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.
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