Photographs of Joseph and Katie's family from about 1914

Joseph's obituary appeared in the Johnstown Tribune on 3/8/1922, Page 5.

Served in Civil War and Helped to Build B. & O. Road to Johnstown

Joseph DeArmey, aged 78 years, a retired railroader, died at noon yesterday at the DeArmey home, 767 Coleman avenue, Seventeenth Ward, after a few days illness of pneumonia. Funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon, and will be in charge of the Rev. Warren Wilson, pastor of the Moxham United Brethren Church. Burial will be made in the Foustwell Cemetery. Six of the sons of the deceased will act as pallbearers.

The deceased was born in Blacklick, Indiana County, in 1844, but went to West Virginia late in the 50's or early in the 60's to work on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. For a long time he was a section hand on the Pittsburg Division between Connellsville and Pottsburg. Mr. DeArmey helped to build the Somerset & Cambria Branch of the B. & O. between Rockwood and this city early in the 80's. For a long time Mr. DeArmey made his home at Border before locating here some 22 years ago. At the time of his retirement he was a section foreman on the S. & C. Railroad. During the Civil War Mr. DeArmey served two enlistments in the First West Virginia Light Artillery, the first one in Battery B and the second in Battery E.

Joseph DeArmey is survived by his widow, Catherine (Livingston) DeArmey, to whom he was married at the David Livingston homestead 40 years ago; two daughters, seven sons and 20 grandchildren. The surviving sons and daughters are McClelland DeArmey, Windber; Charles DeArmey, Seventh Ward; Michael DeArmey, Eighth Ward; Harry DeArmey, Huntington; Dewey DeArmey, Moxham; Robert and Walter DeArmey, both at home; Mrs W. O. Wendle, Ferndale, and Mrs. Leo Sloan, Detroit Mich.

Joseph and Katie DeArmey grave site in Richland Cemetery

Notes:

1. Joseph's death certificate states that Joseph was born Aug. 14, 1844 in Indiana Co., PA, the son of "Peter Dearmey" and "Mary Ben" (who were both born in PA). and that he died at 757 Coleman Avenue, Johnstown PA on 3/7/1922 at 11:10 AM from lobar pneumonia.

2. Harrison Co. WV marriage records include the following two entries for Joseph's marriage to his first wife:
   • Nancy E Philips 20 (d.o. Nancy E) m Joseph D Armey age 21 (s.o. Peter & Mary) res of Lawrence Co. OH 1 Jun 1864, and,
   • Nancy Dearmy (W) 30 of Jackson Co OH, res Clarksburg(d.o.John & Lydia Phillips)m.Joseph Dearmy (W) 35 Armstrong Co PA, Res. Clarksburg (so Peter & Mary) 24 Mar 1879.
   There is no information why Joseph married Nancy twice. This information confirms the info on Joseph's death certificate that he was the son of Peter and Mary.
   Nancy successfully obtained an annullment of her marriage to Joseph in Taylor County, WV Circuit Court on July 31, 1884.

3. During the Civil War, Joseph served in the First West Virginia Light Artillery, Batteries B and E. Joseph's service record at the National Archives in Washington DC includes several interesting notes.

4. According to his pension request form of 4/25/1907, when Joseph enlisted on 10/5/1861, he was 5' 9-1/2" tall, fair complexion, blue eyes, light hair.

5. Joseph and Katie's marriage certificate and forms in Joseph's veteran's pension file state that they were married on 8/28/1884.

6. Joseph's and Catherine's (Katie Ann's) graves were moved from Foustwell Cemetery to the Richland Cemetery on Scalp Avenue in the Richland Township of Johnstown PA. According to records at the Richland Cemetery, the graves were moved on 6/23/1956 by their son Dewey. The cemetery records also indicate that Joseph DeArmey died on March 8, 1922 of "heart disease". .

7. The obituary lists their address as 767 Coleman Ave, Seventeenth Ward, but both the death certificate and the 1920 Census records indicate that the address was 757 Coleman Avenue.

8. The 1920 census indicates that at the time, Joseph (75) and Katie (52) lived in a rented house with four of their sons: Michael F. (30), Dewey (21), Robert (15) and Walter (13). According to this census, Joseph was a laborer who worked for the city, Michael was a mill hand at the steel mill, and Dewey was a machinist at a repair shop. The entry was in the 1920 Census for Pennsylvania, Cambria county, Johnstown city, Ward 17 (part of) Supervisor's District 297, Enumeration Disctrict 197, Sheet 10B, lines 79-84.

9. The 1870 West Virginia census lists a Joseph DeArmey living in Central Township in Doddridge County, WV on page 6, ID # WV56924039.

10. Katie, (March 18, 1867 - December 24, 1948), was 16 when their son McClellan was born. She was the daughter of David Livingston and Rachel Holsopple. The records at Richland Cemetery indicate that Katie died on 12/24/1948 of "acute myocardial infarction".

11. This is how Joseph signed his name: