Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/390

 SDDIONS

SIMMS

He was married, Aug. 11, 1874, to Sarah Peterson, daughter of Jonatlian and Elizabetli Ann (Peter- son) Lange. He was superintendent of home missions in Dakota, 18SG-90. He conceived the idea of establislung Fargo coUege at Fargo, N.D., and was its president. 1894-99. He received the degree D.D. in 1897 from Cliicago Theological seminary. He di.'d in Fargo, N.D., Dec. 20, 1899.

SIMMONS, James Fowler, senator, was born in Little Compton. R.I., Sept. 10. 1795; son of Davis Simmons. He spent liis childhood on his father's farm, and attended Mr. Fowler's private school in Newport, removing in 1812 to Provi- dence. He was subsequently employed in various maiuifacturing concerns in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and in 1822 built a mill and began manufacturing in Simmonsville. He vvas a re- presentative of the town of Johnston in the gen- eral assembly, 1827-40, excepting the years 1830 and 1834. serving on a committee sent to Wash- ington in the interests of manufacturing corpora- tions, and also as chairman of a committee sent from Providence in the great financial crisis of 1837. He was U.S. senator from Rhode Island, 1841-47, and lost the next two elections through favoring the liberation of Thomas W. Dorr (q.v), but won the election, 18.57, resigning his seat in August, 1862, and liis term was completed by Samuel G. Arnold of Middletown. He was married, first. Oct. 21, 1820, to Eliza, daughter of Judge Samuel Randall, of Johnston; and secondly, in 183.5. to Sarah Scott, daughter of Simon Wliip- ple. He died at Johnston, R.I., July 19, 1864.

SIMMONS, Thomas J., jurist, was born in Crawford county, Ga., June 25, 1837; son of Allan G. and Mary (Cleveland) Simmons ; grand- son of William and Mary Simmons, and of Wil- liam and Rhoda (Archer) Cleveland. He at- tended the common schools ; studied la%v ; was admitted to the bar, 1857, and commenced prac- tice in Macon, Ga. He served through the civil war in the Confederate army, attaining the rank of brigadier general, February, 1865, and parti- cipating in all the battles in which the Army of Northern Virginia was engaged- except the battle of Gettysburg. He was a state senator, 1865, 1871, and 1876. officiating as president of that body, 1876 ; a member of the state constitutional con- vention of 1877, serving as chairman of the finance committee ; was judge of the superior court of Georgia, 1878-^7 ; associate justiceof the supreme court of Georgia, 1887-94, and in the latter year, was appointed chief justice. Judge Simmons was thrice married ; first in November, 1857, to Renin, daughter f>f Thomas Nollis ; she died in November, 1863; secondly in January, 1868, to Lucile Peck, daughter of Reuben Wright ; she died in No- vember 1&S2: thirdly. March 1889. to Mrs. N. R. Ren fro, daughter of Thomas Lancaster.

SIMMS, Jeptha Root, liistoriographer, was bom ill Canterliury. Conn., Dec. 31, 1807 ; son of Joseph and Phebe (Fitch); grandson of John and ^larv (Stephens) and great-grandson of John and (Tliroop) Simms. His father wasa hat manu- facturer; his grandfather a tanner and shoemuker. and a soldier in the French and Indian war ; and his great-grandfather, a native of the South of England, was an architect and builder, who im- migrated to America about 1730. From the Fitches who intermarried with the native Indians his Anglo-Saxon was intermingled with the American Indian blood. He was educated at the acadtnny at Plainfield, Conn., and in 1824 the family removed to Plainfield Centre, N. Y. He was married in 1833 to Catharine Lawyer of Schoharie, who died childless in 1898. He studied geology, lectured on the subject and gathered a collection of specimens which in 1SG9 became the property of the state of New York by pur- chase for S5.000. He was an active and corre- sponding member of numerous historical organ- izations in America and Europe. He also devoted several years to historical research and prepared and published : History of Schoharie County and Border Wars of New York (1845); The American Spy, Nathan Hale (1846) ; Tlie Trapjiers of Keio York (1850); TJie Frontiersmen of New York, (2 vols., 1882-83). He died in Fort Plain, N. Y., May 31. 1883.

SIMMS Wiliiam Qilmore, autlior, was born in Charleston, S.C., April 17, 1806; son of William Gilmore and Harriet Ann Augusta (Singleton) Simms. His father had emigrated from Ireland shortly after the American Revolution, and his mother came from a well known Virginia family, that had moved to South Caro- lina previous to the Revolution. His mother died before the son was two years old, and his father, leaving him in the care of his maternal grandmother, went West to live. Young Simms was obliged to attend a very primary school, and while a mere boy was ap- prenticed to a druggist. He began writing verse at an early age, and conceiving a dislike for the medical profession, which he had intended to enter, he began the study of law. Upon the death of Col. C. C. Pinckney, Aug. 16, 1825, he wrote a poem in heroic couplet which attracted considerable attention. He was married, Oct.