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Silas Armstrong

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Silas Armstrong
Daguerreotype of Armstrong, c. 1850
Head Chief of Wyandotte Nation
In office
1858 – December 14, 1865
Preceded byMatthew Mudeater
Personal details
BornJanuary 3, 1810
Near Upper Sandusky, Ohio, US
DiedDecember 14, 1865(1865-12-14) (aged 55)
Resting placeHuron Cemetery, Kansas City, Kansas, US
Children13

Silas Armstrong (January 3, 1810 — December 14, 1865) was an American Wyandot merchant and politician.

Biography

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Armstrong was born on January 3, 1810, near Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and was raised in a Bear Clan community. In 1832, he married Sarah Preston. His family's farm, known as the "Armstrong Bottom", was run by Armstrong.[1]

In 1843, Armstrong and his family moved to the Town of Kansas. There, Armstrong began trading in a rented building in modern-day Westport. He worked as a merchant, sawmill operator, land speculator, and farmer, later forming a partnership with Hiram Northup.[2] He also worked as an interpreter for Nathan Scarritt.[3] He was president of the Wyandott Town Company. The town of Armstrong, Kansas was named after him. It later merged with Kansas City, Kansas.[4]

Armstrong served as Head Chief of the Wyandot Nation from 1858,[5] until he fell ill and died in office[6][7] on December 14, 1865.[8] Over 1000 people attended his funeral at Huron Cemetery.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Silas Armstrong" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  2. ^ "Hiram Northrup". www.wyandot.org. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  3. ^ "Image 29 of The Methodist missions among the Indian tribes in Kansas". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  4. ^ "Armstrong, Kansas – Absorbed by Kansas City – Legends of Kansas". Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  5. ^ "The centuries-old fight to save a piece of the Wyandot tribe's history in Kansas". 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  6. ^ "Silas Armstrong". Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  7. ^ "How Was the Non-River State Line That Divides KCK and KCMO Selected? Your KC Q Answered | Kansas City Public Library". kclibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  8. ^ "Silas Armstrong Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2024-05-09.