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Page 2 of 6

• 1. Beyond the family tree
• 2. The Armstrong family
• 3. Rise and fall
• 4. Family turmoil
• 5. Above the law?
• 6. Starting your own research
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The Armstrong family

The first task was to locate Thomas's date of birth. A lengthy search of marriage bonds and parish registers for the area revealed that his father was Nicholas Armstrong, whose marriage to Mary Shevill at South Shields, in June 1734, was blessed with many children.

Thomas, the eldest son, was baptised at Earsden parish church on 16 September 1734. By the time Nicholas junior was baptised in 1750, his surviving siblings seem to have consisted of four boys and three girls, including a set of twins.

Although Armstrong was a common name in the area, there was enough corroborating evidence to confirm that this was the correct family. Nicholas Armstrong was described as a customs officer at the baptism of his children, a detail repeated when he acted as a witness at Thomas's marriage in 1760.

'... a clear picture of the Armstrong family began to emerge.'

Armed with this background information, attention could now switch to Thomas's employment history. Some preliminary research in the local library unearthed a book about the customs service, in which the bibliography stated that administrative records had been deposited with the Public Record Office (now The National Archives), London.

Disappointingly, no service records for the period survived. But correspondence between Customs House in London and the local collectors at the ports along the north-east coast did still exist. This revealed considerable detail about the activities of the officers employed in the service, including pay lists. From these volumes, known as letter books, a clear picture of the Armstrong family began to emerge.

Nicholas Armstrong held the important position of Chief Riding Supervisor for the stretch of coast from Sunderland to Newcastle and was effectively in charge of a land operation against smugglers. He clearly exerted some influence in the customs service, as the record revealed that Thomas Armstrong eventually became mate of the Bridlington - a customs cutter, operating out of Sunderland, with a remit to chase down and capture smuggling vessels.

Thomas's brothers also secured posts in the service - Robert went to sea on another customs vessel, while Richard held an important clerical position at head office. Indeed, his marriage made headline news in the local paper, the Newcastle Courant.

Such reports can be hard to find unless you have a precise date with which to work. In this instance, the date of the marriage had already been obtained from the parish registers, and a routine search of an index to the early editions of the paper threw up the Armstrong name leading to this entry. A stroke of luck.

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Published: 2004-09-13