Person:Solomon Wardwell (2)

1775: Solomon was 32 with a wife and four children when the Alarm sounded on April 19,1775. With his 3 brothers and 4 first cousins, he marched off to Lexington-Concord, Solomon serving as a private in Captain Henry Abbot's 2nd Andover Company (6th Company), 4th Essex Regiment of Militia. He served 1 1/2 days, travel 50 mile, 1 day travel home allowed. He then enlisted on August 7, 17775 for four months service in the defense of Boston. 1776: Service under Capt John Peabody, Colonel Ebenezer Francis' Militia Regt: pay allowance for travel allowance home from camp, a gun and a blanket, sworn to November 28, 1776. Discharged December 1, 1776 -William Wardwell of Andover, Massachusetts with an Informal Collection of His Descendants through the 8th Generation. Marjorie Wardwell Otten

Solomon, a cabinet maker, resided in the South End of Andover, where he also had his shop. In 1775, Samuel Phillips, Jr., set in operation plans for the establishment of a Free School in Andover. While he had hoped to build the school in the North Parish on land which had formerly been the Old Training Field, the owner was unwilling to sell the land. Phillips therefore purchased the estates of Solomon Wardwell and George Abbot in the South Parish, where the first school was fitted up from a joiner's shop on the estate of Solomon Wardwell, which was 35'x20', and had seats for about 40 students. As the school grew, the old joiner's shop was removed to the north corner of the present Main and Phillip Streets, and the name changed to Phillips Academy.

Solomon removed his family to New Hampshire where he purchased a farm of 90 acres in Hollis, for which he paid 400 pounds, receiving the deed for same on September 26, 1777. He and his wife were dismissed from the lst Church of the South Parish of Andover on November 19, 1780. By the summer of 1782, Solomon had removed his family to Packersfield, New Hampshire, and in that year, he and his wife were united with the Packersfield church by letter.

Solomon was a Selectman of Packersfield in 1786. He owned several pieces of land and built a new house on what was known as lot No. 2, range 8, in the northeast part of the town. "Various papers show that he was one of the prominent citizens of the town, He continued his work as a cabinet maker as long as he was able to work, and many pieces of his work are still to be found."

On March 28, 1798, Solomon, a widower of 11 years, deeded his house on "lot No. 2, range 8", to his son, Ezra, in consideration of $700', and then made his home there until his death in 1825.

Three of Solomon's sons (Abiel, Ezekiel, and Amos) became seafaring men: Ezekiel died in Baltimore in 1803 at the age of 26; Captain Abiel died in 1821 at Charlestown, South Carolina ; and Amos subsequently returned to New Hampshire where he settled at Sullivan and died at the age of 64.

Solomon's grandson and namesake, Solomon (the son of Benjamin), at the age of 17 became a seaman on the Salem School Ship George, which made its first voyage on May 28, 1815. Young Solomon became ill in Calcutta, India, and there died before February 25, 1816, age about 16. -Antecedents of Solomon Wardwell Elizabeth Wardwell Stay

Became member of Andover South Church 30 May 1773. Removed 19 November 1780 when he became a member of the church in Hollis or Sullivan, NH. 1790 Census in Packersfield, NH lists two males under 16, 4 over 16 and 2 females.

1. ↑ Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Andover, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. (Topsfield, Massachusetts: Topsfield Historical Society, 1912)
   Vol. 1, p. 376.

   WARDWELL, Solomon, s. Thomas and Abigail, [born] July 14, 1743.

2. ↑ Struthers, Parke Hardy. A history of Nelson, New Hampshire, 1767-1967. (Keene, New Hampshire: Sentinel Printing, c1968)
   p. 283.

   Solomon Wardwell, b. 1743, d. Nelson, NH, 20 Sep 1825, m. Andover 1767 Bethia N. Holt.