Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-01-09
DEATH OF JAMES
E. ARMSTRONG.
A Former Resident of Wausau Passed
Away in Sac City, Ia, Wednesday,
JAN 3d. 1912.

One bv one the old and esteemed
pioneers who came into the WiScon-
sin river valley at very early day. to
enter into the manufacture of lumber.
are passing away, until now in the
wear 1912. there are but few OF that
sturdy band who were above the aver
age in intelligence, big hearted and
generous men, lett to tell the story
of the pioneer days of the Wisconsin
pinery. The last one to answer
deaths call was James Edmond Arm
strong, brother of the late Samuel s.
Armstrong. and of Walter Armstrong
of this city. He died at his home in
Sac City, Ia, at 1855 O'Clock, Wednes-
day afternoon. January 3, 1912, after
a protracted illness: and the sad news
received was shock to his relatives
and many old time friends in WauSau.
j. Z. Armstrong came into the
Wisconsin pinery in 1850, arriving
here in the spring of that year in
company With his brother, S. S. Arm
strong. He was then but twenty
years of age large of stature, stand
ing over SIX feet; powerful and recog-
nized by all as man OF superior
ability and, withal, possessing a
cheerful, kindly disposition; generous
and ever looking to the welfare of his
fellow man-noble characteristics
which made him beloved throughout
the pinery, and which, with the ex-
emplary lives of the family, has made
the name of Armstrong familiar to
every household all through these
years and a synonym for all that was
good.
Wausau, when Ed. Armstrong came
here was but village, and its one
great industry was numbering and
into this he put all the energy he
possessed; he also enlisted his services
in the upbuilding Of our county; in
shaping its laws and directing its
councils for good. He assisted in the
organization of Marathon county;
YVES a member of its first county
board and elected continuously to
that body for eighteen years. He was
county treasurer for several terms;
he was one of a committee of three
Milo Kelly, Thos. Hinton and j &.
Armstrong; that constructed the first
town line road south to the southern
limit of our county and it was the
first good road this county possessed
He was charter member of Forest
lodge No. $50 +. and a. NJ, and dur
ing his life here was one of it's most
valuable and energetic members.
He purchased the Thomas Grundy
saw mill on Pine river, which he
operated with partners until 1869.
He was soldier in the civil war,
having enlisted in the eighth Wis
consin battery, light artillery, and
was the batterys first lieutenant.
Besides being manufacturer of
lumber, he was also very successful in
taking fleets of the product to the
lower Mississippi markets He be-
came known, as well as his brothers.
among the best pilots on the river.
At one time becoming irritated at
the slow way in which his lumber was
moving he wagered that he and his
brother Sam could run rapids piece
over Big Bull falls without accident.
This they did successfully and it was
considered one of the greatest featS
ever accomplished on these rapids.
Leander SWOpe was one of the crew
at that time and enjoyed the proceed
ingS immensely. We meltion these
things to give the reader an idea of
what manner of men came to Wau-
Sau in those days when strengthf
courage and ability were needed to
carry on the pioneer work. 1t is told
of Mr. Armstrong that at one time in
the tifties,. in the spring of the year,
he brought fleet of lumber to Wau-
Sau and tiled up'' above the falls
The river was very high and on the
day of his arrival, the slide, at the
falls, over which lumber was run,
was washed out and it meant death
and destruction to run his fleet over
the rapids in its natural state. He
took his crew and built Golfer dam
and blasted out a Sluiceway through
which he run his lumber without
losing a man or damaging his fleet in
the least. 1t wasa great undertaking,
quickly accomplished and was the
wonder of our people.
J. E. Armstrong departed from
here with his family in 1869 for Sac
City, Ia, where he mace his home up
to the time of his death. His wife
died during the summer of 1909, and
her death was great blow to him.
Mr.. Armstrong made an extended
visit to Wausau in May and June
1910, and though so years of age was
keen Of mind and remarkably Wig
orous.
OF the three brothers, only Walter
Armstrong of this city is left, Samuel
S. having passed away on the 3lst day
of May, 1911. Deceased is survived
by the following sisters Mrs. Lean
der Swope. the Misses Margaret and
Blanche Armstrong of this city, and
Mrs. Finlay Mcdonald of Minneapolis.
He is survived by two daughters.
Mrs. j. w. Nutter and Mrs. ID. NJ.
Lamoreux of Sac City, Ia
James Edmond Armstrong was
born in Libson, st. Lawrence Co., n.
Y, Dec. IL, 1880, and was 81 years of
age. During boyhood he was a driver
on the tow path of the Erie canal.
Later the family came west and
located at Geneva, Wis. From there
deceased and his brother Samuel,
came to Wausau in 1850. His parents
and brother Walter, and sisters follow
ing in 1856. His first work in the
pinery was in assisting in building
the first dam across the Wisconsin
river at Jenny, now Merrill, where
Andrew Warren had built a new saw
mill; then logged for different parties;
later he purchased quarter section
of land about five miles northwest of
Wausau. He cleared about 40 acres
of it and to this day it is known as
the armstrong farm" Then in
company with Zeb Mead he purchased
what was known as the "Grundy
MILF on Pine River, ar old saw
mill of the mully type. He bought
out Meads interest later and took
in his brother, S. S. Armstrong and
operated the mill until the civil war
broke out when both gentlemen en-
listed in the Sth Wis. Battery i'm the
fall of 1861, leaving Mat Beebe and
their brother w. S. Armstrong. to run
the mill. At the election of officers
of the battery Ed. and Sam. were
elected lieutenants-Ed as first and
Sam aS third RAth ,rnrn $500.