Jerome A. McCoy was born in 1858 in Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York. His mother Julia H. McCoy and his father William McCoy both were born in New York as well. He had four siblings: his older brother, James H McCoy, younger brother, William W. McCoy, and two younger sisters, Cordelia McCoy and Emma McCoy. He was documented as “Mulatto” indicating his mixed ancestry. He was also able to read, write, and speak English and was registered as a Republican. 
Jerome enlisted in the US Army for the first time on May 2, 1879 at the age of twenty-one. He would go on to serve as a Corporal for the next  forty years. Jerome spent around half of his time serving on the 25th Infantry Band and the other half on the 24th Infantry Band. He was also listed as a Class 1 Musician. By 1900, he was stationed in Tayug, Philippine Island, Military and Naval Forces. Six years prior, in October of 1894, his soon-to-be wife, Virginia “Jennie” Blackledge Clark, gave birth to his daughter, Gracie Clark, in Mobile, Alabama. She would later give birth to Jerome’s grandchildren, Grover Thompson and Wilhelmina Thompson, in 1911 and 1914 in Alabama. Five years later, Jerome retired from the military and was discharged on January 3, 1919. 
After his service, Jerome moved to Los Angeles and got married to Jennie on March 21, 1919. In one year, they owned a house in Watts, Los Angeles, where they lived with their two grandchildren. Jerome worked as a porter for a dry good store, which means he most likely assisted in carrying baggage and other loads. Jerome resided in Los Angeles, California until he passed away on August 27, 1927 at around sixty-nine years old.  
 
This biography was researched and written by students as part of the Digital Veterans Legacy Project at Loyola Marymount University, funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Cemetery Administration. 

JEROME A MCCOY

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