The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
State of Service: MA
Qualifying Service: Soldier
Birth: 1748 Andover / / MA Death: 05 Feb 1802 Boston / Essex / MA
Qualifying Service Description:
1775, he served as a Private in the company of Captain Benjamin Ames, commanded by Colonel James Frye. Battle of Bunker Hill
1776, he served in the company of Captain Abram Tyler, commanded by Colonel Edmund Phinney.
1777-1780, he served in the company of Captain Nathaniel Alexander, commanded by Colonel Edward Wigglesworth, Massachusetts Continental Line.
Additional References:
Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War. Micropublication M881, roll 0450. Washington: National Archives.
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Soldiers, and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, Volume XII, Massachusetts. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1901, pg 561
Spouse: Nancy Parker; Children: Robert
Members Who Share This Ancestor
None*
*This means that the NSSAR has no applications for this Patriot on file.
Instead the information provided is best effort, and from volunteers who have either researched grave sites, service records, or something similar. There is no documentation available at NSSAR HQ to order.
He was anonymously buried; the exact location of his grave has not been identified.
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
Author: Dr. Michael Bernard Gunn
This biography was edited and augmented by PRS staff.
Salem Poor was born into slavery in Andover, Massachusetts, in either 1747 or 1748, and worked on the farm of John and Rebecca Poor. At twenty-two years old, he purchased his freedom for 27 pounds, roughly the equivalent of a working man’s annual wages, likely through paid labor opportunities allowed by his owners.
As the Revolutionary War approached, Massachusetts organized militia units known as "minutemen," and Salem enlisted in early 1775 in the First Andover Company under Captain James Frye. On 17 June 1775, he fought heroically at the Battle of Bunker Hill, serving alongside other African American minutemen such as Titus Coburn, Peter Salem, and Seymour Burr. Amid heavy British fire, Salem Poor stayed behind to assist the wounded, despite the danger.
He was later credited, though not conclusively, with firing the shot that killed British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie. His bravery prompted his officers to submit a formal petition to the Massachusetts General Court, praising him as "a brave and gallant soldier"; however, no formal reward was issued.
Salem continued his service with the Continental Army, joining Captain Nathaniel's Company of Colonel Edward Wigglesworth’s 13th Massachusetts Regiment by 1 July 1777. He fought at White Plains, served during the Saratoga Campaign, endured the winter at Valley Forge, and fought at the Battle of Monmouth. He served until about 1780.
In his personal life, he married several times, mostly to free women of color. With his first wife, Nancy Parker, he had one known son:
Jonas was born on 29 September 1776.
Despite his early heroism, Salem struggled financially in later life. By 1793, he was a resident of the Boston Almshouse and was briefly jailed for "breach of peace" in 1799.
The Patriot died in 1802 at the age of fifty-five and was buried in Copp’s Hill Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts.
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