Almy Descendant No. 1408-626

175. JOHN JAY7 ALMY (Samuel6, Job5-4-3-2, William1),b. Newport, RI, 24 Apr 1815; d. 16 May 1895.

He m.(1) Washington, DC, 2 Feb 1854, SARAH ANN McLEAN GARDNER, b. Washington, 6 Jul 1827; d. Washington, 10 Dec 1871. He m.(2) New York, NY, 1 Aug 1878, ALIDA ARMSTRONG GARDNER, b. Washington, 14 Dec 1833; d. Washington, 27 May 1911. Both wives were daughters of Col. Charles K. and Ann Eliza Gardner.

Children by first marriage:

iCHARLES GARDNER8, b. Washington, 13 Dec 1854; d. 1903.
313iiWILLIAM ELLERY, b. Washington, 9 Nov 1856; d. San Juan, PR, 1901; m. MILDRED SELLERS of Philadelphia, PA.
iiiAUGUSTUS CRAVEN, b. Washington, 9 Nov 1856; d. Jun 1935.
ivANN ELIZA, b. Brooklyn, NY, 30 Aug 1861; m. Lt. JOHN T. HARRIS.
vSARAH GARDNER, b. Washington, 14 Dec 1870; m. Major HENRY BROOKS PRICE.

John Jay's wives were granddaughters of Thomas Gardner, Commander of the Wagon Brigade for Rochambeau's Army.

John Jay Almy entered the Navy as a midshipman in 1829, and rose through the successive grades to be commodore on 30 December 1869 and rear-admiral on 24 August 1873. He was retired in April 1877 after 46 years and eleven months of service. As midshipman and lieutenant he cruised all over the world in the old sailing Navy. He was at the surrender of William Walker, the American adventurer who in 1853 made the Mexican governor a prisoner and proclaimed a new regime in Lower California. He commanded the ship Fulton in the expedition to Paraguay, was at the siege of Vera Cruz and the capture of Tuxpan during the Mexican War. As commander, he had charge successively of the gunboats South Carolina, Connecticut, and Juniata. While in command of the Connecticut he captured four noted blockade-runners with valuable cargoes, and ran ashore and destroyed four others. As captain, he commanded the Juniata which was in the South Atlantic Squadron, until 1867. John Jay was then assigned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, then the Signal Corps, and after a cruise in the Pacific he was retired 24 April 1877.

Following is the John Jay Almy household in the 1880 Federal census for Washington, DC. John J. 65, b. RI; Alida G. 46, b. DC; Augustus C., son, b. DC; Annie E. 18, dau, b. NY; and Sarah G. 9, dau, b. DC.

Augustus C. Almy was included in the 1900 Federal census under Military and Naval. He was a Lieutenant at USFS, New York.


REFERENCES: APPLETONS p. 59; FAMILY RECORDS; FEDERAL CENSUS; KITCHEL GEN pp. 43-44; LAWTON p. 60.