Armantrout - James H.
JAMES H. ARMENTROUT
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Source: Bowen, A.W. History of Montgomery County, Indiana
James H. Armantrout The subject of this sketch occupies a prominent place in the esteem of the people of the southern part of Montgomery county and is universally respected, for a business man, fair dealing is his watchword in all his transactions. Mr. Armantrout is one of the worthiest native sons of this county and is a scion of one of our highly honored pioneer families, members of which have figured more or less prominently in the affairs of the country for several generations, ever lending such aid as was their just due in furthering any movements having as their objects the general upbuilding of the county in a material, civic and moral way. They have not been neglectful of their duty in any of the avenues of life and they have long ranked among our best agriculturists and business men, being advocates of progressive methods in order to get the largest results from the minimum expenditure of labor. There is peculiar satisfaction in offering biographies of such people in a work of this nature, for they are true empire builders, coming from that class of world-circlers and trail-blazers, striving to push farther in all the new countries of the earth the outposts of civilization with all its accompanying enlightenment. James H. Armantrout, president of the Farmers State Bank at New Market, was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, on July 22, 1845. He is a son of Joseph and Eliza J. (Crane) Armantrout. The father was a native of Ohio where he spent his earlier years, coming, when a young man. in 1827, to Montgomery county, Indiana. He found here a wild an sparsely settled country, but he was impressed with its beauty and was sure it had a great future, so he decided to locate here and began work with a will, enduring the many hardships and privations that come to the lot of all frontiersmen. His father Fredrick Armantrout who served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war in 1776, also came here at that time, the family settling five miles south of what is now the thriving city of Crawfordsville. They cleared the land which they entered from the government and there became well established through their industry, and both the paternal grandfather and father of our subject spent the rest of their lives in this county successfully engaged in general agricultural pursuits. The former originally came from Germany, making the voyage from his native land to America in 1760, and he settled in Rockingham county, Virginia. Thus the name Armantrout has been a household word throughout the locality of which this history deals from the earliest pioneer days to the present time and no family is more eligible for representation within the pages of this book than this one. The family of Joseph Armantrout consisted of the following children: Lydia and John M., both deceased; James H., subject of this sketch; Harvey J., William, Anna and Flora. The father of the above named children was married three times, and the children enumerated in the preceding paragraph were by his different wives. James H. Armantrout grew to manhood on the home farm and there he assisted with the general work when a boy. He received a good common school education, and on May 2, 1878 he was united in marriage to Sarah C. Childers, daughter of John J. and Margaret (Ross) Childers, both natives of Kentucky, from which state they came to Montgomery county in 1850 and established the permanent home of the family, since which time they have been well known and highly respected. Here their daughter, Sarah C., grew to womanhood and received her education. Two children have been born to our subject and wife, namely: Albert H. lives in New Market; and Mary E. who married William Swindles, lives in New Market also. Mr. Armantrout launched out into a business career when a young man and he has met with exceptional success all along the line. He was for a period of ten years president of the local telephone company. - typed by kbz