Robert Augustine Thompson (1832 - 1903)

Born 30 Nov 1832 in Culpeper, Virginia, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Page (West) Thompson — married 16 Apr 1861 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California

Died 3 Aug 1903 at age 70 in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Louise Yerkes [send private message]

Biography

Robert was born 30 November 1832 in Culpeper County, Virginia. His grandfather was Rev. John Thompson, rector of St. Mark’s in Culpeper County between 1720 and 1772. In 1852, he set out to cross the plains toward California settling on a farm in Vallejo township, Sonoma County. On 16 April 1861, Robert married Elizabeth Page West in San Francisco, California. According to the 1870 US Federal Census (3 District 10 Ward, San Francisco) Robert was a “dealer in coal.”

He held various public positions including the Chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. Robert associated himself with his two brothers: The Honorable Thomas L. Thompson, United States Minister to Brazil, and Frank P. Thompson, ex-printer for the State of California. Thomas was the editor for the Sonoma Democrat, a newspaper which held strong Civil War opinions. 1 Robert had some editorial control of the newspaper. According to stories captured by SantaRosaHistory.com, Robert, coming from the Confederate State of Virginia, fit right into the political-side of Santa Rosa.

Before the 1860 election, Thompson told readers that Lincoln was a bumbling fool who would soon cause the collapse of the Union and the county seemed to agree with him; overall, two out of three voted against Lincoln. In Santa Rosa he only got about half that many votes (18 percent).

Robert was elected the Sonoma County Clerk in 1877 (1880 Census, Santa Rosa, profession – County Clerk) and for the successive three terms. In 1885, President Grover Cleveland appointed him as the appraiser for the Port of San Francisco, holding that position during Cleveland’s term. 2 His name and title can be found in the San Francisco Directory beginning in 1886. 3

He wrote several local histories including: Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Sonoma County, California (1877), Central Sonoma : A Brief Description Of The Township And Town Of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California : Its Climate And Resources (1884), A Conquest of California Capture of Sonoma by Bear Flag (1896), The Russian Settlement in California known as Fort Ross (1896), and An History of Sonoma County, California (1889). In 1896, Robert was credited as Sonoma County’s first historian. 4

________________________________________

1 Santa Rosa History, A Far Away Outpost of Dixie, 1861. [santarosahistory.com/wordpress/category/1861/]

2 Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States, Volume 25, Page 95, United States. Congress. Senate 1901 - United States [1]

3 Langley's San Francisco directory for the year commencing .. Publication date 1886, Publisher San Francisco : Francis, Valentine & Co.,Volume 1886 Page 1140 [2]

4 Sonoma County Historical Society, Timeline, [3] date 1896

Sources

• Find A Grave Memorial #143379245 [4]

• 1880 Federal Census, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, 22 Jun 1880, page 32

• California, Biographical Index Cards, 1781-1990, Snow - Z [5]

• A History of St Mark's Parish, Culpeper County, Virginia: With Notes of Old ... By Philip Slaughter , Page 176 [6]

• Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper County, Virginia, R.T. Green, 1900 - Culpeper County (Va.) - 160 pages, Page 88 [7]

• Conquest of California: Capture of Sonoma by Bear Flag Men June 14, 1846, by Robert A. Thompson [8]

• Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Sonoma County, California, Robert Allan (sic) Thompson, L.H. Everts, 1877 - Sonoma County (Calif.) - 104 pages [9]

• The Russian Settlement in California Known as Fort Ross, Founded 1812, Abandoned 1841: Why the Russians Came and why They Left, Robert Allan (sic) Thompson, Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company, 1896 - Fort Ross (Calif.) - 34 pages [10]

• A Bibliography of the History of California and the Pacific West 1510-1906 by Robert Ernest Cowan, page 229, [11]

• The Petaluma Courier (Petaluma, Sonoma, CA), 11 Nov 1885, Wed, Page 2, Article Title: A Deserved Reward, appointment as appraiser.

• The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 19 Jun 1881, Sunday, Page 3, Article Title: Santa Rosa . . . Whipple-Thompson Wedding, Robert's older brother Thomas' daughter, May.

• The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 14 Apr 1888, Saturday, Page 8, Article Title: Appraiser Thompson. This is a political speech referring to Governor Cleveland and Senator Stanford who were both running for President.

• The San Francisco Call, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 17 Oct 1897, Sunday, Page 2, Article Title: Farmers' Institute Adjourns, Closing Session of a Highly Interesting Meeting. Robert A. Thompson attended this meeting with Luther Burbank.

• Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, (Petaluma, California), 16 Mar 1898, Wed, Page 2, Robert identifies himself with the Pioneer. a San Francisco paper.

• Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, (Petaluma, California), 19 Oct 1898, Wed, Page 2, Article Title: Democratic State Ticket with listing of Robert running for Secretary of State.

• The Petaluma Argus-Courier, (Petaluma, California), 20 Mar 1902, Thu, Page 1, Article Title: Robert A. Thompson Again Here to Boom the Town Again.

• Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, (Petaluma, California), 16 Jun 1903, Tue, Page 2, Article Title: Robert A. Thompson III, obituary.

• Oakland Tribune, (Oakland, California), 7 Aug 1903, Fri, Page 6, Article Title: Robert A. Thompson obituary.

• The Petaluma Argus-Courier, (Petaluma, California), 10 Aug 1903, Mon, Page 2, Article Title: In Honor of the Late Robert Thompson, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

• History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, by Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846- Publication date 1922, Pages 763-764, [12]