Married:     London or Boston MA before 1693

Children:   Solomon, Daniel, Thomas, Sarah (Barksdale), Mary (Ellis), Thomas, + 4 other daughters.

    There are several versions of Solomon’s early history; the following is the most likely. A Lyon silversmith and Huguenot, François L’Egaré, with his wife and three children, fled France for England before the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes, arriving in London in about 1681. There, they were naturalized, and the children given the anglicized names of Francis Solomon, Daniel James, and Stephen John. A few years later, they passed through Bristol and arrived in Braintree MA. Either in London or in Massachusetts, Solomon  (who had dropped his first name)  married an Englishwomen, Sarah. Solomon had a falling out with his father and left Massachusetts for Charleston, arriving sometime in the 1680’s, and established himself as a goldsmith and silversmith.

    Solomon prospered in Charleston, and built his family a house on the corner of Tradd Streeet and what is now Legare Street, where the Swordgate House now stands. At some point, his first wife Sarah died, and he remarried (whether once or several times isn’t clear). He became a pillar of the Congregational Church- rather than of the Huguenot Church as might have been expected- and lived to the great age of 98. In later life Solomon was a wealthy and somewhat eccentric man, of whom multiple stories have been remembered, one of which is about his dealings with the minister of the Congregational Church.

Solomon and the Preacher

“It was customary at that early day for families to dine at twelve o'clock noon. The Huguenot (Solomon) Legare was ever very strict in the observance of regular hours, and to his great annoyance the Rev. Mr. Stobo, then pastor of the Church, introduced the practice of preaching sermons of such unusual length, that the church services interfered with family arrangements for the usual dinner hour.

Mr. Legare and the other church officers had several times told Mr. Stobo of this difficulty, and requested him to divide his sermons into two parts, for morning and afternoon. But the reverend gentleman believed in having everything done in his own way, regardless of the convenience of the whole congregation, and obstinately persisted in preaching his one long sermon, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the church officers.

The other church officers were displeased at Mr. Stobo's conduct in this matter, but submitted to the annoyance for fear 'of creating; a disturbance in the church. But Mr. Legare told them that he would not submit to the innovation another Sabbath, and would find a way of letting Mr. Stobo know his determination in the matter.

Accordingly, the next Sunday as the town clock struck twelve, Mr. Legare got up in the midst of the sermon and left the pew, followed by his wife and children and several other members of his family. As they were silently walking down the aisle of the church, Mr. Stobo, after pausing awhile in his discourse, called out to Mr. Legare in a loud Scotch accent, " Aye, aye, a little petcher (pitcher) is soon full!“

Upon this irreverent remark from the pulpit, the Huguenot's French blood became excited, and, turning himself round in the aisle, he still more irreverently retorted, but in a suppressed tone only heard by those near to him, "And you are an old fool!"

Mr. Legare then quietly went home with his family, where they ate their dinner; after which they all returned with him to the church, marched noiselessly up the aisle behind him to the pew in front of the pulpit, and listened to the balance of the sermon as gravely as if nothing had occurred to disturb the services of the morning.

This silent reproof had the desired effect; Mr. Stobo yielded the point, and the next Sabbath he reached the first half of his sermon in the morning, closing the services in time to allow the congregation to go home and take their dinner at the usual hour. After which they returned to the afternoon service in proper time,  and heard him preach the last half of his discourse, and so the difficulty ended”.

       -from Eliza Fludd, Biographical Sketches of the Huguenot Solomon Legare

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