Allen line: Solomon Adams about 1745-1823

 I've wanted to write this post for a very long time.  I've thought for years that Solomon Adams was the father of Mary Adams Knott, but had no proof.  I still have no absolute smoking gun proof but I'm writing this post anyway, with the warning that there is a slight chance there is no connection here. 

However, Joseph and Mary Adams Knott named their second son Solomon.  First son was Joseph.  Analysis of records of Solomon Knott allow for a daughter having been born about 1773 (Mary Adams Knott was born March 1, 1773 in Bedford County, Pa.  Solomon Adams lived most if not all of his life there.)  All of the other male children in the Knott family have names that can be traced back to the Adams family, except for two (Richard and William, but I'm still looking.)  Joseph Knott was a near neighbor of Solomon Adams, at least for a short time, in the first decade of the 19th century.  Thomas Adams, a known son of Solomon's, was near the Knott family as they lived in Jefferson County Ohio and in Crawford County, Ohio, before he moved on to Porter County, Indiana.  So on the basis of circumstantial evidence, and being always open to other facts that may sway my opinion, let me introduce you to my fourth great grandfather.  

Solomon Adams was born about 1745, possibly the son of Robert Adams of Bedford County but I've not begun to investigate that yet.  He had a brother Samuel and a sister Rachel, and the early family history, as shown in county history books, shows that Samuel died in a fight with an Amerindian.  Rachel was captured, reportedly killed an Amerindian in her bid to escape, and then seems to disappear.  So she either was absorbed into a tribe or she didn't make it that far, most likely.  

Solomon is called in at least one source "the great Indian killer".  But let's back up for a bit of history.  This was during the Revolutionary War.  Life on the frontier, and Bedford County was definitely the frontier, was one of constant tension.  The British were encouraging tribes under their influence to attack the colonial settlers, especially those who were living in what the natives considered to be their territory.  There were constant skirmishes.  Solomon's wife, Rachel Kinton, would have likely gone to one or another of the forts in the area (Fort Bedford, for instance) to stay during the worst alarms. 

Solomon would not have been there to protect his family, because he was serving in the militia.  He was in the militia from at least 1777, when he was an ensign, to 1789.  In 1781, he was a captain of Rangers, meaning this was a group of men who were trained in more or less guerilla tactics, or Indian style fighting, who went out ahead of the main body of troops, (or completely on their own except for their orders) to do what had to be done.  At least that was their viewpoint.  Solomon Adams' military service is proven not only by records in the Pennsylvania Archives but by state legislation that granted him, among others, a pension of 40 pounds per year, with one year's back pay and then beginning on an annual basis in 1822.  Whether or not we like or agree with the term "Indian killer", he did his part to give freedom to the United States.

Solomon and Rachel Kinton (daughter of Thomas and Rachel Carson Kinton) Adams had about twelve children, based on census records, although we don't have names for all of them.  Mary is one of the undocumented children, noted in some research reports as "first daughter Adams".  That would have been a lot of children to support as they were growing up, especially under the hardships of the war on the frontier, but they did it.  

We can trace Solomon on tax records as early as 1769 as a single man, and by 1772 he was married.  He lived at several different locations in Bedford County, including Brothers Valley, Bedford Township, and Napier Township.  After about 1805 it looks as though perhaps he no longer owned land, or at least not as much as he once had.  In 1787 he was appointed to a committee to recommend a road location, along with Charles Campbell, who may have cheated Solomon out of land 20 years earlier.  It's not clear whether Solomon actually had a deed to any of his land, but he did have a warrant, meaning he had requested a survey, for at least some tracts of land.  He was a farmer but later in his life was listed as a "laborer", so he either lost or sold the land he owned.  

Solomon is said to have died in 1823 in either Bedford County or possibly Somerset County.  So far I have been unable to locate any probate records for him.  

I'd love to sit down and talk with Solomon.  After establishing whether or not Mary was his daughter, I'd love to know how he ended up on the frontier, and what his life was like.  I'd love to know his version of the battles or skirmishes he was in, and what he thought about the necessity of war.  I'd also like to know whether he was involved in the Whiskey Rebellion in any way, and I'd also like to know whether he and his family attended church services anywhere.  There's still a lot to learn about this ancestor!

The proposed line of descent is:

Solomon Adams-Rachel Kinton

Mary Adams-Joseph Scull Knott

Thomas Knott-Hannah Bell

John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr

Edith Knott-Edward Allen

Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook

Their descendants