Solomon E. Gross, I

A Patriot of the American Revolution for NORTH CAROLINA. DAR Ancestor # A048924

(Source: Georgia Archives, Gross Family, by Arthur Gross, F156, F157) At the April 1768 session of Anson Co Court, a mob of 500 angry men stormed the Courthouse and broke up the Court. They were led by Solomon Gross. This mob was a part of the Regulator movement in NC and SC protesting the high taxes and crooked officials imposed upon them by the British Royal Governor. This was a prelude to the unrest which started the Revolution in 1775. (Apr 28 1768)

A summary of the life of Solomon Gross from records found in NC and GA. It is obvious that he was an educated man for the time in which he lived and judging from his land purchases, land grants and land sales that he was a business man with a great acumen but probably not very profitable for he owned few slaves if any at all. He was a man of public service counting all the public offices he held in NC and GA.1797-1798.....Represented Screven Co in the Legislature1799..............Elected Justice of Peace1800..............Elected Sheriff of Screven Co for a 2-year term.

Solomon was born Abt. 1740 in VA.

He married (1) ESTHER. He married (2) MARY ERWIN Abt. 1764 in NC.

Land Grant: Received 1050 acres of land grants in Screven Co Military service: 1781, Revolutionary War - Rebel soldier Misc: 1797, Sold 50 acres on Beaverdam Creek to Screven Co for the new County seat/Jacksonboro Occupation: 1793, Became an important official when Screven Co was first established Residence: Moved to Screven Co, GA near Buck Creek and Beaverdam Creek

The following letter was published in the N.C. Gen. Soc. Journal in May 1984, pg. 115, which had been written by a descendant of Solomon: "The latest issue on p.44 (NCGSJ, Feb 84)...(shows) the abstract by Miles Philbeck on the first election on March 10 and 11, 1779 in the newly created Montgomery County. This election was for 2 seats in the House of Commons for 1779. Montgomery was created on Feb 6, 1779 from Anson County. John Kimbrough and Solomon Gross were elected...Solomon Gross was my grt-grt-grt grandather, he first appears on Anson records in Feb 1767. He was a Regulator and led the riot at Anson Courthouse of 500 angry men in April 1768, soon after Solomon headed a list of 99 names on a petition to Gov. Tryon asking for pardons...Tryon pardoned all but Solomon. Appears that Solomon and 3 other brothers came to Anson from Newcastle, England. Joshua and John Gross were on the list of qualified voters. All 4 brothers settled near Little River and the village of Peking, 1775...the famous Flora McDonald settled in this area. Solomon raised 4 sons and 1 daughter, all moved to Screven County, GA by 1791. I am a native of Screven County. Joshua was in Oglethrope County, GA, in 1805. John Kimbrought in the election of 1780 was elected to the Senate for Montgomery but resigned a few months later... There are some rumors..that John Kimbrough formed an Army of Tories and started an uprising but was defeated by the Rebel militia of Montgomery and Anson...I have a document from the N.C. Archives that shows Solomon Gross awarded 165 pounds of NC paper money for his services in 1782...I believe this was for his service in September and October 1781 in Gen. Griffith Rutherford's Campaign against the Tories known as the Raft Swamp Campaign, but I have no proof at all...Gen Rutherford recruited in the area and spent about 2 weeks training his 1200 men army at Drowning Creek in Montgomery County before marching down to the Raft Swamp and almost to Wilmington severely destroying the Tories who were at war with the Rebels in that area in 1781 when Cornwallis left NC for VA. I have a number of documents about Solomon's activities in NC and GA"