Once “known to every man, woman, and child on the coast,” Nathaniel Smith is believed to be the first Black resident of Mendocino County. He was born in Maryland in 1831. In the 1840 census, the Smith family are listed as “free colored persons” in Baltimore’s 3rd Ward neighborhood. In 1847, Nathaniel boarded the Rhone, forever leaving behind life in Maryland, where slavery was legal and free African Americans faced significant threats daily. The Rhone sailed around South America and arrived in Honolulu the following year, where the crew learned of the California Gold Rush and set sail again.
Nathaniel disembarked in the Bay Area in August 1848. He settled in Sausalito in Marin County, where he ran the first ferry between Sausalito and San Francisco. He owned the ship and charged a $16 fare. There is evidence that the Rhone’s captain, Benjamin Hill, settled in California as well. Hill’s estate papers mention Nathaniel for work he did for the captain in 1849.
In 1851, Nathaniel traveled north on a whaling ship, landing in Cuffey’s Cove, a bay 15 miles south of Mendocino and north of Elk. Here he met and married Caroline Calhassa Cherrepo, a Pomo woman, and they had four daughters, Frances, Emma, Emeline, and Sarah. In 1890, he remarried a Native woman named Julia, and they had two children, Emily and Albert. Nathaniel had many jobs, including hunter, fisherman, farmer, and ferry captain. He was regarded as the best shot on the coast and worked for lumber companies as a hunter and later as a teamster. In 1890, Nathaniel bought land in Comptche and farmed there.
Nathaniel continued to face discrimination on the coast. In the newspaper, his race was mentioned repeatedly, including the use of a slur assigned to him as a nickname. This name was repeated in his 1906 obituary and included on property tax records. Nathaniel couldn’t testify in court, and his children couldn’t attend school with white children. He couldn’t exercise his right to vote until the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified in 1870. Afterwards, Nathaniel registered to vote at least four times, showing his interest in politics.
Nathaniel passed in 1906, and his funeral was one of the largest ever held in Mendocino. He was remembered for his wit and good nature. His obituary stated that “no history of Mendocino County would be complete without some reference to him.” Nathaniel’s family continued to live on the coast, and his descendants have played a significant role in uncovering Nathaniel’s story today.
Kelley House Museum curator Averee McNear writes a weekly column on Mendocino County history for Mendocino Voice. To learn more, visit kelleyhousemuseum.org.