Captain William Smith – Sonoma, CA - American Revolutionary War Veteran Graves on Waymarking.com

Mountain Cemetery
90 First St. West
Sonoma, CA 95476

Gravesite is located on the right side of stairs.

From a Sonoma Valley Sun Article 05/22/2008:

Smith was born Nov. 14, 1768 in Flowerdew Hundred, Va., one of the original James River plantations and today a national historical site. He died in Sonoma May 5, 1846 in the First Street East adobe of General Vallejo’s brother-in-law, Jacob P. Leese – ironically, about five weeks before the Bear Flag Revolt, when Sonoma was still part of Mexico.
What little is known of Smith’s life comes from letters and newspaper clippings gathered during an unsuccessful search for Smith’s exact gravesite by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Having joined the Virginia Navy at age 11, Smith served with his father in the ships Manly, Jefferson and Tarter and continued his seafaring after the Revolutionary War ended in 1783. Seven years later he had made 23 round-trip voyages to the West Indies before moving to Boston. He didn’t stay there very long, however; the next 20 years saw him making one China run and eight round-the-world voyages.
Smith reached the California coast in 1800. The next five years saw Smith engaged in trade between Hawaii and Southeast Asia, and by 1816 he was back in California as captain of the Albatross. Somewhere in the Pacific Northwest the Albatross became shipwrecked, and Smith lost everything – including his journals. He was eventually rescued, and returned briefly to Boston in 1819 before settling in California. Smith came to Sonoma in the 1840s.

References:
Cemetery Website: (visit link)
Sonoma Valley Times Article: (visit link)

Location type: Single Grave Date of Birth: 11/14/1768 Date of Death: 5/5/1846 Cause of death: Died Later Grave Marker Text: In Recognition of William Smith MATE of the HAZARD, Virginia Navy, and CAPTAIN of the ALBATROSS, Merchantman Born, Flowerdew Hundred, VA 14 November 1768 Died, Sonoma, CA 5 May 1846 Who served in the Colonial Navy in the Revolution. The only known American Revolutionary War Veteran Buried in California. Ranks: Mate & Captain in the Colonial Navy

Visit Instructions:

PLEASE NOTE: This category is for American Revolutionary War Veterans only. Veterans of other revolutions are not part of this category.

I have allowed one entry for a grave of British solders, but it was an exception. Please only list graves for Colonial soldiers.

Simply visit the locations. Please provide as much information as possible. Pictures would be a great addition.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/24/2015 NW_history_buff visited it