FRANCIS GREGORY, PASSED MIDN, USN

Francis Gregory '46

Date of birth: 1825

Age: ~26

Life & Loss

Francis died on February 27, 1852 at a naval hospital in in Norfolk, Virginia.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

From 1846 through 1848, Francis served on the Dale, the Mississippi, and the Pennsylvania. In 1849 he was on the Raritan, the Falmouth, and the Edith. On the latter ship, he was acting master and requested from the Boston Navy Yard: 11 colts, 30 carbines, 30 cutlasses, 30 pistols, and a 32 lb gun and cartridge. Unfortunately, the Edith grounded on August 24 and was lost.
In 1850 Francis was on the Preble, and in 1851, he was on the receiving ship North Carolina stationed in New York. He became ill in June and was allowed to go to Connecticut to recuperate. Feeling better, he was ordered to the Cyane in October, but the doctors reported him too sick for sea duty. Francis was sent to the Naval Hospital in Norfolk. He left the hospital in January but remained in Norfolk. He died the next month.
His parents were Rear Admiral Francis H. and Elizabeth Gregory. In 1853 his father was commander of the Navy Yard at Boston. His brothers were John who became an Indian agent, Hugh Mc. who served as a volunteer in the Union Navy during the Civil War, and Henry. His sisters were Elizabeth, Virginia, and Mary. The family lived in New Haven, Connecticut.

He was born in New York and appointed to the Naval Academy from Connecticut.

Career

From the Naval History and Heritage Command:

Midshipman, 23 May, 1840. Passed Midshipman, 11 July, 1846. Died 27 February, 1852.

Memorial Hall Error

Illness is not a criteria for inclusion in Memorial Hall. Also, in Memorial Hall his first name is given as "Frank;" in the in the 1850 Officer Register and at the Naval History and Heritage Command it is "Francis." Finally, he is listed as an Ensign; however, this rank did not exist until 1862. Should be Passed Midshipman.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.