[1] His mother died at the time of his birth, and so he went to live on his grandparents' estate in Williams Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and was largely raised by his uncle, Jacob Arndt.

[2] At age 18, he went to work with his father at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in milling, lumbering, and merchandising, including the construction of Durham boats intended for transportation on the Susquehanna River.

[2] After his father's death in 1804, Arndt took full control of the business and ran it successfully until the financial crisis after the conclusion of the War of 1812.

[2] After that setback, he began seeking new opportunities and went with a friend to survey western Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Indiana, and the Michigan Territory.

[2] His business ultimately ran afoul of the powerful American Fur Company, which necessitated his move west, in 1824, to what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Through his business interests, he was also important in several early commercial developments in neighboring regions along the coast of the Green Bay and the Fox River.

[2] While building his boats, he found it difficult to procure the right type of lumber, which led him to establish his own mill in 1827.

[1] At the time, the area was still Menominee territory and required special permission from the United States War Department.