Descriptive Summary
Armstrong Family
Armstrong Family Papers
1906-1969
Materials are in English.
Doc 6170
50 items (5 folders)
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas
A longtime resident of San Antonio, Texas, John Fisher Armstrong (1886-1960) also spent several years in Mexico between roughly 1906 and 1920, first working at a mine and later returning to direct construction of oil storage tanks. At various other times Armstrong was employed as a civil engineer, independent oil operator, engineering contractor, and realtor. Through his mother, Annette Pleasants Fisher Armstrong, he was a descendant of Samuel Rhoads Fisher, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
The collection contains primarily letters, with a small amount of printed material and photographs. Most of the letters were written by John F. Armstrong to his mother, Annette F. Armstrong; his wife, Ann Armstrong; and other family members, describing his work in the mining industry in Mexico and personal matters. Letters from a 1929 tour of Europe are also included.
Biographical Note
John William Armstrong (1843-1911) was born in Virginia to parents William Cleminson Armstrong and Sarah Catherine Slaughter. A Confederate soldier during the Civil War, he worked as a surveyor and civil engineer. John married Nannette Pleasants Fisher (1857-1939) on 1885 January 21 in Travis County, Texas. Also called Annette or Nettie, she was the daughter of Samuel William and Eliza Ophelia Smith Fisher; her paternal grandfather, Samuel Rhoads Fisher, was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. John and Annette Armstrong had five children: John Fisher, Helen Annette, Marjorie Pleasants (who married George Justin McLernon), Charles Edward, and Frederick Lee.
The oldest child of John William and Annette Fisher Armstrong, John Fisher Armstrong was born in Austin, Texas, on 1886 September 8. Also a veteran of World War I, he was a major in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. A longtime resident of San Antonio, Texas, Armstrong also lived in Mexico for several years between roughly 1906 and 1920, first working at a mine and later returning to direct construction of oil storage tanks. At various other times he was employed as an independent oil operator, engineering contractor, and realtor. Armstrong died in San Antonio on 1960 August 29.
John Fisher Armstrong married Ann (also Anne or Anna) Copeland (1890-1961) in Bexar County, Texas, on 1913 December 24. The couple had two children: John Fisher Armstrong, Jr. (1914-1987) and Mary Catherine Armstrong (1920-2008). Catherine first married Campbell Henderson Gould, who died on an Army Air Corps flight during World War II in Buenos Aires. She later married Rafael Joseffy, who died on an Army Air Corps flight in West Virginia in 1949.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains primarily letters, with a small amount of printed material and photographs. Most of the letters were written by John F. Armstrong to his mother, Annette F. Armstrong; his wife, Ann Armstrong; and other family members, describing his work in the mining industry in Mexico and personal matters. Letters from a 1929 tour of Europe are also included.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions. The collection is open for research.
Usage Restrictions
Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.
Related Material
Fisher Family Papers, 1817-1911, Col 887, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Armstrong Family Papers, 1906-1969, Doc 6170, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Catherine A. Joseffy, 1991 March.
Processing Information
Processed by Warren Stricker.
Finding aid edited and encoded by Caitlin Donnelly, 2010 November.
Index Terms
Personal Names
Armstrong family.
Armstrong, John F., b. 1886.
Armstrong, Annette F., b. 1857.
Armstrong, Anne.
Subjects
Mines and mineral resources--Mexico.
Locations
Europe--Description and travel--1919-1944.
Mexico--Description and travel.
Genres/Formats
Family papers.
Correspondence.
Photographs.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Armstrong Family Papers, 1906-1969
1
Correspondence, 1906-1909
1
John F. Armstrong, Ocatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1906 February 26.
1
John F. Armstrong, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1906 July 13.
1
John F. Armstrong, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1906 July 20.
1
John F. Armstrong, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1906 July 27.
1
John F. Armstrong, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1906 August 6.
1
John F. Armstrong, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1906 August 18.
1
John F. Armstrong to unknown recipient [incomplete], circa 1906.
1
John F. Armstrong, Ocatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico, to John W. Armstrong, San Antonio, Texas, 1907 March 16.
1
John F. Armstrong, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1907 May 27.
1
John F. Armstrong, Oaxaca, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1907 June 20.
1
John F. Armstrong, Mina La Cumbre, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1907 July 1.
1
John F. Armstrong, El Oro, Mexico, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1909 December 5.
2
Correspondence, 1914-1922
2
John F. Armstrong, Tampico, Mexico, to Ann Armstrong, 1914 May 24.
2
John F. Armstrong, Boston, Massachusetts, to Annette F. Armstrong, Tampico, Mexico, 1918 March 22.
2
John F. Armstrong, Tampico, Mexico, to Ann Armstrong, 1921 December 24; enclosed John F. Armstrong, Tampico, Mexico, to Ann Armstrong, undated.
2
John F. Armstrong to Annette F. Armstrong, Tampico, Mexico, 1922 October 20.
3
Correspondence, 1929
3
John F. Armstrong to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 June 7.
3
John F. Armstrong to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 June 8.
3
John F. Armstrong, London, England, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 June 15.
3
John F. Armstrong, London, England, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 June 16.
3
John F. Armstrong, London, England, to Annette F. Armstrong [incomplete], 1929 June 23.
3
John F. Armstrong, London, England, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 June 25.
3
John F. Armstrong, Paris, France, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 July 1.
3
John F. Armstrong, Paris, France, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 July 6.
3
John F. Armstrong, Montreux, Switzerland, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 July 14.
3
John F. Armstrong, Montreux, Switzerland, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 June 20.
3
John Armstrong, Montreux, Switzerland, to Goozey [Annette F. Armstrong], 1929 July.
3
John F. Armstrong, Interlaken, Switzerland, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 July 24.
3
John F. Armstrong to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 June [July] 26.
3
John F. Armstrong, Florence, Italy, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 July 31.
3
John F. Armstrong, Rome, Italy, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 August 1.
3
John F. Armstrong, Rome, Italy, to Annette F. Armstrong [incomplete], 1929 August 4.
3
John F. Armstrong, Venice, Italy, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 August 17.
3
John F. Armstrong, Lucerne, Switzerland, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 August 17.
3
John F. Armstrong, Lucerne, Switzerland, to Fred [Armstrong?], 1929 August 18.
3
John F. Armstrong, Freudenstadt, Germany, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 August 22.
3
John F. Armstrong, Heidelberg, Germany, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 August 31.
3
John F. Armstrong, Wiesbaden, Germany, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 September 5.
3
John F. Armstrong, Cologne, Germany, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 September 8.
3
John F. Armstrong, Berlin, Germany, to Annette F. Armstrong, 1929 September 14.
3
John Armstrong to Goozey [Annette F. Armstrong], 1929 September.
4
Correspondence, 1931-1969 and undated
4
John F. Armstrong to Annette F. Armstrong, 1931 June 27.
4
John F. Armstrong to Annette F. Armstrong, Tampico, Mexico, 1931 July 7.
4
Fred [Armstrong?], Tampico, Mexico, to Marjorie, Mac and all, 1969 July 26.
4
Marjorie Pleasants Armstrong to Dearest Little Sister [possibly Ann Copeland Armstrong] [incomplete], circa 1920-1929.
4
John F. Armstrong, Tampico, Mexico, to Anne Armstrong, undated.
5
Miscellaneous material
5
Christmas card: to Jno. Armstrong, Jr. from Cousin Charlie and Family, 1914.
5
Calling card: Mrs. Rafael Joseffy, II [2 items, in envelope].
5
Identification card: John F. Armstrong, 1944.
5
Photograph: Ann Copeland Armstrong and unidentified man, Europe, circa 1929.
5
Photograph: Mary Catherine Armstrong and John Fisher Armstrong, Jr., circa 1920-1929.
5
Envelope