Clifford Williams Tombstone

sketchfab

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 4, 1866: “Clifford Williams, a coal-passer on board the man-of-war Suwanee, passed away on Monday, July 30, 1866. Buried on Tuesday in the Santa Cruz cemetery by officers and men of the steamer, with proper honors displayed.... The commander of the Suwanee demonstrated commendable compassion in putting in at this port to give Williams a Christian burial in a Christian cemetery, clearly proving that some ship captains retain feelings of humanity. A procession presented an impressive sight as they marched through the town on their solemn mission.... Williams was 25 years old when he passed away.” The Suwanee was a Union vessel commissioned in 1864. It set sail from Philadelphia early in 1865 and headed south along the East Coast to track down Confederate pirates. After traveling to the southernmost tip of South America, the ship sailed north along the Pacific coast before being wrecked off Vancouver Island's northwest corner, British Columbia, in 1868.