Solomon Tracy, Sergeant of Marines

Solomon Tracy. According to his pension application #W-20097, Solomon Tracy enlisted in 1775 for nine months in Captain Ebenezer Moseley’s Company. Tracy was a shoemaker from Windham, CT. He enlisted again in 1776 for two months and was involved in the fortification of Dorchester Heights and the evacuation of Boston. He served as a marine on a cruise of the Oliver Cromwell under the command of William Coit for 4 months. He is listed as furlowed on a February 1777 crew list. On 14 February 1777, Tracy enlisted for three years as Corporal in Captain Nathaniel Webb’s Company of Colonel John Durkee’s Fourth Connecticut Regiment. A note in pension application #S-19402 suggests that both Solomon Tracy and Oliver Rogers served together in Colonel John Durkee’s Regiment in Cambridge. He served at the Battle of Fort Mifflin in October of 1777 and spent the Winter of 1777/78 at Valley Forge. On 1 February 1778 he received a warrant as First Sergeant and was promoted on 1 March 1778. Tracy participated in the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. While there is no specific mention of him serving on the Confederacy in his pension record, it is highly likely that this Solomon Tracy served as a marine on board. Solomon Tracy was born on 1 May 1756 to Jeremiah Tracy, Jr. of Norwich and his third wife Margaret Huntington. The elder Tracy died the following year. After the war, Tracy was married to Phebe Hudson of Walpole, NH on 11 October 1787 by the Reverend Thomas Fessendon. The following year they moved to Brandon, VT where at least two children were born, Marcia on 14 April 1797 and Joel Huntington on 5 March 1803. Joel Huntington Tracy, who was educated at Partridge Military Academy and became a civil engineer, was the only son of an only son of an only son. Solomon Tracy died on 17 August 1819. His widow Phebe died 1 January 1843.