Solomon Mack (15 September 1732 – 23 August 1820) was a resident of eighteenth-century

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and a veteran of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

and the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Early life

Solomon Mack was born on September 15, 1732 to Ebenezer Mack and Hannah Huntley in Lyme,

New London County New London County is in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut Combined Statistical Area. There i ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. According to Solomon's memoir, his parents once "had a large property and lived in good style", but by the time Solomon was four, the family had fallen on hard times. Solomon was "bound out" to a nearby farmer, whom he lived with until age 21.

War and marriage

From 1755 to 1759, he served in the

, initially enlisting "under the command of Capt. Henry and was annexed to a regiment commanded by Col. Whiting". In 1759, he received "a large separation pay" and purchased the town of

Granville, New York Granville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town on the eastern border of Washington County, New York, Washington County, New York (state), New York, United States, abutting Rutland County, Vermont, Rutland County, Vermont. It is p ...

with the money; however, a leg injury prevented him from building up Granville, and soon the land was "completely lost." He married schoolteacher Lydia Gates that same year. The couple had around four children. Solomon Mack was the grandfather of

Joseph Smith Jr. Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

, founder of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

. From 1771 to 1776, Mack lived in

Marlow, New Hampshire Marlow is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 749 at the 2020 census. Marlow is home to Honey Brook State Forest. History The town was first granted in 1753 by colonial Governor Benning Wentworth as "Addi ...

. Then, in 1776, he fought in the

. During the war, he and his sons Jason and Stephen Mack "embarked on a privateering expedition" to obtain cannons for the American army. Throughout his life, Mack worked as a farmer, freighter, merchant, and more. Around 1799, he moved to

Tunbridge, Vermont Tunbridge is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the town population was 1,337. The town consists of three village centers, all situated on Vermont Route 110 in the valley of the first branch of ...

Later life

In 1811, he self-published his memoir, "Narrative of the Life of Solomon Mack", which detailed his history and his conversion to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Solomon Mack died on August 23, 1820 in Gilsum,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

at the age of 87. He was buried in the Bond Cemetery in Gilsum. Today, there is a historic marker in Vermont at the site of the Solomon Mack home.

References

External links

*
Marlow: History of the town of Marlow and of Solomon Mack
MSS SC 729, L. Tom Perry Special Collections,

Harold B. Lee Library The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is the main academic library of Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, Utah. The library started as a small collection of books in the president's office in 1876 before moving in 1891. The Heber J. Gran ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mack, Solomon 1732 births 1820 deaths 18th-century American people Converts to Christianity People of Connecticut in the French and Indian War People of New Hampshire in the American Revolution People from Lyme, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Revolution People of colonial Connecticut Military personnel from Connecticut People from Tunbridge, Vermont Smith family (Latter Day Saints)