TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: GEORGE ARMSTRONG (1831-1885)

It is hard to imagine when you visit Indianola today that in the mid-to-late 1800s it was a thriving seaport, second in Texas only to Galveston. It was so successful that Indianola became the county seat of Calhoun County in 1852. The devastation of two hurricanes and several outbreaks of yellow fever decimated the community leaving it virtually a ghost town by 1887 when the Post Office was closed.

Being a seaport, shipping and sailing were paramount to the success of the community. While some sailors came and went with the tides, others decided to stay and make Indianola their home. One such sailor, George Armstrong, not only stayed in Indianola but became a valued member of the community while serving in organizations like the Odd Fellows and the Freemasons.

 George Armstrong was born on January 28, 1831 in Dumfries, Scotland. It is not known when he immigrated to the United States but his name appears on a Manifest for the Steamer Louisiana as a passenger arriving in Indianola on June 15, 1855. He married his wife Elmear Savoy, originally from Louisiana, in Calhoun County on April 1, 1858. They would be married until her death in 1879. The union produced two children, a son James Edward and a daughter, Catherine. 

Mr. Armstrong can be found on the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses living in Indianola with his family. They first appeared in 1860 when their daughter was only one year old. In 1870 their daughter and son were in the household along with George's father, also named George. By 1880 George Armstrong was a widower with two adult children and a nephew living in his home.

The first two times George Armstrong appears on the census, he lists his occupation as sailor. By 1880, the last census taken before his death, his occupation reads Clerk at Wharf while both his son Edward and nephew William are listed as captain and mate on a schooner. Although his father George did not live in Indianola in 1860, he did appear on the census in Lavaca with his occupation listed as sailmaker. This points towards three generations of sailors whose livelihoods were dependent upon the sea and the business of the busy seaport. The Indianola Courier lists the departures and arrivals of a sloop called Mystery in July 1859 captained by Armstrong which leads us to believe that George Armstrong made his living from the sea his entire life.

As Indianola grew as a community, fraternal organizations were formed. In 1850, the Masonic Lodge #84 was established with the Independent Order of Odd Fellow’s Western Texas Lodge established on June 30, 1852. George Armstrong was active in both of these organizations in his lifetime often holding leadership roles in both groups at the same time. In the Odd Fellows, George held the offices of Secretary and Noble Grand, the presiding officer of the local lodge. As a Mason, he served as Most Excellent and High Priest. According to his tombstone which has the traditional compass and carpenter square, it also displays the Masonic Keystone with letters HTWWTKS.  This symbol is the Masonic mark of an Ancient Grand Master meaning he was not only a Royal Arch Mason, but also rose to at least the third degree in the fraternal order. 

 Calhoun County voter registration records show that George Armstrong registered to vote on July 13, 1867 being a male over the age of twenty-one. He continued in civic duty when appointed on August 16, 1882 by Texas Governor Oran Roberts to a board of pilot commissioners at Pass Cavallo that helped guide ships past Matagorda Island into Indianola.

Despite making his living on the sea, he lost much to the sea. The residence of George Armstrong is listed in an inventory of homes destroyed in the 1875 hurricane as well as his beloved Masonic Lodge. He would lose his wife Elmear on May 2, 1879 and his son James on April 28, 1885 at only 24 years old. George himself would die only a few months later on November 22, 1885 at the age of 54. All three were buried in the Indianola Cemetery where their tombstones can still be visited. 

RESOURCES

Find a Grave

Indianola: The Mother of Western Texas by Brownson Malsch

The Indianola Bulletin

The Indianola Courier

Austin American Statesman

The Galveston Daily News