Solomon Valentine Blake. Son of James Blake Sr. and Elizabeth Ann Shannon. Born on a farm near Seaforth, Tuckersmith Township, East Huron County, Ontario, Canada. His father had been born in Amagh County, Ulster Province, Northern Ireland. His mother also born in Amagh County, Ulster, Northern Ireland. His father immigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1830. Betty, his mother immigrated with her family from Ireland in 1844.

Solomon was the 6th Child born by Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Shannon. Betty had a total of 7 children but died at the age of 39 yrs 2 mo 7 days of age. Solomon was had just turned 4 years when he lost his mother. His father, James Blake Sr. waited two years before he married for a 2nd time on to Hannah Lee an Irish lady who family came from County Cork area of Southern Ireland. Hannah was his mother from the age of 6 until her death on September 29, 1879 at the age of 38 yrs, 10 months and 5 days. Solomon was once again motherless at age 16.

Solomon's older brother by 2 years, Thomas George Blake joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Solomon decided to join his brother and the two Mounties traveled together (one location was Toronto, York County, Ontario off of the northern shore of Lake Ontario).

Solomon liked the ladies and for awhile he lived with a woman with two children. But he left Canada to follow his widowed father who emigrated from Canada in 1883 to the United States. Solomon followed in 1888 at age 24 to live first at his father's homestead on Fisherman's Bay Road, the northern area on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands of Puget Sound, off the coast of Washington State. Later Solomon and his brother Thomas George were both given land by their father to build just north of his place on Fisherman's Bay Road. One brother on one side of the road with his family and Solomon on the other side of the road.

Solomon married Thomasena V. "Sena" Johnston in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and brought his wife to Lopez Island. He and Sena had two sons: Roy Vernon Blake 1894-1978 and Irwin George Blake 1897-1972 before he and Sena divorces before the year of 1920.

Solomon continued to live on Lopez Island but never married again. He passed away at age 72 years, 12 days and was buried near his father's grave in the Lopez Union Cemetery on Davis Road Plat 1 Plot M53. San Juan County, Washington USA

Solomon Valentine Blake
Born Feb. 14, 1964 to James Blake Sr. and his 1st wife, Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Shannon. Both of his parents had immigrated to Canada with their parents from Armagh County (The Orchard County, Ulster Province, Northern Ireland. His father immigrated in 1829 and him mother in 1844. They met and married in Ontario, Canada about 1851.

He was the 6th child of his parents 7 children. At the time of his birth he and his siblings were living in the Seaford area, around the border of Tuckersmith &/or McKillop Twp., East Huron County, Ontario, Canada.

1868, Mar 25 his mother passed away at age 39. He was 4 years old and his youngest sister Maggie was 2. His mother was laid to rest in Egmondville United Cemetery, Seaforth, Tuckersmith Twp. E. Huron, Ontario Canada.

Sol's father waited two years but with 7 children, he chose to remarry. He married a spinster who was the youngest daughter of Mr. James Lee. An educated man from County Cork, Southern Ireland. Mr. Lee worked as the church's teacher and head of the Church Choir. He was also the founder of many of the Orangemen's Lodges from New Brunswick into Southern Ontario. Hannah Lee age 30, because his father, James Blake Sr.'s 2nd wife on May 10th 1870. Solomon was 6 when Hannah became his step mother.

His father moved the family to Albemarle Township near Hannah's father James Lee and his family. They lived on a farm that James Sr. purchased in the Wiarton/Colpoy's Bay area of North Bruce County out on the Indian Peninsula that fingered out into Lake Huron (one of The Great Lakes of North America). It was here in Ontario that Solomon grew up and went to school.

The next nine years, Hannah cared for Elizabeth's 7 children and bore 4 children for James Sr. The family was now 11 children. Hannah was ill with lung and heart disease 6 week prior to giving birth to a son, Fredrick Lee Blake. Hannah died at age 39 years of age, 24 hours after the birth of her first son.

James Sr. was now twice widowed. His children with Elizabeth were growing up and the two oldest girls Elizabeth Ann Blake age 26 and Martha Blake was 22 helped with the tiny baby boy and the 4 younger Blake born after Solomon and before baby Fredrick were all girls.

His older brother married in December after Hannah's death. About 2 years later his father again married. This time to a twice widowed woman with 8 children of her own. He married on Solomon's 16th birthday on Feb 14 1881 to Martha Armstrong McLaughlin-Lachay, age 41.

Martha Armstrong and her Laughlin children moved into the Blake Home. Elizabeth Ann Blake moved out with a baby son. The home was now two adults and 9 Blake children and 8 Laughlin children. Martha bore James Sr. a daughter, Lillis on Nov 7, 1881.

Solomon followed his brother Thomas George to join the Royal Canadian Mounties. They boys road horseback and often were in Toronto, Ontario.

1882 his 2nd step-mother Martha Armstrong-McLaughlin-Lachay-Blake was carrying a 2nd Blake child when her first husband returned for the war. He had been reported killed in action but was not dead. Martha was still Mrs. Robert McLaughlin. She moved out with the 8 Laughlin children and the baby Lillis Blake.

Nov. 1882 his brother James Blake Jr. married Susannah Craig.

May 1, 1883 Martha McLaughlin gave birth of Victor Colonel Blake in Mar, North Bruce not far from the Blake home. The 13 child bore to his father, James Blake Sr. Solomon now had 6 brothers & sisters, 6 half siblings.

2 months later his father had immigrated to San Juan County, Washington in the States (USA). He left his children in the care of the older children and purchased 170 acres of good farm land on Lopez Island. one of the 3 largest island in the San Juan Island Group that lie in the Salish Sea of Puget Sound off the coast of NW Washington State. Lopez was still a Territory of Washington State at the time.

His father got a homestead going, acres of land in fruit orchards, grain and hay. 1887, He sent for Solomon's next to the oldest sister, Martha Blake and the 4 children bore by his step-mother Hannah Lee.

1888 Solomon left Ontario to immigrate to Lopez Island and live with his father, helping him with the orchards and farm.

Slowly his brother Thomas George followed their father and Solomon to Lopez Island in 1891 after the death of his son & wife Barbara. Tom brought his daughter Elizabeth Maud "Lillie" Blake with him. 1898 James Jr and his wife Susannah and his first 3 children came to live on Lopez. His youngest sister Margaret Jane "Maggie" Blake was now Mrs. Henry Norman Craig (by marriage to their brother James Jr.'s wife's brother. A Blake brother and sister married a Craig sister and brother.)

1894, June 19, in Vancouver, British Columbia - Solomon Valentine Blake age 30 married Thomasena V. "Sena" Johnston age 25. Solomon's father had given land to he and Thomas George and they built North on the Fisherman's Bay Road on Lopez, across the road from each other.

The two half sibling bore my Martha McLaughlin were raised by their mother who moved to Sarnia, Lambton County, Ontario. Martha now used the name Martha Blake. The Blake family nor their father James Blake Sr. would see Lillis Blake. She died on her honeymoon in Detroit Michigan of an accidental death. The Bride & Groom blew out the hotel gas light like they would a kerosene lantern, not turning off the gas. Both died of asphyxiation during the night.) It would be much later in life that the Blake family would meet their 13 brother, Victor Colonel Blake who went by the name of "Blake" (not liking his given name).

On Lopez the Blake family was marrying and having children. His sister Margaret Jane "Maggie"/ Mrs. Norman Craig had 7 children. In 1917 her 3rd son George Craig was killed in action and place in a common memorial grave in Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium fighting as a Canadian service man for the King of England.

1894, Sept 30 Sol became a father to a son, Roy Vernon Blake.

1897, Nov 10 Sol became a father again, another son, Irwin George Blake.

Before 1920, he and his wife Sena Johnston were divorced. She was living for quite some time, separated from Sol caring for their youngest boy.

Solomon's first born went into the service of the United State Army in WWI as a Sargent.

1922 - His son married Ester Mae Prestholt. They had 3 children.

1829 - his 2nd son married Effie Wandaline "Wanda" Purnell. The had 2 children.

1907 - Sol's father, James Blake Sr. passed away after a stroke while caring for his home garden.

February 26, 1936 Solomon Valentine Blake passed away. He had worked on his father's farm. For a short period in his younger days he was a Canadian Mounty. Later to become an Engineer and boat builder. He was buried near his father's grave in Lopez Union Cemetery on Davis Road, San Juan County, Washington. Plat 1 Plot M53. His father was in Plot M51. He left behind 5 grandchildren.

His former wife Thomasena V. Johnston-Blake outlived him by 10 years and was buried in the Lopez Union Cemetery in Plat 1 Plot M33.