Biography
Solomon was an enslaved man jailed and condemned in Sussex County, Virginia, during prosecutions following Nat Turner’s 1831 uprising. A later petition reported his execution and challenged the testimony that had led to his conviction.
Solomon was identified in the Sussex court records through his association with Nancy, whose name is transcribed as Sorrley, Sorrly, or Sorly. On September 13, 1831, he was brought before the court in the county jailer’s custody alongside Nicholas and Booker. He pleaded not guilty to allegations of seditious words and threats. The court convicted him and ordered him returned to jail pending an execution scheduled for September 23.
In a February 28, 1835 petition seeking mercy for another defendant, Sussex residents stated that Solomon had been executed. They challenged Beck’s testimony against him, reporting that Mr. and Mrs. Laine had placed him fishing and working on their plantation when the alleged meeting took place. The petition does not establish Solomon’s exact execution date.
