing as the conversation between William and Sarah turns more serious and maybe a little melancholy. Sitting in their chairs in front of a nice warm roaring fire in the fireplace, sipping from a glass of port wine, they quietly talk about their family as well as historical events that had taken place during their lives.
Their personal state of affairs must have brought them a great deal of satisfaction. William was a very large plantation owner and a very successful business man. Together they had brought into this world eleven children, of course Sarah had the hardest part of bringing them in but they both had a part in raising them. Now the children were growing up, indeed half of them were adults and several were married. Some had moved out to neighboring counties and started to become successful on their own. I'm sure they were proud of their grown children but still had concerns for those children still at home. Maybe they discussed who might marry one of their daughters or wondered about the younger children and what they were going to make of themselves.
As they turned their attention to world affairs and talked about what they had witnessed together, I wonder if Sarah and William had any idea of just how momentous the last 20 plus years had been? Just think of what they had lived to see. They had been there for the build up and execution of a long bloody Revolutionary War, the winning of that war, and then the creation of a new nation. They witnessed the official end of the Revolutionary War with the signing of the Peace Treaty with Great Britain on Sep 3, 1783 and they benefited from a very significant event that took place on Nov 3, 1783, when General George Washington signed orders to dissolve the Continental Army and then departed for his home in Virginia. (1) This is one of the most significant things Washington did for his new country. Because of his popularity and power, he could have taken his army and assumed control of the government and set himself up as the head or the king of this new country. That is exactly what would have happened in Europe. But he didn't do that and by that act he set the country on it's road to allowing the people of the new United States of America to carry on the country's business as a free and democratic country, a country that was no longer controlled by a monarch.
Signing of the Constitution of the United States.
Artist: Howard Chandler Christy (1873–1952)
Title: Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
Description: George Washington presiding the Philadelphia Convention.
Depicted people: George Washington , Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin - among others: see image notes orFile:KeySceneAtTheSigningOfTheConstitutionOfTheUnitedStates.jpg.
Date: 1940
Medium: oil on canvas
Current location: United States House of Representatives
Source/Photographer: The Indian Reporter
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. See Copyright.
First page of the United States Constitution.
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William Armistead possibly took part in the next significant event by voting for a North Carolina Representative. Sarah, being female, would not have been able to vote. This event was the creation of the first Congress under the new Constitution, which convened for the first time in Federal Hall, New York, NY on Feb 4, 1789.
Old City Hall, New York City, NY where the first United States Congress met in 1789.
Description: "Old City Hall, Wall St., N.Y." Steel engraving by Robert Hinshelwood, from Washington Irving's Life of George Washington, 5 vol. (1855-59).
Date: 1855-59.
Source: New York Public Library - Digital Gallery. Digital Image ID:801114, Digital Record ID:709553
Author: Robert Hinshelwood
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Congress Hall in Philadelphia where the third meeting of the United States Congress was held.
Description: Exterior Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: 11 December 2007, 01:18
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angstdei/2103167194/
Author: tim eschaton from Los Angeles, USA
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This Congress presided over the Electoral College voting for the first president and vice president of the United States. George Washington was elected President and John Adams was elected Vice President. The new government was officially put in place on March 4, 1789 and the U.S. Constitution was declared to be in effect. Washington and Adams were inaugurated on Apr 30, 1789. (4)
After the inauguration, the new president had to start putting the new government together. Remember that President Washington did not have a manual on how to start a new government of a new country. Yes, he had the Constitution, which outlined some of the things he and the new congress had to do, but many of the ways that things are done today were started by President Washington.
George Washington Portrait. First president of the United States.
Artist: Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828)
Title: English: George Washington
Description: Portrait of George Washington (1732–99)
Date: 20 March 1797
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 73.5 × 61.1 cm (28.9 × 24.1 in)
Current location: Clark Art Institute
Place of creation Germantown, Philadelphia
Object history: William Willing by 1845; to (Lewis Rogers, agent, New York, 1845); to R.L. Paterson, 1845; to Charles Paterson, by descent; to (Hermann Schaus?); to Mrs. Elizabeth S. Clark, c. 1905; to Stephen C. Clark, by descent, 1909; to Robert Sterling Clark by April 1911.
Notes: This portrait was based on the uncompleted Antheneum portrait by Stuart; the uncompleted portions were filled in by Peale. This copy has been published in pre-1923 materials, including p. 442 of The Life of George Washington[1] and p. 79 of Early American Painters.[2]
Important events did not end with the inauguration. The Armisteads were witnesses to the Federal Judiciary Act of Sep 24, 1789, which created the Supreme Court, as outlined by the Constitution. Also, a series of amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were submitted by Congress to the states for ratification on Sep. 25, 1789. After approval by the states, the Bill of Rights, which were put forward as a compromise in the Constitutional Convention of 1786, to help assure the Constitution's passage by the states, became the first ten amendments to the Constitution. (5)
The Exchange Building in New York City where the Supreme Court first met.
The-Old-Royal-Exchange-building
Description: English: This is a drawing of the Old Royal Exchange building in New York City, formerly located in Broad Street near the intersection with Water Street.
Source: This drawing was published in Vol. 2 of the History of the City of New York by Martha Joanna Lamb (1881; page 634), as referenced here.
Author: This file is lacking author information.
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On January 8, 1790, president George Washington gave the very first State of the Union address and established a precedent that is still carried out to this day. On Feb. 1, 1790 the Supreme Court held it's first session of this newly created court. (6)
Description: Front of Old City Hall Supreme Court building in Philadelphia, PA
Date: August 2008
Source: Own work
Author: Ben Franske
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On March 1, 1790 Congress commissioned something that is near and dear to my heart, the first decennial census of the United States. Once again, an act that was dictated by the Constitution and put into law by Congress. As a genealogist I rely heavily on the census that has been conducted every ten years, starting with 1790 up to the most recent, which was in 2010. In that first census there were 3,929,214 people that were counted. The largest state by population was Virginia with 691,737. (7)
Description: Title page of 1790 U.S. Census of Population and Housing
Date: 1 March 1791
Source: Census.gov
Author: U.S. Census Bureau
Permission(Reusing this file): This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. See Copyright.Note: This only applies to original works of the Federal Government and not to the work of any individual U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, county, municipality, or any other subdivision. This template also does not apply to postage stamp designs published by the United States Postal Service since 1978. (See § 313.6(C)(1) of Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices). It also does not apply to certain US coins; see The US Mint Terms of Use.
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And then one last item of note that I imagine that could have been mentioned by the Armisteads on that December night, might have been the approval and signing by President Washington on July 16, 1790, of the Residence Bill, passed by Congress, that created the District of Columbia, the future home of the Federal Government. (8)
I would think that the time from 1770 to 1790 that William and Sarah experienced, was, at the very least, one of the most important periods, if not the most important period, of time that has taken place in our country's history. I hope they were able to sense the importance of their time and be proud of their young country, and to be proud of the part they played in it's creation.
After a long and successful life, William Armistead died early in the year of 1791 at the age of 60. With his passing, Sarah, aged 52, was left with her hands full. She had several young children at home to raise, a plantation to oversee and a fishery to run. She did have some older children to help her and the records indicate she did quite well on her own over the coming years. She did it all on her own as a single mother, having not remarried after William's death.
A notice in regards to William Armistead's death was reported by a local newspaper. These two quotes are from The State Gazette of North Carolina:
Vol. VI. Friday, March 11, 1791. Numb. 279.
"State of North Carolina, Edenton, March, 1791. Public notice is hereby given...to all the creditors of the late William Armistead, Esq. of Bertie County, that the said William Armistead is dead, and that the subscribers, of said county, qualified as executors on the 23d ultimo. John Armistead, William Armistead, Robert Armistead, Executors." (9)
Vol. VI. Friday, March 18, 1791. Numb. 271.
“Pursuant to the last will and testament of William Armistead, deceased, Will Be Sold, at his late dwelling house on Cashie River in Bertie County, on the 4th Monday in April next, the perishable part of his estate…also the …Schooner Priscilla, burthened about 155 tons, the schooner Ostrich and Sloop Little Dick, about 55 tons each…Negroes, horses, two herring seines, one set of Blacksmith’s and joiner’s tools…The Executors.” (10)
In addition to the information I found on my ancestors, I found another article that is very interesting. It is unrelated to the Armisteads but I thought you might find it interesting as well. This is from the same edition of the paper. The quote is below:
Vol. VI. Friday, March 18, 1791. Numb. 271.
“Remarkable instances of Persons bleeding to death.”
The condition of abnormal bleeding has been recorded for hundreds of years. In the late seventeen hundreds it did not have a name. It has sometimes been called "the Royal Disease" because it "affected the royal families of England, Germany, Russia and Spain in the 19th and 20th centuries." (12)
"In 1803, John Conrad Otto, a Philadelphia physician, was the first to publish an article recognizing that a hemorrhagic bleeding disorder primarily affected men, and ran in certain families. Otto called the males 'bleeders'. In 1813, John Hay published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine proposing that affected men could pass the trait for a bleeding disorder to their unaffected daughters. Then in 1828, Friedrich Hopff, a student at the University of Zurich, and his professor Dr. Schonlein, are credited with coining the term 'haemorrhaphilia' for the condition, later shorted to 'haemophilia'."(13).
"The X and Y chromosomes are called sex chromosomes. The gene for hemophilia is carried on the X chromosome. Hemophilia is inherited in an X-linked recessive manner.... if a son inherits an X chromosome carrying hemophilia from his mother, he will have hemophilia. It also means that fathers cannot pass hemophilia on to their sons." (14)
Today we know that: "Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins (clotting factors). Hemophilia is an inherited (genetic) disorder. There's no cure yet. But with proper treatment and self-care, most people with hemophilia can maintain an active, productive lifestyle." (15) But that was obviously not the case in 1791.
In the first census of the United States, which I mentioned above, that was taken in 1790-91, there were five Armisteads listed in North Carolina. Two that were listed were William Armistead in Warren County and Anthony Armistead in Northampton County. I'm pretty sure these two are related to William Armistead and moved to North Carolina from Virginia. There is an Anthony Armistead listed in Bertie County that I believe to be my William Armistead's brother and of course William is listed in Bertie as well. (Although the date of the census below is June 1791, I assume the William listed is William Armistead, Sr., and that he was counted before his death in Feb 1791.) The fifth person is John Armistead, living in Tyrrell County. Tyrrell County is just over one county to the east of Bertie and a little south. I believe this is William's oldest son. Eliza was married and no longer at home. So at this first census the children still at home were Priscilla, 7, Stark, 10, Mary, 13, Jordan, 15, Sarah, 20, Robert, 23, William, 28. Only the head of household was listed by name. The others in the house were listed by gender and age only and then by free or slave so I am taking an educated guess on the names of the ones at home.
From Ancestry.Com
Source Citation
Year: 1790; Census Place: Bertie, North Carolina; Series: M637; Roll: 7; Page: 348; Image: 206; Family History Library Film: 0568147
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1790 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: First Census of the United States, 1790 (NARA microfilm publication M637, 12 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
After William's death in 1791, the household probably still looked like that listed above for a while but would change over the next few years. Sarah did not remarry and the children slowly moved on. His sons took on more work from their deceased father. Several married and moved away. William's brother Anthony, who is also listed in the census above in Bertie county, died in 1792.
In searching for wills and other documents for my genealogy research, I came across a treasure trove of original documents in "North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," on the Family Search web site. These wonderful documents have been imaged and can be accessed online at FamilySearch.com. I found hundreds of pages to sort through that were in the many Armistead folders. Different hand writings of that period from county to county and from document to document made searching difficult and tedious at times. I felt like I had taught myself a new language when I got to where I could read them.
One document I came across proved to be very interesting. William Armistead, Jr., was the administrator of Anthony Armistead, his uncle, and in one of the many documents filed in various counties in regards to his estate, I found an account of William, Jr. explaining to the court why he had not taken action on a distribution from Anthony's estate, as ordered by the court. Here is the quote from the document and then the original document below that.
State of North Carolina,
"William Armistead maketh oath that he was appointed by the court of Bertie at the Session of the said Court in the year 1792 administrator of Anthony Armistead late of the said County deceased -- That this Deponent left the State some time in the year 1793 on a voyage to the West Indies and being captured by the British Cruiser he was detained till late in 1794 before his return -- that on the return he was informed and find it to be true that a Judgment had been entered up against him by the said Court at the February Session there of in the year 1794, in favor of ..." (16)
Copy of Court Document filed by William Armistead, Jr.
"North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/DGS-004763695_00176?cc=1911121&wc=93LD-ZV8:183206401,183204102,183316901 : accessed 3 May 2015), Currituck County > A > Armistead, Anthony > image 27 of 38; State Archives, Raleigh.
There are several reasons I found this interesting. One was the fact that William had sailed to the West Indies. He was apparently employed in the same business as his father and had gone to purchase products for his shipping business. The second thing is the fact that he was captured and held by the British. This same thing was happening with regularity on the high seas. Many of the individuals captured by the British were being impressed into the British Navy, much to the consternation of the U.S. Government and U.S. Citizens. This issue would eventually be one of the main reasons for the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain. It really brings it home and makes it personal to me, when I think that my 4th great-uncle felt this abuse directly by Great Britain.
There are some other interesting items in the above document but I will let you read and discover those items on your own. The document is dated April of 1795. Barely a year later William Armistead, Jr. would be dead. Makes me wonder if he had some lingering effects from his captivity.
He died unmarried as there is no mention in his will of a wife or children.
I have included the notice of William Jr.'s death that was in the newspaper:
Vol. IX. Thursday, May 19, 1796. Numb. 540.
“Died, on Friday last, at Plymouth, Mr. William Armistead. (Friday, May 13, 1796)” (17)
Vol. XI. Thursday, June 30, 1796. Numb. 546.
“Sold, at Plymouth, The brig Betsy,…and the schooner Dolphin…property of Mr. William Armistead, deceased… The Executors. June 25, 1796.” (18)
Vol. XI. Thursday, October 20, 1796. Numb. 561.
“Notice. Will be Sold, at Plymouth, on the 4th of November, a large quantity of West-India produce, the property of William Armistead, jun. Deceased, consisting of Rum, sugar, Molasses, Coffee and Salt..; and at the same time and place, will be sold, his land, which lies in the counties of Beaufort, Tyrrell, Bertie and Franklin and a number of lots in the town of Plymouth, among which are several water lots… The Executors,. Plymouth, October 13, 1796.” (19)
On June 24, 1795 Jordan was bondsman for his younger sister, Mary, who married David Wright. Of course, as mentioned, he was married in 1796. Also, in 1796 he and his brother John were named administrators of his deceased brother William, Jr.'s estate. In 1797 Jordan and Anne sold some land to Jordan's mother Sarah. There were a number of documents where Jordan was active in administering William's estate and according to Hall's Wilmington Gazette dated September 5, 1799 Jordan Armistead was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons. (20) There really is not a lot more information about Jordan because, tragically, he died Dec 27, 1799, at the age of 24. I don't know how he died. The first thing that hit my selfish brain was, "Wow, my DNA barely survived another close call!" Anne and Jordan's daughter, Penelope, died Nov 16, 1801. Jordan's sister, Sarah, died a year after he did, in Dec. of 1800.
In the 1800 census of North Carolina Sarah Armistead is listed in Bertie County with a son and a daughter, Stark (20) and Priscilla (17), still at home. However, the census also shows one male, under 10, in the household. This might have been a grandson that she was caring for but I am not sure who that would be. Ann Cochran (Stewart) Armistead is listed in Washington County (which just barely touches Bertie to the southeast) with one son, William Jordan, 3, and one daughter, Penelope, 1, along with a female between 16 and 25. This may have been a sister or some other relative that was helping take care of the household. Also, in Washington County are Robert Armistead and John Armistead, who I believe to be sons of Sarah and William, Sr. Additional Armisteads in North Carolina are Robert in Halifax, Anthony and Carver in Chatham, and William, still in Randolph. All, most likely, are related in some way but it is just too much to try to go into all the relationships here.
From Ancestry.com
Source Citation
Year: 1800; Census Place: Bertie, North Carolina; Series: M32; Roll: 30; Page: 26; Image: 33; Family History Library Film: 337906
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1800 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: Second Census of the United States, 1800. NARA microfilm publication M32 (52 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Second Census of the United States, 1800: Population Schedules, Washington County, Territory Northwest of the River Ohio; and Population Census, 1803: Washington County, Ohio. NARA microfilm publication M1804 (1 roll).
And as a new century rolls in, the Armistead's lives continue to unfold in North Carolina. William Jordan Armistead will come of age, marry and then do as his grandfather did, move on to another state to get a little more "elbow room".
In my next post I will catch us up on historical happenings in the 1790's (this post just got too long to include here) and then I'll get into the Armistead's continuing journey into the 19th Century.
References:
(1) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(2) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(3) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(4) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(5) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(6) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(7) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(8) http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1700.html
(9) Fouts, Raymond Parker, Abstracts from the State Gazette of North-Carolina, 1787-1791, Volume I, GenRec Books, Cocoa, FL, 1982, pg 56, 57.
(10) Ibid. pg 57.
(11) Ibid. pg. 57
(12) Hemophilia A. (2014). National Hemophilia Foundation. Retrieved 11 May 2016, from https://www.hemophilia.org/Bleeding-Disorders/Types-of-Bleeding-Disorders/Hemophilia-A
(13) History of Bleeding Disorders. (2014).National Hemophilia Foundation. Retrieved 11 May 2016, from https://www.hemophilia.org/Bleeding-Disorders/History-of-Bleeding-Disorders
(14) Hemophilia A. (2014). National Hemophilia Foundation. Retrieved 11 May 2016, from https://www.hemophilia.org/Bleeding-Disorders/Types-of-Bleeding-Disorders/Hemophilia-A
(15) Hemophilia - Mayo Clinic . (2016).Mayoclinic.org. Retrieved 11 May 2016, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hemophilia/basics/definition/con-20029824
(16) "North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/DGS-004763695_00176?cc=1911121&wc=93LD-ZV8:183206401,183204102,183316901 : accessed 3 May 2015), Currituck County > A > Armistead, Anthony > image 11 of 38; State Archives, Raleigh.
(17) Fouts, Raymond Parker, Abstracts from the State Gazette of North-Carolina, 1787-1791, Volume III, GenRec Books, Cocoa, FL, 1982.
(18) Ibid.
(19) Ibid.
(20) http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/statewide/newspapers/1799elec333gnw.txt, Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Carolyn Shank Carolynshank@msn.com August 4, 2008, 12:28 pm
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