Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day 2012

Today we remember all who have served in the Armed Forces to keep our country free.

Our family has many who served -

The most recent Kevin M. Mathews, my brother, in the 1970's in the Marines.

Before him in World War 11 were his father James R. Mathews who was in the Navy (1941-1945) out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn.
Two brothers of James, Thomas and William Mathews also served in WW11.
Thomas was in the Army and mustered out from Camp Upton in Yaphank, NY.  His brother William also served in the Army out of Fort Totten in Bayside, Queens, NY.  I am sure many of their cousins in the Mathews line also served in WW11.

The Mathews family came to America in the late 1860's and were not involved with the Civil War and were too old or too young to participate in WW1.

Our Moore family was in Mobile, Alabama at the time of the Civil War.  Horatio N. Moore was part of the British Brigade.  This company of foreigners policed the docks on Mobile Bay during the Civil War and didn't have any battles.

Another line in the Moore family, the grandfather of Thankful Foster Moore, Benjamin Foster of East Machias, Maine. was involved with The Battle of Machias (also known as the Battle of the Margaretta). It was the first naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War. It took place on June 11–12, 1775, in and around the port of Machias in what is now eastern Maine, and resulted in the capture by Patriot militia of a British schooner.

The Murphy family arrived here in the 1870's and didn't to my knowledge have any military members early on.  During WW1and WW11 grandfather Thomas was too old as shown in the draft cards.  His son, Thomas had insufficient eyesight to become a service man but spent his time during WW11 working in the Brooklyn Navy shipyard.

Remember all who served and gave their all for this country.