Nancy (Prater) Armstrong (abt. 1768 - abt. 1840)

Descendants

Died about 1840 at about age 72 in Kentucky, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Melanie Armstrong [send private message]

Biography

Birth

Nancy (Prater) Armstrong was born about 1768.

Marriage

Nancy married Alexander Armstrong (~1765 - ~1824).

Children

• Thomas Washington Armstrong ( ? ~1846)
• Elizabeth Mary (Armstrong) Kimzey (~1797 - ~1865)
• William Armstrong (1800 - 1858)
• Samuel Armstrong (~1807 - ?)
• Nancy Armstrong (~1808 - ~1847)
• Anna (Armstrong) Hamilton (~1810 - ~1837).

Death

Nancy died about 1840 in Kentucky, United States aged ~72.

Research Notes

Census records indicate Nancy was born in the 1760s. She was likely born in South Carolina (Pendleton county?), and was likely married in that location to Alexander Armstrong in the 1780s or 1790s. Together, Nancy and Alexander raised a large family in Livingston county Kentucky. After her husband Alex died in 1824, she likely moved with her children's families to Southern Illinois where she passed in the 1840s.

Nancy's parents are unknown. There is a possibility she is descendent from the Prater/Brasher/Belt families that moved together from Maryland to the Carolinas in the mid-late 1700s. There are multiple intermarriages between these families in both Maryland and the Carolinas.

A different branch of the Brazier/Brasher family (same surname but different families that are in different haplogroups) are closely tied to the Armstrong family Nancy's husband Alexander belonged to.

The 1830 Livingston county census records indicate Nancy was living as a single parent neighbor to son Samuel Armstrong and Hiram Belt. The Brasher family she possibly descends from (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Prather-88) has ties to the same Belt family she is neighbor to in this record. Hiram Belt would be a cousin of Nancy (Prater) Armstrong, if Prather-88's 3rd wife Henrietta was Nancy's mother. Henrietta's parents are Basil Brashears (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brashear-284) and Anne Nancy Belt (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Belt-34). Hiram descends from Nancy's brother Benjamen.

However this may also just be coincidence. For this scenario to be true, Nancy would have to be a previously unknown daughter to the 3rd marriage for her father to Henrietta Brashear. Henrietta's death is not documented but her Find-A-Grave memorial gives the year as 1767. She was executor for her husband's will in that same year. Because no sources support the Find-A-Grave DOD it is possible it is in error. Regardless, no records exist to corroborate any children for Philomen and Henrietta so the only link to support the theory is the 1830 census record that has a Belt family member as neighbor to Nancy. This is an unsubstantiated connection.

The 1830 census record for Nancy has two very elderly household members. There is a free white female aged 90-100 and an enslaved male aged over 100. Previous records for the Alexander/Nancy Armstrong households do not have record of any slaves. It is likely the elderly white female in this household is Nancy's mother. It is also likely the male listed as enslaved came with this individual (Nancy's possible mother).

The age of the white female in the 1830 record is consistent with the age of Henrietta (Brashear) Prather, and the Will of her husband Philomen, that she was executor for, did have enslaved individuals listed as property on it. Though not a substantiated connection, it does not contradict the possibility that Henrietta is Nancy's mother.

DNA evidence indicates the above hypothesis may be true. The following matches were found on Gedmatch

Jared Stiffler and Perry Bartholow (descendent of Prather-88): (Chromosome 16) 10cM 221 SNPs, estimated generations back 5.2

Jared Stiffler and Steven S. Anspach (descendent of Brashear-284): (Chromosome 15) 9.7 cM 216 SNPs, estimated generations back 5.6

Jared Stiffler and Ernestine (Lewis) Ferguson (descendent of Belt-34): (Chromosome 1) 25.3 cM 700 SNPs, estimated generations back 4.6 (less generations back to common ancestor as Ernestine's 2nd great grandmother is Elizabeth Belt born 1758).

For DNA evidence for such distant ancestors to be conclusive, the process of triangulation would need to be used. This would require 3 cousins sharing a common segment of DNA on the same chromosome. This is not the case for the above matches and therefore can not be considered conclusive.

However the matches above, especially the one with 25cM, does indicate that further research is warranted. Long matches of 20cM or longer usually indicate a common ancestor. Based on known family histories of these matches (which is not thorough and needs to be further researched) the most likely connection is with the Belt and Brazier surnames.

Sources

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43750693/nancy-armstrong: accessed 31 August 2023), memorial page for Nancy Armstrong (1775–1845), Find A Grave: Memorial #43750693; Burial Details Unknown; Maintained by JKK (contributor 46959203).

• Source: 1810 Census record for husband Alexander Armstrong https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYB9-2H2?i=15&cc=1803765&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXH2P-HGM

• Source: 1820 Census record for husband Alexander Armstrong "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGC-9KZ : accessed 7 July 2022), Alev Armstrong, Salem, Livingston, Kentucky, United States; citing p. , NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .

• Source: "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP1-72R : 20 February 2021), Nancy Armstrong, Smithland, Livingston, Kentucky, United States; citing 28, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 39; FHL microfilm 7,818.

• Source: possible residence in Thomas Armstrong's household (1840) "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBD-XGK : 10 June 2022), Thomas Armstrong, Perry, Illinois, United States; citing p. 83, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .

• Source: FamilySearch Family Tree, Nancy ______________, LHWJ-BL3

• Source: E-mail: Robin Gadbury

• Source: FamilySearch Ancestral File v4.19 family group record

• Source: : My Woodside Family Tree by Erma Walsh

• Source: "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch : modified 03 June 2022, 21:10), entry for Nancy Prather; contributed by various users.