SOURCE: History of the upper peninsula of Michigan : containing a full account of its early settlement, its growth, development, and resources, an extended description of its iron and copper mines : also, accurate sketches of its counties, cities, towns, and villages ... biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers.
Collection: Michigan County Histories Pages 503

CAPT. GEORGE N. ARMSTRONG, lumberman, was born at Maysville, Me., January 1, 1831. He resided at Maysville until the age of sixteen, attending the public schools. Leaving school, he followed the sea for five years, and at the age of twenty-one entered the Brooklyn (New York) Academy, of which he was a member for three years. After finishing his studies at Brooklyn, Capt. Armstrong took command of the ship Marcellus, sailing from San Francisco to Calcutta, thence to Boston via London, Eng. He next took command of the ship Syreen, and was engaged in the merchant marine service of Boston, New York, San Francisco, and the East India ports for a period of five years, and was also engaged in the South Sea and Pacific trade until 1863. At the commencement of the war of the rebellion, Capt. Armstrong entered the United States naval service, and served until its close. In 1865, he entered the New York and San Francisco trade, carrying grain to London, and continued in it until 1878. During the year 1878, Capt. Armstrong sailed from New York, accompanied by his wife, daughter and adopted child, in the new and splendid ship Templar with a full crew, consisting of forty-two men all told. After a tempestuous voyage of one hundred days, during which the ship was disabled and dismasted, the Templar drifted helplessly into Rio Janeiro, at which place the vessel lay forty days, and underwent a thorough overhauling and repairs, during which time twenty-eight men died of yellow fever in one week; shipped a new crew at Rio Janeiro, and sailed in February, 1878, for San Francisco. The third day the vessel was at sea, yellow fever made its appearance, and every person on board was taken down with the dread disease, except his adopted child and two Chinamen. Two days later, Mrs. Armstrong, the chief officer and twelve of the crew died, and there were not well ones enough to bury the dead. The balance of -the crew partially recovered, together with his daughter, who had been twice carried on deck preparatory for burial, but fortunately the crew discovered signs of life, and she was again carried back, and, after laying insensible for seven days, she rallied, and soon recovered. During this time, the ship drifted helplessly at the mercy of the wind and waves, the crew being prostrate and Capt. Armstrong lying insensible. After her recovery, his daughter took command of the ship, and alone navigated it to San Francisco, around Cape Horn, where it came to anchor after being 361 days from Rio Janeiro. After arriving at San Francisco, the Board of Insurance Underwriters called a meeting, at which resolutions of a most praiseworthy character were passed, which were presented to her with a purse of $2,500 in gold for the accomplishment of a feat recorded of no other woman in the world, that of navigating a large ship over the perilous course of a voyage around Cape Horn with a disabled crew of seven men and the preservation of a number of human lives and a valuable ship and cargo. This was the last voyage made by Capt. Armstrong. In 1879, he returned to the East, where he remained until 1880, when he came to Florence County, and has since been engaged in lumbering and farming interests, settling near the town of Florence, Wis. His business gives employment to 100 men in the woods and seven on the farm.