William Armstrong obituary

“At the Ripe Age of Eighty-Two."

Mr. William Armstrong passed away last night at 11:05 o'clock, after very brief illness. The deceased had been about as usual on Sunday and ate a hearty supper in the evening with his son and family. Shortly after tea he went to the kitchen, where he was stricken with a stroke of paralysis and fell to the floor. He was immediately raised and put to bed and a physician summoned, and the elderly man had so far recovered as to be able to get up again yesterday morning, and at 11 o'clock walked unaided downstairs. At 12 o'clock he was seized with a convulsion, and there continued throughout the afternoon and evening, the lust one terminating fatally a few minutes after 11 o'clock.

Mr. Armstrong was born in Roxborough, Scotland, and came to Canada with his parents in 1832, when a boy of twelve, being thus over 82 years of age. The family took up land in Chambly, but when old enough to do for himself the subject of our sketch moved into Montreal. After a time he opened a wood yard, which he made a success of, and for twenty-four years he conducted this business, and was known by the honorable title of "the honest wood merchant". From the wood business Mr. Armstrong went into butchering, and from that to conducting a sporting goods store, which latter he conducted until his wife died about 19 years ago, shortly after which sad event he sold out and came to reside in Carleton Place with his son, the late J. D. Armstrong. The deceased was always a great lover of nature, and spent much of his time in the woods. He was a crack marksman, and at the opening of the famous Victoria bridge at Montreal won the Prince of Wales medal. in an open shoot at live pigeons. He spent his time alternately with his sons, Duncan and Thomas here, and since the decease of the former made his home altogether with the latter. His summers were spent mostly at the fruit farm of his son William at Niagara. In religion Mr. Armstrong was a Methodist, and in politics a Liberal, although not at all an active politician. The chief mourners are: Thomas E. Armstrong, district manager of the Bill Telephone Co. here, and Wm. Armstrong, of Queenston. The funeral will take place tomorrow afternoon to Maplewood cemetery.