While on the hunt for more information on each of the (now) 60+ Marines who served in the various Polar expeditions through the 1940s and 1950s, I spent the morning looking at the service of Joseph J. Downey. This is a lesson in research, the things you find, and the people you meet doing this type of work (be aware, a little long but plenty of pictures!)
First, let me tell you about Downey--I first find him as part of Operation NANOOK, in July 1946 as a Technical Sergeant. My goal is to build a chronology of service so I can understand (maybe) why he was chosen for the operation -- what skills did he have that might have been useful? Or was he simply manpower.
To the muster rolls (via ancestry.com) I go. Just plug his name in, date (Jul 1946) and see what else pops up. As you can see, the page shows him as a Staff Sergeant in 1944--but not quite back far enough in time to really give you any info.
So, scroll down on the page and you find a much earlier date of 1937!
Now we're getting some where. The list also shows an enlistment date of 12 July 1940, and with the Nov 1937 date, it's likely this 1940 is a reenlistment date. A quick modification of the search parameters to 1940 vice 1946, and you find the July 1940 muster roll. It confirms this IS a reenlistment date.
So at this point, Downey is in China with the 4th Marines! He's a Corporal and in the QM. But there's that 1937 date in there, let's go back and change the search parameters and see if we can get earlier. Sure enough, we found a 1935 enlistment in the search results.
You keep repeating these steps until you find the initial date of enlistment. In theory this should work. Your only goal at this point is to find the initial entry into the Marine Corps; once you've done that, then you follow him forward month by month, year by year, unit by unit to build the chronology of service.
I was doing pretty good, I had him back to 1935 and another search showed another enlistment date of 7 June 1934. I thought I had him at his earliest enlistment date. However, when narrowing the search parameters again, I found another Joseph J. Downey who enlisted in 1929. But there was a gap between 1933 and 1934 in the search results. This could be a quirk of ancestry or it could be two different Joseph J. Downey's. It's not an uncommon name. The 7 June 1934 entry states "joined by enlistment" and not reenlistment.
Maybe it was two different Marines. But there is only one way to find out, go to the 1929 enlistment and follow that Marine forward in time. 28 December 1929, the alternate Downey (Downey-A) enlisted at Parris Island; if he had enlisted in Philadelphia, it might have confirmed they were the same man. However, forward we must go.
Downey-A goes on to serve at Quantico with the Maintenance Company of the 1st Regiment; while there he becomes an electrician (keep this in mind) and even some duty at Camp Rapidan (this is another story for another time). Through his years of service, he ends up in San Diego, Puget Sound, Pearl Harbor, and eventually Lakehurst where he's discharged on 27 September 1933 with "character excellent."
Still not sure if this is the same Downey, I start with the 7 June 1934 enlistment. Downey-B enlists with 3d Battalion, 19th Reserve Regiment in Philadelphia. Lakehurst and Philly aren't far apart, but still not really conclusive information if this is the same person. Downey-B leaves the reserves in 1935 to joint the regulars and stays in Philly. In May 1936, he's given temporary duty at Marine Barracks Lakehurst for duty "in connection with the landing of the airship HINDENBURG" which had crashed two days before.
I continue to follow Downey-B through his service; in October 1936 I got my first clue that these might be the same men. Downey-B joined Marine Barracks Norfolk and his duty was listed as electrician! Again, not concrete but still a possibility.
Keep following the muster rolls, Downey rises through the ranks, serves in China with the 4th Marines, returns to San Diego and joins the 2d Engineer Battalion, then the 18th Marines (Engineers) and then 2d Service Battalion. He participates in Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. In October 1945, he's a Technical Sergeant stationed with the Service Battalion at Quantico. Downey-B's service isn't over by a long shot.
For the next eight years, he participates in Operation NANOOK (where I first found him), serves in Guam, Yokosuka, Norfolk, and with 1st MAW in Korea before returning to the United States (MCAF Santa Ana) where he is discharged from active duty in July 1953, with a home address in Santa Ana (which I won't post but have down to the street level). His final rank was Master Sergeant, service number 225512.
I need more information to be sure these are the same Marine. If he enlisted in 1929, I figure he's 18/19/20 years old. So using ancestry to search with a birth year of 1911, I start trying to find the elusive Joseph J. Downey. The California Death Index on Ancestry has a Joseph J. Downey who died in 1960 who lived in San Diego; date of birth listed as 10 Dec 1910. This could be my guy, so using the exact dates, I narrow the search in ancestry.
And the results are what I was hoping for--veterans gravesite information that matches some of what we know about Downey-B!
In the results is also a "findagrave" entry--sometimes these have photos of the headstones which can be very helpful confirming what we know. This time, I was lucky--the headstone was photographed!
Master Sergeant Joseph John Downey (now I have a middle name!) and it does record WWII and Korea, which all matches. Also in the search results are the internment control form, which is a HUGE BOON because it confirms the service number as 225612. It's not a match to what I found, but that could be because I couldn't read the number clearly and wrote down what I saw--easily confirmed I was wrong and this IS Downey-B. But how do we confirm if Downey-A and B are the same Marine?
In the search results is the Pennsylvania WWII Compensation Application. Downey-B was from Pennsylvania so I click on it and begin reading it over. Line 8 shows the service number of 225612, confirming Downey-B and just above it is the confirmation--Line 7 shows the date and place applicant entered active service--PARRIS ISLAND, 28 December 1929! DOWNEY-A and B are the same Marine!
At this point, I have spent about 2 hours searching, guessing, theorizing, searching and finally victory. It doesn't always happen this way. Sometimes the names are just too common, or there's simply not enough information to go on.
The internment control form stated that his widow was to be buried with him; therefore, I went back to the "findagrave" page and see that her name is highlighted--clicking it I see the photo of the reverse of Downey's headstone. I smile at what I see.
CORPORAL Virginia M. Downey! He married a fellow Marine! I was giddy--where did they meet? When did they marry? What's her maiden name? More searching on ancestry was required. With the information I knew about Downey (middle name, date of birth and wife's first name), I searched the marriage records and found them!
They were married in DC! and there's her maiden name! Now I can... wait... what? Did they meet at Quantico!? Did they serve in the same unit?! Now, put her name in the muster roll search!!!
HUZZAH! Virginia enlisted 29 April 1944 in Pittsburgh, and after recruit training at Camp Lejeune, she was assigned to the Women's Reserve Battalion at Quantico with duty in the POST SERVICE BATTALION! They worked together in 1945!!!!
Virginia served until sometime in 1946 and was discharged as a Corporal. From her headstone, I see she died in 1999. I found her obituary as well, she never remarried. They were married for just under 11 years, and she never remarried. It doesn't appear that they had any children as none are listed in the obituary.
Research can lead you down many paths, but it can be very rewarding. The places they went, the people they met and the things they did, are now once again relived--both of these Marines live again because of this exercise. Maybe the few tips of my trade herein will help you in your research. Ancestry's power grows with each day as they add more materials to their collection. The only thing I have left to do with MSgt Downey is to obtain his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) from the National Archives in St Louis (when they reopen) as it will fill in gaps in what I found in the muster rolls, confirm awards/decorations and tell me if he retired or not (can't tell from the muster rolls this time). It will also confirm if he and Virginia had children.
Thanks for sticking it out with me on this one; I thought it might be helpful for you to see how I find what I do, and how analytical thinking and logic can play a role.
Master Sergeant Joseph John Downey and Corporal Virginia Marie Downey, you live again!
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