THOMAS RONEY, LT, USN

Thomas Roney '47

Date of birth: ~1825

Age: 35

Loss

Thomas died on April 20, 1860 of "mental prostration" "off Kabenda, West Coast of Africa;" he was 35 years old. He had recently been placed in command of the steamship Sumpter.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In Majumba (aka Mayumba), West Africa, on March 18, 1860, Lieutenant Charles S. McDonough was suspended because of officer reports against him, and he asked to be put on furlough during his trial. Thomas took his place commanding the Sumter and died at Kabenda/Cabinda on April 20. He was buried with full military and masonic honors.
The following notice was written on May 7 off Majumba: The Officers of the U. S. S. Mohican and U. S. S. Sumpter assembled together this day, consequent upon the death of Lieut. THOMAS RONEY, U. S. N.: and Comdr. S. W. GODON having been called to the chair, the following resolutions were passed: Resolved, That we offer to the friends and relations of the deceased our heartfelt sympathy and condolence in their recent bereavement. Resolved, That in the death of Lieut. Roney the service has sustained the loss of one of its most faithful and devoted servants. The deceased dedicated his life to the Navy, brought to it high talents, great energy and a most unselfish devotion to his duties. As a messmate he won the affection and confidence of his brother officers by his warm-hearted and generous nature and by his many social virtues. It was with pain that we witnessed the grief and reluctance with which during the past few months, he has been forced to acknowledge that disease was depriving him of the ability to discharge the official duties which he has always performed with such pride and pleasure. Resolved, That in memory of the deceased we wear crape on the left arm for thirty days, and that we cause a suitable monument to be placed over his remains. Resolved, That a detailed account of the circumstances of the death of the deceased and of his place of burial, together with a copy of these resolutions, be sent to his friends and also to the Masonic Lodge of which he was a member. Signed, J. PEMBROKE JONES, LT., Secretary.
Thomas was on the Powhatan in 1858, and after two years, she came into Philadelphia on August 17, 1860. The newspaper reported that she visited more harbors on the China station than any flagship and had quite a narrow escape from total destruction when she grounded on May 27, 1859. She was repaired at Shanghai and had several deaths and court martials on board during her voyage. Even though the newspaper wrote Thomas was an officer on board, he was actually detached in Shanghai and came home to Rapidan Station, Virginia. He was next on the Alleghany, the Crusader and the Mohican before taking command of the Sumpter.
At the end of February 1850, Thomas was ordered to the Saranac, but in August, he requested the Bainbridge. Two months later, he was broke from an amount checked against him at the 4th Auditors office and an advance that he had already spent. He requested to be ordered to the mail steamer Georgia so he could get sea pay and get out of debt, but he remained on the Bainbridge through 1852. In May 1853, he requested an advance to join the John P. Kennedy. In June, he left the schooner Fennimore Cooper at Commander Ringgold’s request so he could testify at the trial of suspected slaver R. P. Brown. After the trial, Thomas wanted to rejoin Ringgold’s expedition, but having missed the ship and spending his advance to buy a lieutenant’s uniform, he now was without pay. On August 27, he reported to the Cyane at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but she had already sailed. She must have returned because he requested a transfer from her on September 23 to the St. Mary’s. In 1856 he lived at Orange Courthouse, Virginia, and while next serving on the Powhatan, he made an $80/month allotment.

He was appointed to the Naval Academy from Maryland. Thomas is buried in Kabenda, which is now in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Career

From the Naval History and Heritage Command:

Midshipman, 3 March, 1841. Passed Midshipman, 10 August, 1847. Master, 2 March, 1855. Lieutenant, 14 September, 1855. Died 20 April, 1860.

In 1845 he was aboard the ship Portsmouth in Norfolk, Virginia.

The August 16, 1860 edition of the New York Times carried a report mentioning him as aboard the side wheel steamer Powhatan (1850), which had just returned to Philadelphia after a cruise to China. Note this date is after his listed date of death (and nowhere near Africa).

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.