Silas Armstrong (January 3, 1810 — December 14, 1865) was an American

Wyandot Wyandot may refer to: Native American ethnography * Wyandot people, also known as the Huron * Wyandot language * Wyandot religion Places * Wyandot, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Wyandot County, Ohio * Camp Wyandot, a Camp Fire Boys and ...

merchant and politician.

Biography

Armstrong was born on January 3, 1810, near

Upper Sandusky, Ohio Upper Sandusky is a city and the county seat of Wyandot County, Ohio, Wyandot County, Ohio, United States, along the upper Sandusky River, which flows north to Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie. The city is approximately 59 mi (96 km) south of ...

, and was raised in a Bear Clan community. In 1832, he married Sarah Preston. His family's farm, known as the "Armstrong Bottom", was run by Armstrong. In 1843, Armstrong and his family moved to the Town of Kansas. There, Armstrong began trading in a rented building in modern-day Westport. He worked as a merchant, sawmill operator, land speculator, and farmer, later forming a partnership with Hiram Northup. He also worked as an interpreter for Nathan Scarritt. He was president of the Wyandott Town Company. The town of Armstrong, Kansas was

named after A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

him. It later merged with

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

. Armstrong served as Head Chief of the Wyandot Nation from 1858, until he fell ill and

died in office A death in office is the death of a person who was incumbent of an office-position until the time of death. Such deaths have been usually due to natural causes, but they are also caused by accidents, suicides, disease and assassinations. The dea ...

on December 14, 1865. Over 1000 people atteneded his funeral at

Huron Cemetery The Huron Indian Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas, also known as Huron Park Cemetery, is now formally known as the Wyandot National Burying Ground. It was established circa 1843, soon after the Wyandot had arrived following removal from Ohio. T ...

References

{{Reflist 1810 births People from Upper Sandusky, Ohio Businesspeople from Kansas City, Missouri Wyandotte Nation people 1865 deaths