'1H1 NOTABLE SOUTHERN FAMILIES VOL UME III COMPILED BY ZELLA ARMSTRONG MEMBER TENNESSEE HISTORICAL COMMISSION; CHAIRMAN HISTORICAL RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, TENNESSEE FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS Assisted by MISS LUCY M. BALL B^S^^l^ MRS. SESSLER HOSS J£ ?LH- PARKS MISS FRANCES POWELL OTKIT N PRICE, $5.00 ^ ¥ títívLAL06íCAL SCCiETY VV or mm vK SEP 1930 /3/ ^0 The Lookout Publishing Company c H:A TTANOOGA 1926 oecsa isrm \ v FAMILY Hie 'íe F.'Y CEN S ER - » 4 539 Twenty Fourth Street Ogden, Utah 84401 Copyright, 192C by The Lookout Publishing Company All rights reserved YOU Ml- III "I SOTAHLE SOrrilMtX FAMlhWS WW contai» turnUM»"' '"•í''''v <"»'«'",íw» ihe WWW CUNNINGHAM Kl NC TAYLOH HlMîKHS ROHKHTSUN Wil HT, other v't'IUimu-n iwioir*. fícicrvnlion for this vo^ "holiïd Or mm/, promptly. LOOKOUT punusmsfi COMPANY Chattanooga, Tom. tTo nv£ fatber anö motber 3obn flDac/HMllan Hrmøtronø anb /IDartba Uuvnlcy Hrmstrong XTbis booft is affectionately öéoicateo FOREWORD HE Southern States were settled by three great waves of emi­ gration—Cavalier, Scotch-Irish and Huguenot. These types Tretain their characteristics to this day, perhaps, largely, because groups of relatives friends and neighbors settled in one section and gave a dominant tinge in creed, church and custom. The sons and daughters of these families married, and creed and custom grew stronger from year to year. Thus the Scotch-Irish, a people of Scotch origin, though living in Ireland for many years before the American emigration, settled in many parts of Virginia, North and South Carolina, and what is now East Tennessee, in great numbers and impressed their Presbyterian faith upon their posterity. In the chapters of this book examples will be given of each of these groups—Cavalier, Scotch-Irish and Huguenot. The early history of several of these Southern families is here presented, being published, at least in collected form, 'for the first time. The compiler takes no credit for authorship, as genealogy is not a science of invention. The facts, however, are clearly stated, and in the case of each family, each line may be brought down to the present time from the earliest settler in America. The Colonial, Revolutionary, 1812 and War Between the States record of each family sis set forth succinctly. Little space has been given to tradition, though many traditions in the families mentioned are interesting and doubtless could be followed up and proved. Many histories have been consulted and many family documents studied, only reliable records being used. Though the chief endeavor of these chapters is' to show the Colonial or Revolutionary soldier and his posterity, a brief line of his progenitors is given in some cases, as the origin of the name and family is always interesting. Hundreds of histories, court records and family documents have been examined in the preparation of this volume While scores of friends and descendants of the families have con­ tributed valuable material, special credit must be given to Miss Lucy M. Ball who prepared the complete Tumiell record, to Mrs. Sesseler Hoss who prepared ithe Cockrill record, to Miss Frances Powell Otkin who collected much of the Lea data, to Elston Luttrell who prepared the complete Elston record, and to Roy H. Parks who collected much of the Parks data and to Mrs. Alexander M. Barrow whose interest in the history of her ancestor, Col. James Armstrong was the inception of the Armstrong chapter. Appreciation is also hereby expressed for generous assistance from Benjamin Newton Duke, Miss Kate White, Miss Augusta Bradford, Mrs. William Sawyer; Mrs. John T\ Moore, A. P. Foster, Francis Armstrong, Mrs. Luther Allen, Mrs. William Egbert, [Miss Aileen Benson and many others who helped in research or preparation of material. Contents ARMSTRONG "'Trooper' . / COCKRILL 19 DUKE . 31 ELSTON ..... .-45 LEA ...... ... .69 PARK . cT5 PARK ES .109 TUN NELL 129 ARMSTRONG—COLONEL JAMES "TROOPER" ARMSTRONG HE family of Armstrong derives its name from the following circumstance. An ancient King of Scotland had his horse killed under him in battle. Fairbairn, his armor-bearer, immediately grasped the King by the thigh and set him on another horse. For this assistance at such a critical moment, the King rewarded him with lands upon the border, and to perpetuate the memory of so important a service, as well as the manner in which it was performed, the King -gave him the appellation Armstrong and assigned him for a crest an armed arm and hand grasping a leg in armor. This is the left hand. "The hero of the exploit, "Siward the Armstrong," Earl of North­ umberland, first of the name and ancestor of the renowned Border family of Armstrong, was one of those stalwart figures who will never pass away from the pages lof history and tradition. In his physical strength and prowess, wit and wisdom, loftiness of char­ acter, defiance of death and danger he was remarkable. He was undoubtedly a Christian, for he built the Minister iof York, but he reminds us of those old heroes of the Edda, from whom his ancestors were said to have descended. He acquired honor for England by his successful conduct of the only foreign enterprise undertaken during the reign* of Edward the Confessor. (Johannes Brinston, Saxe Gram- .atieur, George Stephens). Duncan, King of Scotland, was a prince of gentle disposition, and lacked the genius for governing so turbu­ lent a country as /Scotland, and one so infested by the intrigues and animosities of the great Macbeth. Siward embraced, by Edward's orders, the protection of the distressed royal family. He marched an army into Scotland, and, having defeated Macbeth in battle re­ stored Malcolm, Duncan's son, to the throne of his ancestors. This service, added to his former connection with the royal family of Scotland,'brought great accession to the authority of Siward in the iNorth." Soon after his return from this campaign he was attacked by a fatal disorder. As he felt his end approaching he said to his at­ tendants: "Lift me up that I may die on my legs like a soldier, not couching like a cow. Dress me in my coat of mail, cover my head with my helmet, put my shield on my left arm and my battle axe in jny right hand /that I may die under arms." 1 2 NOTABLE SOUTHERN FAMILIES Ingulfs record of his death reads as follows: "In the year of our Lord 1056, Siward the brave Earl of North­ umberland, departed this life and was buried in the .cloister of the Mastery of Saint Mary, which he had built without the walls of the CÍty sfwlrfwas a Dane and he was much beloved by his Northum­ brians, who were chiefly of a »Danish extraction Siward married twice. His son by the first wife ca led Young Siward in "Macbeth," was killed by Macbeth in the Ibattle of Dun- ££. Siward married for his second wife Aelfled, daugtor of Alfred Earl of Northumberland and through her, acquired that title and great authority. The Northumberland, were of Danish ^r^on and rejoiced at being ruled by thelgreat Earl who was of Danish Wood His son by Aelfled succeeded to the title and hxs daughter by Aelfled married David I, King of Scotland. Here is a list of the different forms of .Siwadr's name: In the Trish records he was called the Strong, in the Terwinney records he waf calledT FayboTn and the Armstrong; in old manuscripts brought over by Armstrongs to North Carolina from Londonderry, Ireland, in 1711, he was called the Strong. In"thelold records the names most frequently given to the Arm­ strongs are Rolland, Goeffry and Robert, all showing the ancient Nordic extraction, Robert is the name most frequently used m every branch of the family to this day. From Siward the Strong Arm the Armstrong clan is descended The ancient border family grew and flourished and though m the years and centuries that followed they roamed afar, even as Siward himself roamed from his native land, they retained the spint of sSc and were always bold, courageous, war-like and high principled. Their adventures in the history of the Border are many and inter­ esting They fought in every war and after their emigration to Amer­ ica they participated in every war undertaken by the United States, from Indian fighting before the Revolution to the present time. In the fifteenth century, Thomas Armstrong, fifth lord of Main- gerton, had four sons, of whom the eldest, Alexander Armstrong was the sixth Lord. He had seven sons. Thomas the eldest succeeded and was Seventh Lord Maingerton, but the second son was called John Armstrong, of Gilnockie. All the Armstrongs in Ireland m the seventeenth century are descended from him and all the American Armstrongs, (who trace through the Scotch-Irish clan). He was Robin Hood of the Border, and the stories of his exploits run through all Scottish literature. Sir Walter Scott makes frequent references to him. All descendants whose names are recorded in the following article are eligible to societies of the Revolution, the Mexican War War of 1812 and the War Between the States. It is an interesting fact that in the War Between the States, in which the Armstrongs of the Soutk- NOTABLE SOUTHERN FAMILIES 8 «m Clan fought on each side of the great conflict, that ond Regiment of Tennesseans was made up largely of Armstrongs and their kin, and that every officer was an Armstrong by name. Siward the Strong Arm therefore must be sleeping peacefully in his tomb after eight centuries to think his descendants continue the game. To return, however, to Siward's immediate posterity.