Armstrong County

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. In presenting Armstrong County and Her People to the public the publishers desire to express their appreciation of the cordial welcome given to those whose task it was to gather the matter contained in these volumes. The foundation was thoroughly laid by the late Robert W. Smith, who labored for years to gather the data for his posthumous history of the county, published in 1883. Mr. Smith failed to see his work in print, but the thoroughness of his work and the accuracy of his statements have gained him a fame that will last as long as the existence of the county. We have added to the older data a large mass of important statistical matter relating to the period succeeding 1876, and condensed into a systematic plan all of the important occurrences and developments within the bounds of the county up to 1913.<br><br>Local history affords the best method of preserving national history, and this is part of the story of American development; but personal biographies are of much greater assistance in linking the past with the present. The names of Armstrong's pioneers are indissolubly linked with those of their present descendants; the work would be incomplete if reference to the citizens of the county now living were omitted. Many are the natives of this county who are more than locally famous. Few other divisions of this Commonwealth can show so varied a list of those whose works have made them prominent above their fellow citizens.<br><br>He who expects to find the work entirely free from errors or defects has little knowledge of the difficulties attending the preparation of a work of this kind, and should indulgently bear in mind that it is much easier to be critical than to be correct. It is, therefore, trusted that the history will be received by the public in that generous spirit which is satisfied with honest and conscientious effort.<br><br>In the gathering of this mass of data it was with pleasure that