When I first began researching my Place ancestors, I concluded Brig. Gen. Solomon Place was our direct ancestor. Cousins had reached the same conclusion; it seemed to be a family tradition.
But years later, it became clear we were mistaken. It was just wishful thinking. And it was easy to demonstrate our mistake with just a little actual research. Our ancestor Thomas Place (1803–1893) of Auburn, New York, was not Solomon’s son. Even so, I doubt I’ll ever convince my cousins. The glamor of having a general in the family is just too much.
The Search
I started my research with very little information. My (step) father Carroll Place was puzzled by my interest. Why would anyone want to know about stuff like that? Anyway, his genealogy was already done. One of his cousins in California was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution (or something like that). Why not just ask her? She would know.
Dad’s own knowledge was patchy. His father was George Washington Place (1889–1958), a dairy farmer in Rock Island, Illinois. Before they came to Rock Island, dad’s ancestors were in Michigan. Further back, he seemed to remember there was a Revolutionary War General, some Mayflower people, and a guy who came from England in Colonial times. Dad didn’t remember any details.
Armed with just this little bit of information, I started my search. In the days before the internet, I scoured libraries, sent letters, and ordered Family Group Sheets from Salt Lake City.
I traced our ancestry to Thomas Place, who moved from Cayuga County, New York, to Huron County, Ohio, in 1833. Thomas sold land to his brother Solomon Place in 1835 and was co-executor of Solomon’s estate in 1845. Then, I hit a brick wall. Before that, nothing solid.
Speculation
It looked like our ancestor the unnamed General might have been Solomon Place (1770-1834). Solomon was the only General I could find anywhere with the surname Place. He served in the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War, but close enough.
This Solomon was born in 1770 and married Martha Heard in 1796. Our Thomas Place, who we thought could be Solomon’s son, was born in 1803 or 1804 in New York. Thomas’ brother Solomon was born in 1811. The names, dates, and places fit. It’s easy to see how the brothers Thomas and Solomon of Cayuga County, New York could have been sons of Gen. Solomon Place of Washington County, New York.
I didn’t find any direct evidence, but the circumstantial evidence seemed sufficient. I was sure we are descended from Gen. Solomon Place.
That’s where I left it for some 35 years. Over the years, I heard from other researchers who had come to the same conclusion. Some of them claimed to have an explicit family tradition our ancestor Thomas Place was a son of Gen. Solomon Place.
Then, it all fell apart.
Evidence
In 2005, fellow researcher John Folsom contacted me. He pointed to the family Bible record of Solomon Place (New York DAR GRC). No sons named Thomas or Solomon.
Solomon made this record in his own hand and signed it February 10, 1817. He recorded his family in detail. He named his parents, his siblings, his wife Martha, and his children Phebe, Hannah, Harriet, and Hiram.
If Thomas (born 1803/04) and Solomon (born 1811) had been his sons, Solomon would have included them in the 1817 record.
The Bible record is supported by cemetery, will, and probate records.
Solomon’s cemetery plot also contains the remains of his son Hiram (died 1816, age 1 month), (1st) wife Martha (died 1825, age 54); two daughters: Phebe (died 1869, age 73) and Hannah (died 1882, age 84); and grandson Stephen (died 1849, age 22).
Solomon’s January 1833 will names (2nd) wife Dorothy; daughters Phebe, Hannah, and Harriet, all apparently unmarried; his grandson Stephen Place (son of his unmarried daughter Phebe); and Josiah Barrett, whom he calls a nephew of his first wife.
Conclusion
Armed with the Bible record, probate records, and cemetery records, we now know Thomas Place and his brother Solomon were not sons of Gen. Solomon Place.
Although the evidence is circumstantial, we now believe they were probably sons of Shadrach Place (1778-1840), who came from Washington County, New York to Cleveland, Ohio some time after 1810. If this is the correct connection, Thomas and Solomon were cousins, not sons, of Gen. Solomon Place.
Sources
- Findagrave.com: Thomas Place.
- New York DAR GRC report, Series 2, Volume 23 (1933-34), pages 123-24. Family bible in the possession of Mrs. Herbert Whelden of Greenwich, New York, copied October 1933 by Mrs. H. C. Hill.
See Also
- FamilySearch.org: Thomas Place
- Geni.com: Thomas Place
- WeRelate.com: Thomas Place
- Wikitree.com: Thomas Place
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Revised Aug. 11, 2025.
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