Who is John Downey?

I first encountered John Downey living with my great great grandmother Hannah (Dealy) O’Sullivan in the 1900 census, at 180 Chelsea Street in Charlestown.  His relationship with her was stated as cousin. 

John came to America in 1865 and worked as a laborer before enlisting in the Army on 16 November 1869 in New York City.  He is recorded as 5’7” with grey eyes, dark hair and a fair complexion.  He signed up for a 5 year term and was assigned to Company F, 3^rd US Cavalry. 

The 3^rd U. S. Cavalry was organized in 1845 as the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen.  They fought in the Mexican American War and were later renamed the 3^rd Cavalry in 1861. 

Following the Civil War, the 3^rd Cavalry was tasked with securing the expanding American West during the escalating Indian Wars.  At the time of John’s service in 1869 and 1870 the regiment was transferred from the District of New Mexico to the rugged Arizona Territory.

Company F operated on the southwestern frontier during a time when conflicts with Apache and Yavapai bands were escalating.  The company was tasked with protecting trails, guarding remote outposts,  such as Camp Hualpai and Fort Whipple, and conducting scouting expeditions across vast, arid terrains.

Cavalry service in Arizona during this era was notoriously brutal.  Troops endured intense desert heat, freezing mountain nights, isolation, poor rations and relentless tracking duties, factors which could easily trigger long-term physical disability and cardiovascular strain.  On March 28, 1871 John received an official medical discharge.  While “in the field” near notoriously unhealthy Camp Grant, Arizona a military surgeon signed a certificate declaring John permanently disabled due to severe cardiovascular issues, specifically “progressive dilation” (an enlarged heart) and chronic bronchitis.

These men faced immense physical wear and tear.  “Progressive dilation” typically referred to an enlarged heart caused by chronic overexertion or an untreated illness, like the bronchitis noted in his file.   This diagnosis confirms that his physical breakdown was directly tied to the hardships of his enlistment.  His first stint in the Arizona Territory was an intense 16 months before his health collapsed near Camp Grant.

Although John was discharged from the Army, he was far too ill to survive the journey home.  He spent the spring of 1871 confined to the post hospital at Camp Pinal Arizona.  In September he was transferred to Camp Lowell, a larger military hospital near Tucson.  By October he was stable enough for light duties around the hospital as a convalescent patient.  In late November he was finally released to begin his long journey back to the northeast to recuperate with family.

John returned to the Northeast to recuperate and in 1873, as shown on his Indian Wars Pension card, he re-enlisted into Company F, 3^rd U. S. Cavalry.  At that time, he headed out to the Northern Plains for the Great Sioux War (1876-1877) against the Lakota and Cheyenne.  By 1873, the 3^rd Cavalry had shifted its headquarters out of the southwest desert and moved up to the Department of the Platte, covering Wyoming, Nebraska and the Dakota Territory.  Company F would have participated in some of the most famous campaigns in American military history including, The Black Hills Expedition (1874), the Great Sioux War (1876-77) and the Powder River Expedition.

John spent the years after his final discharge until his admission to the soldiers’ home as part of the widespread Irish diaspora.  Like many Irish immigrants he most likely returned to the Northeast, where he would have the support of family networks.  Charlestown in these years was one of the most tight-knit Irish enclaves in the United States.  The economy was anchored by the Navy Yard, the Boston & Maine railroad and the commercial docks.  Cousin Hannah’s house was directly across the street from the Navy Yard.  The 1900 census lists his occupation as a house painter, while the 1910 census lists laborer.  If his health permitted it, John could have found light work in these sectors.   House painting in the early 20^th century was taxing and hazardous work, involving heavy exposure to toxic fumes and lead-based paint.  Combined with his arduous cavalry service, this may have exacerbated his bronchitis and arterial disease.

On June 15, 1917 John applied for his Indian War Pension as an Indian Survivor under the Act of March 3, 1917 which expanded protections for frontier veterans.  This Act of Congress finally granted pensions to Indian War veterans based on age and length of service.  Just 5 months later he was admitted to the Soldiers’ Home at Togus on November 7, 1917.  This home was a lifelong safety net for volunteer soldiers.  The home’s doctors also noted arteriosclerosis, bronchitis and cardiac/vascular issues.  The Togus home in Chelsea, Kennebec County, Maine was the first National Asylum for Volunteer Soldiers opened in the United States. 

At the time of admission, the name and address of John’s nearest relative is listed as
“1^st Cousin Hannah O’Sullivan, 180 Chelsea St, Charlestown Mass”

But which Hannah?  Hannah O’Sullivan was the widow of Jeremiah O’Sullivan, but her mother was also Mary (Sullivan) Dealy, so she could be his first cousin through her mother.  Her daughter Hannah O’Sullivan was the daughter of Jeremiah and Hannah (Dealy)O’Sullivan, so she could also be his first cousin through her father.  Hannah Senior was born in 1832, John Downey in 1844 and Hannah Junior in 1861.

By the time John died on October 30, 1920 and made his final trip home, Hannah Senior had died.  Although John does have a Maine death certificate, because his body was shipped interstate a death certificate was also issued in Massachusetts.  The informant was Hannah O’Sullivan.  We know this is the younger Hannah, as she was the only one still living.  She listed John’s parents on the death certificate as John Downey and Catherine Sullivan.  But was Catherine the sister of Mary (Sullivan) Dealy or Jeremiah Sullivan?   Either Hannah could be his first cousin.

In accordance with his family’s wishes, John’s body is officially “sent to Charlestown,” Massachusetts.  John was buried on November 3 at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden after a funeral Mass at St Catherine’s Church in Charlestown. 

My grandfather, Jeremiah Sullivan, would have lived in the same house in Charlestown with John until he was about 5 years old.  He would have known John at least until his father died and they became estranged from his grandmother Hannah.  Did he stories about the American Southwest?  Did he think of John when he was sent to Texas with the New Hampshire National Guard in 1916?

Resources:

Register of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers at Togus, Maine

1870 United States Federal Census; Year: 1870; Census Place: Camp Grant, Pima, Arizona Territory; Roll: M593_46; Page: 30B

1900 United States Federal Census Year: 1900; Census Place: Boston Ward 3, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 5; Enumeration District: 1195; FHL microfilm: 1240676

1910 United States Federal Census Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 3, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_614; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 1297; FHL microfilm: 1374627

1920 United States Federal Census Year: 1920; Census Place: Augusta, Kennebec, Maine; Roll: T625_643; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 48

Arizona, U. S., Territorial Census Records, 1864-1882

Baptism, irishgenealogy.ie

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., List of Boston Residents, 1909-1972

Boston Evening Globe, Nov. 2, 1920, page 7

Charlestown Enterprise, Nov. 6, 1920

Massachusetts Death Certificate

Maine, Death Records, 1761-1922: Maine State Archives; Cultural Building, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0084; 1908-1922 Vital Records; Roll Number: 16

Massachusetts, U.S. City Directories

U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938

U.S., Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914

U.S., Returns from Military Posts, 1806-1916: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916; Microfilm Serial: M617; Microfilm Roll: 653

Index to Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926: Page 1 - Index to Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926 1873; Page 1 - Index to Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926 1949

Copyright Kathleen Sullivan 2026