Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. The Simmons Family of Duplin "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore The progenitor of the Simmons (spelled originally Simons) family of Jones, Craven and Duplin counties was John Simmons of the village of Bucha in Switzerland. He came to New Bern, North Carolina, with Baron Christopher Von Graffenreid in 1710. He was the son of Benedict and Katherine Schetele Simons. Two of his sisters, Madlena Himler and Ann Margretha Weiman came to New Bern with the Palatines, but it is believed that they were killed in the massacre by the Tuscarora Indians. John Simmons was granted land on the south side of the Trent River in what is now Jones County. His descendant, the late United States Senator, F.M. Simmons, lived on the same plantation. He married Margaret Bussett and they had the following eight children: John, Daniel, Benjamin, Abraham, Emanuel, Katherine, Mary and Elizabeth. John Simmons' will was probated in 1741 and he left a plantation and slaves to each of his children. Daniel Simmons (died 1773) married Mary Kornegay, the only daughter of George Kornegay, the pioneer Palatine settler, and lived in Jones County. They had two sons, George Simmons and Daniel Simmons II. His widow later married Edward C. de Bruhl and had at least two children. George Simmons married and lived in Jones County, but he had no children. Daniel Simmons II (1766-1826) was married to a cousin, Penelope Hargett, the daughter of Peter and Ann Isler Hargett, and lived in Jones County. They had the following eleven children: Simion, William, Nancy, George W., Peggy, Susanna, Penelope, Daniel, Cassie, Abraham, and John. William Simmons (son of Daniel and Penelope) (1791-1861), married Sarah Beasley (1798-1850) and lived on Core Creek in Craven County. They had 10 children. George Washington Simmons (1794-1871), a son of Daniel and Penelope Simmons, married his second cousin, Hester Kornegay (18_5-1890) and in 1833, they migrated to Sumter County, Alabama. In keeping with the pioneer spirit, they had 11 children. Susanna Simmons (1799-1882) married her first cousin, Hargett Kornegay (son of Isaac and Hester Hargett Kornegay) and they settled near Kornegay's bridge in Duplin County. They had 11 children and many of their descendants live in Duplin and Wayne and many other parts of the earth. Daniel Hargett Simmons (1803-1888), son of Daniel and Penelope Simmons was married in 1824 to Eliza Ann Grady, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Outlaw Grady and they settled on a plantation near Ablertson in Duplin County. They built a home which they called "Waterloo" and it is now owned by Dr. Dan Fagg, a direct descendant. The family cemetery is nearby. They had the following 11 children: Stephen Henry, Ann Eliza, Frances Alexander, Amos Williams, Nancy Penelope, Sallie Mariah, Mary Caroline, Julia, Catherine, Barbara and Emaline. Daniel Simmons later married Marian Grady, but there were no children. Emaline Simmons (1843-1921) daughter of Daniel and Eliza Ann Grady Simmons married her first cousin, William Henry Grady (1841-1921) in 1870. They lived and died at "Waterloo," near Albertson. They were members of Hebron Presbyterian Church. They had the following eight children: Albert Sidney Grady (attorney in Mount Olive), Zebulon Vance Grady, Raphael Simmons Grady, Fontaine Maury Grady, Preston Brooks Grady, Emmaline Grady, Maud Grady, and Malcom Laurens Grady (historian, teacher, and farmer). Some of the old residents will remember Mr. Albert Grady. He married first Carrie English and later Sammie May. Malcom Grady lived at "Waterloo" and I had known him for over 40 years when he died. He had once taught school and knew more about the genealogy of the Duplin families than any other living person at that time. He is buried at Hebron Church. After his death, his old home was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Dan Fagg and they have restored it. I am indebted to Malcom Grady for most of the data in this article. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts ==============================================================