Gone, but not forgotten: First families in Newton County, Solomon Harp family

Solomon Harp was born around 1790 in Granville County, North Carolina, son of James Sampson and Sarah Tudor Harp. He married twice, first to Sarah Bohannan around 1809 in Tennessee. She was born after 1790 in Knox County, Tennessee, daughter of William and Judith (Legge) Bohannan.
Solomon served in the ranks of Tennessee volunteers during the War of 1812. He applied and obtained bounty land for his service. In 1820, his family was living in Overton County, Tennessee. Census records before 1850 only give the name of the head of the household, but they do enumerate the gender and age range of people in the household. In 1820, there was a young son and daughter, both under ten years old, plus Solomon and his wife, plus a woman older than 45, likely a mother of Solomon or his wife.
Solomon was in Carroll County Arkansas by 1836, when he was paying taxes there. (It is important to remember that Newton County was carved out of the eastern portion of Carroll County in 1842, so Solomon could have been in what became Newton County as early as 1836.) Solomon’s first wife, Sarah (Bohannon) Harp died in Newton County Aug. 19, 1846. He next married Nancy Wright in Carroll County. All the children listed in the 1850 census are really surnamed Wright, as they are the children of her first marriage, which likely took place in Alabama.
Nancy, in applying for a widow’s pension in 1878 based on Solomon’s war service, stated they were married June 15, 1843, but this is incorrect if Sarah died Aug. 19, 1846. Nancy was born ca 1806 in Tennessee, according to the 1850 census.

In 1860, when Solomon and Nancy were living in Mill Creek Township, all the children were gone, though son Elijah and his family lived nearby.
Solomon had $400 in personal property. Solomon died 26 Jul 1863 and was buried in Cherry Grove Cemetery. After his death, Nancy lived on her own. In 1880, she was living in Jackson Township again. She passed away May 7, 1882, and was laid to rest in Cherry Grove Cemetery near Erbie.
Many of Solomon's children remained in Newton County. Among them were William Augusta Harp (1818-1864) who, along with some of his sons, were killed by Confederate guerrillas in what is known as the Peach Orchard Massacre.

Barbara LeRoy is the author of “Which Side Were They On?,” a 302 page book listing biographical sketches of the Newton Countians who were involved in the Civil War, available for sale either in the Bradley House Museum or by purchasing online at www.newtoncountyar.com. The book sells for $33.