THOMAS DIXON ARMOUR ____________________________________________________________ This information graciously contributed by Joe George: jgeorge@northcoast.com You can return to the main table of contents for this Person family document by going to the books section of the Ark. USGW archives. You can also get a full copy of the document by contacting Joe. USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. ____________________________________________________________ Al Thomas Dixon Armour was named Dixon for his Grandmother Armour's maiden name. He served as a "Rebel" an the south's side in the War between the States. He married Sarah Elizabeth Ringer soon after the close of the war. Mollie Ringer was eleven years old at the time and she lived with them for awhile. She later married Pete Dodd. Before 1867 Thomas Dixon and Sarah Elizabeth "Betty" Armour moved to Arkansas along with her parents, George and Carolyn Waits Ringer and their other children. They settled in Caulksville, near Paris, in Logan County, Arkansas. About four Armour children were born there. B1 Shelby Lee Armour b January 21, 1867 B2 Lauisa Jane Armour b February 24, 1870 B3 Son Armour b & d 1872 B4 Son Armour b & d 1873 Thomas Dixon was not pleased with his move to Arkansas so he moved his family back to Shelby County, Tennessee circa 1874. Born in Tennessee were: B5 Josie Armour b 1875 B6 Harve Waits Armour b 1817 Calvin Armour was an uncle of Thomas Dixon Armour. Calvin could have been a brother of Aulcie as they both had sons named Dixon for the mother's maiden name. Calvin had moved to Arkansas and married Elizabeth Lewis near Clarksville. The family was "well-to-do" for their time. They had issue Sally Armour Ben Armour James Dixon Armour b September 1, 1873 Before moving back to Tennessee, James Dixon Armour, born September 1, 1873, was given to Thomas Dixon and Betty. His mother died when James Dixon was a baby. Calvin sought help from some of the relatives. He first asked his old maid sister, Henrietta Armour, who probably lived in Tennessee, for help, but she refused to keep the baby. Calvin then took the baby to Thomas and Betty Armour and asked them to take him. Betty is said to have answered him by saying "you are young and will marry again and take him from us." Calvin promised Betty that he would never take him. The agreement was made and Calvin handed the baby through the window as he was standing outside the house holding him in his arms during the conversation. Thomas and Betty reared him as a brother to their own children. Calvin did remarry and reared his two older children. Sally grew to be an adult and married. Ben died at the age of eighteen. Around 1879 Thomas Dixon decided it was time to move his wife back to Arkansas to live near her parents. They settled in Yell County in the Liberty Hall community near the Ringers. They first lived on the McCollum farm. B7 Mary Francis Armour was b December 15, 1879. B8 Son "Buddy"Armour b&d 1883. >From the McCollum farm the Armours moved to Stevenson farm near Bennett schoolhouse. There they lived for several years. In April, 1883, Thomas Dixon Armour died, leaving his wife with five children. He was buried at the Ringer family cemetery. Shelby Lee, age 16, was head of the family until he married Susie George in 1889. Louisa Jane "Jennie" married Robert Whitford in 1885. Thomas Armour died of pneumonia. Betty Armour and her children lived in Liberty Hall community until 1890. They then moved to Mount George to be near Shelby Lee and his family. In 1893, they all moved back to Liberty Hall community where Betty and her single children moved to "Backbone Ridge." Francis was 14 years old at the time. By 1893, James Dixon Armour had married Mollie Adams from Tennessee. He inherited $500 from his Grandmother Lewis. He bought a farm near Liberty Hall community near the Bennett schoolhouse. James Dixon "Buck" and Mollie had two daughters, Leah and Vera Armour. Harve "Coon" Armour remained with his mother until 1899. He was a diabetic. He took pneumonia and died November 27, 1899 before he was to have been married at Christmas. James Dixon became ill at Harve's funeral with "Slow fever" and died December 22, 1899. His funeral was held on Christmas Eve. They were both Buried in Ringer cemetery. Mollie, his wife, lost her farm. She took her daughters and returned to Tennessee. Mary Francis Armour married J. L. "Capp" Cofer in l898. She and her husband lived in the home of his parents on the Cofer farm. Jennie Armour lost her husband, Robert Whitford and three children, by death by 1891. She married Frank George in 1892 and they had three children, Shelby Lee, who had moved his family to Carden Bottom, took ill with spinal meningitis and died February 16, 1900, two months after his brother's death. He was buried at Mount George alongside his two infant sons. Betty Armour never quite recovered front the loss of her three sons so close together. She died November 5, 1903 and was buried beside relatives in Ringer family cemetery. The cause of her death was noted as "slow fever." The Armours were natives of Collierville, Tennessee.