Solomon Mack (1732-1820)

Solomon Mack (1732–1820)

Solomon Mack, father of Lucy Mack Smith, grew up as an indentured servant, illiterate and uneducated in Christianity. At age 21, he joined the British army and served in the French and Indian War. At twenty-six he married a deacon's daughter. They had eight children, of whom Lucy was the youngest, and raised them in the wilderness of what would become New Hampshire. Solomon took the side of the colonists in the Revolution and with his older sons became a privateer. A series of injuries crippled him for the remainder of his life. Near the end of his life "God did appear for me and took me out of the horrible pit and mirey clay, and set my feet on the rock of Christ Jesus."

Born	September 15, 1732 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut Solomon (and therefore his daughter, Lucy) wrote that he was born in 1735, though the vital records of Lyme, Connecticut give the year 1732. It has been speculated that the man he was indentured to may have misrepresented Solomon's age in order to prolong his service. Joseph's New England, 162n10; Comprehensive 1:18n3.
Died	August 23, 1820 in Gilsum, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Father	Ebenezer Mack (1697–1777)
Mother	Hannah Huntley (1708–1792) md. April 30, 1728
Family	Lydia Gates (1732–1817) md. January 4, 1759 in East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut
		Jason (b. ca. 1760)
		Lovisa (b. ca. 1762)
		Lovina (ca. 1762–1788)
		Lydia (ca. 1764–1826)
		Stephen (1766–1826)
		Daniel Gates (b. ca. 1770)
		Solomon (1773–1851)
		Lucy (1775–1856)

Solomon's autobiography	In his old age, Solomon published A Narraitve of the Life of Solomon Mack (Windsor, Vermont) [1811], in which he wrote:	As to date of publication, see Joseph Smith's New England 161n3.
Family well-to-do Misfortunes lead to indenture	My parents had a large property, and lived in good style; from various misfortunes, and the more complicated evils attendant on the depravity of the sons of men, my parents became poor, and when I was four years old, the family, then consisting of five children, were obliged to disperse and throw themselves upon the mercy of an unfeeling and evil world.	Quoted in "Solomon Mack," 58:631. If he is calculating four years from birth he would have been 7, a more likely age for an indentured servant.
Treated poorly	I was bound out to a farmer in the neighborhood. As is too commonly the case, I was rather considered as a slave than a member of the family, and … I was treated by my master as his property and not as his fellow mortal; he taught me to work and was very careful that I should have little or no rest from labour. He never taught me to read or spoke to me at all on the subjct of religion.
Ungodly master	His whole attention was taken up on the pursuits of the good things of this world; wealth was his supreme object. I am afraid gold was his God …
Runs away, returns, finishes indenture Burns indentures	I lived with this man (whose name, for many reasons, I did not think proper to mention) until I was 21 years of age lacking 2 months, when a difficulty took place between me and my master, which terminated in our separation at that time. I, however, at his request returned and fulfiled the indenture; which in consequence of being frequently abused, I had found my indentures in my masters custody, and I burnt them.
Illiterate Not taught religion	My mistress was afraid of my commencing a suit against them, she took me aside and told me I was such a fool we could not learn you. I was totally ignorant of Divine Revelation; or any thing appertaining to the christian religion. I was never taught even the principles of common morality, and felt no obligation with regard to society. …
Enlists in British army	After fulfilling his indenture, Solomon enlisted in the British army, then engaged in the French and Indian War. He enlisted on September 10, 1755 and marched with other Connecticut volunteers to an area near the southern end of Lake George where the British had recently been defeated.	French and Indian War (1754–1763)
Lake Champlain, Lake George	The troops expected to attack the French fort at Crown Point farther north, on Lake Champlain, but instead were ordered to bivouac for the winter at Lake George. [For a map see http://www.historiclakes.org/explore/EXPLORE_LAKES.html]	Crown Point was accessible only by water and controlled critical waterways.
Re-enlists	Disappointed, many colonialists returned home, but Solomon re-enlisted on November 24.
Sick through the winter, spring, into summer	I had been out on a long scout, and I caught a bad cold and was taken sick, and remained so all the rest of the winter, and in the spring 1756, I was carried to Albany in a wagon, where I saw 5 men hung at one time. I remained sick the biggest part of the summer.	Quoted in "Solomon Mack," 58:632.
Purchases land in Lyme	Solomon returned to Lyme and in October 1756 purchased "one Certain Tract of Land and a Mansion House thereon thereon, in the Township of Lyme aforesaid."	Deed cited in "Solomon Mack," 58:632.
Freights supplies	In 1757 he again joined the army and shuttled supplies from Stillwater, New York to Fort Edward. On one occasion, returning to Stillwater
Bravado frightens Indians	when I got about half way I espied at about thirty rods distance, four Indians coming out of the woods with their tomma-hawks, scalping-knives and guns. I was alone, but about twenty rods behind me there was a man by the name of Webster. I saw no other way to save myself only to deceive them by strategem—I exclaimed like this—Rush on! rush on! Brave Boys, we'll have the Devils! we'll have the Devils. I had no other weapon but a staff; but I ran towards them and the other man appearing in sight, gave them a terrible fright, and I saw them no more, but I am bound to say the grass did not grow under my feet.	Quoted in "Solomon Mack," 58:632.
Hired man absconds with teams	Shortly thereafter he contracted small pox at Albany and hired a man to make the delivery for him, but the man sold his oxen and fled. After recovering from the pox, Solomon was obliged to purchase his own oxen, then returned to Lyme.
1758 a ttack on Fort Tigonderoga	In June of the next year, 1758, he joined fifteen thousand men determined to take Fort Tigonderoga. Approaching the fort, they were ambushed by the French. Lord Howe was killed. The next day, his successor, General Abercrombie foolishly ordered a frontal assault on the fort.
	… we marched to the breastworks and were obliged to retreat with the loss of five hundred killed and as many more wounded; but I escaped very narrowly by a musket ball passing under my chin, perhaps within half an inch of my neck. In this recontre I had no reflection only that I thought I had by my good luck escaped a narrow shot.	Quoted in "Solomon Mack," 58:665.
	After losing 1,944 killed, wounded, or missing in one assault, the British forces retreated to Lake George.
French and Indian attack	In August the French, under General Montcalm, counter-attacked.
	On the 13th day (of August) we got to Fort Ann. The centery came and told me that The enemy was all around us. Major Putnam led out the party, Majority. Rogers bro't up the rear; marched in an Indian path three quarters of a mile—the Indians lay in a half moon; Major Putnam went through their ranks; they fired upon us—Major Putnam was taken and tied to a tree, and an Indian would have killed him had it not been for a French Lieut. who rescued his life—the enemy rose like a cloud and fired a volley upon us, and my being in front brought me into the rear–I turned little to the right—the tomahawks and bullets flying around my ears like hail stones, and as I was running, I saw a great wind fall [of timber a] little forward, which seemed impossible for me or any other man to mount, but over I went, and as I ran I looked little one side, where I saw a man wounded, (the Indians close to him) who immediately, with my help, got into the circle. Gershom Bowley had nine bullets shot thro' his clothes and remained unhurt. Ensign Worcester had nine wounds, scalped and tomahawked, who lived and got well.	Fort Ann was an old abandonded fort. Quoted in Solomon Mack," 58:712. Bowley: Rowley
	The battle commenced in the morning and continued until 3 o'clock, when they left us. We gathered our dead and wounded up in a ring; there was half of our men killed and wounded and taken, we sent to Fort Edward for relief to help carry our wounded, it being 80 in number, we made biers to carry them, many of whom died on the passage, the distance being 14 miles.
Trip to Albany Return to Lyme, purchase land	Solomon made one more trip to Albany for supplies and delivered them to the troops, then returned home for the winter. He had saved enough to purchase eight more acres adjacent to the lot he had bought in 1756.
1759 marriage to Lydia Gates	Discharged from the army on November 18, Solomon married Lydia Gates on January 4, 1759. Lydia was the daughter of a Congregational deacon in East Haddam, and was a descendant of seven Mayflower passengers.	Mayflower passengers: Edward Fuller, wife and son Samuel; John Tilley, wife, and daughter Elizabeth; John Howland, who married Elizabeth Tilley. Solomon Mack," 58:713.
Additional land purchases	The following month Solomon purchased two small properties just north of his house and barn in Lyme; later, on April 6, 1761, he purchased 16 acres in Lyme and in the following month "an additional tract."	Quoted in "Solomon Mack," 58:714.
	In the spring of 1759 Solomon went to Crown Point, (New York),
Sets up army supply store at Crown Point Loses it due to lack of education	where I set up a sutler's shop which I kept two years, by means of a clerk I employed for that purpose, not knowing mysfelf how to write, or read, to any amount, what others had written, or printed. I lost my Clerk, and not being able properly to adjust accounts lost what I had accumulated by hard industry for several years, all for want of youthful education.	Quoted in Solomon Mack," 58:714. sutler: A person who follows an army and sells to the troops provisions and liquors. Noah Webster,
Buys 1,600 acres near Fort Anne	After leaving the army I accumulated, by industry, a handsome sum of silver and gold, within I purchased, in the town of Granville, sixteen hundred acres of land and paid for it on delivery of the deed, but besides I was to clear a small piece of land on each right and build a log house.	This purchase may have been through a land grant made to war veterans. It was in what would become Granville, just east of Fort Anne, where he had fought in 1758 and near what would become the Vermont border.
Omits Granville events, Marlow	Curiously, Solomon's Narraitve does not explain what became of the 1,600 acres, nor does it mention his move to what would become Marlow, New Hampshire, where he and Lydia had four children.
Lucy's "old document"	However, his youngest child, Lucy, writing her family's memoir in 1844–1845, claimed to have "an old document … written by my father in the 80 year of his age and from which I shall perhaps make a [....] number of extracts." The variations between Lucy's extracts and the Narraitve suggest she may have been working from a manuscript, perhaps an earlier draft of the published version.	Lucy's Book, 221.
1853 account of Granville episode	One extract that appears in the 1853 published version of Lucy's book (but not in the rough draft nor in Solomon's Narraitve) provides the following details Granville:
Buys Granville with military pay Stipulation for building log houses	Having received a large amount of money for my services in the army, and deeming it prudent to make an investment of the same in real estate, I contracted for the whole town of Granville, in the state of New York. On the execution of the deed, I paid all the money that was required in the stipulation, which stipulation also called for the building of a number of log houses.	Lucy's Book, 227–228.
Leg injury	I accordingly went to work to fulfil this part of the contract, but after laboring a short time, I had the misfortune to cut my leg, which subjected me, during that season, to the care of the physician.
Hires substitute, who absconds with funds Loses land	I hired a man to do the work, and [228] paid him advance, in order to fulfill my part of the contract; but he ran away with the money, without performing the labor, and the consequence, I lost the land altogether.
	Both the 1844–1845 rough draft and the 1853 published version report the move to Marlow and Solomon's tribute to Lydia. Quoting the rough draft:
1761 move to Marlow, N. H. Tribute to Lydia Mother as moral and religious teacher	In the course of 2 years I {was} /moved/ into the town of Marlow where we remained untill we had a family of 4 children at that time /Marlow was/ a desolate wilderness. there was but 4 families in 40 Miles then it was I learned to prize the talents [words struck out] and virtues of my wife As our children were wholely deprived of the priveledge of schools she took the chargs of their education which task she performed as none but mothers can /do,/ debared in their earliest years and in thier mothers first experience in some measure from intercourse with the world from their mother's percepts and example tooke deeper root in their infant minds and had a more lasting influence upon their future charecter than all the flowery eloquence of the pulpit surounded with its ordinary disadvantages could ever have done.	Lucy's Book, 228–229. For the sake of consistency, editorial markings are those of this website rather than tose used in Lucy's Book. On October 7, 1761 the township of Marlow was charatered to William Noyes and 63 others, including Solomon Mack and several relatives. "Solomon Mack," 58:714.
	Thus my older children became confirmed not habits of gentelness piety and reflection which were under these circumstances more easily [229] impressed upon the minds of those who came after them and I have often thought it would have been more difficult to have brought them into the channel {in} they were reared in had they not inherited much of the disposition of their excelent mother whose prayers and alms {our first son jason} came up dialy before that all seeing eye that rests upon all his works.
	Returning now to Solomon's Narraitve:
Nearly dies from leg injury	I then proceeded into the back country [Granville] to clear me a farm. Soon I began to work in the woods, but unfortunately cut my leg and lay under the Doctors care the whole season, which cost me a large sum and well nigh took my life. I underwent everything but death, but thought nothing of the hand that inflicted the chastisement.	Quoted in "Solomon Mack," 58:714.
Farmily arrives	My family arrived, and we were in the wilderness and could do no business.
Shipping incident	Previous to this, however, I freighted a vessel and went to New York, where I sold my cargo extremely high and returning was overtaken by a gale of wind, my vessel was much damaged; but we made shift and got to Long Island, and there we left the vessel.
	The sequence of events is uncertain. Did Solomon's shipping experience occur before he went into the back country to clear a farm, or after his injury but before his family arrived?
	Also unclear is what it was that cost Solomon "a large sum." Was it the fact that Solomon paid a man to clear the land and build the houses, that the man ran away with the funds and Solomon lost the land? or "the Doctors care the whole season?"



	In 1776 Solomon joined the revolutionary forces, serving first in the army; then, with sons Jason and Stephen, privateering in the Atlantic.
	At the end of the war, Solomon and the boys
	freighted a vessel for Liverpool. Selling both ship and cargo in this place we embarked on board captain Foster's vessel, which I afterwards purchased; but, in consequence of storms and wrecks, I was compelled to sell her, and was left completely destitue.














	To be continued …	Biography Home