J. H. Armstrong, a Civil war veteran and one of Butler county's substantial and well-to-do farmers and stockmen, is a native of New York. He was born near Deposit, Delaware county, New York, January 26, 1846, a son of Samuel and Hannah (Mills) Armstrong, natives of New York, and who spent their lives in Delaware county, that State.

Before J. H. Armstrong was eighteen years old he became imbued with a patriotic desire to participate in the great Civil war, which was being waged at the height of all its fury about that time, and in January, 1864, he ran away from home and enlisted at Norwich, N. Y., in Company H, Second New York heavy artillery. The organization to which he belonged was changed to infantry the following spring and in that capacity served with the Army of the Potomac. They received their baptism of fire at the battle of the Wilderness, and also participated in the battles of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor and in the operations in front of Petersburg. They were in the battle of Hatches Run and Farmsville, and at the latter engagement half of a division was killed or wounded. Mr. Armstrong was with his company in front of Appomattox when Lee surrendered and they helped guard Lee's army until it was paroled. Mr. Armstrong had several narrow escapes incident to the life of a soldier who participated in some of the hardest fought battles of the Civil war, but escaped without a wound.

After the surrender of Lee, he went to Washington, where he was discharged by reason of a general order from the war department. He then returned to his home in Delaware county, New York, where he remained until 1872, when he went to Kalamazoo county, Michigan. After remaining there six years, he came to Kansas in 1878, locating in Spring township, Butler county, where he bought land. Shortly afterwards he returned to Michigan, when he came back to Kansas the following spring and engaged in farming and stock raising on his Spring township farm. He first bought eighty acres and from time to time added to his original holdings until he now owns four hundred and twenty-five acres of some of the finest land in Butler county. In 1898 he removed to El Dorado, where he has a fine modern residence, but he also retains his residence in Spring township, where he spends a part of his time. Although he rents his land, he continues the general supervision of the place.

Mr. Armstrong was united in marriage in New York State to Miss Henrietta Groat, now deceased, to whom were born three children: Lewis, farmer, Spring township; Nicholas, who resides in British Columbia, and Edith, now the wife of Rev. Arthur McVeigh, an Oklahoma minister. Mr. Armstrong's second wife was Mrs. Jennie Fisher, a resident of Kalamazoo county, Michigan. Two children have been born to this union: Roscoe C., a bookkeeper, Calusa, Cal., and Mildred, the wife of H. C. Ray, Wichita, Kans.

Mr. Armstrong is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and he and his wife are members of the Christian church. He is inde-

pendent in local politics, but on National issues he supports the policies and principles of the Democratic party. He is a director in the El Dorado National Bank and one of the progressive men of Butler county.

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