Samuel Armstrong Jr
Information taken from Parry Sound North Star, Thursday June 7, 1990, Page 7 - Written by Adrian Eric Hayes
Samuel Armstrong Jr was born in Ross Country Wexford, Ireland in 1844. His parents Samuel Armstrong Sr and Harriet Hughes decided to move their family to Canada's west in 1848. They resided in both London and Toronto before moving to Parry Sound. It is unknown what year they moved to Parry Sound. Samuel Armstrong along with his younger brother John got employment as contractors on the Northern Colonization Road. Along with twenty other men they worked to create a road that would allow access to the Townships of McDougall, McKellar,Hagerman,Croft, McKenzie, Ferrie and Pringle.
The Armstrong's settled on the North Colonization Road at its Intersection with the McKellar Center Road. With his brother John Samuel Jr Obtained a patent to Township lot 20 Concession B and had the property subdivided into town lots and streets. When the Township was incorporated in 1873 he became the first Reeve, a position he held until 1887. He and John established a general store in the Village and constructed a sawmill and gristmill on the water course between Owl and Minerva Lakes ( Now known as McKellar and Manitowabing). By the fall of 1880 the Village of McKellar had grown to include wagon and blacksmith shops, a school house, a Methodist Church, an Orange Hall and twenty dwellings. Samuel Armstrong Jr set up the first Post Office in his general store and became McKellar's first Postmaster from 1871-1886.
In 1886 he was elected as the First Representative of the District of Parry Sound in the Ontario Legislature. He stood for an array of beliefs including prohibition, the extension of the franchise to women, manhood suffrage to residents of the country for one year, and a liberal settlement policy of Ontario's uninhibited lands. He did not run again in the 1890 election.
Samual Armstrong Jr died in Parry Sound on April 3 1921 at the age of 77.
The Armstrong's settled on the North Colonization Road at its Intersection with the McKellar Center Road. With his brother John Samuel Jr Obtained a patent to Township lot 20 Concession B and had the property subdivided into town lots and streets. When the Township was incorporated in 1873 he became the first Reeve, a position he held until 1887. He and John established a general store in the Village and constructed a sawmill and gristmill on the water course between Owl and Minerva Lakes ( Now known as McKellar and Manitowabing). By the fall of 1880 the Village of McKellar had grown to include wagon and blacksmith shops, a school house, a Methodist Church, an Orange Hall and twenty dwellings. Samuel Armstrong Jr set up the first Post Office in his general store and became McKellar's first Postmaster from 1871-1886.
In 1886 he was elected as the First Representative of the District of Parry Sound in the Ontario Legislature. He stood for an array of beliefs including prohibition, the extension of the franchise to women, manhood suffrage to residents of the country for one year, and a liberal settlement policy of Ontario's uninhibited lands. He did not run again in the 1890 election.
Samual Armstrong Jr died in Parry Sound on April 3 1921 at the age of 77.
