mail: Bill Thayer	Italiano	Help	Up	Home
This site is not affiliated with the US Military Academy.
USMA Home

 p14  William Mock
No. 879. Class of 1836.
Died, April 2, 1898, at Petaluma, Cal., aged 87.

Two sombre caskets precisely alike lay side by side all morning in the parlor of the Mock residence on Third street. One contained the aged wife and the other the faithful husband of forty years, who had passed away together on Saturday. This afternoon two black hearses proceeded side by side to Cypress Hill, followed by a large number of citizens, and in one grave the aged couple were tenderly laid away. Always together in life, they were not separated in death, and they silently sleep in one narrow home, to remain side by side for all eternity.

One set of pallbearers carried the caskets to the two hearses. That of Mr. Mock was deposited in the hearse first, closely followed by the casket containing his wife.

William Mock was a native of Davidson County, North Carolina, and was born March 24, 1811. At his home he received his primary education and lived upon the farm until he reached the age of twenty-one years. He then attended the Military Academy at West Point, from which institution he graduated in 1836. He then took part in the Florida War as Second Lieutenant, and was soon promoted to First Lieutenant and breveted Captain, serving in all five years, when he resigned and proceeded to Lafayette County, Missouri, where he followed farming. He also held the office of County Surveyor in the above county, but in 1849 resigned and emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox teams.

 p15  He arrived at Lassen, •two hundred miles above Sacramento, November 1st of the same year. he soon proceeded to the mines on Feather River, where he remained until 1853, when he came to this county and settled on the old Mock farm, comprising •one hundred and twenty-seven acres, located in Vallejo township, •about five miles from Petaluma. About ten years ago he removed to this city, where he has since resided.

Mr. Mock held the office of County Surveyor in this county in 1856‑7, and surveyed and established the present county line between Sonoma and Marin. He also held the office of Magistrate of Vallejo township, and made himself a useful man in the neighborhood where he resided. He married, May 25, 1858, Mrs. Mary B. Goodwin, widow of John T. Goodwin of this city. She preceded her husband across the river only a few hours, and her daughter is the only surviving member of the family.

From the Petaluma, Cal., Argus of April 4, 1898.​a

---

Thayer's Note:

a An expanded version of this obituary appeared in the evening edition of the same newspaper, same date; which, accompanied by a brief obituary in a competing Petaluma newspaper, is also onsite.

Images with borders lead to more information. The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.)
UP TO:	William Mock	History of West Point	American History	Home
A page or image on this site is in the public domain ONLY if its URL has a total of one *asterisk. If the URL has two **asterisks, the item is copyright someone else, and used by permission or fair use. If the URL has none the item is © Bill Thayer. See my copyright page for details and contact information.