Bunches of Bananas near Fisherman's Village - Belize
F.L.A.M. Smith first shipped when he was around 12 years old. Smith would work on merchant ships for 35 years. He was born in South Carolina but resided in Brooklyn, New York. He had a wife and two kids. Smith entered Sailors Snug Harbor on December 20, 1870, when he was 47 years old. At this time, his wife and kids resided in South Dennis, Massachusetts.
Smith’s last ship that he served on was the Schooner Telegraph in 1870. Smith was Captain of the ship Telegraph, which hailed from Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The ship would be bought in 1870 by Lorenzo Baker. Lorenzo was a sea captain who would originally ply his ship, bringing supplies and people to Venezuela for gold prospecting in June of 1870. On his return trip, he stopped at Port Antonio Jamaica, to put in for repairs, where Lorenzo secured a cargo of Bananas, which would lead to him becoming famous and prosperous.
Schooner Telegraph - Provincetown Independent
On May 16, 1871, Smith asked for a liberty of three months from Sailor Snug Harbor to sail to the West Indies. He then, in December of 1871, notified the Harbor that he would not be returning right away and instead was going to Mexico for the Winter. Smith would continue seeking liberties from Sailors Snug Harbor and serving on ships as Sailing Master, etc., until 1882, when he took his last voyage to Cuba (F.L.A.M. Smith Registers Page).
F.L.A.M. Smith would remain at the Harbor for 14 years, dying at the age of 61. He is buried in Plot 5 of the Sailors Snug Harbor Cemetery; see cemetery map.
