When the youthful John Robert Bond, a native of Liverpool, England and of African and Irish ancestry, volunteered to serve in the United States Navy in May 1863, he could not have predicted the brevity of his military career. Bond, having gained skills while working on fishing boats, enlisted in the navy both to serve his adopted country and to join the struggle against slavery. Less than a year later, in February 1864, he suffered a serious wound to his shoulder in a skirmish with the crew of a grounded blockade-runner. After a lengthy rehabilitation, he was discharged and granted a pension. Bond married and settled in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, a community well populated by African American veterans.
In 1999 James Robert Bond's great-granddaughter Adele Logan Alexander published the family's remarkable history Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846 - 1926. The book recalls Bond's story, just one of the thousands of stories played out on the many vessels and battlefields of the Civil War.
Exerpt from: Civil War Soldiers & Sailers System - NPS
--------------------------------------------
1900 Census - Hyde Park, MA
Name: John R Bond
Home in 1900: Hyde Park, Norfolk, Massachusetts
[Norfolk, Massachusetts]
Age: 55
Birth Date: May 1845
Birthplace: England
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1867
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Spouse's Name: Emma E Bond
Marriage Year: 1874
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 26
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
John R Bond 55
Emma E Bond 54
John P Bond 31
Lena E Bond 20
Mary E Bond 12
-------------------------------------------
John R. Bond
Personal Information
Place of Birth - Liverpool England
Age - 22
Complexion - Mulatto
Occupation - Sailor
Height - 5'8"
Naval Service
Place of Enlistment - New Bedford
Date of Enlistment - May 28, 1863
Term of Enlistment - 1
Rating - Seaman
Detailed Muster Records
Date Vessel
July 9, 1863 Cambridge
September 30, 1863 Cambridge
December 31, 1863 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Cambridge
(Date of birth taken from Naturalization records)
In 1999 James Robert Bond's great-granddaughter Adele Logan Alexander published the family's remarkable history Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846 - 1926. The book recalls Bond's story, just one of the thousands of stories played out on the many vessels and battlefields of the Civil War.
Exerpt from: Civil War Soldiers & Sailers System - NPS
--------------------------------------------
1900 Census - Hyde Park, MA
Name: John R Bond
Home in 1900: Hyde Park, Norfolk, Massachusetts
[Norfolk, Massachusetts]
Age: 55
Birth Date: May 1845
Birthplace: England
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1867
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Spouse's Name: Emma E Bond
Marriage Year: 1874
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 26
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
John R Bond 55
Emma E Bond 54
John P Bond 31
Lena E Bond 20
Mary E Bond 12
-------------------------------------------
John R. Bond
Personal Information
Place of Birth - Liverpool England
Age - 22
Complexion - Mulatto
Occupation - Sailor
Height - 5'8"
Naval Service
Place of Enlistment - New Bedford
Date of Enlistment - May 28, 1863
Term of Enlistment - 1
Rating - Seaman
Detailed Muster Records
Date Vessel
July 9, 1863 Cambridge
September 30, 1863 Cambridge
December 31, 1863 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Cambridge
(Date of birth taken from Naturalization records)
When the youthful John Robert Bond, a native of Liverpool, England and of African and Irish ancestry, volunteered to serve in the United States Navy in May 1863, he could not have predicted the brevity of his military career. Bond, having gained skills while working on fishing boats, enlisted in the navy both to serve his adopted country and to join the struggle against slavery. Less than a year later, in February 1864, he suffered a serious wound to his shoulder in a skirmish with the crew of a grounded blockade-runner. After a lengthy rehabilitation, he was discharged and granted a pension. Bond married and settled in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, a community well populated by African American veterans.
In 1999 James Robert Bond's great-granddaughter Adele Logan Alexander published the family's remarkable history Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846 - 1926. The book recalls Bond's story, just one of the thousands of stories played out on the many vessels and battlefields of the Civil War.
Exerpt from: Civil War Soldiers & Sailers System - NPS
--------------------------------------------
1900 Census - Hyde Park, MA
Name: John R Bond
Home in 1900: Hyde Park, Norfolk, Massachusetts
[Norfolk, Massachusetts]
Age: 55
Birth Date: May 1845
Birthplace: England
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1867
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Spouse's Name: Emma E Bond
Marriage Year: 1874
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 26
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
John R Bond 55
Emma E Bond 54
John P Bond 31
Lena E Bond 20
Mary E Bond 12
-------------------------------------------
John R. Bond
Personal Information
Place of Birth - Liverpool England
Age - 22
Complexion - Mulatto
Occupation - Sailor
Height - 5'8"
Naval Service
Place of Enlistment - New Bedford
Date of Enlistment - May 28, 1863
Term of Enlistment - 1
Rating - Seaman
Detailed Muster Records
Date Vessel
July 9, 1863 Cambridge
September 30, 1863 Cambridge
December 31, 1863 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Cambridge
(Date of birth taken from Naturalization records)
In 1999 James Robert Bond's great-granddaughter Adele Logan Alexander published the family's remarkable history Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846 - 1926. The book recalls Bond's story, just one of the thousands of stories played out on the many vessels and battlefields of the Civil War.
Exerpt from: Civil War Soldiers & Sailers System - NPS
--------------------------------------------
1900 Census - Hyde Park, MA
Name: John R Bond
Home in 1900: Hyde Park, Norfolk, Massachusetts
[Norfolk, Massachusetts]
Age: 55
Birth Date: May 1845
Birthplace: England
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1867
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Spouse's Name: Emma E Bond
Marriage Year: 1874
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 26
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
John R Bond 55
Emma E Bond 54
John P Bond 31
Lena E Bond 20
Mary E Bond 12
-------------------------------------------
John R. Bond
Personal Information
Place of Birth - Liverpool England
Age - 22
Complexion - Mulatto
Occupation - Sailor
Height - 5'8"
Naval Service
Place of Enlistment - New Bedford
Date of Enlistment - May 28, 1863
Term of Enlistment - 1
Rating - Seaman
Detailed Muster Records
Date Vessel
July 9, 1863 Cambridge
September 30, 1863 Cambridge
December 31, 1863 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Cambridge
March 31, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Release
June 30, 1864 Cambridge
(Date of birth taken from Naturalization records)
Inscription
US NAVY
