The Armagost and Crowther Families

westmohney
Oct 5, 2024
12 min read

Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Our history begins before we are born ~ James Nasmyth

Peter Christophel Armagost

We wrote of the Born family in our "The Germans Part II" post. Our grandfather Michael Born (6GGF) arrived in Philadelphia in 1738 and finally settled with his family in Manchester, Maryland, about 40 miles northwest of Baltimore. Michael's daughter, our grandmother Anna Margareth Born (5GGM), married Peter Christophel Armagost (5GGF) in 1762.

Most Ancestry sites state that Christopher, as our grandfather came to be known, was born in Alsace, France but I can find no proof of that. His background was certainly German so he might have been born in Alsace or possible Germany. There are also no records to mark when Christopher came to America but he was in Manchester, MD sometime before 1762 when he married Peggy, as Grandma Anna Margareth came to be known. The couple stayed in the Manchester area for the rest of their lives, finally settling in Hampstead, about 5 miles south of Manchester and 30 miles northwest of Baltimore.

Christopher and Peggy had five children by 1771 when Christopher leased what was probably his first piece of property. The 72 acre property, called Whisky Bottle, was surveyed in March of 1771 and patented in December of 1772. The lease was good for 99 years. Below is a copy of the surveyor's report:

By 1783, four more children had been born, for a total of nine, and Christpher had added an additional 75 acres to his estate. That year, he was taxed for three pieces of property totaling 147 acres. Below is the record from the 1783 tax assessment listing the three properties. Whiskey Bottle, Arion's Folly and Spring Hills.

Grandpa Christopher died in 1783, at about age 50. He left Peggy with nine children, ranging in age from 20 to a 1 year old. It appears that Christopher died intestate. An inventory, shown below, was taken of all his worldly goods other than his property. The list of Christopher's possessions seem to be a good indication of how a middle class farmer's family lived in the eighteenth century:

3 horses and a foal worth £35

9 cows and 4 calves worth £33

6 hogs 11 Shotes and 6 pigs worth £6

7 geese worth 16 shillings

1 wagon, 1 plow harrow and 3 Collars and harnesses worth £15

145 bushels of wheat rye and oats worth £28

1 stack of hay and hay fork worth £9

Beets, Indian corn, beans and potatoes in the field worth £12

Hoes and shovels worth £1

1 dung hook, 3 augers, saw adz and drawing knife worth £1 7 shillings

5 Cyder Barrels, 2 old tubs worth £1 11 shillings

3 sythes (scythes), an anvel and hammer worth 9 shillings

4 old spinning wheels and shoemaker tools worth £2

2 old blind halters and 2 old saddles, bridles worth £1 10 shillings

5 old bags and a bushel flaxseed bacon worth £2

1 iron kettle, 2 pots, 2 flat irons, flesh fork, 2 ladles, 1 tea kettle and 1 copper pot worth £3

1 funnel, 1 churn, 3 pails, 5 bottles, 1 pepper mill and tea ware worth £1 12 shillings

old books worth 13 shillings

5 beds and 3 bedsteads worth £10

Chairs and table worth£1

mans wearing apparel worth £4

1 grindstone worth 1 shilling

Christopher's lease on Whiskey Bottle was worth £183 and the other two properties were worth £54. The total of all his assets was £436.

Below is a portion of the inventory from the Maryland Register of Wills:

Christopher certainly did not die a rich man. Grandma Peggy probably had her hands full trying to make ends meet and raise her children. Luckily, she had three children, Michael (4U) John (4U) and Mary (4A), who were all over 16 and able to help with the management of the farm.

guardian for Christopher's younger children

Grandma Peggy didn't wait long to find a helpmate. Only a year after Christopher's death, she married a man named George Storm. It's impossible to say what happened to Whiskey Bottle and the other property in the Armagost family. It may have gone to Peggy's two older sons, Michael (4U) and John (4U) who were old enough to live on their own by the time of their mother's marriage. Another possiblility is that George Storm sold the property before making a move to Baltimore.

Six years after the marriage, the 1790 census shows George Storm and his family living in Patapsco, MD, a suburb of Baltimore 30 miles south of Hampstead.

The census lists 10 people in the household along with 2 slaves. The ten members of the Storm household would have been George and Peggy, five children from Peggy's first marriage and three children that had been born to Peggy and George.

In 1991, in a rather strange occurance, it appears that the courts finally got around to taking care of the guardianship of Peggy's six younger children. Her three older children, all well over 21 by that time, didn't require a legal guardian. Peter (4U) Christopher (4U) and Adam (4U) were of legal age, over 14, to choose their own guardian. They all chose Peggy's husband, George Storm. The three youngest children, our grandfather Jacob (4GGF) and his sisters Elizabeth (4A) and Margaret (4A) had a guardian appointed for them. George Storm, with securities from Charles Bascom and Peggy's oldest son Michael (4U), was appointed for all three.

Below are the court papers stipulating the guardianship of Peggy's six younger children:

trouble in paradise

George and Peggy were married for 19 years and had six children together, making a grand total of fifteen for Grandma Peggy! In addition to all those children, life with George might also have been a bit of a challenge for our grandmother. When he died in 1812, George left a will written in 1805 and a codicil to the will, written right before his death. From records in a court case challenging the will, we learn what it appears the entire town knew: poor George seems to have spent much of his time in an inebriated state.

In the 1805 will, George left Peggy her standard third of his "real and personal Estate during her natural life." To their only son, George, Jr. (4U), he left 200 acres which was "part of a tract of Land called Georges beginning." To his five daughters, he bequeathed "all the Remainder part of my land to be equally divided in quality and quantity to the best advantage amongst them." Finally, he left all six children his personal estate "to be equally divided amongst them." No mention is made of any slaves and no mention is made of any of Peggy's children from her first marriage.

In a wordy codicil written possibly hours before his death, George stipulated that his daughter Mary (4A), who had recently married, had the only right to her share. He also left a special bequest to Peggy and their youngest daughter Sarah (4A). Acknowledging that "the property which I now posess hath been chiefly acquired by the joint Industry and frugality of my dear wife and myself," George wanted to add to his dear wife's "convenience and comfort" by leaving her a mare, a colt and two cows. Why daughter Sarah was included in that bequest is a mystery.

George's codicil was written the day that he died and apparently just in the nick of time. Christopher Randall, one of George's friends who had witnessed his 1805 will made a statement regarding the codicil:

That the witness was sent for by the Testator about an hour before his death that upon his coming into the room where the Testator lay he said he believed he was not long for this life and would tell him for what purpose he had sent for he. He wanted Joseph Shole to add the codicil. but Shole did not arrive until after his death. Nicholas Randall also testified that he witnessed the codicil also Jesse Matthews.

The bottom portion of George's original will was signed by him twice and the beginning of the codicil starts below that.

It wasn't the codicil, however, that caused problems. Three of George and Peggy's daughters and their husbands were not happy with the bulk of the property going only to brother George, Jr.. A year after George, Sr's death, they filed a petition with the Baltimore County courts to have the will declared null:

The Petition of George Wisner & Susan (4A) his wife, Christian Wisner & Ann (4A) his wife, Valentine Vance & Mary (4A) his wife which Susan & Ann & Mary are the children of George Storm late of Baltimore County deceased, Humbly sheweth that they are informed that a paper hath been Exhibited in this Court for probate purporting to be the last will and Testment of George Storm late of Baltimore County your Petitioners pray that the said paper may not be admitted to probabe for the following reason because the said paper is not the last will and testament of the said George Storm.

A court case ensued. One of the first deponents called was Christopher Randall, witness to the 1805 will. Christopher testified that:

. . .he did see the Testator George Storm sign and seal this will that he heard him publish pronounce and declare the same to be his last will and testament and at the time of his so doing he was to the best of his apprehension of sound deposing mind memory and understanding. . .

Christopher also stated that "some time before Harvest of the present year. . .in a converstaion which he had with the said George Strom he told him that he had left his son George by his last will two hundred acres of land."

Nicholas Randall, possibly a brother of Christopher, also testified that he saw George Storm sign the will. Both stated that at the time there was only one signature. The will that was presented in court had been signed twice:

George Shane testified as to his part in the making up of the codicil:

some hours before George's death, George wanted him to copy old will but he had a piece torn off signifying he wanted to add "further provisions." Shane told him "it could be done by a Codicil". George said that he "was desirous of preventing the Husband of his daughter Mary who had married since the making of his will from have the Estate devised to his said Daughter or permitting his Creditors from making it answerable for the payment of his debts, that he also wanted a devise to be made to his wife and Daughter of one Mare and Colt and two Cows, that the Daughter, then unmarried and living with her Mother. Shane worked on the Codicil but by the time he returned, George had died. Upper signature was on the will when he took it.

Two of our Storm aunts, Susan and Ann, had married Wisner brothers. On September 13, 1813, to counter the testimony of the Randalls and Shane, the Wisner brothers presented their father, Matthias, to testify on their behalf:

Matthias Wisner, who is the Father of one of the Caveators, aged eighty two years and upwards, being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he was acquainted with George Storm, the Testator, for twenty years and more before his death. He informed the witness not more than two or three months before his death that he had rubbed his name out of his will. He said his reason for so doing was that his son had left him. Witness saith that Storm was quite sober when the above conversation took place, that he has seen George Storm several times during the last six months, often sober and often drunk. [He] left this witness' house often sober. George Storm lived between two and three miles from witness' house. George Storm never shewed his will to this witness.

The Wisner's brother Samuel also testified:

Samuel Wisner, brother of the two Wisners, Intimately acquainted with George for a number of years. The testator has often told him that he had destroyed his will and more than three weeks before his death he said he had destroyed it by scratching his name out but did not make any reason for so doing. On Cross examination said the the Testator was a man very often drunk, has often seen him sober. Fifty times at least during the three months preceding his death the testator was in his own house when he had destroyed the will. does not know who was present, does not know what led to the conversation, he had often heard him say that he meant to cut George (Jr.) off, that he had heard him say this sometimes when he was drunk and at other times when he was Sober. intended to make a new will, reason that George had left him. Sam W. told testator that george ought to be left the most because he was an only son and also because he was a cripple "upon which the testator lifted up both hand and exclaimed "May I never!" Then offered to show Sam the destroyed will. Sam didn't want to see it but he is "positive that he (George) was in his right element. . .that he was not groggy and that he was sober and aware of what he was saying. he said that George Storm, Jr. was living at McHemp's "having left his father's some time during the spring."

Another townsperson, Thomas Smith, testified for the Wisners:

he was at George's house on the day he died and Joseph Sholl got there after his death. Sholl said he didn't think he could have proved it even if he got there before the death. Sholl said all children were to have equal share. Old Mrs. Storm (Grandma Peggy) the wife of Geo Storm replied that it was a pity the old man could not have made a will as before he had made one but destroyed it.

Then it appears that a number of townspeople were called to testify as to George Storm's fit state of mind to draw up a will. Below are some of their testimonies:

Henry Louch ~ often saw George Storm before his death that when he saw him he was sometimes sober but generally drunk. Heard Storm speak about his will and said that he had left George two hundred acres of land believes he heard it not more than four weeks before his week. during such conversation he talked sensibly and he believes was sober.

Jacob Lemmon ~ thinks that he did not see him oftener than once in a Sober State for a year previous to his death that during that time he may have seen him eight or ten times that when when he saw him he appeared to be stupid, ? and incapable of doing business.

Daniel Basoum ~ saw him frequently almost always drunk. only sober once during last summer

John May ~ Storm was much subject to habits of intoxication but in the latter part of the month of June he appeared more solid than he had been for the last two or three years that he commenced a conversation about some damage which had been done to a field of grain by the Horses of the Wisners and request the witness to assist him with his opionion of the amount of damages that he had sustained. Witness demurred, family matter. Talked about his son George who at that time had left the house, witness asked deceased why he did not settle his son or place him to work. He answered that he had shown him where to work that he was to begin at a store on a corner of his land. Said that he had left him a mill seat down by Bosarme Source of uneasiness was about his son George wanting a conveyance for the land. He then asked May if it was right to give the Staff out of his own hand. May observed no that he never would and that it was time enough when he had gone.

Robert Morfort ~ He should not tell him a lie if he said he saw him Sober fifty times within the last three months.

Sadly, I was not able to find the outcome of the case. George Storm did not die with a large estate, certainly not large enough to leave anything to his former wards, Grandma Peggy's children from her first marriage to Christopher Armagost. All of the children from that marriage had been long gone and had made lives of their own by the time George died. We'll have more about them in a future post.

Two years after her husband's death in 1814, Grandma Peggy died at about age 73. Most of her fifteen children stayed in the Baltimore area but our Grandpa Jacob (4GGF) sought the greener pastures of Miles Township, 150 miles north of Hampstead in the state of Pennsylvania. More on Jacob in a future post.

Grandpa Nathan Crowthers

Very little is known about our grandfather Nathan Crowthers (5GGF). He was born ca. 1750 in either Maryland or Pennsylvania and married Polly (last name unknown) (5GGM) ca. 1775. Though the couple are reported to have had three children, I can find evidence of only one, our grandmother, Mary (4GGM), born, according to her gravestone, in 1778.

Most everything we know about Nathan comes from the 1781 tax records which show him living in Chester County PA. With the exception of a few larger towns, Chester county was mostly rural. in 1781, the white population was 24,000 with a black population of 600. Taxpayers were sorted into three groups: landowners, freemen and inmates. Nathan was listed as a freeman in Willistown.

In his article titled "The 'Best Poor Man's Country' in 1873" L. Simler wrote about the three taxpayer groups. Landholders were, of course, the men who owned land. Freemen and Inmates were non-landholding men, generally laborers. The distinction between the two was that freemen were generally single and either living with their parents or receiving room and board while inmates were married men considered heads of households. In the census, freemen were included in the count of the landholder's household while inmates were considered heads of households but still "dependent on the landholder for living space."

Nathan, though listed as a freeman, was married with at least one child at the time of the 1781 tax assessment. He probably lived either with his parents or in the home of someone he was apprenticed to.

In 1782, as the Revolutionary War was winding down, Nathan was listed as a private in Captain John Harris' company.

We haven't been able to find Nathan's parentage but Simler wrote that even though there was a large German population in Pennsylvania at the time, "the institutions found in Chester County. . .had English roots." The origins of the name Crowthers is old Anglo Saxon meaning fiddler so it's a good bet that Nathan's parents came from Britain.

By 1786, the tax rolls listed Nathan as a landowner and showed that had moved 10 miles southeast to Springfield, PA, near the Delaware River.