Sorting out the earlier SOLMANs in Yalding has not proved easy, even though several of them left wills. Information from wills does not always seem consistent with that from the registers, and I can find no record of many of the marriages, so the following charts should be viewed as being considerably speculative.

It is also by no means certain that a direct line can be traced back from the later charts to the SOLMANs on this page. However, the forename Absalom, which features in the later SOLMAN families of and from Yalding through into the 19th century, also appears here, and this does make a link seem more likely.

Please note that as with the surname, the spelling of forenames in the registers and other documents can vary considerably, and to avoid confusion in these charts I have sometimes substituted modern spellings.

Summaries of all the SOLMAN wills mentioned below can be found on the page Entries from Yalding Parish Registers and Other Records.

NOTES

The will of Sarah "SALMON", widow of George (GeS1), indicates that she had 3 sons living at the time of writing (2 Jul 1631) - Joseph, Absolon and George. However, Yalding registers do not show the baptism of a Joseph son of George. It is possible that Joseph (GeS1.1) was baptised elsewhere, or that his baptism was missed from the registers, but it is also possible that he was not son of George. Yalding registers do show the baptism of a "Jhoseph" son of Richard "SAWMON" in Aug 1591, and as there was a marriage of a Richard "SALMON" to a Sarah JINCKES in East Peckham on 14 Sep 1590, and the burial of a Richard "SAWMON" householder in Yalding on 4 Sep 1593, it is possible that Joseph (GeS1.1) was actually Richard's son, and that Richard's widow, Sarah, had later married George SOLMAN (GeS1). This possibility is shown in the speculative chart below these notes.

Sarah's will also includes a bequest to a William BASEDEN, son of Edward BASEDEN clothier of Maidstone, though there is no indication what, if any, relationship she had to them. However, an Edward BASEDEN married a Debora SALMON in West Farleigh on 9 Oct 1626, and Yalding registers show the baptism of William "BASDEN" son of Edward on 20 Apr 1628, and the burial of a Deborah "BAZEDEN" on 26 Apr 1628.

NOTES

The will of George "SOLMON" (GeS1.2), date of writing not given, mentions his wife Elizabeth, his sons George (the eldest) and William (not yet 21), and his daughters Elizabeth, "Ealis", "Sarae" and "Marie" (all under the age of 20).

The will of Sarah "SALMON", widow of George (GeS1), written 2 Jul 1631, mentions her grandson William, son of George.

The will of William SOLMAN (GeS1.2.2), written 11 Apr 1657, mentions his wife Anne, and his sisters Alice and "Marie" SOLMAN, Sarah the wife of John DAVYE and Elizabeth the wife of Walter PEARSON.

Yalding registers show the burial of "Alice wife of George SOWMAN" in Feb 1632/3, just a fortnight after the burial of a son of George. Is "Alice" an error, and was this actually the burial of Elizabeth née HUGGINS? If so, did George SOLMAN (GeS1.2) then marry again to another Elizabeth, as the probate on his will shows that his widow's name was Elizabeth? Is the 1634 marriage in Brenchley of George SALMON and Elizabeth IRONS this second marriage?

Did George junior (GeS1.2.1) have a son George who was buried in Yalding 9 May 1643 - "George son of George SOLMAN"?

NOTES

The admon of Absalom SOLMAN (GeS1.3) shows his widow to have been an Ann SOLMAN.

The will of Anne SOLMAN widow, presumed 2nd wife of Absalom (GeS1.3), written 18 Sep 1686, mentions her son Henry, daughters Mary the wife of William SIMONS and Jane the wife of John KIPPING, son-in-law Absalom SOLMAN and daughter-in-law Sarah BAYWARD. She also mentions a bequest to her grandson William SIMONS made to him by his uncle Edward, but doesn't give Edward's surname - and I haven't yet found Edward's will.

The will of Sarah "SALMON", wife of George (GeS1), written 2 Jul 1631, mentions her grandson William, son of Absolon.

The will of Henry SOLMAN (GeS1.3.9), written 11 Jan 1706/7, mentions his brother Absalom SOLMAN (and his children George & Jane), and kinswomen Sarah BAREFOOT and Mary WAGGON. He also mentions (without giving their relationship to him) William SYMONS of East Peckham and his 5 children Esau, Ann(e), John, Absalom & Henry, and John KIPPING of East Peckham and his son John.

Since at this date, step-children were often referred as sons- or daughters-in-law, I have speculated that Absalom (GeS1.3) had a son Absalom and daughter Sarah by his first wife in the 6½ year gap between George (baptised 1629) and Elizabeth (baptised 1636). The two main problems with this assumption are:

• Yalding registers show the baptism of an "Absolon son of Absolon SOLMAN" in 1648, who would seem to have been son of his second wife Ann, rather than her step-son, although it is possible that this Absalom was baptised as a teenager rather than as an infant, and therefore still Ann's step-son. (It is also possible that there is an error in the register, and that this baptism was actually that of Jane, daughter of Absalom - there is no baptism recorded for Jane in Yalding registers, and she was quite likely to have been one of Absalom's youngest children since she did not marry until 1684 and was then still young enough to have a son.)
• If Absalom was born around 1634 he would have been around 60 when he married and when his two surviving children were born, as opposed to about 46 if he'd been born in 1648.

However, the Yalding Overseers account book includes an Absalom "SALMAN" as a ratepayer in 1658, which was 4 years after the death of Absalom (GeS1.3). They also show that an Absalom "SOLMON" was churchwarden in 1668 and he would almost certainly have had to be at least 21. Both of these suggest an Absalom who was born before 1648.

Anne SOLMAN (GeS1.3.7) was not mentioned in her (presumed) mother's will, so it possible that she had died by 1686, and had left no issue.

However, it is also possible that the Anne SOLMAN whose will was proved 1688 was not the same Ann(e) as the second wife of Absalom (GeS1.3), and that there is simply some similarity between the names of his children as shown in the Yalding registers and those mentioned by Anne in her will. And, although I have found references to a Widow "SALMAN"/SOLMAN in the Yalding Overseers account book between 1658 and 1684 which would be consistent with her being Absalom's widow and the Anne whose will was proved 1688, in the absence of her full name it is impossible to be sure who she was - or even if all the references were to the same widow.

Since it seems likely that the Anne SOLMAN whose will was proved 1688 was mother of the Henry whose will was proved 1706/7, then she was presumably also step-mother of Absalom SOLMAN (AbS1). However if this Ann(e) was not the wife of Absalom (GeS1.3), this then raises the question of who the parents of Absalom (AbS1) actually were.