Talbot-Baldwin-Jasper County GaArchives Biographies.....Simmons, William Isaac February 11, 1758 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: John Simmons http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00030.html#0007486 December 13, 2019, 1:48 pm Source: personal research Author: John Simmons William was born in 1758 in Johnston County, Province of North Carolina. This would become Wake County, North Carolina in 1771. His parents were John Simmons and Margaret Nutt. William grew to manhood on his father's plantation. William had 6 siblings and 5 are known. Their names and dates of birth are mentioned in the pension application for William. War came to the colonies and to North Carolina in April of 1775 after the local colonial militia and British troops exchanged fire on the village green at Lexington in Massachusetts. The fighting continued in nearby Concord. War then came to all of the northern colonies. North Carolina was not affected until 1776. The North Carolina Militia defeated a Tory army at Moore's Creek in July. William's family all supported the patriot cause. His father provided food for the patriot army. William enlisted in the North Carolina Militia from Wake County along with his father and his uncle Isaac Nutt. Simmons, William Isaac NC Light Dragoons 1780 1781 1780-1781, a Private under Capt. Solomon Wood and Maj. Samuel Henderson. From Wake County. Wounded at the battle of Cowpens, SC. 1781, in GA unit. Born on 2/11/1758 in NC. Cowpens (SC). William, his father, and his uncle, Isaac Nutt,were at the Battle of the Cowpens in South Carolina. Isaac Nutt was killed in action. William's father was wounded in the leg. William received his discharge papers to take his wounded father home to Wake County. William added Isaac to his name to honor his fallen uncle. William then enlisted to serve in Georgia with Colonel Clarke to be eligible for bounty land in that state. He served 2 years with the Georgia patriots. After the Revolutionary War William Isaac and his father moved from North Carolina to Georgia. William received bounty land for his service. He sold that land to Matthew Arthur for a mare horse. His father came with him to Baldwin County. John Simmons, Jr. and his son Isaac lived on their land in Baldwin County until 1816. According to county tax and deed records, three of their closest neighboring families were the George Thompson family, the Joshua Scurlock family and the Joseph Westmoreland family. Several marriages between the children and grandchildren of these families occurred. The Oconee River was a natural territorial line between the white settlers on the east and the Creek Indians on the west as proclaimed by President Washington. However, it was difficult to enforce. The white settlers kept moving across the river to the west and the Indians kept slipping across to the east and raiding the whites. The attempt at enforcement of the border did not last long. In 1816, the John Simmons, Jr., family, the Isaac Simmons family, the John J. Simmons family, and the Joseph Westmoreland family sold their land in Baldwin County,Georgia. In the Jan 31 1816 issue of the Georgia Journal, published at Milledgeville, county seat of Baldwin County., the following was advertised for sale by John & Isaac Simmons: 410 acres on Deriso Creek, 1 brown Bay Mare, 1 yoke of oxen and cart, 22 head cattle, 9 head sheep, 2 sows and 10 pigs. The families then moved to the northwest about 40 miles to Jasper County, Georgia, in the vicinity of Monticello, county seat.It appears that Isaac Simmons purchased land in Jasper County as he is shown on the 1820 census. By this time, John Simmons, Jr. was in his 80's and living with Isaac Simmons. The George Thompson family, the John J. Simmons family and the Joseph Westmoreland family left Jasper Co. by 1818 and moved to Montgomery County in Alabama. Isaac and his father both moved after 1820 later to Talbot County, Georgia. They were living in Dupree's District, Talbot County in 1830. Deed Records Deed Book B page 138 and 139 William SImmons sold land to William Holmes of Talbot County on 7 Nov 1829 for 450 dollars. This land was part of land lot 145 located on Big Lazer Creek. William sold 50 acres of land part of land lot 145 to Needham Huff for 250 dollars also on 7 Dec 1829. The land sold to William Holmes is mentioned in a biographical section on William Holmes of Talbot County in the book Rockaway in Talbot. Deed Book C and page 296 William Simmons sold land from the 23rd District and Land Lot 245, 102 and 1/2 acres for 200 dollars. indenture was made 23 June 1834 and was recorded 22 Sep 1834. William Simmons sold 101 and 1/4 acres the west half of Land lot 288 in the 23rd District of Muscogee now Talbot in 1834. Deed Book D page 85 William Simmons 1836 Deed Book H page 6 William Simmons sold land to Littleberry Carter in Talbot County, Georgia on Aug 1841. It was recorded in 1843 by an appearance in court of William SImmons in Autauga County, Alabama. There is another deed record on page 7 of the same Deed Book H. In this record are found the names of John R. Simmons and Jesse A. Simmons. This record also mentions Littleberry Carter and has a connection to Autauga County. William's father died in Talbot County in 1837. It is not known where he was buried. William was still living there in 1840 with his two daughters, Gracey and Sarah. The information for the birth dates comes from a small piece of paper written by John & Margaret in 1786.This piece of paper was kept by son, William Isaac and was used in his Georgia pension application in 1846 for his service in the Revolutionary War. William Isaac Simmons made an application for a pension for Revolutionary War veterans in Talbot County in 1846. He was denied his pension because a doctork in Talbot County had misplaced his discharge papers. Isaac is found on the Talbot County, Georgia census in 1850 in the 24th District., His daughters Gracy and Sarah are living with him. For some reason his age is not noted on the census. He had to be at least 91. He gives his age as 87 when he made application for pension in 1846. The 24th District became part of Taylor County, Georgia when it was created in 1852. His initial pension application was made in 1846. Attempts were made towards his claim with the pension office in Washington, D.C. by his power of attorney, Thomas Lumpkin. There is a document signed by William on 25 June of 1851. There are other documents related to his case up to Aug of 1853. His wife probably died in the 1830s in Talbot Co., GA. The exact date and the place of his burial have not been determined but believed to be in Talbot County. He was at least 92 in 1851. Pension application has notations up till 1853. Children of William Isaac and wife unknown name. They are not listed in birth order. Two daughters are living with him in 1850 and appear to be twins. # William # John # Joseph # Gracy b. 1792 # Sarah b. 1792 She may be the Sarah Simmons living in Redbone in 1860. # Rhoda b. between 1800 and 1810. she was married to Ralph McMullin in Talbot County, Georgia in 1835. She is living with her husband in Talbot in 1840 and he is recorded on the census on the same page as Isaac Simmons. Additional Comments: William Isaac had a sister named Rhoda. She was married to William Scurlock. He was a veteran soldier of the Revolutionary War. He owned land in Talbot County and died in Muscogee County, Georgia in 1840. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/talbot/bios/simmons438bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 7.9 Kb