*** Source: Thompson, Robert A., Historical and descriptive sketch of Sonoma County, California. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1877, 122 pgs. Notice: This data is donated to the Public Domain by TAG, 2004, and may be copied freely by anyone to anywhere. *** ---page 16--- the capitol of Monterey. He arrived at that place from Mazatlan, in the frigate Savannah. Five days after (on the 7th) he sent Captain Mervin and two hundred and fifty marines and seamen on shore; took possession of and raised the American flag on the capitol of Monterey. He was just in time, for the Collingwood,--the flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Sir George Seymour, of the British navy,--was speeding under full sail for the port of Monterey, with the purpose of taking possession of it in the name of his government. On the 10th of July Captain Montgomery, of the sloop-of-war Portsmouth, who had taken possession of the port of San Francisco, dispatched Lieutenant Revere with a detachment from his ship to Sonoma. Lieutenant Revere hauled down the banner of the bear, and raised in its stead the American flag, which then first swelled to the breeze in Sonoma county. This ended the con- quest as far as this portion of the State was concerned. Commodore Stockton succeeded Sloat, and the further progress of events has no special local interest. The town of Sonoma was garrisoned from that time until 1851,--a number of officers, since distinguished, having been stationed there. Among them, General Hooker, Lieutenant Derby and General Sherman. The first civil officer was one John Nash, who was commissioned by General Kearny as alcalde of Sonoma. Nash had a very exalted idea of the dignity of his office; assumed ministerial as well as judicial powers; signed himself “Chief Justice of California,” and having been removed by the military governor, he refused to recognize the authority and held on to the office. Lieutenant Sherman,-- now General Sherman,--captured him and took him before Governor Mason, at Monterey, who reprimanded and released him. This first civil officer of Sonoma,--“Chief Justice Nash” as he called himself, and “'Squire Nash” as his neighbors called him,--was a good natured, illiterate but honest man. When the rumors of gold reached Sonoma, 'Squire Nash was employed by a number of persons to go to the mines, take observations and report. This was in 1848; he returned with gold dust to the value of eight hundred and thirty- seven dollars. He then went to Morman Island with a party of Sonoma miners, and died there that winter. Ex-Governor Boggs succeeded Nash to the office of alcalde. The county remained under the control of military gov- ernors from its conquest in 1846 up to the fall of 1849. In June, 1849, General Riley, who had succeeded General Mason, issued a proclamation for the election of delegates to a general convention to form a State constitution, and for filling the offices of judge of the superior court, prefects and sub-prefects. These officers were to be voted for, and the success- ful candidate was to be appointed by General Riley. A first alcalde, or judge of the first instance, was also to be elected. The district of Sonoma included all the territory between the Sacramento river and the ocean, and Oregon and the bay of San Francisco. The election was held on the first day of August, and that was the first general election in the State. The delegates elected to the convention from Sonoma, were General Vallejo, Joel Walker, R. Semple. L. W. Boggs was also elected but did not attend. In August, General Riley issued appointments to Stephen Cooper as judge of the first district, and to C. P. Wilkins as prefect of the district of Sonoma. The convention to form a constitution for the future State of California, met in *** end ***