Sunday, March 23, 2014

52 Ancesters: #12 Solomon Libby (1785-1861)



Solomon Libby, my half 4th great grand uncle, was born on this date in 1785 in Scarborough, Maine, the fourth of six children born to Allison Libby and his second wife, the widow Mary Libby, and their third son.

As a young man, he moved to Freeport, Maine, and worked in a shipyard there. There he met and married Frances Sylvester of that town. 

Following their marriage, Solomon and "Fanny" moved to nearby Brunswick, Maine, where Solomon worked as a ship's carpenter in several towns in that area.

There is evidence to suggest that Solomon fought in the War of 1812, having enlisted on March 30, 1813, which may explain why he doesn't show up until the 1840 Census in Brunswick, with Fanny and three young children.

Ten years later, by the time of the 1850 Census, Solomon was a widower, having lost Fanny in 1844, and he was living with his son Solomon and daughter-in-law Lucy.

In the 1860 Census, Solomon, at age 75, was living in Brunswick with the widow Abby Hunt and her two children. There doesn't appear to be any family relationship, so he may have been simply taken in.

Solomon died sometime in 1861, probably in Brunswick. Fanny is buried in Growstown Cemetery, in Brunswick, Maine, so this seems a good place to look for Solomon's grave.

Grave of  the wife of Solomon Libby,
Fanny Libby
Growstown Cemetery
Brunswick, Maine

Sources:

1840 U.S. Census; Census Place: Brunswick, Cumberland, Maine; Roll: 139; Page: 570; Image: 1072; Family History Library Film: 0009702, Solomon Libby.

1850 U.S Census; Census Place: Brunswick, Cumberland, Maine; Roll: M432_251; Page: 229B; Image: 158, Solomon Libby.

1860 U.S Census; Census Place: Brunswick, Cumberland, Maine; Roll: M653_437; Page: 88; Image: 925; Family History Library Film: 803437, Solomon Libby.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 22 Mar 2014), memorial page for Frances “Fanny” Libby (1786–1844), Find A Grave Memorial no. 65453040, citing Growstown Cemetery, Brunswick, Maine.

Libby, Charles Thornton. The Libby Family in America, 1602-1881 (Portland, B. Thurston and Co., 1881), p. 171.

Maine State Archives, Maine; 925; Record Group: Maine War of 1812 Records.



2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing, Pam. I live a couple miles from the Growstown cemetery and the church there. If you need any help looking for info in the area, feel free to ask

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