SIMMONS: Most of the Simmons children lived relatedly normal lives. There was one exception.
Stephen was the most tragic figure among children of John and Catherine. He was baptized in Philadelphia, but probably born in rural Burlington Co., New Jersey. He joined his brother, John Jr., as sales agent for the nearly 5000 acres in Montgomery Co., NY about 1794. [The area where the Simmons brothers settled became New Berlin, Chenango Co., NY]
Stephen served in the military for three years. According to the U.S. Army Register of Enlistments, he was a lieutenant of dragoons from 9 July - 4 Sept.1797. He then served as regimental paymaster in Tennessee until 13 November 1800, when he was arrested and tried at a General Courts Martial in Philadelphia. Stephen was then dismissed from service.
Stephen returned to New Berlin after his Courts Martial where he married Levana Elliot [?] in 1806. They had six children: Catherine, James, David, Ellen, Bathsheba and Lavina.
The family moved to Wayne Co., Michigan in 1825. There Stephen purchased a decrepit tavern in the forest along the main immigrant trail. He also farmed.
In June 1830 Stephen returned from a week-long trip to Detroit [attending a court case involving a contract dispute] and accused Levana of having an affair with a stagecoach driver. He subsequently got drunk and beat his wife to death. Stephen was tried for murder in Detroit and hanged on 24 September 1830. It was the first hanging in Detroit since 1821 and the last. Stephen and Levana were buried on the tavern property in unmarked graves. The children had left the Michigan Territory by 1834.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Saving the Nation's Capital: The William Simmons Story
SIMMONS: William, the eldest of John and Catherine [Dally] Simmons' children, would parlay his duty with the commander-in-chief's guard during the Revolutionary War into government service under three presidents.
William's military service may well have been in part with the 11th Pennsylvania Continentals. A William Simmons with that regiment transferred to the Commander-in-chief's guard on 1 March 1777. In this latter capacity, Wiliam would have had contact with Washington and other generals. Simmons was reported sick at Morristown, NJ.
On the muster roll for the guards, a William Simmons was listed as a member from 20 March 1780 to 8 April 1781 with the rank of private.
From 1 April to 1 August 1780 William was at headquarters in Orangetown, NY [adjacent to Clarkstown, where his younger brother John enlisted] as a member of the Guard under Col. Caleb Gibbs. He also on duty from August through December and reported as being in the hospital as of 15 January 1781. [M881 - Rev. War Service Records]
On 21 November 1781, a William Simmons, clerk in the Comptroller's office took the Oath of Allegiance to the US. William may have left the Guard in April and gone into government service before the war ended. References to William were also made in the papers of Robert Morris [1781-1784] establishing his service as a clerk of accounts with the Treasury Department in late 1783 and as clerk to the Commissioner to the Quartermaster Department in 1784..
William recieved an appointment from President Washington as an accountant to the Treasury Department on 17 April 1795. He served with the War Department under Adams, and Madison. His civil service career took place in all three capitals - New York, Philadelphia and Washington.
William's government employment came to an end on 6 July 1814, when he was dismissed by President Madison for [alleged] "bitter hostility to the government" and "rudeness to his superiors." Simmons counter charged that Secretary of War John Armstrong had engineered the firing after a clash over accounting procedures.
Armstrong was a complacent, arrogant, and stubborn individual who refused to listen to subordinates. He had been fueding with Accountant Simmons and fired him. President Madison evidently backed Armstrong. Historians assign much of the blame for the Bladensburg defeat and the buring of Washington to Armstrong.
Despite his resentment of the government officials, William Simmons became an "unsung hero." He volunteered to follow British troop movement on the Bladensburg side of the Patuxent River and Eastern Branch. Once he determined that the British were going to march on Bladensburg, Simmons rode to inform the nearest US field commanders. As he crossed the Bladensburg Bridge, the deposed accountant ran into the Presidential party and prevented Madison from being captured by the enemy.
Simmons then acted as a forward artillery observer and realized that US cannon fire was ineffective. He informed US commander Brigadier General William H. Winder of the situation and was dismissed since he was not a professional soldier. [Winder would also be saddled with blame for his ineptitude in handling the command.]
Next, Simmons rode into Washington to warn remaining citizens and officials of the impending invasion. He reported to the President's House and noticed two fully operational, wheel-mounted cannon setting on the lawn. He ordered the sole remaining Presidential servant to serve Madison's brandy to the soldiers still in the capital. Then he convinced some of the soldiers to wheel at least one of the two field pieces out of the city. William Simmons then rode to Georgetown.
Family lore holds that Madison offered Simmons any job he desired within his area of expertise and that he resigned in 1815. It has yet to be learned if William was reinstated after the War of 1812.
For his service, William received a grant of 4297 acres at the headwaters of the Muskingham River in Coshocton Co., Ohio granted him by President John Adams in 1800. After leaving government service, William packed up family and belongings and headed west after the final disposition of his father's will in 1820.
William fathered two children with his first wife, Elizabeth. William and his second wife, Josephine Lapoint had three children. Wiliam died at Simmons Mill near Warsaw in Cosochton Co., Ohio.
William's military service may well have been in part with the 11th Pennsylvania Continentals. A William Simmons with that regiment transferred to the Commander-in-chief's guard on 1 March 1777. In this latter capacity, Wiliam would have had contact with Washington and other generals. Simmons was reported sick at Morristown, NJ.
On the muster roll for the guards, a William Simmons was listed as a member from 20 March 1780 to 8 April 1781 with the rank of private.
From 1 April to 1 August 1780 William was at headquarters in Orangetown, NY [adjacent to Clarkstown, where his younger brother John enlisted] as a member of the Guard under Col. Caleb Gibbs. He also on duty from August through December and reported as being in the hospital as of 15 January 1781. [M881 - Rev. War Service Records]
On 21 November 1781, a William Simmons, clerk in the Comptroller's office took the Oath of Allegiance to the US. William may have left the Guard in April and gone into government service before the war ended. References to William were also made in the papers of Robert Morris [1781-1784] establishing his service as a clerk of accounts with the Treasury Department in late 1783 and as clerk to the Commissioner to the Quartermaster Department in 1784..
William recieved an appointment from President Washington as an accountant to the Treasury Department on 17 April 1795. He served with the War Department under Adams, and Madison. His civil service career took place in all three capitals - New York, Philadelphia and Washington.
William's government employment came to an end on 6 July 1814, when he was dismissed by President Madison for [alleged] "bitter hostility to the government" and "rudeness to his superiors." Simmons counter charged that Secretary of War John Armstrong had engineered the firing after a clash over accounting procedures.
Armstrong was a complacent, arrogant, and stubborn individual who refused to listen to subordinates. He had been fueding with Accountant Simmons and fired him. President Madison evidently backed Armstrong. Historians assign much of the blame for the Bladensburg defeat and the buring of Washington to Armstrong.
Despite his resentment of the government officials, William Simmons became an "unsung hero." He volunteered to follow British troop movement on the Bladensburg side of the Patuxent River and Eastern Branch. Once he determined that the British were going to march on Bladensburg, Simmons rode to inform the nearest US field commanders. As he crossed the Bladensburg Bridge, the deposed accountant ran into the Presidential party and prevented Madison from being captured by the enemy.
Simmons then acted as a forward artillery observer and realized that US cannon fire was ineffective. He informed US commander Brigadier General William H. Winder of the situation and was dismissed since he was not a professional soldier. [Winder would also be saddled with blame for his ineptitude in handling the command.]
Next, Simmons rode into Washington to warn remaining citizens and officials of the impending invasion. He reported to the President's House and noticed two fully operational, wheel-mounted cannon setting on the lawn. He ordered the sole remaining Presidential servant to serve Madison's brandy to the soldiers still in the capital. Then he convinced some of the soldiers to wheel at least one of the two field pieces out of the city. William Simmons then rode to Georgetown.
Family lore holds that Madison offered Simmons any job he desired within his area of expertise and that he resigned in 1815. It has yet to be learned if William was reinstated after the War of 1812.
For his service, William received a grant of 4297 acres at the headwaters of the Muskingham River in Coshocton Co., Ohio granted him by President John Adams in 1800. After leaving government service, William packed up family and belongings and headed west after the final disposition of his father's will in 1820.
William fathered two children with his first wife, Elizabeth. William and his second wife, Josephine Lapoint had three children. Wiliam died at Simmons Mill near Warsaw in Cosochton Co., Ohio.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Some Simmons Stories
SIMMONS: For quite some time, the information I had on my Mom's Simmons line stretched back five generations to James Morris Simmons. I did not have much on James and Hester [Moore] Simmons. The Simmons clan became the focus of one of my recent Problem Solving classes at the Salt Lake Institute. The flood gates opened!
John Simmons, Sr., brothers John Jr. and William, John William and his kids, and my great-grandmother's brother, John W. are all worthy of having their stories told. So, sit back, relax and [hopefully] enjoy the next week or so worth of posts as the Simmons family travels from New York City to Indiana.
Wall Street John. That is the name that has been given to John Simmons Sr. John was born about 1730 in Hampshire, England and christened at St. Mary's Church in Portsea in 1736. He arrived in New York during the early 1750s. John married widow Catherine Dally Salter in 1758.
By October of 1770, John had opened a tavern at 63 Wall Street, on the corner of Nassau Street. The tavern was across the street from NY City Hall [later Federal Hall] and became a popular gathering and meeting place. The Common Council [lawmakers] met at the tavern from 1773 to 1776 and again after the Revolution. The Declaration of Independence was read in from of City Hall, across the street.
John had to evacuate his family during the British occupation. The family probably spent the war years in New Jersey, Philadelphia and Dutchess Co., NY. John briefly served with the 2nd NY Regiment and Dutchess Co. militia.
Upon returning home in 1783, John reopened the tavern. A committee to determine security and protocol for the return of Gov. Clinton and Continental troops met there in November. General Washington reportedly attended the "Evacuation Day" banquet held at the tavern on 25 November. The installation of James Duane [February 1784] as the first American mayor of New York City was held at the Simmons establishment while City Hall was being renovated from British prison to a local government building.
City Hall became Federal Hall when New York was selected as the U.S. capital. Washington and Adams were sworn in there. The Simmons clan was undoubtedly watching from the tavern.
John decided to venture into real estate in 1793. He and three others invested in 43000 acres on the west bank of the Unadilla River in Montgomery Co., NY. John's share was 4850 acres [19 lots]. John Jr. was sent as John's sales agent and settled on Lot #75. Brother Stephen later joined him and occupied Lot #78.
John was famous for his size. Reported to have been the largest man in the colonies, John topped the scales at over 400 pounds. When John died in 1795, part of the wall of the tavern had to be removed in order to remove him.
Below is a sketch of the tavern at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets. Perhaps John himself is seated on the bench.
John Simmons, Sr., brothers John Jr. and William, John William and his kids, and my great-grandmother's brother, John W. are all worthy of having their stories told. So, sit back, relax and [hopefully] enjoy the next week or so worth of posts as the Simmons family travels from New York City to Indiana.
Wall Street John. That is the name that has been given to John Simmons Sr. John was born about 1730 in Hampshire, England and christened at St. Mary's Church in Portsea in 1736. He arrived in New York during the early 1750s. John married widow Catherine Dally Salter in 1758.
By October of 1770, John had opened a tavern at 63 Wall Street, on the corner of Nassau Street. The tavern was across the street from NY City Hall [later Federal Hall] and became a popular gathering and meeting place. The Common Council [lawmakers] met at the tavern from 1773 to 1776 and again after the Revolution. The Declaration of Independence was read in from of City Hall, across the street.
John had to evacuate his family during the British occupation. The family probably spent the war years in New Jersey, Philadelphia and Dutchess Co., NY. John briefly served with the 2nd NY Regiment and Dutchess Co. militia.
Upon returning home in 1783, John reopened the tavern. A committee to determine security and protocol for the return of Gov. Clinton and Continental troops met there in November. General Washington reportedly attended the "Evacuation Day" banquet held at the tavern on 25 November. The installation of James Duane [February 1784] as the first American mayor of New York City was held at the Simmons establishment while City Hall was being renovated from British prison to a local government building.
City Hall became Federal Hall when New York was selected as the U.S. capital. Washington and Adams were sworn in there. The Simmons clan was undoubtedly watching from the tavern.
John decided to venture into real estate in 1793. He and three others invested in 43000 acres on the west bank of the Unadilla River in Montgomery Co., NY. John's share was 4850 acres [19 lots]. John Jr. was sent as John's sales agent and settled on Lot #75. Brother Stephen later joined him and occupied Lot #78.
John was famous for his size. Reported to have been the largest man in the colonies, John topped the scales at over 400 pounds. When John died in 1795, part of the wall of the tavern had to be removed in order to remove him.
Below is a sketch of the tavern at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets. Perhaps John himself is seated on the bench.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Maria Schultz Rinker's Baby Half-Brothers?
SCHULTZ: Maria Schultz Rinker was born in 1730 in Switzerland to Jacob and Margaret [Huber] Schultz. It would appear that Margaret died and Jacob remarried prior to 1753. His 2nd marriage produced at least two sons, John and Mathias, who served in the Revolutionary War. (It is, of course, possible that John and Mathias were from another Schultz family. However, the fact that both were born near Philadelphia and migrated to Frederick Co, Virginia ties them closely to Maria.)
John, born in 1753, volunteered with Daniel Morgan's Rifle Company in 1775. Morgan was attached to Col. Benedict Arnold's command during the invasion of Quebec. John was a prisoner of war from 21 December 1775 until November 1776.
Mathias, born in 1757, served as a substitute for his "brother-in-law, Casper Rinker" in the Frederick Co. militia in December 1776. The Virginians joined Washington in time for the march on Princeton, serving with Lord Stirling. Mathias later served as a scout near Philadelphia and then at Fort Pitt. In 1782, he was called out by Gen. George Rogers Clark to serve in the campaign against the Miami Indians.
John, born in 1753, volunteered with Daniel Morgan's Rifle Company in 1775. Morgan was attached to Col. Benedict Arnold's command during the invasion of Quebec. John was a prisoner of war from 21 December 1775 until November 1776.
Mathias, born in 1757, served as a substitute for his "brother-in-law, Casper Rinker" in the Frederick Co. militia in December 1776. The Virginians joined Washington in time for the march on Princeton, serving with Lord Stirling. Mathias later served as a scout near Philadelphia and then at Fort Pitt. In 1782, he was called out by Gen. George Rogers Clark to serve in the campaign against the Miami Indians.
A Brief Rittenhouse Revolutionary War Story and More
RITTENHOUSE: Although Isaac Rittenhouse was left only five shillings by his father, William, it appears that he also inherited the tavern as well.
It was said that Isaac built the older part of the tavern in Rosemont in 1754. While he was putting up the rafters, news arrived of Braddock's defeat during the French and Indian War.
During the Revolution, the Rittenhouse family did their best to thwart the efforts of the British and Tories. In one case, Tory marauders were on a horse raid and as they approached the farmstead, Mrs. Rittenhouse signaled her son Samuel and the family's slave, Cato. While she chatted with the Tories, Samuel and Cato went to the barn and drove the horses into the woods until the Tories gave up the hunt. Another time Samuel and Cato were ordered to cart for the British Army. They took two horses and hid out in the Forests of Kingwood Twp. until it was safe to return home.
Recommendations from neighbors in the community that Isaac Rittenhouse be granted a licence to operate a "public house." The documents state that Isaac Rettinghaus lived on the "crossroad leading from Wm.[?]Reading's and Wm. McClane's[?] ferrys to Flemington and no Public House near it to entertain travelers, and said Rettinghaus having good conveniences for the entertainment of travelers... [1789-91] The wording changed to "from Ringoes old tavern to Wm. Reading's ferry" in 1795. On page 301, [type written in form] it states that "Isaac Ruttenhouse is of good Repute for Honesty and Temperance, that he has two spare feather beds, more than are necessary for his Family's Use, and that he is well provided with House-room, Stabling and Provender." [It's nice to know that some of my ancestral tavern keepers had good reputations!]
Isaac married Susannah Baker about 1757. They raised 11 children. Only Elizabeth, who married Cornelius Prall, Jr., left Hunterdon County. Isaac died in 1809 and Susannah in 1824.
It was said that Isaac built the older part of the tavern in Rosemont in 1754. While he was putting up the rafters, news arrived of Braddock's defeat during the French and Indian War.
During the Revolution, the Rittenhouse family did their best to thwart the efforts of the British and Tories. In one case, Tory marauders were on a horse raid and as they approached the farmstead, Mrs. Rittenhouse signaled her son Samuel and the family's slave, Cato. While she chatted with the Tories, Samuel and Cato went to the barn and drove the horses into the woods until the Tories gave up the hunt. Another time Samuel and Cato were ordered to cart for the British Army. They took two horses and hid out in the Forests of Kingwood Twp. until it was safe to return home.
Recommendations from neighbors in the community that Isaac Rittenhouse be granted a licence to operate a "public house." The documents state that Isaac Rettinghaus lived on the "crossroad leading from Wm.[?]Reading's and Wm. McClane's[?] ferrys to Flemington and no Public House near it to entertain travelers, and said Rettinghaus having good conveniences for the entertainment of travelers... [1789-91] The wording changed to "from Ringoes old tavern to Wm. Reading's ferry" in 1795. On page 301, [type written in form] it states that "Isaac Ruttenhouse is of good Repute for Honesty and Temperance, that he has two spare feather beds, more than are necessary for his Family's Use, and that he is well provided with House-room, Stabling and Provender." [It's nice to know that some of my ancestral tavern keepers had good reputations!]
Isaac married Susannah Baker about 1757. They raised 11 children. Only Elizabeth, who married Cornelius Prall, Jr., left Hunterdon County. Isaac died in 1809 and Susannah in 1824.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Rittenhouse II
RITTENHOUSE: I should note that my line of the family did not inherit Wilhelm's paper mill. I descend from Wilhelm's youngest son, Gerhard/Garret.
Garret established a farm and operated a grist mill on Cresheim Creek. Garret died in 1742, leaving his land in Cresheim to eldest son William. Peter, the youngest, received the grist mill and the family homestead.
William had already removed to Hunterdon Co., New Jersey by the time of Garret's death. He acquired two tracts of 800 and 200 acres near Rosemont. A stone house was constructed on the farm in 1737. "W.C.R.1737" was carved into one of the stones. Rittenhouse also opened a tavern called the "Crosskeys." William married Catherine Howell about 1719, before moving to New Jersey.
William and Catherine are buried in the Old Private Burying Ground east of the Prallsville stone quarry on land that had been part of the Rittenhouse estate. The burial ground is accessible from both the John Prall and Letitia Prall houses. The homes are across the road from the Prallsville Mills complex near Stockton, NJ.
Their graves are marked by well-worn field stones reading "WR 1767" and "CR 1778." Catherine's death was the result of falling into the well on the tavern property.
Garret established a farm and operated a grist mill on Cresheim Creek. Garret died in 1742, leaving his land in Cresheim to eldest son William. Peter, the youngest, received the grist mill and the family homestead.
William had already removed to Hunterdon Co., New Jersey by the time of Garret's death. He acquired two tracts of 800 and 200 acres near Rosemont. A stone house was constructed on the farm in 1737. "W.C.R.1737" was carved into one of the stones. Rittenhouse also opened a tavern called the "Crosskeys." William married Catherine Howell about 1719, before moving to New Jersey.
William and Catherine are buried in the Old Private Burying Ground east of the Prallsville stone quarry on land that had been part of the Rittenhouse estate. The burial ground is accessible from both the John Prall and Letitia Prall houses. The homes are across the road from the Prallsville Mills complex near Stockton, NJ.
Their graves are marked by well-worn field stones reading "WR 1767" and "CR 1778." Catherine's death was the result of falling into the well on the tavern property.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Family Stories & Legends: The Family of Wilhelm Rittenhouse: Mennonite Papermaker & Minister
RITTENHOUSE: The Rittenhouse clan will be the subject of the next few posts.
Wilhelm Rittinghuysen was born in the Principality of Broich in Mulheim, Westphalia in 1644. He may have learned the papermaking trade from his uncle Mathias Vorster's brother, Adolf, who operated a paper mill in Broich. In 1660, the Vorsters and Wilhelm moved to Eerbeek, Gelderland, The Netherlands where Wilhelm married Geertruid Kirsten Pieters five years later.
Mathias Vorster, also in the papermaking business, relocated to Rozendaal, near Arnhem in The Netherlands, in 1672. He became the head of a large mill in 1678 and sent Wilhelm to the Dutch publishing center of Amsterdam as his agent.
In 1688, Rittenhouse, now converted to the Mennonite faith, elected to sail to the colony of New Netherland. By this time Wilhelm and Geertruid had three children, Claus, Elizabeth and Gerhard. He may have been persuaded to move to America by printer William Bradford.
Wilhelm relocated to Penn's Colony, near Germantown and built a paper mill on a branch of Wissahickon Creek that became known as "Paper Mill Run." He also drew lot #19 in Germantown [the site of the current Mennonite Meeting House.] The mill began operating in 1790. It was the first paper mill in British America. The aforementioned William Bradford was an early partner in the enterprise.
[The Rittenhouse paper was made by hand, one sheet at a time, from rags pounded into pulp. One man could produce one and a half reams of 20"x30" in a day.]
The American Mercury was the first newspaper published in the Middle Colonies It's publisher was Andrew Bradford, William's nephew. Rittenhouse paper was used for the Mercury.
The original paper mill was washed away by a flood in 1701. The mill would be rebuilt three more times. The Rittenhouse family gained full ownership in 1704, when William Bradford sold his interest in the mill back to the family. Bradford would still provide quality rags in partial payment for paper.
Wilhelm was a Mennonite minister in Germantown and was chosen to be the first Bishop in America in 1701. He died 18 February 1708 and was buried in the Mennonite Church Yard in an unmarked grave, according to Mennonite custom. Eldest son, Claus inherited the paper mill.
The sketch below appears on the Find A Grave page for Wilhelm Rittenhouse. According to the note, no one has questioned that the picture is of the Mennonite paper maker.
Wilhelm Rittinghuysen was born in the Principality of Broich in Mulheim, Westphalia in 1644. He may have learned the papermaking trade from his uncle Mathias Vorster's brother, Adolf, who operated a paper mill in Broich. In 1660, the Vorsters and Wilhelm moved to Eerbeek, Gelderland, The Netherlands where Wilhelm married Geertruid Kirsten Pieters five years later.
Mathias Vorster, also in the papermaking business, relocated to Rozendaal, near Arnhem in The Netherlands, in 1672. He became the head of a large mill in 1678 and sent Wilhelm to the Dutch publishing center of Amsterdam as his agent.
In 1688, Rittenhouse, now converted to the Mennonite faith, elected to sail to the colony of New Netherland. By this time Wilhelm and Geertruid had three children, Claus, Elizabeth and Gerhard. He may have been persuaded to move to America by printer William Bradford.
Wilhelm relocated to Penn's Colony, near Germantown and built a paper mill on a branch of Wissahickon Creek that became known as "Paper Mill Run." He also drew lot #19 in Germantown [the site of the current Mennonite Meeting House.] The mill began operating in 1790. It was the first paper mill in British America. The aforementioned William Bradford was an early partner in the enterprise.
[The Rittenhouse paper was made by hand, one sheet at a time, from rags pounded into pulp. One man could produce one and a half reams of 20"x30" in a day.]
The American Mercury was the first newspaper published in the Middle Colonies It's publisher was Andrew Bradford, William's nephew. Rittenhouse paper was used for the Mercury.
The original paper mill was washed away by a flood in 1701. The mill would be rebuilt three more times. The Rittenhouse family gained full ownership in 1704, when William Bradford sold his interest in the mill back to the family. Bradford would still provide quality rags in partial payment for paper.
Wilhelm was a Mennonite minister in Germantown and was chosen to be the first Bishop in America in 1701. He died 18 February 1708 and was buried in the Mennonite Church Yard in an unmarked grave, according to Mennonite custom. Eldest son, Claus inherited the paper mill.
The sketch below appears on the Find A Grave page for Wilhelm Rittenhouse. According to the note, no one has questioned that the picture is of the Mennonite paper maker.
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