Henry Solomon could be the son or grandson of Goodwin Solomon. I can't say, and there may never be proof of either. Simply through the process of elimination, however, he has to be one or the other. Bennett was deceased and William was thousands of miles away when Henry was born.
His first appearance in records is in the Ledgers of the mercantile store of Daniel Freeman.
In April of 1834, Henry made a .20 cent purchase of one Half of something. I'm sorry I really don't know what the symbol stands for that he bought half of. Listed right underneath him is Benjamin Marks. Benjamin bought a hat for $3.50. That was a really nice hat as $3.50 was a lot of money back then. I'm sure Henry and Ben knew each other and may have traveled together. Ben's sister, Tabitha, my 3rd Great Grandmother, married Rev. William Solomon, a relative of Henry's, either first cousin or first cousin once removed. On this date, Benjamin Marks, born about 1810, would have been about 24 and Henry, born in September of 1815, would have been 19.
Bennett Solomon Jr. was also making purchases during this dates, 1833 and 1834. He was obviously purchasing things for his wife, Nora Elizabeth Parker Solomon. We can know this was the Bennett born in 1797, because the older Bennett had passed away around 1818. As I have mentioned in other posts, Bennett Solomon, Jr. was not the son of Bennett Solomon, Sr. Bennett Sr's son Bennett II was born in 1812 and married Anna Carlyle Morton.
| Name | Henry Sollomon |
|---|---|
| Home in 1840 (City, County, State) | Warren, Tennessee |
| Free White Persons - Males - Under 5 | 1 Jesse (Infant to 1) |
| Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29 | 1 Henry (25) |
| Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19 | 1 Tabitha (19) |
| Persons Employed in Agriculture | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Under 20 | 2 |
| Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 | 1 |
| Total Free White Persons | 3 |
| Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves | 3 |
By 1840, Henry Solomon was in Warren County, Tennnesee. He no doubt traveled with Bennett Solomon Jr. Whether Bennett was his father or brother has yet to be determined. I am standing firmly on Team Brother at this point. There is an 18 year age difference. He may have also traveled with Benjamin Marks as Ben married Avie McGregor, a daughter of Ezekial McGregor, who was the brother of Rev. William Solomon's mother, Ava McGregor Solomon. Rev. Ezekial McGregor had migrated to Warren County decades before.
At this point Henry is 25, he is shown as the male 20 to 29. His wife is very young, between 15 and 19, her name was Tabitha and they have an infant son, whose name was Jesse, after her brother.
The Cunninghams
John Cunningham was born in 1748 in Meherrin, Lunenburg, Virginia. He was a Revolutionary War Patriot and served as a Private in the Virginia 7th Infantry. He married first to Mary Hill Pettypool and had two sons, James and William.
In 1782, at the age of 34, he married Keziah Chandler of Charlotte County, Virginia. He moved his family to Wilkes County, North Carolina. His first son, Langston, with Keziah Chandler, was born in Viginia. The remainder of his children were born in North Carolina. Those were Richard, Mary, Benjamin, Elizabeth, John, Rachel, Nancy and Martha. By 1820, he was in Warren County, Tennesee. He was in the 1840 census, too and died there in 1842.
His son John Burton Cunningham was much like his father. He served his country in the War of 1812.
The Dodsons
Jesse Dodson was born in 1752 in Virginia. Sometime in the early 1770's, he married his first cousin, Ruth. The family had joined the Holstons River Church in Hawkins County, Tennesee by 1785. They are later seen as members of Big Springs Baptist Church in Claiborne County. Claiborne was formed from Hawkins in 1801. Jesse was chosen as Pastor of this church in November of that year. Rev. Jesse Dodson traveled as minister of various Baptisit Churches during the next years, taking Ruth and their 12 children with them. He lived to be 91. Below is his obituary from Find-A - Grave.
The deceased was born in Halifax County, Va. His first settlement in Tennessee was in Claiborne County. From there he went to Middle Tennessee. In 1819 he came to the Hiwassee Purchase, making a settlement in McMinn County, a few months before the county was "erected." On the Eastanallee is a house still standing, I believe, built ninety-eight years ago by Jesse Dodson.
Soon after his settlement in the Hiwassee district he began pioneer work. He and seven others constituted themselves into the Eastanallee Church. He and Silas Witt organized New Hopewell. He and James Courtney founded the Hiwassee Church. Salem Church was organized by him and Richard Wilson, while he and John Short were co-founders of the Friendship Church. He was preacher to and pastor of these and other churches for many years.
He was of Welsh extraction and had the Welsh fire. He was not trained to methodical sermonizing or systematic exposition of Scripture, but was earnest and fervent in exhortation, and was successful in revivals.
His wife was Ruth Dodson, of the same family lineage of Dodson pastors. Together, Jesse and Ruth raised 12 children whom all followed in their faith.
He lived to preach and exhort sinners to repentance about sixty-one years, and on his 91st birthday died in the triumph of a living faith."
Soon after his settlement in the Hiwassee district he began pioneer work. He and seven others constituted themselves into the Eastanallee Church. He and Silas Witt organized New Hopewell. He and James Courtney founded the Hiwassee Church. Salem Church was organized by him and Richard Wilson, while he and John Short were co-founders of the Friendship Church. He was preacher to and pastor of these and other churches for many years.
He was of Welsh extraction and had the Welsh fire. He was not trained to methodical sermonizing or systematic exposition of Scripture, but was earnest and fervent in exhortation, and was successful in revivals.
His wife was Ruth Dodson, of the same family lineage of Dodson pastors. Together, Jesse and Ruth raised 12 children whom all followed in their faith.
He lived to preach and exhort sinners to repentance about sixty-one years, and on his 91st birthday died in the triumph of a living faith."
In 1793, the Holston River Church had 160 members. The 43rd Member of the church was John Cunningham. There were, of course, many Dodson's in this church. There seemed to be ongoing disputes between Thomas Dodson and his wife, Mary, the brother of Rev. Jesse Dodson and Nancy, the daughter of Jesse and Ruth. Eventually Nancy Dodson became Nancy Dodson Cunningham. John B. Cunningham and Nancy Dodson Cunningham had 5 children: Sarah, Jesse, Thomas, Elisha and Tabitha. Tabitha, born in 1820, would marry another Baptist, Henry Solomon.
The 1850 census finds Henry and Tabitha farming in Warren County. The size of their family has increased substantially. Henry is shown as 34 and Tabitha is 30, followed by Jesse A. 11, William 9, Laura A. 7, John C. 5, James E. 4 and Sarah E. 1. Also living with the is Tabitha's 77 year old mother, Nancy Dodson Cunningham. Other Dodson family members lived near them. The next page over held both McGregors and the famiy of Tabitha's Uncle, Elisha Cunningham.
Henry came from a line of migrants and he would not stay in Tennesee. By 1860, he is found in the town of Dolan in Cass County, Missouri. Two more sons had joined the fold, Samuel, who would be known as "Psalm" and an infant, who was named George Washinton Solomon. As before, Henry is listed as a farmer. He would not know what was to come.
During the Civil War, Missouri was certainly one State where it was brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. The Solomons would have fared better to have remained in Tennessee.
On the morning of September 17, 1861, there was was a envoy of the Missouri State Guard, that would become the 10th Missouri Calvary, camped on a bluff, near a branch of the Grand River for a recruitment campaign.
The men and boys were just arising at daybreak and many still in their tents when a Sentry arrived to warn them and their leader, a Colonel Irwin, that the Kansans were coming. The Missouri Guard were Confederates and the Kansans were Union troops.
The men in the camp took refuge in an area on the bluff that was covered in huge boulders that offered refuge and prepared for the raid.
Col. Hampton Johnson was leading the Kansans. The Infantry was being brought in on wagons. They were dropped off on the edge of town and were taking potshots at homes and buildings as they came through. They set up a Howitzer on Church Street at the highest point of the town, where they could see the camp and the tents. Another team skirted around the edge of town to come up behind the camp.
The Battle began and waged on for several hours. The Union Colonel received 9 wounds, any one of which could have been fatal. As things quieted down and twilight upon them, Col. Irwin led the Confederates out by following the channels of the river and they made their escape to Harrisonville.
A Col. Montgomery, second in command gathered a handful of prisoners, at least two of them boys, mere children, and took them outside of town, forcing them to dig their own graves. They were then blindfolded and placed on their knees at the edge of the pit and executed. The Kansans then set the town on fire, except for the hotel, as they planned to use it later. They established a camp at Morristown and named Camp Johnson for the fallen Colonel.
I don't know what the Solomons role or experience was in this event. I know the town was destroyed.
Between the Kansas Jayhawkers and the Missouri Bushwhakers, settlers of this part of Missouri were under constant alert and abuse for the next few years. On August 21, 1863, the town of Lawrenceburg come under attack. While on the search for Senator James H. Lane, a notorious Jayhawker and Union General, Quantrill's Raiders, a notorious and dangerous bunch, killed close to 200 men and boys in what was called the Lawrence Massacre. The Bushwackers took refuge in Cass County, the next day, August 22, 1863 and were exhausted and famished. It was reported that in 1860, 1312 lived in Dolan Township, where the Solomons were located. By 1863, many of them had left or been ran out already. On the 22nd Gen. Ewing and Senator Lane collaborated on an order that was one of the most controversial targeting civillians during the War. Called General Order Number 11, it demanded:
"All persons living in Jackson, Cass and Bates counties, Missouri and in that part of Vernon included in this district, except those living within one mile of the limits of Independence, Hickman's Mills, Pleasant Hill and Harrisonville and except those in that part of Kaw Township, Jackson County, north of Brush Creek and west of Big Blue, are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within fifteen days from the date hereof."
After the area was evacuated, homes were looted and burned to the ground and was called "The Burned District". If the Solomons hadn't left in 1861, they were forced to now.
1863 was the year of another tragedy in the Solomon family. Missouri was considered neutral and never formally ceded from the Union, yet many of it's been joined the Confederate cause. Henry and Tabitha's second son, William C. Solomon was one of those. William enlisted as a Private in Missouri's Co A, 12th Missouri Calvary. In February of 1863, it was noted that he "Left sick 20 miles from Batesville, Arkansas Jany 17, 1863".
Another report from Gratriot Street Prison, St Louis, MO stated that William Solomon of Marmaduke's Regiment was captured in Howell County, Missouri on February 1, 1863, recieved on Feb. 9, discharge on March 7, 1863, reason, "Died". We can know this is the correct William because another undated roll described him as six feet tall and from Cass County. It also noted that he served 5 months for Marmaduke and
"Left Deck at Rolla".
A report of the sick and wounded from Gratriot Street Hospital reported that he died of Thypoid Fever on March 8, 1863 in St. Louis, Mo.
Oldest son, Jesse Solomon, disappeared mysteriously. He may have moved to Kentucky.
Henry Solomon died on April 20, 1866. From what cause, I don't know, but I can't help but think the horrible circumstances and conditions of those years had a bearing upon it. He was only 51.
He was buried in Howard County, Missouri. Oddly, there was still property in his name in District 44, Cass County, in 1876.
In the 1870 census, Tabitha Cunningham Solomon is found with her sons James and George, living next to her son John, in Rose Hill, Johnson County, Missouri.
Johnson County was located right beside Cass in Missouri. Rose Hill sounds like a beautiful place and indeed, recieved its name in 1832 from the abundance of wild roses that grew over the hills. For the Solomons, however, it was refuge.
After Jesse (1839) and William (1841), in the children of Henry and Tabitha, came Laura A. Solomon in 1843.
She married Robert F. Marshall, probably around 1858, at a very young age, as she is seen as a 17 year old wife and mother in the 1860 census.
| Name | Laura A Marshal |
|---|---|
| Age | 17 |
| Birth Year | abt 1843 |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | White |
| Birth Place | Tennessee |
| Home in 1860 | Dolan, Cass, Missouri |
| Post Office | Morristown |
| Dwelling Number | 728 |
| Family Number | 728 |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Robt Marshal | 21 |
| Laura A Marshal | 17 |
| Sarah E Marshal | 1/12 |
After the removal, Robert and Laura Marshall followed Henry and Tabitha and the rest of the Solomons to Rose Hill in Johnson County, MO and are found there in 1870.
Eventually, they would put down roots in Kansas. They are found in Belleville, Chautauqua County Kansas in 1880.
Laura is still found there in the 1895 Kansas State census. She died four years later on August 5, 1899 and was buried in the Robert Marshall Family Cemetery, near their home. It's near the county line and in an abandoned pasture. There are 20 clearly marked stones. Despite being difficult to get to, a description of the cemetery said it appears to still be visited by family leaving flowers and a new quarter. All headstones bear the names of Marshalls.
Robert F. Marshall and Laura A. Solomon Marshall had 5 children, Robert L., Sarah E., Edwin H., Albert H., George W.
John C. Solomon, the 4th child, was born on December 31, 1845. He followed his parents to Rose Hill, Johnson County, Missouri and there he remained. In 1870, he married Sarah Sears Scott, daughter of James Brock and Jane Sears and young widow of Civil War casualty, Francis Marion Scott.
John and Sarah had two children, Iris N. Solomon and Angus Gracin Solomon. Iris, born in 1874, married furniture salesman, Austin Ball and they lived in various places including Meade, Kansas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Denver, Colorado and Durango, La Platta, Colorado, where she died in 1941. She also ran a boarding house to raise her 3 children after Austin left.
Angus Gracin Solomon, with the imposing name, was born in 1876. He married Mamie French and remained in Missouri, primarily in Rose Hill, Johnshon County. He raise 4 children and was a farmer. He was buried in Cass County.
John C. Solomon passed away on Jul 9, 1901 in Rose Hill. His wife followed in 1905.
James Edward Solomon, the5th child of Henry and Tabitha was born in 1846. He was born with fire under his feet and his tale deserves a better telling. He got the heck outta Missouri as fast as he could and never looked back. He first returned to Warren County, Tennesee, where he had been born, and married his cousin, Fatha, daughter of Willis Solomon. He later took off to the midwest, married another girl and had a large family living like the Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie.
Sarah E. Solomon, born in 1849, was the youngest daughter in the Solomon family. She is shown as a 1 year old in 1850 and as an 11 year old in 1860. She did not survive the melee in the war years of Missouri and died in Cass County at about 12 years old.
Psalm Hays "Sam" Solomon was born between 1847 and 1851. As he doesn't appear to have been born yet in 1850, I would think he was more accurately the 9 year old in the 1860 census and lied about his age to serve in the Civil War. P. H. Solomon was a Civil War veteran.
Psalm enlisted in 1863 in Thomasville, Missouri, born in Tennessee, blue -eyed and fair-haired, he was only 5 ft 6 inches tall. His brother, William, was 6 foot tall. He reported his age as 22, but he couldn't have been more than 16 at best and 13 at worst. At first this threw me off, and I thought it must have been some one else, but the pension he applied for as an older man corroborates the fact that it was Psalm.
He married Ardena Parmer Bones, aka "Deanie", aka "Annie", daughter of James and Margaret Harris Bones on June 5, 1870. On the 1870, the newlywed couple is seen living next to her parents in Rose Hill, Johnson County, Missouri.
| Name | P.H. Slomon |
|---|---|
| Age | 31 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1849 |
| Birthplace | Missouri |
| Home in 1880 | Precinct 5, Caldwell, Texas, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 121 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Self (Head) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | Ardenia Solomon |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | Tennessee |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| P.H. Slomon | 31 |
| Ardenia Solomon | 27 |
| James E. Solomon | 6 |
| Alma R. Solomon | 9/12 |
Soon afterwards, however, they make the move to Texas. 1880 finds them in Caldwell County, Texas, with two young sons, James and Alma. They will eventually move to the town of Kyle, Hays County, Texas, where they will put down roots.
| Name | Psalm H. Solomon |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Birth Date | Feb 1847 |
| Birth Place | Warren County, Tennessee, United States of America |
| Death Date | 17 Sep 1923 |
| Death Place | United States of America |
| Cemetery | Kyle Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Kyle, Hays County, Texas, United States of America |
| Has Bio? | Y |
| Spouse | Ardena Parmer Solomon |
| Children | James Edward Solomon; Clarence Gasley Solomon |
In 1900, Psalm is a brickmason, in 1910 he is a butcher, in 1920, he is a cook in his own restaurant. The march of time. Psalm passed away on September 17, 1923 at the age of 78. He was buried at The Kyle Cemetery in Kyle, Texas. Ardenia followed 9 years later in 1932.
The couple were the parents of 5 sons: James Edward "Eddie" Solomon, Alma Roy Solomon, Avril Hay "A.H." Solomon, Clarence Gasley Solomon, and Lewis L. Solomon.
George Washington Solomon was the 7th and last child of Henry and Tabitha Cunningham Solomon. Born June 8, 1860 in Freeman, Cass County, Missouri, he was but an infant when he parents fled to Rose Hill in Johnson County. Like his brother, John, George was rooted and had not inherited the wanderlust gene. In Johnston County he stayed and made his lifelong home in a place called Quick City.
| Name | J. C. Soloman |
|---|---|
| Age | 35 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1845 |
| Birthplace | Tennessee |
| Home in 1880 | Rose Hill, Johnson, Missouri, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 8 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Self (Head) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | Sarah S. Soloman |
| Father's Birthplace | Tennessee |
| Mother's Birthplace | Tennessee |
| Occupation | Farming |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Sarah S. Soloman | 44 |
| J. C. Soloman | 35 |
| George Soloman | 20 |
| Florance Scott | 17 |
| J. M. Soloman | 6 |
| Angus Soloman | 4 |
His mother died while he was a child so his raising was completed by his brother, John C. Solomon. The above family grouping shows Sarah Sears Scott Solomon, wife of John C., George, his little brother, Florence, Sarah's daughter by her first marriage, (she was a Civil War widow), and their two children together, Iris and Angus. (The "I" for Iris incorrectly transcribed as a "J").
In 1895, George married Malissa Ann beard, daughter of Archibald and Susan Anderson Beard, of Johnson County.
George and Malissa had two sons in rapid succession, Chalmer Beard Solomon in 1896 and Edgar Allen Solomon in 1897 and stopped there. It seems they purposely kept their family small.
Malissa's mother, Susan Beard, came to live with them unitl her death and then Edgar and his wife, Blanche, lived with them after their marriage. George and Malissa lived a quiet and unobtusive life on Rose Hill. George passed away at 66 of heart trouble in 1927, Malissa lived with her son Edgar until her passing in 1944. Both were buried at Bear Creek Cemetery in Rose Hill.
| Name | George W Solomon |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | 8 Jun 1860 |
| Birth Place | Freeman, Cass County, Missouri, United States of America |
| Death Date | 11 Mar 1927 |
| Death Place | Rose Hill, Johnson County, Missouri, United States of America |
| Cemetery | Bear Creek Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Holden, Johnson County, Missouri, United States of America |
While all the other descendants of Bennett Solomon, whether Bennett Sr., Bennett Jr., Bennett II or Bennett the son of Jordan, all had descendants named Bennett, whether William Bennett or Jason Bennett or Bennett Sandford, or just plain Bennett, Henry had no one son, grandson or great grandson named Bennett in any fashion. I don't believe Henry was the son of Bennett Jr., but his younger brother. Did they travel from Montgomery County, NC to Warren County, TN together? Most probably and probably accompained by Benjamin Marks among others. My theory, and remember, this is just a theory, is that both Bennett Jr. and Henry Solomon were the sons of Goodwin Solomon. I believe they left after his death in the later part of the 1830's.
