JAMES H. SAWYERS, MIDN, USN
James Sawyers '70
James Henry Sawyers was admitted to the Naval Academy from Kentucky on September 24, 1866 at age 17 years 5 months.
Prior to the publication of the Lucky Bag in 1894, most portraits of officers and midshipmen of the Naval Academy were captured in yearly photo albums. The album for 1869 is available in the collections of the Naval Academy's Digital Collections.
Special thank you to historian Kathy Franz for identifying this resource and then extracting several dozen photographs for this site.
Prior to the publication of the Lucky Bag in 1894, most portraits of officers and midshipmen of the Naval Academy were captured in yearly photo albums. The album for 1869 is available in the collections of the Naval Academy's Digital Collections.
Special thank you to historian Kathy Franz for identifying this resource and then extracting several dozen photographs for this site.
Loss
James died on October 24, 1870 while at sea aboard USS Kansas of "remittent fever." A letter from his commanding officer to the Secretary of the Navy said that the disease was "in the line of duty." This finding was also on his death certificate, which was signed by the ship's paymaster and approved by the commanding officer.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
James’ father Thomas was a lawyer, and his mother was Louisa (Dobbs) who died on January 20, 1859. The couple had married on July 30, 1839. James’ sister Lucy was a schoolteacher who died in 1917. His other sister Glorrina married George Shadoan, and they had three daughters, Sarah, Minnie and Georgia, and they named their son James. Glorrina died in 1898.
James graduated June 6 and was in the 1870 census on July 15 with his parents, Thomas & Amanda, and sisters Lucy and Glorrina in Somerset District, Kentucky. He was 21 then, which puts his birthyear as 1849 (month would be April according to his webpage). He was born in Tennessee, but by Glorrina's birth 4 years later, they moved to Kentucky. Sadly, he died in October of that year.
Since January 1869, James’ father was almost totally blind and was partially paralyzed from a lesion on the spine. He was unable to work and thought his son James would provide his support. James spent the summer months of 1870 with his family. In September, James told James Kendrick that his father had enough provisions bought from the $150 sale of a horse, and that James could do more for his father and his sisters by staying in the Navy than by coming home. In October, James sent $20 in a letter to his father from the USS Kansas mailed at Old Point Comfort. He wrote that it was all he could spare but would send more next time he was paid.
Thomas had remarried a woman named Amanda Jane Nunnelley on December 29, 1859, but she left him in February 1871. Thomas applied for and received a pension based on James’ death.
He is buried in Florida.
Career
From the Naval History and Heritage Command:
Acting Midshipman, 24 September, 1866. Graduated June, 1870. Died 24 October, 1870.
Memorial Hall Error
Illness is not a criteria for inclusion in Memorial Hall.
James is one of 5 members of the Class of 1870 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
