Harshbarger line: Solomon Eliot Bennett 1791-1859

 First, the bad news: A lot of the "information" about Solomon Bennett is undocumented, as far as I can tell.  And he lived or owned property in several locations, sometimes simultaneously.  But the good news is, there is some documented information available.  It is up to you (us) to decide whether the undocumented "facts" make sense.

Solomon's parents are given as Caleb and Ann Catherine Wilson Bennett, who were married November 8, 1785 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  Solomon is said to have been born in 1791 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.  Now, how did Caleb and Ann get from Baltimore to Somerset County?  In the first place, in 1791 Somerset County had not yet been separated from Bedford County, Pa, so birth records would likely be found in Bedford County.  But of course it was too early for government birth records.  Any records would need to be found either in Bible records or church records, and I've not located anything applicable yet.  There is, however, some justification to think Bedford/Somerset would be a logical place for Caleb to be in 1791, because in 1790 there was a Caleb Bennett with two males under 16, and one female, in Washington County, Maryland.  If the Bennetts were on the move, this is a logical migration route from Baltimore and the trip from Washington County northwest to Bedford/Somerset County would make some sense, difficult as the trip may have been.

I have undocumented notes in myo file that Solomon Bennett was a private in Capt Thomas Henry's Co in 1814 and was raised in and around the boro of Beaver.  I am not at all sure this is our Solomon, because Beaver is north of Pittsburgh, but we can't ignore the possibility that this was our man.  

We do know that the Bennett family moved west sometime after the close of the war.  Caleb is found in the 1820 census in Bethel Township, Miami County, Ohio, with males of the right age to be Solomon.  Also listed is a William Bennett, who may be a brother to Solomon.  Neighbors include Farmers and Wyatts, so this is likely our family.  (Solomon's wife was a farmer, and her mother was a Wyatt.  It makes sense.)  

Solomon married Margaret Farmer on April 17, 1821 in Bethel Township, Miami County, Ohio.  She was the daughter of William and Jean Wyatt Farmer.  Solomon was about 30 years old at the time and Margaret was about 20.  The couple apparently lived in Miami County for some time.  There is a record in the Eel River, Indiana list of original land owners compiled by the Huntertown Historical Society that says Solomon was from Greene County and Miami County, Ohio.  I haven't yet located records for him in Greene County, but there may well be some out there.

By 1835, Solomon was buying land in Allen County, Indiana.  This was just about halfway between Churubusco and Huntertown, inside the Allen County line.  He purchased 40 acres and then in 1837 purchased another 80 acres. I'm not sure when he moved, or whether he might have come to Indiana first and then returned to Ohio for his family.  Undocumented reports show that he had children born in Whitley County, Indiana as early as 1831 but I am not sure at all that the birthplace is correct.  Solomon and Margaret had at least eight children.  

There are some land entries for Solomon in Allen County but he was in Whitley County, Indiana in the 1850 census, where he was a farmer.  He is said to have died in South Whitley, Indiana in 1859.  I've been unable to locate records for that, or for a burial site.  I haven't located a will, either.   

As background information, we know that Solomon lived in interesting, not to say perilous, times.  The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 in western Pennsylvania would have been very much a matter of family concern, although we don't know which side his parents would have taken, nor do we know whether it directly affected them.  It would surely have affected neighbors.  In the War of 1812, again the family would have been affected whether or not the Solomon Bennett recorded is our man.  When the Bennetts moved to Miami County, it was still almost frontier country, the natives having left the area not many years earlier.  Allen County also was almost frontier in 1830, so Solomon was basically starting over, having to clear land and build a home for his family as a middle-aged man.  Interesting times!

There is a lot that we don't know about Solomon.  Was he a veteran of the war of 1812?  What was his religion?  We know at least one of his children, Farmer Matthew, was a Quaker in Wabash County, but we don't know whether Solomon was also of that belief.  Where did he live before he came to Indiana, and what was his motivation for moving west?  And was he glad he made that move?

The Harshbarger family can be grateful he came to Indiana, because that's where the connection was made.  The line of descent is:

Solomon Bennett-Margaret Farmer

Mary Bennett-John Harter

Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants