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December 10, 2011
In this update you will find additional items on Page 1,
updated Questions, Assumptions and Probable Conclusions on Page 2 as well as updates to article sources.
On Page 1 reference item dated "after 1794" the Migration of the Mohawk Indians, this could be a major item
in the hunt for the parents of Betsey Ives. On Page 2 this subject is expanded plus the probable conclusions
of other items have been updated.
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| Event Date |
Research Efforts |
Results |
26 Feb 2011
(Start)
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Will start with what is currently
known about Wm Simmons and Betsey Ives in the Berlin Twp., Ionia County,
Michigan area and progress back through their various resident locations
from Michigan to New York. As I progress through their life's events I will
document what is known, any assumptions made and any questions that
arise by reviewing the data. Where appropriate I will provide
links to individuals, photos and documents in my database and links to
information outside of my website.
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Items of importance
that could be a clue contributing to the stated goal of finding the
parents of Wm Simmons or Betsey Ives will be labeled as a "Clue" with a
number "-X" and this label Clue-X will be referenced during the analysis
of the information gathered.
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| 15 May 1900
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This is the date of
death for, the fourth child of Wm and Betsey Simmons, Lyman Simmons b.
13 Jul 1821 in Rensselaer County, New York. Lyman's death
certificate was found at SeekingMichigan.org (Questsource(QS)
#4) and a copy obtained. Also,
Marcia Eisenberg has stated in the
Simmons Kinfolk
Newsletter, Volume 2, Number 2, second page, "The only variation we
have come across is that son Lyman's death record states that his
parents were from Massachusetts." (QS#5).
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Certificate can be
viewed at this link:
death of Lyman Simmons. The important piece
of information here is the stated names of Lyman's parents and their
place of birth. Father Wm Simmons born in New York and Mother born
in Massachusetts (Clue-B1).
Prior to finding this certificate it was believed that Betsey Ives was
born in Rensselaer County, New York. So which is correct?
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| 1875
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Found an electronic
copy of the 'History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties Michigan, with
Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of their Prominent Men and
Pioneers' book written by John S. Schenck and published by D.W. Ensign &
Co. in 1881 (Questsource(QS) #1). I have read most of this book which was quite
interesting and I found a little useful information.
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On page 168 there is
a biographical sketch of Lyman Simmons with the statement contained
within: "William Simmons, a farmer by occupation, had served in the war of
1812 when a young man. His father was Scotch and his mother German. The
family moved into Rensselaer County at an early day." (Clue-W1).
This is interesting but a little confusing. Do I look for a Scotch
or German heritage? I have found many references to German
Palatine Simmons lines in the counties around Rensselaer County, New
York but few references to any British Simmons lines. To date I
have not been able to link into the German Simmons lines.
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| 04 Apr 1872
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This is the death
date of Wm Simmons b. 16 Jun 1796 in Troy, Rensselaer, New York.
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Do not have a death
certificate for Wm but do have a copy of the Death Register of Ionia
County. The document can be viewed here:
death of Wm Simmons. This document has little information but
confirms the date of death. Also, there is a family bible entry
indicating the date of death for Wm Simmons which can be viewed here:
bible entry Wm Simmons.
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| 15 May 1872
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Wm Simmons' Will was
executed on this date.
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Although this Will
is an interesting document, it did not contain any information that
could help identify his parents. Details of his Will can be read
at this link:
Wm Simmons
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| 24 Feb 1871
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This is the death
date of Betsey (Ives) Simmons b. 29 Jul 1797 in Sand Lake, Rensselaer,
New York.
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The location of her
birth was reported in the Simmons Kinfolk Newsletter however, this
location conflicts with the information found on her son's (Lyman) death
certificate. So, at this point I have Betsey Ives being born in
either Massachusetts or Sand Lake, New York. The only document I
have that states her death is a bible entry that can be viewed here:
death of Betsey Ives.
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| 05 Jul 1870
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1870 US Census of
Berlin Twp, Ionia, Michigan.
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This census
indicates that both Wm and Betsey Simmons were born in New York State.
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| 1870
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Marcia Eisenberg
stated in one of her Simmons Kinfolk Newsletters "The 1870 census
states, however, that Betsey's parents were both born in Vermont.".
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I have not been able
to find any such information in the 1870 US Census. Here is a copy
of the actual page from the
1870 US Census of Berlin Twp, Ionia, Michigan. With this
information it appears that Marcia Eisenberg was mistaken in her
statement.
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| 1869
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It is documented
that Wm Simmons did receive a
Land Bounty
for his service in the War of 1812. This document does not provide
any additional information about Wm or his parents but does trigger
another question.
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Question is: Are
there any documents or records stored in any US government files that
would provide details about Wm Simmons when he enlisted?
More research needed on this subject.
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| 01 Apr 1867
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Betsey (Ives)
Simmons has a photo portrait developed for her.
 To
view the full portrait click on the thumbnail photo here.
To date there has not been a photo found of Wm Simmons.
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Carolyn Pasquier (a resident near Tacoma,
Washington) found an album that was formerly owned by Leonard F. Simmons
the seventh child of Wm Simmons and Betsey Ives. Contained in the
album were many interesting photos, one of them is the portrait of
Betsey Simmons. This photo has helped resolve a statement made in
History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties (Questsource #1) "Her
father was possibly a German soldier and her mother was (rumored to be)
a full-blooded American Indian from New York State." by studying her
features it is a possibility that Betsey is likely of American Indian
descent. So, if her mother is American Indian then Betsey would be
at least 50% American Indian (Clue-B2).
By reviewing the known places of residence for Betsey we might be able
to determine (or narrow the possibilities) the American Indian Nation
from which she could be descended.
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| 15 Sep 1860
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The
US Census of
1860 shows that Wm and Betsey Simmons live in Berlin Twp, Ionia,
Michigan with some of their children and they own a farm there.
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This is the first US
Census that shows Wm Simmons and family living in Michigan. So,
sometime between the 1850 US Census and this census they moved from New
York to Michigan. Since Lyman Simmons, Wm's son, moved to Michigan
prior to Wm and Betsey one could assume that Wm and family were
following Lyman to Michigan. From the history of Lyman it appears
that he was very ambitious and adventurous and the pioneer life seemed
to appeal to him. But Wm Simmons had been somewhat successful
(judging from the land ownership that has been documented) causing one
to wonder why Wm and Betsey Simmons undertook, what had to be a
difficult, family move to Michigan. More on this later, if known.
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| 1852
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About 5 years ago I
received a word document from a Karen Graham (source 113), who is descended from Wm
Simmons, containing the information that she had compiled. Under
Wm Simmons she writes "In 1852 the family settled on 80 acres in Berlin
Twp., Ionia County, Michigan.". However, there was no proving
documentation concerning this statement.
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I have located what
I believe to be a part of the 80 acres that Karen references in her
statement. From the US Land Grant files I have located a Land
Grant addressed to "William Simmons of Wyoming County, New York".
View the details of that
Land Grant
here. Since we know, from some information that follows in
sequence of this event, that Wm and Betsey Simmons lived in the
approximate area in the 1850 US Census, I believe that this is the same
Wm Simmons. However, more research is needed to confirm this
belief.
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| 05 Oct 1850
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The
US Census of 1850 shows Wm and Betsey Simmons living with some of
their children in Wheatfield, Niagara, New York.
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This was the last
census with Wm and Betsey living in New York State. So we know
that sometime between 05 Oct 1850 and 1852 Wm Simmons and family moved
from New York to Berlin Twp, Ionia, Michigan. It would be
interesting to know if they traveled over land or across Lake Erie and
what experiences they had during the move.
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| 1849
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While searching for
any land ownership records for Wm Simmons I found a Michigan Land Grant
addressed to William Simmons of Wyoming County, New York. See the
Land Grant link in the entry for 1852.
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As I stated in the
1852 entry, I am not entirely sure this William Simmons is the same
person that I am researching. However, the timing and general
location in New York is enough to encourage me to perform research to
insure that my suspicions are correct. The land identified in this
Land Grant is West of Berlin Twp, Ionia, Michigan closer to Grand
Rapids.
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| 1840
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The
US Census of 1840 places Wm Simmons and family in Wheatfield,
Niagara, New York for the first time.
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What was the
attraction of Niagara County that brought Wm and Betsey Simmons to this
location from an established location such as Rotterdam, New York?
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| abt Nov 1836
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About 1836 the Simmons family moved to Wheatfield, Niagara Co., NY
and bought land for a farm.
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We know that Wm
Simmons and family moved to Wheatfield, Niagara, New York from the 1840
US Census and that they probably left Rotterdam because of the land
transaction of 1836. Need to find the land deed for Wheatfield,
New York.
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| 19 Oct 1836
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On this date Wm
Simmons sold his land in Rotterdam, New York with a
Deed Conveyance. This document was generously provided by
Laura Conrad of New York State.
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This transaction
appears to be in preparation for their move to Wheatfield, Niagara, New
York. The details of the transaction tells me little about Wm and
Betsey. However, it does indicate that Betsey can not read or
write, which was indicated in the 1870 US Census.
At this point I still do not have any positive indication of the identity of the
parents of Wm or Betsey.
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| 02 May 1835
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Transaction dated 2 May 1835, William and Betsey sold 47 acres in
Rotterdam for $400 dollars to James E. Knickerbacker. They paid
$4.23 per year in taxes and had a mortgage of $203.50 dated 3 Sep 1833.
Also, it is apparent that William signed his name and Betsey's name, then
Betsey placed her mark on the deed. The deed was witnessed by Stephen A.
Daggett.
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This deed conveyance
was provided by Laura Conrad of New York. See the entire document
and the transcription by opening this document.
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| abt 1835
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Rotterdam,
Schenectady, New York, USA
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The NY 1835 census shows William owning 64 acres in Rotterdam, 10
cattle, 3 horses, and 9 hogs. Source of this information is The Simmons
Kinfolk Newsletters.
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| abt 1830
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Rotterdam,
Schenectady, New York, USA
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The
US Census of
1830 shows the size of William and Betsey's family. Because
the census provides no details about other than age groups, I had to
compare this information with what is known to be confident that I have
the correct William Simmons for this census.
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| 03 Jul 1826
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Schenectady,
Schenectady, New York, USA 
This article appeared in a Schenectady newspaper giving notice to an
estate sale of a house and parcel of land. The article describes the
land by the land owners surrounding the parcel. There is a William
Simmons and a Peter Simmons with land that borders parts of this parcel
of land. The article was found by Laura Conrad of Schenectady, NY and
her follow up research uncovered land deeds involving William Simmons
and Peter Simmons.
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See land events of 1821, 1835 and 1836. (Clue-W2)From this
research and other previous research is it believed that Peter and
William could be brothers! Research continues and hope that this will
help uncover the parents of William and/or Peter Simmons.
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| abt 1821
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William Simmons and
family moved from Sand Lake, Rensselaer, New York, USA to Rotterdam,
Schenectady, New York.
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An interesting note: Rotterdam was formed from Schenectady, April 14,
1820, and was formerly the third ward of the city. Additional lands were
taken from the city of Schenectady in 1853, and in 1865 a portion of the
Rotterdam was re-ceded to the city of Schenectady.
We know from a deed that by 1821 William had purchased land in
Rotterdam, Schenectady County, NY (see
next two entries) and the family appears in the 1830
census for that town. The NY 1835 census shows William owning 64 acres
in Rotterdam, 10 cattle, 3 horses, and 9 hogs.
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| 11 May 1821
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Rotterdam,
Schenectady, New York, USA 
Picture pieced together from multiple photos of the original document
which was too large for a single photo. Photos generously donated by
Laura Conrad of Schenectady, NY.
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Land Deed 1429 11
May 1821 (Summary)
Grantor: Mayor/Alderman & Commonality of the City of Schenectady
Grantee: William Simmons of the City of Schenectady
50 acres of land
$5.75 (payment)
Town of Rotterdam
Being described as lot number seven of the subdivision of lot one in lot
V Rotteram. Begins at a stake numbered 2-3-687 being the northeast
corner of lot number two of said subdivision and runs thence along the
said lot number two south eighty two degrees west twenty chains to lot
number one of said subdivision thence along the same North eight degrees
west twenty five chains to lot number nine of said subdivision thence
along the same north eighty two degrees east twenty chains to lot number
six of said subdivision and then along the same south eight degrees east
twenty five chains to the place of beginning containing fifty acres
Yearly rent of four dollars and fifty cents from the 1st day of May
instant, in and upon the first day of May in each year.
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| 11 May 1821
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Rotterdam,
Schenectady, New York, USA
This photo is a small piece of a large original land plot photo.
Plot was photographed in pieces as the original was too large for a
single photo.
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Deed 1429 11 May
1821 (Summary)
containing 50 acres is lot #7.
Photos generously donated by Laura Conrad of Schenectady, NY.
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| abt 1820
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Rotterdam,
Schenectady, New York, USA
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The
US Census of
1820 shows the size of William and Betsey's family. Because
the census provides no details about other than age groups, I had to
compare this information with what is known to be confident that I have
the correct William Simmons for this census.
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| 14 Mar 1815
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Sand Lake,
Rensselaer, New York, USA
Marriage of William Simmons (18 years, 9 mos of age) and Betsey Ives (17 years,
8 mos
of age). This information was obtained from a family bible (bible
not in my possession) entry and also noted in the
Simmons Kinfolk Newsletters of
Marcia Eisenberg.
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If they were married
in Sand Lake, Rensselaer, New York in 1815 then would seem that there
must be some record of this marriage and possibly some identification of
their parents. Need to search local
historical records of Sand Lake and records of the local churches of
that time.
Also, it is noted within the newsletter described here
that Betsey is from either Massachusetts or New York. So at the
time of this newsletter (January 1975) there was some doubt of Betsey's
origin.
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| after 1794
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Migration of the Mohawk Indians from Rensselaer County, NY
to Niagara, NY area.
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Soon after the Treaty of Canandaigan of 1794 was signed the Mohawk Indians migrated to the Niagara Area to
join up with other Mohawk Indians. Reference Questsource #6 for more details.
With the statement made in a History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties Michigan (Questsource #1) "Her father was
possibly a German soldier and her mother was (rumored to be) a full-blooded American Indian from New York
State." and by studying her features it is a strong possibility that Betsey is of American Indian descent.
Did William and Betsey Simmons move to Wheatfield, Niagara, NY following Betsey's parents as part of the
Mohawk migration?
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| 23 Aug 1814
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Enlisted into the
War of 1812 at Sand Lake, Rensselaer, New York, USA at the age of 18
years, 2 mos. Was William's
parents named during his enlistment? Where to look for enlistment
records for the War of 1812?
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William mustered out at White Hall, Washington Co., NY on October 28,
1814 because there was news of peace. The war actually ended in 1815.
Was William and Betsey married while
he was serving in the military?
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I have
no concrete data about William Simmons between 1814 and his birth in
1796.
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| 16 Jun 1796
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The birth of William
Simmons somewhere in Rensselaer County, New York.
I have no record yet to identify the parents of William Simmons.
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I have two sources
for this information, they are: Birth Journal record of a family
bible (click the image to review the details); the other is a page from
the first
Simmons
Kinfolk Newsletter from 1975.
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I have
much data about some possibilities to identify the parents of William
Simmons but each piece of data comes with questions and assumptions.
These questions must be answered and the assumptions either validated or
disproven to arrive at a logical conclusion. This type of data
needs a slightly different format and presentation to state the material
and follow up when needed. Use the link for
Page 2 on the right to proceed.
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Go to Quest Page 2
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. . . to
be continued . . .
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