What Ever Happened To .......?
I really love writing this Blog. I love putting my research out there for other people to read. History in general is just so much fun and I can write about that as well. Then there comes the really fun part, I can write about anything I like and can make my own rules. Like this post today. I am taking a zig zag away from writing about my direct line of Armistead Family History and catching you up on another family of Armisteads that are not my direct ancestors.
In Blog post #14 I gave you some
information about the Armistead brothers, Marcus A., Latinus, and Fabian, who I
concluded were cousins of my direct line g-g-grandfather, William Jordan
Armistead. William Jordan and the three brothers moved to Florida about
the same time. After getting them all to Florida, I sorta dropped the
three brothers and continued on my way with William Jordan Armistead. I
will give you a little more information about the brothers in this post.
I assure you I will be picking up the
Armistead family again starting in 1850, where I left off. I will bring their
story forward through the decade of the 1850s leading up to the Civil War. So
please bear with me and plan to catch that post a little farther down the line.
Now, as you may recall from “Armistead
Family History #14”, the brothers, Marcus and Latinus, who were probably in
their mid 40s when they traveled to Florida, purchased land, ran a ferry across
the Apalachicola River, founded the town of Aspalaga, and opened a thriving
store there. Younger brother Fabian was appointed postmaster of the post
office in Aspalaga. They came in the late 1820s, about the same time as
William Jordan Armistead and Simmons Jones Baker, and they were all early
settlers of the Florida Territory. These three Armistead brothers apparently
did quite well for themselves. Besides the activities above, I also found
a reference in the State Archives of Florida Online Catalog, (that unfortunately
isn't digitized online), listing a ledger, kept by the brothers, stored in the
Archives with the following statement about the ledger: “This ledger documents the business activity of a mercantile business in
the Middle Florida area. Because the end pieces list the land holdings of
Latinus and Marcus Armistead, it is possible that the store was theirs.” It
lists Latinus Armistead and Marcus A. Armistead business records from
1828-1830, then lists Gadsden County, Leon County and Jefferson County as
locations the business records covered. So they either had some type of
physical presence established in each county or people from those counties did
business with them at their location in Aspalaga.
1840 Census Dinwiddie County, VA, listing Marcus A. Armistead.
Source Citation
Year: 1840; Census Place: Petersburg South Ward, Dinwiddie, Virginia; Roll: 557; Page: 52; Family History Library Film: 0029686
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
An interesting aspect here is that Marcus
A. Armistead never showed up in a census record for Florida. The 1820, 1830,
and 1840 census records show him in Dinwiddie County, VA. I did not find Latinus in
either the 1820 or 1830 census any where and Fabian was in Dinwiddie County, VA. in the
1820, 1840 and 1850 census'. In 1830 he was listed in Gadsden County, FL, apparently during the time he was postmaster there.
1830 Census Dinwiddie County, VA, listing Marcus A. Armistead.
Source Citation
1830; Census Place: Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Virginia; Series: M19; Roll: 196; Page: 382; Family History Library Film: 0029675
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
1830 Census Gadsden County, FL, listing F Armistead.
Source Citation
1830; Census Place: Quincy, Gadsden, Florida; Series: M19; Roll: 15; Page: 140; Family History Library Film: 0006711
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
I know there was movement back
and forth from Virginia to Florida and back to Virginia. I found a delightful
letter written by Marcus A. Armistead's daughter while they were living in Florida. The
letter was written to a friend, Alice Vaughan, in Virginia and it was dated
Jan. 21, 1830. Ann E. Armistad was about 16 years old at the time. She could
have worked for the Chamber of Commerce for Florida if it had existed at the
time. Take a few minutes and read the letter and you will see why I like it so much.
Aspalaga, Florida, Jan. 21, 1830
Dear Alice,
I would have written you before this
time, but I did not know whether you were in Petersburg or whether you had gone
to Alabama, until I received a letter from Harriet Shore, in which she told me
you were still in town and as anxious to hear from me.
I hope the excuse I have made above will
extirpate me from the false idea of intended neglect or indifference towards
you.... Although we may be so far distant from each other, yet I have
not, and I hope I never can forget one that always I have loved and esteemed so
much---
....I thought when I left Virginia for
this country that I should have been very much dissatisfied but it is quite the
reverse,. I am charmed with my new situation. I think this climate
the most pleasant and agreeable one I ever was in.
The summers are not as warm as they are
with you. We have no need of a fan during the warmest days in season;
there is a sea breeze which fans you incessantly; nor are the winters as cold
as you have them We very seldom have a fire except of a morning and
evening.
Flowers are in full bloom, at this time
all over the woods! Among them are the woodbine and violet! There
are number of beautiful evergreens all around us. The magnolia grows here
in abundance. Mamma has planted her yard full of magnolias, orange trees,
lemon trees, lime trees and another species of fruit called the shaddock.
I have visited Tallahassee since I came
to this country, and was so much pleased, that I intend to return next
month. You can form no idea how fashionable the people are in
Tallahassee; they are so much so as any in Petersburg! Two of our belles,
Miss Duval and Miss Gamble have gone to Washington City to spend some time I
think they are superior in beauty and equal in intelligence to any young ladies
in Petersburg.
I am so much enchanted with this
country, that if I had my choice, I would willingly spend the remainder of my
life at this place, but I expect papa will return to Virginia sometime next
summer, if not next fall.
We expect to go down to Apalachicola Bay
this winter, to feast on oysters, fish and every other good thing. We get
oranges and every other West Indies fruit in great plenty every week.
There are steamboats always lying at the
wharves of this place, the smallest that comes is much larger than the
steamboat Comet that goes to Petersburg. You may perhaps think that I
speak extravagantly, but I can assure you that I do not, it's nothing but the
strictest truth.
The society around here is as good as
any in Virginia. We have enjoyed the very best of health ever since we
have been in this country. Every one of the children are as fat
as they can be. I have fattened so much I scarcely know what to do with myself.
I am thinking I shall have to return to Virginia to get lean. You must answer
this letter as soon as you get it. I am anxious to hear all the news of that
place. I hope you will keep up the correspondence now that it has commenced: My
love to your sister, Mrs. White and Dr. White, to your mamma, papa and sister
when you write. Mamma sends her love to Mrs and Dr. White. She says your sister
must write her. Tell Harriet shore to answer my letter, also Georgiana and Ann
Mabry. Eugenia sends her love to you.
Ann E. Armistead
Direct your
letters to me at Aspalaga, Fla., care of Mr. Marcus Armistead. (1)
I really love reading this letter. It is
so descriptive and very well written. If you try reading it in your best
imagined Southern Belle voice it is even better. Notice she said the family
would be heading back to Virginia in the summer or fall. That is where I get my
theory that Marcus Armistead traveled back and forth between his properties in
Florida and Virginia and he must have been in Virginia each time the census was
taken or just had his residency established in Virginia and was recorded each time in that census.
For a few years, between the late 1820s
and early 1830s, the brothers seemed to have it all going for them. But in
about August of 1833 everything changed. Latinus Armistead died in July or
August of 1833. His will, dated June 18, 1833, is shown below. There
is no mention of children, only his wife and a niece, the daughter of his
brother Fabian Armistead. For this reason I assume there were no children
born to the couple or the children were deceased. His wife, Harriet
Frances Armistead, and Latinus' brother, Fabian Armistead, are named as the
executors of the will, which was recorded 24 Aug 1833, in Gadsden County,
Florida Territory. The will was probated on 11 May 1834.
Latinus Armistead Will.
Source Citation
Record of Wills, 1826-1930; Author: Gadsden County (Florida). County Judge; Probate Place: Gadsden, Florida
Source Information
Ancestry.com. Florida, Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data: Florida County, District and Probate Cou
For Marcus Armistead I would think losing
his brother and partner was a big blow to him. In addition to that he had
already lost another brother, John Clayton Armistead in April of 1832. He
was the administrator of John's estate, which probably took up a lot of his
time as there were two underaged children and a widow to take care of. In
addition John's oldest child, Adelia, had married and had a child but then she tragically died. Her husband, William A. Johnson, filed suite against the estate on behalf of
his son, John Evans Johnson, who he said should inherit Adelia's portion of the inheritance.
This case reached the Supreme Court in Virginia but I found documents also
in the Supreme Court in Florida. John Clayton had land in both
states so that is apparently why the paperwork was also sent to Florida.
Court Documents from the suit filed over John Clayton Armistead's estate. Filed in Virginia and Florida.
Florida Memory, State Library and Archives of Florida
Johnson vs. Armistead, Florida Supreme Court
https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/260669?id=11
This case apparently took until 1838 to be settled. There are 68 pages in this file. I copied a couple pages from the front and three pages from the back, just so you could get a feel for this case. You can find the site above if you are interested in checking this out further.
Robert Alexander Documents from the Settlement of his Estate.
Source Citation
Source Information
The oldest brother in the family, whom I have not really talked about before, Robert Alexander Armistead, was a doctor, and an author of a work on English grammar. He was born in 1780 in Virginia. He married in Virginia in 1820 and he died in Florida, in 1844. I copied three pages from the Records of Estates, as shown above, to give you some idea of his estate.
1860 Census Petersburg (Independent City), Virginia lists Fabian Armistead and his family.
Source Citation
The 1840 Census lists Marcus Armistead back in Virginia and he apparently died there sometime before 1850. I did not find his death information. Fabian also returned to Virginia sometime after the 1830 census and died there in April of 1865. He is buried in the Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg City, VA.
FABIAN ARMISTEAD
Court Documents from the suit filed over John Clayton Armistead's estate. Filed in Virginia and Florida.
Florida Memory, State Library and Archives of Florida
Johnson vs. Armistead, Florida Supreme Court
https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/260669?id=11
This case apparently took until 1838 to be settled. There are 68 pages in this file. I copied a couple pages from the front and three pages from the back, just so you could get a feel for this case. You can find the site above if you are interested in checking this out further.
Robert Alexander Documents from the Settlement of his Estate.
Source Citation
Records of Estates, 1840-1893; Author: Jackson County (Florida). County Judge; Probate Place: Jackson, Florida
Ancestry.com. Florida, Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data: Florida County, District and Probate Courts.
The oldest brother in the family, whom I have not really talked about before, Robert Alexander Armistead, was a doctor, and an author of a work on English grammar. He was born in 1780 in Virginia. He married in Virginia in 1820 and he died in Florida, in 1844. I copied three pages from the Records of Estates, as shown above, to give you some idea of his estate.
1860 Census Petersburg (Independent City), Virginia lists Fabian Armistead and his family.
Source Citation
Year: 1860; Census Place: Petersburg South Ward, Petersburg (Independent City), Virginia; Roll: M653_1342; Page: 341; Family History Library Film: 805342
Source Information
Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
The 1840 Census lists Marcus Armistead back in Virginia and he apparently died there sometime before 1850. I did not find his death information. Fabian also returned to Virginia sometime after the 1830 census and died there in April of 1865. He is buried in the Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg City, VA.
FABIAN ARMISTEAD
BIRTH: 26 Dec 1794
DEATH: 15 Sep 1865 (aged 70)
BURIAL: Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Petersburg City, Virginia, USA
PLOT: Ward B-OG, Square 22, Sec 1
MEMORIAL ID: 28513882 ·
Even as this generation of Armisteads passed on, several members of the next generation continued to live and make their contributions in Florida for years to come. I will end my research on this family at this point.
DEATH: 15 Sep 1865 (aged 70)
BURIAL: Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Petersburg City, Virginia, USA
PLOT: Ward B-OG, Square 22, Sec 1
MEMORIAL ID: 28513882 ·
Information posted by Web Virginia, Find A Grave, 1607-2012, for Fabian Armistead.
Source Information
Ancestry.com. Web: Virginia, Find A Grave Index, 1607-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi: accessed 25 January 2013.
Even as this generation of Armisteads passed on, several members of the next generation continued to live and make their contributions in Florida for years to come. I will end my research on this family at this point.
Next time, another side
note so I can tell you a little bit about Simmons Jones Baker, Sr., my great-great-great-grandfather.
References:
1) Ancestry.com. Reuben Vaughan Kidd : soldier of the Confederacy [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
Original data: Pierrepont, Alice V. D.. Reuben Vaughan Kidd : soldier of the Confederacy. Petersburg, Va.: unknown, c1947., p. 58-60.https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=19740
1) Ancestry.com. Reuben Vaughan Kidd : soldier of the Confederacy [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
