ODILLION B. HOBBS, MIDN, USN
Odillion Hobbs '61
Odillion Barrett Hobbs was admitted to the Naval Academy from New Hampshire on September 26, 1857 at age 16 years 0 months.
Loss
Odillion died on October 1, 1860 in Ipswich, Massachusetts of phthisis pulmonalis (tuberculosis) "while away on leave". He was an "Acting Midshipman" at the time.
The Register of Alumni gives no other information but lists him as a non-graduate (presumably because he died prior to graduation).
Other Information
He was born in Maine, but appointed to the Naval Academy from New Hampshire.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Odillion was born in Newfield, Maine, as his father John was in 1813. His father was a cotton broker, his mother was Lydia (Donnell), his brother was Vallorus, and his sisters were Vandelia and Annette. By 1850, they lived in Ipswich, Massachusetts. In 1857 Odillion began his studies at the Naval Academy.
Odillion had a few demerits at the Naval Academy for talking and being late. The one for December 30, 1859 was for “neglect of duty as supt of bldg. in not preventing snow balls from being thrown toward the bldgs.”
Odillion’s father John came to Ipswich to fill the position of superintendent of the old stone mill which was devoted to the manufacture of cotton fabrics. In the spring of 1861, John enlisted in the Union Army and organized two companies: the Massachusetts First Heavy Artillery and the Co. I, Twenty-third Massachusetts Infantry of which he was made captain. His son Vallorous, a sergeant in the 1st Regiment, Massachusetts, Heavy Artillery, became a seaman after the war. Odillion’s sister Vandalia became a teacher, and his sister Annette married Moses Knowlton Henderson, a gunner in the US Navy since 1861.
The family was together for the census on July 28, 1860. Odillion became ill and died there three weeks later on October 1. He was 18 years, 11 months, and 18 days old. During the Civil War, his father was a captain in charge of Company I, 23rd Regiment, Massachusetts. After suffering a head injury, he returned to Ipswich and bought a house at 6 Agawam. This is a historical house still known as Captain Hobbs’ house.
Spelling of First Name
- "Odilon" in the Navy Register of the United States for 1859.
- "Odillon" in one report of his death.
- "Odillen" in a different report.
- He is listed as "Odillion" in Memorial Hall.
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.
January 1858
January 1860
Memorial Hall Error
Illness is not a criteria for inclusion in Memorial Hall. Also, his rank should be "Acting Midshipman," which was distinct from "Midshipman" listed in Memorial Hall.
Odillion is one of 3 members of the Class of 1861 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.
