Carroll County IN Archives Biographies.....Armstrong, Thomas W. 1875 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 26, 2006, 8:57 pm Author: John C. Odell (1916) THOMAS W. ARMSTRONG. The best history of a community is that which deals more particularly with the lives of its people, especially those who occupy a prominent place in public life. Such a man is Thomas W. Armstrong, the principal of the Yeoman schools for the past six years. He is a man who, in the educational fields, has outstripped the less active plodders and has won for himself a most enviable position in the educational life of Carroll county. Among his many interests he is also engaged in farming and, at present, has charge of the management of the old Armstrong homestead in Jefferson township. Thomas W. Armstrong was born on February 6, 1875, in Jefferson township, Carroll county, Indiana. He is the son of Lanty T. and Charity C. (Ellis) Armstrong, the former of whom was born near Madison, Indiana, in 1829, and who died in Jefferson township, June 30, 1887, and the latter was born in Jefferson township on the old homestead on September 26, 1842, and is still living with her children at the age of seventy-three years. She is the daughter of Mordecai N. and Sarah Ann (Brockis) Ellis. Mordecai N. Ellis was one of the pioneer setttlers of Jefferson township. Lanty T. Armstrong moved with his parents at an early date to Carroll county, Indiana. His father first settled in White county and later taught school for a number of years in Jefferson township. He was first married to Emeline Montgomery, who died shortly after their marriage. He was next married to Charity C. Ellis, and to them were born eleven children, seven of whom are now living. Four died in childhood. The living children are: William C, who resides in Oklahoma; Luella, who is the wife of Alex L. Briggs, of Colorado; Ellis, who lives in Colorado; Charles E., who married Minnie A. Dimmitt and has two children; Thomas W., the subject of this sketch; Frances L., the wife of Louis Freenwalt, of Jefferson township, and Nellie A. P., the wife of Walter Cassadd, of Jefferson township. After coming to Carroll county, Lanty T. Armstrong lived here practically all of his life. He was a minister in the Methodist church, and his duties as a minister took him to all the adjoining counties. During the Civil War he was chaplain for the Eighty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He joined a regiment from Howard county, where he was living for a short time at the commencement of the war. He enlisted as an orderly sergeant, but was soon promoted to a higher rank. Altogether he served three years and a few months. After the war he moved to Burnetts-ville, White county. His home in this county was in Jefferson township, where, after a long and useful life, he died in 1887. Thomas W. Armstrong was educated in the district schools of Jefferson township and at the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute. Altogether he has taught school in the schools of Jefferson township for twenty years. During the past six years he has served as principal of the schools at Yeoman. Not only is Mr. Armstrong a capable and efficient instructor, but he is likewise a most successful educational executive and, under his administration, the schools of Yeoman have enjoyed the most satisfactory progress. In addition to teaching, he operates the home farm and is especially interested in stock raising. Mr. Armstrong lives in the house where his mother was born, a house built by his grandfather, Mordecai N. Ellis. On March 18, 1896, Thomas W. Armstrong was married to Florence A. Bitler, the daughter of William T. and Eliza L. (Tussing) Bitler, the former of whom was born in Franklin county, Ohio, October 24, 1847, and the latter in Putnam county, Ohio. William T. Bitler is the son of Samuel and Mary A. (Rumer) Bitler. Samuel Bitler was born in Pennsylvania and his wife in Virginia. They were married in Franklin county, Ohio, and, after their marriage, moved, in 1851, to Auglaize county, Ohio, where they farmed and where both died, Samuel Bitler at the age of sixty-three and his wife at the age of eighty-two. They were the parents of six children, five of whom are now living: Martha, the wife of James A. Jacobs, of Allen county, Ohio; John, who lives in Auglaize county, Ohio; Samuel W., who died at the age of sixty-six years in Ohio; William T., the father of Mrs. Armstrong; Sarah E., of Auglaize county, the widow of Benton Harrod, who died on December 31, 1914; James D., who lives on the old homestead in Auglaize county. Samuel Bitler was a Democrat in politics and held the office of trustee at one time. William T. Bitler was married on January 28, 1872, to Eliza L. Tussing, who was born in Putnam county, reared in Allen county and married in Auglaize county. Shortly after their marriage, they settled on one hundred and seventy acres in Jefferson township, Carroll county, Indiana. They have been the parents of six children, five of whom are living. Mary died at the age of four years. The living children are: Florence A., the wife of Mr. Armstrong; Flora Adell, who is at home; Clifford C, who lives in Jefferson township, married Pearl Robertson and has one son, Wilber Thomas; Clyde C, who just received the degree of Doctor of Medicine, will practice his profession in Newcastle, Indiana; Adelphia, who is at home. Mr. Bitler retired in 1912. To Thomas W. and Florence A. (Bitler) Armstrong have been born three sons, all of whom are living: Lloyd E., born on July 19, 1896; Bitler, September 20, 1902, and Frank, December 18, 1905. Fraternally, Mr. Armstrong is a member of Delphi Lodge No. 48, Free and Accepted Masons, and to the Knights of Pythias lodge No. 73, at Monticello, Indiana. Both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star at Monticello. In politics, he is a stanch Republican. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Biographical Section of HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY INDIANA ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS BY JOHN C ODELL With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families ILLUSTRATED 1916 B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/carroll/bios/armstron98bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/infiles/ File size: 6.6 Kb