Your affectionate cous.
Josiah B. Solomon

 P.S.  My grandfather settled in the Isle of Wight Co., Va., when he immigrated to America.  I do not know when he came over.  Have heard there were 3 or 4 brothers who came over at the same time.  Have not knowledge of them or their descendants.  Some years before my father’s death (June1852) he told me that some wealthy maiden ladies had died in Va. and willed their property to their relatives in NC.  He, my father, proposed to some of the relations to employ counsel and look into it.  But they were unwilling to risk their money in the matter so it was never looked into.  What the relation of these old ladies to us, if any-- we never knew. My father was a member of the quarterly court for years before his death and at the time.

I am in my 76th year.                             J.B.S.

A PARTIAL RECORD OF THE SOLOMON FAMILY AS KNOWN TO ME, JOSIAH BRIDGES SOLOMON, SON OF JEREMIAH AND ELIZABETH SOLOMON

William and Diana Solomon immigrated to America sometime previous to the American
Revolution, and settled in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia. When the British Army got possession of Eastern Virginia, they moved and settled in Franklin County, North Carolina.

Their children were: Luke, William, Goodwin, Bennett, Jordan, Elizabeth, Sallie, Jane, and Jeremiah. Note: I never knew any of these except Uncle Luke and Aunt Sallie and Jane. The other children married and moved west, and mail facilities being few and uncertain, the families became unknown to each other. 

            Franklin County was then a part of Bute County.

            Elizabeth Solomon, daughter of William and Diana Solomon, married William Judd, and they raised a family in N.C. Their grandson, William J. Judd married the youngest daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Solomon.

            Luke Solomon married his 1st cousin, Miss Mary Gordon of Franklin Co., N.C. I do not know of any living descendant. Their children were: Burchat, Abby, William and Jordan.

            Sallie Solomon married a distant relative, William Solomon. They had two children, Diana and Lucy. Diana never married. Lucy married a Mr. -------- and they moved west. Do not know anything of them.

            Jane Solomon married Guilford Lewis of Franklin County, North Carolina. Their
children were:

William A. Lewis, Benjamin B. Lewis, Mary D. Lewis, Augustus M. Lewis, Mara J. Lewis, Martha A. Lewis, Martha A. Lewis, and Robert G. Lewis.

            William Solomon, the head or progenitor of the family in America had married previous to his immigration into America, Miss Diana Gordon, of the Clan Gordon of Scotland, who was the mother of the family named on page --. The dates of their birth, removal to America, marriage and death are all unknown to me, and the family record was destroyed by fire, and if there is any member of the family living who has a copy of the record, I do not know who or where he or she is. The Register was afterward destroyed in the fire which burned down the old family residence and nearly everything it contained.

            William Solomon and his wife Diana Solomon  (nee Gordon) emigrated from Great Britain, settled first in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia sometime early in 18th Century, previous to the War of the Revolution, but the precise year is unknown to me. Several brothers came with them and at least one of her brothers (i.e. Mrs. Solomon's brothers). They settled in what is now Franklin County, N.C., then a part of Bute Co. (Bute Court House was a few miles south of the present county seat of Warren Co., Warrenton of the present. The County of Bute was divided into several counties of which Franklin is one.)

William Solomon settled on a farm 5 miles north of the site of the present county seat, Louisburg, and a little west of the road leading from Louisburg to Warrenton. On this farm, his large family of children was raised.

He and his wife were devout Christians; members of the Baptist Church who worshipped first at a place called Crocker's Meeting House. Afterwards at what was known as the Haywood's Meeting House in honor of Judge John Haywood who donated the land ( I think two and one-half acres on which the meeting house was built, just off the Warrenton Road, on the Hayesville Road. The church has again moved about 2 miles out on the Warrenton Road and is now called Corinth, I think. This church has an interesting history. Many ministers of influence have gone out from it to win souls to Christ. I devoutly wish its history could be written. William Solomon was a deacon and the clerk of this church for many years before his death, and up to that event. Three of his sons were ministers of the gospel, viz: Jordan, Bennett, and Goodwin, I think were the 3 ministers. (What the author doesn't know is that Jordan and Bennett went to Tennessee and both were practicing ministers; Bennett was in McMinville, Warren County, Tennessee, while Jordan was first in Franklin in 1806 and then in Fayetteville, Lincoln County, Tennessee, where he lived for many years. JMW) He died in the early years of the nineteenth century, an old man ready for the grim reaper- death.

            It was related to my Aunt Jane, who was next to the youngest child, that when exhausted by age and disease, so that he could not get off his bed, he requested his attendants to lift him off his bed and place him on his knees. They did so and he lifted his feeble voice in prayer for his children, and granchildren, and his descendants, that they might be true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the latest generation. Having finished his prayer, and at his request having been again placed on his bed, he soon breathed his last and went home to be with his beloved Lord. From my aunt's description, the scene must have been solemn and touching to a very high degree.

            It is useless to say that such a man would stand high in the esteem of those who knew him. He died as he had lived, without blemish on his moral and religious character, or of a social nature.

            His wife, my grandmother, survived him several years. My father, Jeremiah Solomon, inherited the homestead and took care of his mother while she lived. She exhibited the sterling qualities for which Scotch nations are notorious, aiding her husband in rearing and training her children to habits of industry and piety. Hence, insubordination was unknown in the family. The household was taught to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.

            All of the sons of William and Diana Solomon left their native county and went west except Luke and Jeremiah. William (the son) settled in Tennessee while the state was a wilderness inhabited by wild beasts and Indians. Mail facilities were very different from what they are now. I (born in 1824) can remember when it would take a letter about a month to go from Memphis, Tennessee to Louisburg, North Carolina and the postage on the letter would be 25 cents, payable at the office of delivery. Besides the length of time it required to transmit mail matter, and the costs in money to pay for it, there was, then as now, danger of mail robberies, delays and losses from swollen streams, breakdowns on account of bad roads, and the clumsy construction of the old stage coaches. For these reasons, the members of the family thus separated would inevitably soon lose sight of each other. This result followed in respect to my uncles on my father's side. They were soon lost to each other, so that I can give no account of them

 Jeremiah Solomon 

      Jeremiah Solomon, the youngest child of William and Diane Solomon, was born in
Franklin County, N.C. January 30th, 1790 A. D.  He was raised on a farm and educated in neighborhood schools, received the best education such schools afforded in that day, a good practical business education.  He grew to manhood amid the rural scenes of his farm-house, away from the corrupting association of city life, and after the death of his father managed the farm and took care of his aged mother as long as she lived, caring for her as a loving son .

       By my grandfather's will, my father, Jeremiah Solomon, inherited the old homestead and farm.  I do not remember the date of my grandmother's (Diane Solomon's) death, and, as stated elsewhere, the register that we had was consumed when the residence in which my parents had reared their children was destroyed by fire, some years before my mother's death (1884)

       To this house he brought his young wife, my mother, upon their marriage, March 4th, 1818.  She was not quiet 18 years old when she was married.  On this farm they lived until 1833, when, finding that he needed more land than the paternal farm contained for the support of his growing family, he sold the old farm, where sleep the dust of his parents and other members of his family, to Dr. Wood T. Johnson, and bought the farm about 6 miles north of the old house, on which he raised his family of children and on which he died June 18th, 1852.

       He, Jeremiah Solomon, my father, was in all respects a model man.  He and my mother, Elizabeth Solomon, made a profession of religion and joined the Baptist Church
worshiping at Haywood's Meeting House, I think in 1829- I can hardly remember the fact.  They were both baptized at the same hour by that grand and Godly man, Rev. Thomas Crocker who for 23 years was pastor of that church.  ( I deeply regret that the life of said Rev. Thomas Crocker has never been written on earth.  It is written in heaven.)  Not long after his union with the church he, my father was made deacon, which office he held until his death.  Of course I may be somewhat partial in my estimate of his work and character as a deacon, as well as in other respects, but not enough so to bias my judgement, I think.  He was always at his place in the church unless providentially hindered therefrom.  He regarded the trust committed to him, as a deacon, by his brethren as a high and sacred trust, and was assiduous in the discharge of its obligations.  His conviction of the functions of a church of Christ, of its sacredness, its doctrines and duties; of its members, theirs duties and obligations as brethren and sisters in Christ, sustaining the most sacred relations to each other, were clean and strong, and he had the courage of those convictions.  He was never hasty in his conclusions about church or other matters, but he was firm in his conclusions when once made.

       He made the teaching of the Bible his guide, as he understood them, in all the relations of life - especially his church relations.  In all respects he laboured to be faithful to his God,  his brethren and to all men.  As a consequence he had the highest esteem of all who knew him. The better he was known, the more respect and confidence were enjoyed by him.  As a deacon he was affectionately solicitous and watchful for the peace and prosperity of the church.  If he learned of any trouble existing between any of his brethren he would labor for a private and fraternal adjustment between the parties concerned.  His motto seemed to be Be at peace among yourselves.  And very rarely did he fail to bring about the desired end.  He was emphatically a peace-maker among his brethren.  In all his experience in this line of work , he never allowed himself to become blinded or biased by favoritism nor prejudice.  Hence his brethren soon learned to confide in his judgement and listen to his council.  The last time he was ever from home he went upon a mission of this kind, riding, as well I remember, some 12 or 14 miles to adjust, by his Christian intervention, a difficulty which had  arisen between some of his brethren.  He seems to have been recognized by his brethren as adapted, by his deliberate and solid judgement and his Christian integrity, in a remarkable degree, to this important work.  And his impartiality in the work gave him great influence with his brethren.

       In the year 1833 or 4 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for his county (Franklin) by the State Legislature (who at that time appointed all Justices).  He was duly qualified according to the laws of the state and entered upon the duties of the office.  He faithfully served his country in this capacity until his death in June, 1852.  As soon as he had gone through the legal forms of qualification, he bought such books on law as he needed for informing himself in the duties of his office, thus qualifying himself for an intelligent discharge of his duties as Justice of the Peace. Very many cases of litigation were brought before him every year for trial, and rarely was there an appeal from his judgement to a higher court, and I do not remember a case of such appeal in which his judgement was reversed, though there may have been some such cases.  I was the better acquainted with his official life because I wrote many of his papers at his dictation, and there by learned to love the law as a profession, and had begun to  study it for a profession when it pleased God, in his infinite condescension and mercy to call me to a higher and purer work, the proclamation of His Word of grace and mercy to a sinful world of immortal beings.

       As a neighbor my father was kindness itself.  I never knew one of his neighbors denied a favor of him which it was not in his power to confer at whatever disadvantage to himself.  The poor of his community ( and there were many) ever found in him a helper, whether the help needed was material or moral.  And, while he was far from giving encouragement to idleness or dissipation, he could not with hold help when needed.  In cases of sickness or death in any of the families of his neighborhood, rich or poor, he was ever ready to render such assistance as might be needed and he was able to grant.  And this assistance was often rendered at a great sacrifice of means and time.

       Among other things he procured pensions for the widows and children of deceased soldiers of the Revolution and the war of '12 without charging them anything for his services.  As in the church so it was in the community in which he lived.  He was a peace maker, and would   cheerfully use his influence to quiet any disturbance that might arise among his neighbors.  And he rarely ever failed in either case, church or community.  Yet he was not obtrusive with his work as intermediary.  But when one of his neighbors would tell him of his trouble with another neighbor, he would use his influence for an amicable adjustment, and rarely failed.  Such was the esteem in which he was held, by those who knew him most intimately, for integrity and impartiality in his dealings with his fellowmen.  He would deal honestly and conscientiously with all with whom he had dealings, either in social or business life.

      But in the family circle my father's character was most conspicuously manifest.  Here the man, the husband, the father, and the master- all in one-were manifest in all their true colors.  Here were no concealment, no restraints, but freedom in most emphatic form.  While not given to any sickly sentimentality, nor to any great degree of demonstrativeness, he was in all essential points, a model head of his home circle.   Being the youngest child of his parents, he had in early life been, as a matter of course,
petted.  This trait never entirely left him, i.e the fondness for being treated with deference, not to say partiality.  But what he expected from others, he was ready to grant to  others, in due proportion.  He was always with his family when not called away by business.  No companionship.  However genial or attractive could long detain him from his family.  He loved his home , wife,  and children, and never wantonly remained away from them.

      While extracting strict obedience from his children, to parental authority, he was a
tender parent and watchful for the best interest of his children.  He ever had an ernest affection for and interest in the members of the family.  When called from home by demands of business, as he often was, he would attend to the business with all possible dispatch and hasten back to the bosom of his family, to the enjoyment of home pleasure and domestic quiet.  He desired that all his children should have educational advantages, and hence he furnished then with opportunities for securing such education as were necessary to that end.  By his assistance I. His oldest son, took my degree of A. M. From Wake Forrest College, N.C.  My youngest brother William graduated from Columbian College, Washington, D.C., while our sisters were educated at Warrenton Female Collegiate Institute, Warrenton, N.C. and Oxford Female College, Oxford, N.C.  In his will he provided for the education of his younger children by his executors.  His youngest son , the pet of the family , died of Typhoid fever while attending the University of VA., Jan., 1859.  When the Legislature of the State passed a law submitting the question of the establishment of Free Schools to the votes of the people, my father, who though about the largest taxpayer in his precinct (township) went around among the poorer neighbors urging them to vote for the law, as it would prove an unspeakable benefit to them.  (I do not remember the year, but think it was 1840 or 41.)

       My father was the owner of about thirty Negro slaves, the older ones by inheritance, all the younger -say, from 25 years of age down to infants- had been born his, and he had raised them, by the help of my dear mother.  To raise the children of his slave women was no easy task, as the mothers were, as a rule, very careless of their young children.  Of these slaves he was always tender and watchful.  He never over worked them, supplied them with good and suitable clothing, and fed them the same kind of food of which he and his white family ate.  When sick the regular family physician was called to attend them and he and my mother would wait at their bedside if seriously ill, and tenderly care for them.  A number of them ( and other slaves also, i.e slaves of other men) were members of the same church of which the master and his family were members and all partook of the same church communion.  He taught all his children to treat servants kindly.

       The Patriarch of the colored family was Uncle Jack.  We were all taught to call the
older servants uncle and aunt.  Uncle Jack could read quiet well tho he confined his reading almost entirely to the Bible.  More than that he had a peculiar mode of arithmetic calculation which was always correct in results, but perfectly unintelligible to everybody else.    But Uncle Jack was an astronomer in some respects.  He knew nearly all the constellations visible to our natural vision, and frequently predicted solar and lunar eclipses with approximate precision.  In addition to his powers names above, Uncle Jack was a prophet.  He almost invariably foretold the death of almost any member of the family, weeks before the event.  He could not predict the individual members of the family, but he would tell whether it would be one full grown or a child.  When he was getting too old to do regular work, my mother had him a new house (built?) Up in the grove, and had him attended to - his meals and water carried to him and general attention paid to him.  Sometime before the dreadful and unholy war between the States, he told the family that terrible times were coming.  Sometime before the war broke out, I was visiting my dear mother and while there visited Uncle Jack.  He said he was very glad to see me, and we soon fell into conversation.  Soon he seemed in a strange mental condition and with his gaze fixed steadily on vacuity went on to tell me of the fearful crisis that was near at hand and the form of words North and South, South and North and  Oh, the sadness, the trouble, seemed to fall from him unconsciously.       Uncle Jack was (a) member of my fathers church and I think an ernest Christian.  He died soon after this visit.  I never saw him again.  I think he is in heaven, with both his heavenly Master and his master according to the flesh.  The entire family, white and colored mourned the death of Uncle Jack

None but those familiar with the institution could have any conception of the strength of
he attachment that existed between the masters and their slaves.  It is true that there were great differences in the degrees of this attachment in different families, as there were both in filial and parental affections.  And, as a rule, the slaves took as much pride in his master's family as did the master in his slaves.  Yet there were cruel masters and there were wicked slaves.  And these gave trouble.  But these constituted the exceptions and not the rule.  A conscientious slave-owner felt keenly the solemnity of the responsibilities that grew out of this relation.  And those slave owners who had no conscientious scruples would be restrained from cruelty from self -interest.  The slave was valuable only as he was treated humanly.

       This much in regards to the slave and his master.

      In the family circle my father's true character was most conspicuous, and its dominant traits best seen.  Next to his devotion to his divine Master's cause, which he always seemed to regard as supreme, were the interest of his family.  For the protection and advancement of these interests no vigilance was too exacting, no sacrifice of ease too great, for him to make. His assiduity in the discharge of paternal duties was unremitting.  When the duties of the day had been performed, and the family had gathered in the family room after supper, he was the gentle father, ready  to enter into feeling of the circle, and always ready to counsel and encourage his children in any enterprise that met his approval.  Nor did he ever give any advice to his children that he would not be willing for the world to know.  It was all harmonious with the Bible- in fact, drawn from it.  He made the Bible his guide in all relations of life whether as husband, father, master, jurist, neighbor, deacon or friend.   He was a man of strong convictions and had the courage of his convictions.  Hence at times, he would seem to a stranger abrupt and wanting in true courtesy.  But those who knew him understood him and never became offended.

       The Tar River Baptist Association had been formed of churches which had seceded
from the Kebeekee Association on account of the anti-mission tenets of the Kebeekee.  My father was sent every year  as a delegate from his church to the Tar River Association.  And altho the Association was founded upon missionary principles there were quiet a number of the individual members who were opposed to the missionary movement, and a still larger number who were indifferent to it.  Among those who antagonized the mission movement was Rev. Willougleby Hudgins, at one time the most influential minister in the Association Tar River.  Largely through his influence the mission spirit of the churches had well died out, never having been very strong, and but little had been done to keep that little alive.   In 1844 the association met with the church worshiping at Brown's Meeting House in Warren Co., N.C.  This was the wealthiest church in the association and Elder Hudgins was its pastor, and was elected Moderator of the association.  I was also in attendance.  This body met on Friday.  On Saturday a question arose as to whether there should be a missionary sermon and collection for missions on the next day- Sunday.  Rev. Hudgins opposed it.  Most of the members of the body stood in such awe of Rev. Hudgins that they did not dare oppose him.  But my father rose to the demands of the occasion and advocated the cause of missions and urged it as our duty. 

      During the discussion that followed on the motion to have the sermon and collection old Bro. Michael Collins, by permission , made a motion to test the question as to whether the Association was a missionary body or not.  The question was put and carried in the affirmative by a small majority- the Moderator not voting, but sitting at his desk or table with his head bowed during the time.  Thus the cause of missions was sustained in the body largely through my father's instrumentality, and the influence over the Body broken as to the mission cause     From that time onward there has been no question as to the relation the Association has sustained to missions, and from a small body of some eight or ten churches it is now (1896) one of the largest of most influential District Association in the State. 

      In closing this brief and imperfect sketch of my father's life I must add that, with all his paternal kindness, he never allowed any filial disobedience to paternal authority.  His children had been so trained as that disobedience to their parents was never  thought of as a possible thing.  All the children loved and honored our parents, and obedience in such conditions, though the requirements thereto were sometimes very different from our wishes, was a matter of course.   Thank God for such parents to have been mine.

       As he had lived, so did he die, after a few days of confinement to his bed, in the sixty-third year of his age.   His end was peaceful, with all his family about him.  But oh how unexpected was his departure!  It was in June.  I was sitting by his bed-side fanning him and raising himself to a sitting position he said  I can not understand this.... he never finished the sentence, but as he was falling to one side I caught his sinking head on my arm.  He had a few slight gasps and was gone with no distortions of his features but as falling to sleep. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.  His death was deeply felt by all classes of the community.
      His remains rest in the family burying ground of the old homestead in Franklin Co.,
N.C., where he died.

PARTIAL RECORD OF THE BRIDGES FAMILY AS KNOWN TO ME 

This Bridges family is of English descent, but when they came to America, I do not know.  Benjamin Bridges was one of the early settlers of what is now Franklin Co., NC and lived some 8 or 10 miles south of the present capitol of the county, Louisburgh. My impression is that he married Miss Rebecca Drake a near relative of Sir Francis Drake.
            Benjamin Bridges had 2 sons, William and Josiah. Whether he had daughters or not I so not know, or even whether he had other sons.  He was in the Army of the Revolution and in Gen. Gates division at the battle of Camden Courthouse, SC.…
Since writing the above, I remember that he had at least one daughter who married a Lewis, the father of Guilford Lewis, who was the father of the Hon. A. M. Lewis and his brothers and sisters. A.M. Lewis died in Raleigh, NC where he had resided and practiced law about 40 years. 
            Josiah Bridges, my grandfather, married a Miss Martha Williams, of whose ancestors I know nothing. Suppose she belonged to the numerous family of that name in Franklin Co. Her first husband was a lineal descendent of Sir Francis Drake, and she had no children by him, or if she did I never heard of it.

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