The Armentrout/Borror
Family History
Back Row(L-R): Lethia Armentrout, John Thomas Armentrout, (Homer) Imer Leslie Armentrout, Inez Armentrout. Front Row (L-R): Clarence Lincoln Armentrout, Dorothy Armentrout, Ida Emma (Towell) Armentrout. Child in front is Thelma Armentrout
Christopher Ermentraudt is the maternal 5th great grandfather of Olin D. Clayton of Raymond, Il. Most of the Hardy County data is taken from Armentrout's in America 1739-1987 by Russell Armentrout. Copies of most all this genealogy with proof's are on file in Montgomery County, Il and copies of proofs have also been donated to the Nokomis Public Library in Nokomis, Montgomery County, Il. Old family stories have been gathered by submitter, Mrs. Olin Dale Clayton
Christopher Ermentraudt, a German born immigrant, arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Aug 27,
1739, with his mother Anna (Hain) Ermentraudt and 6 other siblings. Christopher Ermentraudt was
born about 1724-1725 in the Palatinate (present day Germany along the Rhine River). He married
(1)1748 Lancaster (now Berks) County, Pa to Elizabeth Schmehl. He married (2) 1760, Augusta
County, Va to Susannah (Gallet) Powers, born 1734 and died 1814 Hardy County, Va. (now W.
Va.); daughter of John Gallet and his wife Catherine Franciscus.
Children born to Christopher and Elizabeth (Schmehl) Ermentraudt were:
Christopher (1754-1825)
Barbara (-)
Children of Christopher and Susannah (Gallet) Powers Ermentraudt were:
Elizabeth (1761-1800)
Anna Maria (1762-1850)
Henry (1763-1833)
Johannes (1770-1810)
Susannah (1772-1842)
Christopher (1775-1857)
Christopher Ermentraudt took up by warrant from the Proprieters, sons of William Penn, a tract of
22 acres of land on 11 Oct 1753. Christopher took some part in the French & Indian Wars that
harassed the frontier settlements of Virginia. This is borne out by actions taken at the 1st session of
the General Assembly at Williamsburg (Va.) on Tuesday, 10 Sept 1758 An act for the Defence of
the Frontier of this colony and for other purposes there in mentioned: Schedule: To the Militia of
the County of Augusta and for provisions furnished by sundry inhabitants of said Co.: "To
Christopher Armentrout, Militia, 32 Shillings."
About 1760 Christopher and Susannah (Gallet) Powers were united in marriage. She was the widow
of Michael Powers who was killed by Indians 1756 or 1757. Christopher was over age for combat
in the American Revolution, but was paid for supplies furnished to the Continental Army. This is
found in the October 1929 DAR Magazine, which lists Christopher and Martin Shobe. Christopher
died in Hardy County, Va (now W.Va) in 1805. His will is dated 10 July 1805. Burial place of
Christopher and Susannah is unknown.
Henry Ermentraudt, son of Christopher and Susannah (Gallet) Powers Ermentraudt was born 1763,
Hardy County, Va (now Grant County, W. Va.); died 19 June 1833, Hardy Co., Va. (now Grant
Co., W.Va.); Henry married Elizabeth Carr 1793/1794 probably in Hardy Co., Va (now Grant Co.,
W.Va.). Elizabeth Carr was born 24 Sept 1772 in Hardy Co., Va. (now Grant Co., W.Va.) and
died 06 September 1828 in the same county as her birth. Elizabeth Carr was the daughter of Conrad
Carr and his wife Magdalene Shobe, who was the daughter of Martin Shobe.
Children born to Henry and Elizabeth (Carr) Ermentraudt were:
Mary (1795-1829)
Christopher H. (1797-1856)
Daniel W. (1799-1862)
Susannah (1801-1842)
Christopher Ermentraudt, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Carr) Ermentraudt, was born 05 Sept 1797 in
Hardy County, Va (now Grant Co., W.Va.) and died 02 April 1856 in Montgomery County, Il. He
married (1) Maria Weigle 27 Jan 1825 in Hardy County, Va (now Grant County, W.Va.). She was
born in the same county on 14 Feb 1801 and died 23 June 1837 in Hardy County, Va. (now Grant
County, W.Va.) He next married (2) Elizabeth Borror on 24 May 1838 in Hardy County, Va. (now
Grant County, W.Va.). She was born 20 Oct 1813 in Hardy County, Va (now Grant County,
W.Va.), the daughter of John and Sidney (Ratliff) Borror. John Borror was the son of Charles
Borror and he was the son of Jacob and Barbara (Judy) Borror. Jacob Borror was born in
Battenberg, Germany and died in Hampshire County, Va (now Grant County, W.Va.). His wife
Barbara Tschudi/Judy was born in Sissach, Basel, Switzerland and she too died in Hardy County,
W.Va.
Children born to Christopher and Maria (Weigle) Armentrout were:
Henry C. (1825-1848)
William N. (1828-1848)
Mary Ann (1829-1848)
Elizabeth E. (1831-1870)
Cyrus J. (1832-1848)
Emily S. (1833-1845)
Adam C. (1835-1906)
Children born to Christopher and Elizabeth (Borror) Armentrout were:
Mahala J (1839-1868)
Infant son (1840-1840)
Sarah C. (1842-1932)
Daniel S.(1846-1856)
Infant son (1847-1848)
John T. (1849-1887)
George W. (1855-1934
Following Christopher's 2nd marriage, Christopher sold his Hardy Co. farm to his brother Daniel and
loading his seven small children and his new wife into a covered wagon, he set out for Illinois. He
bought a farm in in Montgomery County, Il along a creek in Section 17, which had a small log cabin
on it. He lived there for a number of years. In 1846, after digging a well out on the prarie and finding
good water, he bought 80 acres of school land from the State located in Section 16. Here he built a
2 story frame house and moving the cabin from the first farm, attached it to the new house for a
kitchen. All land deeds are on file in the Montgomery County Courthouse in Hillsboro, Il.
In the fall of 1848 four of Christopher's first family died from milksickness, caused by snake root that
was eaten by cows. When milk from the cows was ingested, it was fatal. Christopher died in 1856
and his will is on file in the same aforementioned courthouse in Hillsboro, Il. Christopher was laid to
rest in the Armentrout Family Cemetery located close to the original cabin. Elizabeth moved with her
daughter Sarah and her husband and died in 1903. She was buried in Pleasant Valley Cemetery
about midway between Chetopa and Oswego, Kansas.
John Taylor Armentrout, son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Borror) Armentrout was born 09 May
1849 in Montgomery County, Il. He married Rebecca Vermillion on 14 Sept 1871 in Montgomery
County, Il. Rebecca Vermillion was the daughter of James Strother Vermillion and his wife Elizabeth
Curnutt. James Srother Vermillion is buried in the St. John's Cemetery in Irving, Montgomery
County, Il, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Strother) Vermillion. Thomas' brother was John Wilson
Vermillion, aka "Texas Jack Vermillion", who rode with Wyatt Earp. Elizabeth Strother was the
daughter of James Starke Strother who married Elizabeth (Battle) Morton. James Starke Strother
served in the Revolutionary War with the 2nd Virginia Militia. John Armentrout died 27 October
1887 in Montgomery County, Il from milksickness. He was educated in the county schools and his
occupation was farming. He filled the offices of town clerk, tax collector and supervisor of Witt
township.
Their children were:
Clarence Lincoln Armentrout,
Elvirah V. Armentrout,
Augusta M. Armentrout,
Ida G. Armentrout,
Lee Armentrout,
Howard E. Armentrout.
Clarence Lincoln Armentrout was born 10 July 1872, son of John and Rebecca (Vermillion)
Armentrout. Clarence was born in Montgomery County, Il and married Ida Emma Towell, daughter
of Isaac and Elizabeth (Chapman) Towell on 16 August 1893 in Montgomery County, Il. Isaac
Thomas Towell and his father William M. Towell and William's sons John and William M Towell Jr,
all served in the Civil War, with Company A, 3rd Ill Cavalry. They all saw battle at Vicksburg,
Mississippi and their names are found inside the Illinois Memorial at Vicksburg Military Park in
Vicksburg, Mississippi. Both Isaac and William Towell and their respective wives are buried in
Montgomery County, Il, Isaac Towell at Bost Hill Cemetery near Fillmore, Il and William M. Towell
Sr., at Kirkland Cemetery near Walshville, Il. Clarence Armentrout died 03 July 1925 in Litchfield
Hospital in Montgomery County, Il, secondary to peritonitis after suffering a ruptured appendix. Mr.
Armentrout was a farmer, he also served for several years as Highway Commissioner, was Director
of the Witt First National Bank. Ida (Towell) Armentrout died 20 May 1954.
Clarence and Ida (Towell) Armentrout were parents of:
Inez (Armentrout) Cunningham,
Lester Armentrout,
John Thomas Armentrout,
Lethia Armentrout,
Dorothy Armentrout,
Velma Armentrout,
twins Chester and Lester died at birth.
Clarence and Ida (Towell) Armentrout are buried in Witt Cemetery in Montgomery County, Il.
John Thomas Armentrout, son of Clarence and Ida (Towell) Armentrout, was born 11 November
1898 in Montgomery County, Il. He married Myrtle Alice Eddington, daughter of Thomas and Sarah
Sophia (Eddington) Eddington. Thomas' parents were Charles and Rebecca (Lockyer) Eddington
and Sarah's parents were Samuel and Betsy (Browning) Eddington. Both Charles and Samuel were
brothers and were both born in Middlezoy, Somersetshire, England. Both Charles and Samuel were
sons of John and Anne (Gilliard) Eddington. John Eddington was the son of William and Elizabeth
(Mitchell) Eddington. William and John and their wives are buried in Holy Cross Churchyard in
Middlezoy, Somersetshire, England. Charles and Samuel Eddington are buried with their wives in
Woodburn Cemetery in Woodburn, Macoupin County, Il. Thomas and Sarah (Eddington) Eddington
are buried in the Irving Cemetery in Irving, Montgomery County, Il. John and Myrtle (Eddington)
Armentrout are buried in Witt Cemetery in Witt, Montgomery County, Il.
John Armentrout and his wife were farmers and lived most of their lives on the Armentrout
homestead, as had every generation, since it was settled by Christopher Armentrout. When they
retired, they moved into a small home in Irving, Il. This writer lived just a couple of blocks from John
and Myrtle and they would have their grandson Olin, my husband, Kenneth and Lester over to eat
almost every day, because you didn't tell grandma no! We all frequently came to grandma and
grandpa's side when duty called, as we all lived close by. Grandma John died on 27 October 1979,
after a short illness at Hillsboro Hospital in Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Il. Grandma Myrtle never
stopped grieving grandad's death, they were very close. On November 28, 1981, I was working in
my beauty shop, in our home in Irving, Montgomery County, Il, when I received a horrible sounding
phone call. The call was from Lester Clayton, Myrtle's grandson and my brother in law. Lester's
voice sounded very alarmed, I dropped the phone and ran on foot to grandma's house, which was
less than two blocks from mine. When I arrived Lester had grandma in his arms crying on the ground.
Lester quickly told me that her and John's dog, that had been their companion for many years had
died, so grandma called Lester and asked him to bury the dog. Lester told Grandma to stay inside,
as it was very cold, but grandma did what she wanted and their was no telling her different. Lester
said he turned around to ask grandma if the hole was deep enough and she had collapsed on the
ground. We both lifted grandmother onto a blanket, got her into the house and called an ambulance.
Grandma died 30 Nov. 1981. There was no doubt in any of our minds, that John died in 1979 and
now her lifelong companion and it was more than grandma's heart could bear.
John and Myrtle (Eddington) Armentrout were parents of: Lavonne Merle Armentrout born 1925.
Imogene Armentrout born 1930. Imogene married Robert Durbin on 20 Oct 1949, son of Walter
and Thelma (Rebman) Durbin. They presently reside in Witt, Il. Juanita Faye Armentrout born 1933.
Juanita married Ben Casebier on 01 April 1963 in Springfield, Il, the son of Ben and Essie (Harris)
Casebier. Uncle Ben Casebier died in September 1998, after suffering a heart attack, while attending
an auto show in Indiana. Ben was a big farmer and collected antique automobiles for a hobby. Some
35 or more at the time of his death. Ben and Juanita had no children.
The Armentrout homestead went out of the family when John Armentrout retired, as in keeping with
tradition, it would have to be left with a son and he had all daughters. John and Myrtle (Eddington)
Armentrout are buried in Witt Cemetery in Witt, Montgomery County, Il.
Lavonne Armentrout, daughter of John and Myrtle (Eddington) Armentrout, was born 1925 in
Montgomery County, Il. Lavonne married Dale Everett Clayton, son of Charles Leo and Suavilla
Isadora (Hulbert) Clayton. Charles Leo Clayton was the son of Charles Henry and Martha Elizabeth
(Bass) Clayton. Martha Bass was the 8th great grandaughter of Robin the Elder, Chief of the
Nansemond Nation. Her grandfather was Captain Nathaniel Basse, that landed at Isle of Wight
County, Va in 1607 with Captain John Smith. Nathaniel's son John would marry Elizabeth Keziah
Tucker, daughter of Robin the Elder, Chief of the Nansemond Nation. Charles Henry Clayton was
the son of Henry and Abigail (Chapman) Clayton. Henry was born in England and died when his only
child Charles Henry Clayton, was almost 2 years old, in 1878. Henry Clayton died in Oberlin, Ohio.
After Henry Clayton's death, Abigail would marry Dr. William H. Geddy. He served in the Civil War
with Company D, 178th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Dale and Lavonne (Armentrout) Clayton married
01 March 1945, while Dale was on leave from the US Navy during WW II. Dale served as a
Radarman 2nd Class aboard the carrier Nehenta Bay. In the Spring of 1945 they were on manuvers
in the China Sea and ran into a very nasty typhoon, which caused a great deal of damage to the
Nehenta Bay. So they were forced to dock in San Diego, California for repairs. Dale and Lavonne
were married at her parents home, which at that time was still the old Armentrout homestead. Dale
and Lavonne have been farmers all their lives, working side by side. Dale is 74 years old and still runs
a farmers market with vegetables he grows each summer, occassionally works 12 hr shifts at the FS
Elevator in Witt, Il. Dale and Lavonne have also become skilled wood workers, as every Christmas,
all nine children and grandchildren receive hand made items. The Christmas of 1998, they handed out
9 solid oak quilt racks and the Christmas before, made 9 solid cedar chests. The grandchildren
received this past Christmas, solid walnut shelves and solid walnut 11 x 17 frames. We cherish Dale
and Lavonne and the hard work they continue to practice every day. Lavonne also crochets and
knits beautiful dolls, dollies and blankets, as did her mother. Myrtle (Eddington) Armentrout used to
tat and she could make that shuttle fly. Dale and Lavonne are parents of nine children: Kenneth
Clayton, Merle Clayton, Olin Clayton, Anita (Clayton) Wahlsmith, Yvonne (Clayton) Hicks, James
Clayton, Lester Clayton, Gail (Clayton) Kessler, and Janice (Clayton) Volentine.
Olin Dale Clayton, son of Dale and Lavonne (Armentrout) Clayton was born 1951 in Hillsboro,
Montgomery County, Il. He married Barbara Hays (this writer), daughter of the late Dewey and
Florence (Altevogt) Hays. Olin and Barb (Hays) Clayton were married on 06 Aug 1976 at the Witt
Methodist Church in Witt, Montgomery County, Il. The church has been attended by generations of
Claytons and collateral families. Olin, Anita, Yvonne, Lester, Gail and Janice Clayton were all
married in the Witt Methodist Church. Olin was employed with Hillsboro Glass Factory in Schram
City, Il for 20 years. On Aug 21, 1997 the plant was bought by an Iranian born business man named
John Ghaznavi. In April he openly promised employees that they could buy homes, cars etc and their
jobs would be secure. On the night of the "Hillsboro Old Settler's Parade" an emergency meeting
was held with all three union heads in the plant and they were told, "the plant is closed". He had
bought 15 glass plants with the intention to close them to keep them from competing with other glass
plants he owned. We were notified by my wonderful brother in law Drury Emerson Jr., that
Bridgestone/Firestone Tire in Decatur, Il was hiring, as Drury was working their as a "millwright".
Olin was hired on 01 Oct 1997 with Bridgestone/Firestone Tire, not missing a days work. Olin's wife
Barb ran a Beauty Shop they named "Swirl N' Curl" in 1979 and she would work in the home until
1987, when she began attending St. John's School of Nursing and Springfield College in Illinois,
graduating Phi Theta Kappa in 1990 with a degree in Nursing. Barb has worked as a traveling RN
since then.
Olin and Barb (Hays) Clayton are parents of:
Belinda Suzanne Clayton born 1979 in Litchfield, Montgomery County, Il. Belinda is a full time
Communications Major at LLCC in Springfield, Il.
Andrew Olin Dale Clayton born 1980 in Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Il. Andrew is a Senior at
Raymond Lincolnwood High School, as of Feb. 1999.
This is an old Armentrout gun, if you can help the family identify the age or origin of it please contact the author: Barbara Elaine(Hays) Clayton