SUCH LIVES AS THESE… A CHRONICLE OF THE ARMSTRONG, HART, HOWARD, MCLEAN, AND TRIMMER FAMILIES IN PENNSYLVANIA, NEW YORK AND WESTWARD CA 1751 – CA 1855 “Such lives as these form the richest part of the heritage of our present American life.” GREGORY A. VAUT 2016 1st Edition Copyright 2016 Acknowledgements: Quote on cover is from the obituary Mary Blackwood (Copeland) Howard: “Passing of a Pioneer: Obituary of Mary Blackwood Copeland Howard,” Fulton County Tribune. Wauseon, Ohio. February 5, 1915, p. 1 columns 4 and 5. Cover illustration is “The Squatters”, 1850, by George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879); a bequest of Henry Lee Shattuck to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in memory of the late Ralph W. Gray. This painting is of settlers along the Missouri River. 2 SUCH LIVES AS THESE… A Chronicle of the Armstrong, Hart, Howard, McLean, and Trimmer Families in Pennsylvania, New York and Westward ca 1751 – ca 1855 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... xii Forward ...................................................................................................................................................... xiii Style, Citations and References .................................................................................................................. xv Chapter 1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 1 A. The Five Families in Pennsylvania .................................................................................................... 1 B. The Five Families in New York ....................................................................................................... 18 C. The Five Families Move Westward ................................................................................................ 30 Chapter 2 The Family of Alexander1 ARMSTRONG Sr ........................................................................ 35 A. The ARMSTRONG Family in Pennsylvania 1751 – bef 1800........................................................... 43 B. Revolutionary War Service of the ARMSTRONG Family 1776 – 1782 ............................................... 49 C. The ARMSTRONG Family in New York ca 1796 - 1832................................................................... 52 2 2 2 2 D. The Third Generation – The Children of JAMES , MARY , SARAH , GEORGE , and 2 ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG ................................................................................................................ 57 E. The ARMSTRONG Family Moves Westward Before 1840 ............................................................. 61 Chapter 3 The Family of Epenetus1 HART ............................................................................................. 65 A. The HART Family in Pennsylvania ca 1756 to 1793 ....................................................................... 66 1 B. Revolutionary War Service of EPENETUS HART 1777 – 1782 .......................................................... 72 C. The HART Family in New York ca 1794 to ca 1822 ........................................................................ 73 1 2 D. The Second Generation – The Children of EPENETUS HART and MARY (ARMSTRONG) HART........... 80 E. The HART Family Moves Westward ca 1822 ................................................................................. 93 1 Chapter 4 The Family of Thomas HOWARD ...................................................................................... 100 A. The HOWARD Family in Pennsylvania 1778 to 1794 ................................................................... 101 1 B. Revolutionary War Service of THOMAS HOWARD 1778 – 1783 ................................................... 103 C. The HOWARD Family in New York 1794 to 1821 ......................................................................... 105 i 1 1 D. The Second Generation – The Children of THOMAS HOWARD and ELIZABETH (ARMSTRONG) HOWARD ...................................................................................................................................... 110 E. The HOWARD Family Moves Westward ca 1821-2 .................................................................... 116 1 Chapter 5 The Family of John S. MCLEAN ....................................................................................... 127 A. The MCLEAN Family in Pennsylvania bef 1776 to 1796 ............................................................... 130 1 B. Revolutionary War Service of JOHN S. MCLEAN 1776 - 1782....................................................... 132 C. The McLEAN Family in New York 1796 to 1850 ........................................................................... 135 1 2 D. The Second Generation – The Children of JOHN S. MCLEAN and SARAH (ARMSTRONG) MCLEAN ..................................................................................................................................................... 140 Chapter 6 The Families of Paul1 and Anthony II1 TRIMMER .............................................................. 151 A. The TRIMMER Families in Pennsylvania 1777 – ca 1775 ............................................................. 154 1 B. Revolutionary War Service of ANTHONY II TRIMMER ................................................................... 156 C. The TRIMMER Families in New York ca 1795 to ca 1840 ............................................................. 158 D. The Second Generation of the TRIMMER Families ...................................................................... 163 1 D.1 The children of PAUL and Jane (McElwain) TRIMMER .......................................................... 163 1 1 D.2 The Children of ANTHONY II and SARAH (HOWARD) TRIMMER ............................................. 166 E. The TRIMMER Families Move Westward Before 1810 - 1840 ..................................................... 176 1 E.1 The children of PAUL and Jane (McElwain) TRIMMER Move Westward Before 1810 ......... 176 1 1 E.2 The children of ANTHONY II and SARAH (HOWARD) TRIMMER Move Westward Before 1810 ............................................................................................................................................... 183 Appendix A: Four Generations of The ARMSTRONG Family .............................................................. 187 Appendix B: Four Generations of The HART Family............................................................................. 190 Appendix C: Four Generations of The HOWARD Family ..................................................................... 195 Appendix D: Three Generations of The McLEAN Family ..................................................................... 199 Appendix E: Four Generations of The TRIMMER Family ..................................................................... 202 Bibliography and Sources ......................................................................................................................... 206 Key to Reference Citations ....................................................................................................................... 222 End Notes .................................................................................................................................................. 242 ii TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: The Author’s Eight generations of Descent from the ARMSTRONG and HART Families xiii Figure 2: Approximate Area of Fermanagh Township 1754-1795 in (then) Ontario Co. until 1789 and (then) Mifflin Co. ......................................................................................................... 2 Figure 3: Earliest Recorded Dates in Pennsylvania for Each Family ................................................. 2 Figure 4: Map of Pennsylvania County Boundaries in 1780.............................................................. 5 Figure 5: 1790 Federal Census for Mifflin Co., Penn. (pp. 104-105) Showing the HART, ARMSTRONG, MCLEAN AND HOWARD Families ........................................................ 6 Figure 6: Presence of Five Families in Cumberland Co., Penn. 1778-1782 As Recorded in State Rate and State Tax Lists .................................................................................................... 8 Figure 7: Presence of Five Families in Cumberland and Northumberland Counties, Penn. 1775- 1789 As Recorded in State Rate and State Tax Lists ........................................................ 8 Figure 8: Marriage Relationships between the Five Families ............................................................ 9 Figure 9: Revolutionary War Units Listing Men from the ARMSTRONG, HART, HOWARD, McLEAN and TRIMMER Families, 1776-1783 ............................................................. 10 Figure 10: Records Showing Revolutionary War Service of Two or More Men from the Five Families and the Units’ Townships of Origin .................................................................. 12 Figure 11: Other Revolutionary War Service Records of Men from the ARMSTRONG, HART, HOWARD, McLEAN and TRIMMER Families, 1776-1783 .......................................... 13 Figure 12: Map of a Portion of Snyder Co., Penn. Highlighting Geographical Features