Jesse Richmond, first class boy

[major bill]

I was involuntarily drafted (I missed a meeting and was thus volunteered due to my absence) to help honor people on a cemetery walk. I am to give a 5 minute talk about one Jesse Richmond or Richmound who mustered in April 1864 into to federal service on the U.S.S. General Lyon" as a first class boy. I am having trouble understand the rank first class boy. I still do not have anywhere near 5 minutes of information to present. Can anyone help? When he died in 1886 he was said to be about 70 years old and had been he claimed he was a slave for 45 years. Jesse is buried in Hawley cemetery.

 

[AndyHall]

"Boy" is an old rating in the Navy, usually (but not always, as in this case) applied to youngsters. It implies someone whose duties would likely be less physically demanding that Landsmen, Seamen or ABs.

From the NPS Soldiers and Sailors website:

Richmond , Jesse
Place of Birth:
Age: 45
Complexion: Black
Occupation: Slave
Height: 5' 10"
Place of Enlistment: Cairo
Date of Enlistment: Apr 23, 1864
Term of Enlistment: 1 [Year]
Rating: 1st Class Boy
Detailed Muster Records:
Date Vessel
Jun 30, 1864, Pinkney
Mar 31, 1865, Pinkney

 

[AndyHall]

It does appear that his widow collected a pension (No. 5539) after his death.

 

[AndyHall]

 

[AndyHall]

Major Bill, if you have time, I would encourage you to get hold of a copy of Bennett's Union Jacks, that gives a good overview of African American participation in the Navy during the war. That will help fill out Jesse Richmond's story a great deal, if you can talk about the experiences of men like him generally.

 

[major bill]

Thank you
AndyHall. I will see if I can get a copy of the book. I was not to happy to get drafted to do the walk, 3 of the other people were offices and there is plenty in the newspapers about them and one man started the local funeral home. I have been in his funeral home a dozen times. I do not plan on missing any more meetings and get volunteers again.

 

[mcfb50]

This looks like it's the source for the info Andy posted above. He's on the top line. I had to use the tools and reduce the brightness all the way down in order to read it.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-84SW-B3?i=29&wc=MJHJ-4WG:1041801602?cc=1825347&cc=1825347

No help on "first boy" but if this is him:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=44737131

Then I think this is his widow. She lived a long time after his death--dying in 1946 at age 99. She was listed at Mary C Richmond (widow Jessie) in several city directories.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=46421029&ref=acom

It might be worth mentioning that you can't always trust info on a headstone to be accurate. Sometimes it's just an error. Sometimes people from situations such as his truly didn't know their own age. And sometimes--for reasons unknown to us--people deliberately tweak their ages. I mention this because what caught my attention is that the years in the obit, headstone, and records aren't all in agreement.

On the naval record above he's listed as age 45, which would put his birth around 1819, and about 66ish when he died. That agrees with the 45 years in slavery and dying about age 70 as stated in the obit.

The few records I saw on him (1880 census, marriage record, city directory listings of widow) mostly had his name spelled as Jessie Richmond, and mostly listed him as born about 1830-32 in Alabama, which would have put him around 56ish when he died.

The 1880 census has him at age 48/abt 1832 in Alabama, and both parents born in Alabama. Farm laborer. Can't read or write.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB2-418?i=12&wc=QZ24-XJP:1589394748,1589406074,1589403849,1589395750?cc=1417683&cc=1417683

The marriage record in 1883 lists him as age 53, which agrees with the 1830 year of birth.

Here's the marriage record, entry #318.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-679Q-PR?i=307&wc=966W-82S:1041533502?cc=1452395&cc=1452395

I tried to find an obit for his widow to see if more info was there, but struck out.

 

[AndyHall]

Good sleuthing, @mcfb50 !

 

[major bill]

Wow Mcfb 50 this is great stuff. I will admit I am sill doing the other 4 people I have to give a talk on and have not yet started on Jesse. I can do much of the work at the State of Michigan Library, but the local library in Mason has indexed the local newspaper, but that library's genealogy room is open only 4 hours per week (well I can beg a key to the room is I ask real nice). You have added me a great deal.

These are the other men I am honoring:
1. Bridger General Ray E. Cotton World War One and Two. Full time National Guard during Korea as well. Michigan National Guard and Army 1914-1960.
2. his son Lt. Col. James P. Cotton, World War Two and Korea. Retired in 1970 so was in during the Vietnam war as well.
3. his bother Lieutenant Sam H. Cotton, World War Two.

I have done a fair amount of work on them already.

 

[JAGwinn]

Whomever has volunteered you for this has done you a great favor. With apologies to Wm. Shakespeare, "some men are born great, some men seek greatness and some men have greatness thrust upon them." Truly this shall enrich you.
John

 

[major bill]

It is not uncommon to get volunteer if you miss a meeting. I will not miss any more meetings even if I have to be carried in on a stretcher.

 

[mcfb50]

Major Bill, if you have time, I would encourage you to get hold of a copy of Bennett's Union Jacks, that gives a good overview of African American participation in the Navy during the war. That will help fill out Jesse Richmond's story a great deal, if you can talk about the experiences of men like him generally.

Also, you may be able to fill in with general information about the experiences of the crew. I checked the newspapers around his date of enlistment and from the news out of Cairo came up with the dispatch boat General Lyon.

There seem to be more than one Gen Lyon showing up in the searching. Is this the right one?

 

[donna]

Good luck on your talk. Looks like you have some great information.

 

[mcfb50]

Here's a hospital ticket with a listing of what were probably all his worldly goods.

These records were from the US Naval Hospital Tickets and Case Papers, 1825-1889, searchable here at Ancestry.
http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2999

 

[major bill]

Out of a book so low quality, but here is what they looked like. Fairly standard naval uniform.

 

[major bill]

Based on the information here, should 1st Class Boy Jesse Richmond be eligible for a veteran grave stone or perhaps a flag holder?