SOLOMON JACOBS: Young Patriot

My search for Solomon Jacobs' Revolutionary War records started almost 10 years ago. It has been a journey, literally and figuratively, delayed by career commitments, geographic distance, and the absence of official records, and limited by lack of research experience and understanding of the history of the Revolutionary War itself. Despite all this, the search has finally ended, and now I am pleased to share his story. For any modern day researcher, the challenges and rewards are numerous, and if you, perchance, are in the same predicament in finding records of your Revolutionary War patriot, be encouraged. Here's how my search started:

While investigating my paternal line, located in New Haven CT, I was fortunate to find a web page listing a group of New Haven men who fought in the Revolutionary War. I was elated to find my fourth generation great grandfather, Solomon Jacobs, listed with these brave souls; including five of his cousins, all in the Bartholomew Jacobs lineage. The list was published in 1924 by the Sons of the American Revolution in a book titled Revolutionary Characters of New Haven. I confidently printed and stored the web page in my file. This information, qualifying only as a secondary source, meant that pursuit of original documentation needed to begin.

Checking with the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, I discovered Solomon's name was absent from the "DAR Patriot Index." Disappointed but not deterred, I inquired at the National Archives for the presence of a pension application. Again, there was no record; things were beginning to look ominous. If his name was published in a book by the SAR, then surely there must be some documentation to support it, but why wasn't I finding corroborating evidence?

It was time to return to the original site to determine my next step, but as is the case with the Internet, web pages and entire sites are at times temporal. The Yale student who had kindly published the list had moved on; the site was no longer available.

But again, turning to the Internet, I was able to locate the book. It was available through the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, via their circulating library services. Several days later, book in hand, I was able to read the content of the material and determined that Solomon was actually from North Haven, located just east of New Haven, and, furthermore, the British attacked New Haven on July 4, 1779.

Now my search turned to acquiring history about the family itself, the history of the locality of North Haven, its role in the Revolutionary War, the physical location of where my family lived, where they were buried, and to answer the questions about whether they were affected by the attack. - Did they participate in this skirmish? Was Solomon involved? Did the Brits pass through North Haven because of its close proximity, or did the residents of North Haven engage them at New Haven?

Using resources available through the local Latter Day Saints Family History Library, I was able to obtain cemetery and land records. I learned that Solomon was buried at Montowese Cemetery, in North Haven. Since I wasn't able to find any modern day references to this cemetery via the internet, I wasn't able to readily determine its location. Using Mapquest.com, I was able to super-impose the rudimentary map made in 1934 (obtained from the microfilm) with today's city streets and determined that the cemetery's location is on present day Quinnipiac Avenue. Unfortunately, identifying where they lived was far more challenging. Early land documents are described only by property boundaries identified by names of one's neighbors or by physical land marks such a trees, rivers, and "highways" (an older term for roadway). Using a map that had been drawn in 1857 and working backwards through time, I was able to find the property based upon the relationships to owner's name taken from land records.

After months of research, I was now prepared for a visit and scheduled a trip principally to view the Quinnipiac River (where Solomon's great-grandfather Bartholomew Jacobs owned property in 1667), the New Haven Colony Society (NHCS), North Haven Historical Society (NHHS), and Montowese Cemetery. The New Haven Colony Society provided a copy of the record of one Solomon Jacobs, a sergeant whose regiment was raised May 6, 1775. A trip to NHHS yielded two resources, including excerpts from Sheldon B. Thorpe's Life and Times of Benjamin Trumbull and a book written by Thomas I. Pearsall titled North Haven in the Revolution. I was delighted to obtain such valuable resources. Venturing to the cemetery was the most rewarding experience: I found my ancestors, three generations, including Solomon and his wife, his father, and their son, along with their extended family members. Unlike his cousin Ezekiel Jacobs, Solomon's grave bore no Revolutionary War marker, again a troubling sign.

My return home and follow-up research revealed that I had been too hasty at the NHCS; the record I obtained of Solomon Jacobs of Putnam's regiment was from Windham, CT. The Solomon in my line was born July 1, 1759; therefore he was only 16 years old when Putnam's regiment was raised. The SAR references to Solomon of North Haven had to be from a later period in the war, and there was no relation to Sergeant Jacobs of Windham. This discovery meant that all references to Solomon Jacobs' of North Haven participation in the Revolutionary War are limited to local history.

During the second trip (four years later), my energies were directed solely to the references made from North Haven, my attention focused on the writings of Reverend Benjamin Trumbull, D.D. who served North Haven Congregational Church from 1760 to 1820. A scholarly fellow who wrote many works throughout his lifetime, Reverend Trumbull is noted for his prolific writings. He participated in the Revolution, joining contingents from North Haven in religious and physician's capacity as they were called to duty while defending present day Manhattan in 1776. His diaries detail daily life during the conflict. Upon his return, he was a primary force in garnering musters as needed to defend the Colony as the British parried the coastline. Trumbull wrote "All looked to the clergy for direction," as they were instrumental in communicating threat and raising the response needed to defend against British forces. The clergy spoke to the congregation, helping to raise men as needed. It was this type of communication that was probably the case in January 1777 when Reverend Trumbull called upon his congregation to assist in raising a muster to defend a possible attack at Rye, NY. This was known as the "the New York Alarm of 1777." General Samuel Parsons called an enlistment to defend eastern New York against the British in early January that year . Solomon was one of the recruits raised by Rev Trumbull on January 13th . They gathered and traveled to Fort Independence in Westchester County; the North Haven men reported to Lieutenant Gilbert and were sent to Mamaronek, NY, while others stayed at Rye, but the weather was inhospitable, and soldiers were released in a scattering manner beginning as early as February 1st. Solomon's discharge date was May 12th . Finally, I had uncovered the record of Solomon's service.

At the young age of 17, his youth bears no consequence. It is well-recorded that the early years of the war defending Boston and New York had tapped and strained the resources of many of Connecticut's "eligible" men. The war effort was now requiring even the old men "in their fifties" and the young, untrained farm boys - the greenest of American troops , whomever they could muster; General Washington was in a desperate state of affairs, trying to defend the colonies against a highly organized military. As was the case with many of the calls, the men came, they fought, and they left. They appeared where and when necessary and no more; they had farms and families to tend to. Typically January would have been during "winter quarters" where both foes would be seeking shelter during inhospitable weather, resuming battle once spring arrived. Whatever happened in Rye and Mamaronek quickly dissolved, the lads anxious to return home. As for Solomon, two other important events were awaiting him - the Brits would arrive much closer to home in the summer of 1779 - and a romance blossomed that same year; he was married in December. The defense in NY was short-lived; the two modern day mechanisms for determining someone's service (either a roll call or pension), do not list Solomon. Reverend Trumbull's records were not sent to Hartford, not officially recorded. Solomon didn't claim a pension, perhaps he couldn't have - he probably wasn't eligible for a short service. But for the notes in Trumbull's diary and the subsequent historian's notations, Solomon's service would have been forever lost.

In closing, a notation of Solomon's family: Twenty years later, his wife was widowed young with seven surviving children, Esther, her mother's namesake and the youngest, never knew him.

Solomon b. 1 July 1759 m. 30 Dec 1779 d. 7 Nov 1799, age 40
Wife: Esther, daughter of Lawrence and Elizabeth (Todd) Clinton
b. 5 Aug 1760 d. 14 May 1842, age 82. Married James Pierpont 15 Jun 1806 (buried with Solomon)
i. David, b. 6 Jan 1781 d. 17 Feb 1833 married Thirza Brockett
ii. Clinton, b. 13 Aug 1782 d 25 Dec 1836 age 54
iii. Solomon b. 9 Feb 1787 d 2 Aug 1825 age 48 married Betsey Barnes
iv. Hannah b. 6 Apr 1789 d 30 Dec 1794 age 6
v. Linus b. 1 Sep 1791 moved to Providence, RI in 1813
vi. Anson b. 27 Sep 1793 d 27 Feb 1874 age 80
vii. Silas b. 22 Mar 1796 drowned 1843 age 45
viii. Esther, b. 2 May 1800 d. 31 Jul 1828 age 28 married Wooden Barnes