Our Direct Ancestors Pioneers

Finally, I closed the list of our Direct Ancestors who moved from Europe to the faraway land. The list is not closed for good as there are still branches which I need to investigate and would be happy to find out more. So many direct lines in our family tree do not make it that easy to track them. However, making that list, I tried to be very careful not to overlook anybody.

I would want to find out more about them - who and what they were when they arrived, what their fate was. It would be great if I could write a post dedicated to each one of them or at least about every family/ family name of our progenitors. The work is very time-consuming and challenging, though, as I enjoy learning and writing about all our relatives. Including the distant ones. Therefore, I am not sure whether I will manage to describe them all. Anyway, I am going to keep trying and do my best.

Here is the list of our Pioneers.

Armstrong Family Line

According to a legend, the original surname of the family was Fairbairn. It was changed into Armstrong after a Fairbairn helped a king of Scotland who had problems with getting his horse. Fairbairn lifted the king who was wearing his heavy armor and placed the king on the saddle of his steed. Armstrong = Strong Arms was the name chosen for the strong Fairbairn who was also granted by the king with the coat of arms and some land.

Clan Armstrong, originally of English heritage, lived around the border between England and Scotland. The border line was 110 miles long. That area, due to frequent Anglo-Scot wars, was a territory of turmoil and lawlessness. The locals could not count on any kind of government aid as the state institutions were simply too far from there. In such circumstances, the families who lived in that territory, including the Armstrongs, became border reivers to make their people survive. Among all the eighty-nine reiver families, they were the largest, the most bellicose and feared ones.

 Clan Armstrong crest - an arm for the soldier/armed

The seat of the clan chief was Mangerton Castle situated on a bank of the Liddle River.

The line of Alexander Armstrong (born about 1292), the 2nd Clan Chief and the first Laird of Mangerton is our direct family line (20 generations back)*. Very likely, Alexander took part in the battle of Bannockburn (1314 - the first war of Scottish Independence) and was of service to King Robert the Bruce.

Alexander was killed by William de Soulis of Hermitage Castle. The latter one, according to legends, practiced black magic and made a covenant with the Devil. William also violated local ladies, including an Armstrong girl. He also killed the girl's father who tried to defend her. As a result of that, the people of the area wanted to execute the killer. However, Alexander who investigated the incident calmed the locals down and saved William.

Considering Alexander's position and social influences, William de Soulis regarded Alexander as a rival. Therefore, he decided to get rid of our Armstrong man. Pretending to be thankful for saving his life, William invited Alexander to his castle for a feast. Alexander accepted the invitation not suspecting anything malicious. Sadly, during the feast he was stabbed to death by de Soulis.

The Armstrong Tartan

The companions of Alexander brought his body back to Mangerton castle. However, when they arrived there, it was too late in the night to bury the clan chief. His body was left till the morning at the Armstrong family cemetery place. On the next day, Alexander was buried. It happened in 1320. 

To honor Alexander, the memorial called Milnholm Cross was placed at the spot where his corpse was laid for the night.

A year later, William was trialed for treason - he plotted against King Robert the Bruce and was put in prison (Dumbarton Castle) where he died in April 1321.

Studying the Geni.com input regarding Alexander, I found out his wife was Marguerite de Dampress whose ancestry line goes through Germany and Belgium to France, and to King of Burgundy and Italy. I will write about that in another post, though.

From Alexander, 1st Laird of Mangerton, the family line goes to his son 

⇒ Alexander Armstrong (b. ≈1318 / d. ≈1376), Clan Chief, 2nd Laird of Mangerton

⇒ his son Clan Chief Alexander Armstrong IV (b. ≈1340 /d. ≈1398) , 3rd Laird of Mangerton

⇒ his son Lord Archibald Armstrong (b. ≈1370 Mangerton Castle, Dumfrieshire, Scotland/d. ≈ 1445)

⇒ his son Thomas Armstrong, 5th Laird of Mangerton (b. ≈1425/d. 1498)

⇒ his son Sir Alexander Armstrong, 6th Laird of Mangerton (b. ≈1445/d.≈1510)

⇒ his son John (Johnnie) Armstrong of Gilnockie (b. ≈1480)

The Gilnockie Castle, where Johnnie lived, was a couple of kilometers north of Canobie, on the Esk River, in County Eskedale.

Gilnockie Tower, Scotland - built in 1518

John and forty-six other men were executed at Carligrig by King James IV (≈ 1530). Johhnie became a legendary character and a hero of folk ballads (I guess, due to the circumstances of his death).

⇒ Johnnie's son Christopher Armstrong of Mangerton (b. ≈1526/ d. 22 Sept. 1606)

⇒ his son Colonel William Armstrong (b. 1565/d. 6 June 1646 - killed during the battle of Benburb)

During his life, in 1604, William moved to Ireland to escape being executed by King James Justice court.

⇒ his son Edward Armstrong of Terwinnay (b. 1604, Brookboro, Fermanagh, Ireland/d. 1650, Ederney, Terwinney, Ireland)

Edward served as a captain during the Civil War in Ireland. He married an Irish lady Mary Maguire ≈ 1625 in Brookboro. Her father was Cpt Thomas Maguire. The Maguires were kings of the County Fermanagh (13th-17th century).

Maguire Coat of Arms

  

Location of Fermanagh (Maguire) - Ulster, late 15th century

⇒ Edward and Margaret's son James Armstrong (b. ≈1645/d. ≈1758). Possibly, he came to North Carolina in 1744.
⇒ his son James Armstrong (b. 24 Jan. 1684, Brookeborough, Fermanagh, Ireland/d. 1 May 1745, Paxtang, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania)
 ⇒ his son James Armstrong III (b. ≈1707, Paxtang, Dauphine, PA/d. Dec. 1758,
Paxtang, Dauphine, PA)

---

⇒ his son William Armstrong (b. ≈ 1739, Paxtang, Pennsylvania/ d. 21 June 1780, Lincolton, Lincoln, North Carolina)

Some sources say that William was a son of John (b. circa 1715) - a son of Edward Armstrong of Terwinnay. That John's wife was Mary Jean Graham. However, in a book on Graham's ancestry which I have come across, I have not found any information they had a son named William. That source says that John was the John "Jack" Armstrong who was killed by Indians in 1744.

---

⇒ William's daughter Elizabeth Armstrong (b. 4 Feb. 1762, Mecklenburg, NC/d. 4 Jan. 1834, Pendleton District, Anderson, SC)

On 17 Jan. 1783, in Lincoln Co., NC, Elizabeth married Giles Gant (b. 2 August 1756, Granville County, North Carolina), our direct ancestor 7 generations back.

*My MyHeritage research 

Credits:

Sources

1. The Armstrongs. The History of a Riding Family 1040-1650 by Derek James Stewart
2. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank, Volume 4 by John Burke Esq.
3. Armstrong Clan History
4.  Wikipedia.org
5. My MyHeritage research

Pictures

• Clan Armstrong Crest By Celtus (Celtus @ english wikipedia) - Own work by uploader. The crest element is adapted from an image in an out-of-copyright book: Matthews' American armoury and blue book (1907)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4899948
• Tartan
  
  Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=305960
  Gilnockie tower By Farmer erik at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Raven1977 using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6188814
• Maguire Crest: By self-created - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42732669
• Location of Fermanagh - map: By Mabuska (talk) - I (Mabuska (talk)) created this work entirely by myself., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27821654

Rippy - Our Irish Ancestry

Today I introduce one of our direct Irish lines - the Rippy family.

Edward Lee Rippy - born in 1678 in Dublin, Ireland is our 7 times great-grandfather. His wife was Miss Nannie Ross also from Dublin. Edward died where he lived in 1732 and was buried at St. Nicholas Without parish cemetery in Dublin.

Edward and Nannie's son was Joseph Rippy born in 1708 in Dublin as well. About the year 1728, Joseph married Miss Ellen Patterson, daughter of Mr. John Patterson and Ms. Agnes Moffet. Ellen was born between 1706 and 1708 in Fingal County, Leinster, Ireland. Joseph passed in March 1774, Ellen in 1777. They were both buried in Dublin.

The couple had at least four children including Edward Ross (b. in June 1729 in Baile Átha Cliath, County Dublin, Ireland), Ellen, Mathew (b. 1740 in County Fingal), and John. Mathew is our 5 times great-grandfather.

As far as I know, Edward and Mathew emigrated to America. The brothers settled in North Carolina.
Mathew started his own family around 1757 when he married Miss Nancy Anne Holliday (born about 1738 in Orange County, Colony of North Carolina, British Colonial America). Nancy Anne's parents were Samuel and Elisabeth Holliday.

Mathew and Nancy got married and lived in Orange County. They had thirteen children.
Our direct ancestor Mathew died at the age of (about) 77 in Hillsboro District, Orange County, North Carolina.

What is the exact connection of the Rippy family and our family line?

Mathew and Nancy's oldest daughter Frances (b. 18 Oct. 1760, Orange County, NC), called by her immediate family "Fanny", is our 3X great-grandmother. About 1785, she married our ancestor William Gant (b. 14 August 1763, Granville County, North Carolina).

William's sister Keziah (b. 1764, Granville, NC) married Fanny's brother Thomas S Rippy (b. 13 Jan. 1764, Alamance, North Carolina).

There are a few more Irish family branches in our family tree and those ancestors cannot wait till they are mentioned on the pages of this blog. I will tell you about them some other time, though.

Credits:

• Information based on my MyHeritage research
• Ireland flag by abFlags.com cc: by nc sa
• Descendants of Matthew Rippey 

Our NTIF 2016

Last year, the ice storm made us skip the North Texas Irish Festival. Those cold weather conditions messed up the entire event too. That was why we were quite happy with this year forecast - nice and warm temperatures and no wind. Perfect for an outdoor festival!

We enjoyed it all - walking and looking around, watching the stalls and displays, music and dance performances and the Irish spirit in general. As usual, we visited all the pavilions, including the one with rescue dogs ready for adoption.

Furthermore, we were glad we came across one of our favorite musicians: Mr Morrison of Scotland. We like the songs he plays/sings. Since I lived most of my life by the Baltic Sea coast, I am quite fond of shanties and lively shanty like music. Here, in Texas such tunes remind me of the sea, tall ships, sailors, shanty men and all what used to be part of my 'landscape' for so many years.
Mr Morrison performed with the Jed Marum band - good music and a really enjoyable concert.
It was a great day indeed!



You will find my other post on NTIF here.

About Irish Music & Celtic Woman

I have always liked traditional Irish music. That was why I also played Irish songs to my students. However, before coming to the US, I had no opportunity to see any live performance of that kind.
Since my arrival in TX, we have been to North Irish Texas Festival - great bands and atmosphere!
My husband has also introduced me to Celtic Woman who are quite popular here. Last year we saw their 'Emerald' concert live. Both of us were totally delighted - with the music and the entire performance too.

No need to say that we were quite happy when we learned we would be able to enjoy one of their live 10th Anniversary productions. We were not disappointed again - just the opposite. The live shows by Celtic Woman were much more impressing than all the TV programs and videos which we had seen.


The name Celtic Woman is mostly associated with the female singers and their divine voices, and also with the sparkling 'Butterfly', a very skilful violin player. Although they are, of course, the faces of the 'brand', the enterprise called Celtic Woman is much more than the talented and attractive ladies. There are many more people who create the show. Except the ones who work 'behind the stage', there are also supporting singers, fantastic Irish tap dancers, all the instrumentalists: bagpipers, drummers, percussionists, piano player and others. Without them all - it would be quite a different Celtic Woman - just another singing group.


Whoever is responsible for the lights, does tremendous job to, as the light frame is a very important part of every Celtic Woman concert. The lights make each of them a multidimensional event, what you actually cannot really see while watching a TV recording/ a video. Comparing to a live production, what we can perceive on TV seems really flat. What is more, the colors of the lights very much add to the atmosphere of the programs. Nothing is accidental in a performance by Celtic Woman. While watching it, one can see how much work has been done. Every single detail has been polished perfectly, which (among others) makes all the dances look so effortless and every show so much enjoyable. Thanks to the work of the entire Celtic Woman, each of their live performances is quite an unforgettable experience. In my case - the waterproof makeup helped a lot.


Having watched and listened to them I wish we could go to Ireland some day...

How Many St. Patrick's Day T-Shirts Do You Have?

Krystyna, my friend, has gone on her life trip to China. I am very happy for her but I am also hoping, she will share her experiences on this blog when she comes back.

St. Patrick's Day has come again. At this time of the year, almost every store sells some Ireland related items. I like the idea of getting a special green T-shirt every year. Yet, I have had only three so far. How many St. Patty's Day Tees do you have?

A very interesting online store which offers all kind of goodies connected with, and made on the Emerald Island is ShopIrish.com. Looking through the things they have in stock, one can find gifts for everyone (from little babies to grandparents), including food and kitchen items, clothing and accessories, jewellery, home and garden pieces. Besides, they also sell special Celtic Christmas ornaments and gift cards. The prices at the store are quite reasonable, what is more, budget buyers can choose products under $25 also.
Another, but very different (including prices), place which offers genuine Irish products is National Geographic Store. I especially like the Irish sweaters and cardigans they have. Made of thick wool, most of them would not be very useful where we are, but it is nice to watch them and admire their textures and patterns.

One day, when I was doing a regular shopping, to my surprise, I came across quite an impressing St. Patrick's Day hat. It was made of a soft plush-like fabric with a gold, shiny clover pattern all over the hat. And that fluffy, feathery rim! Not only the quality of the hat surprised me so much. It was October, not the time of the year when you expect to find St. Patrick's Day items on the shelves. And the hat (the only one in that store) was simply lying there, like a green gem among the grayish winter hats. It really made my shopping time! Finally, even though I found a matching pair of green leather gloves, I did not buy the hat. I was simply not ready for that special green-and-gold treat. But trying it on was fun!

Find out more more about Ireland and St. Patrick's Day:

• Ireland Guide by National Geographic,
• St. Patrick and his life - this website (seems to be extremely busy today) is all about Ireland, with not only history facts but also Irish recipes, songs lyrics, games for kids, pen-pal's section and many more,
• St. Patrick's Day traditions - if there is too much 'traffic' on the web-page and it does not open today, try to see the website later, it is really worth it.

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!