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John W Simmons Family Data submitted by John Simmons John W. Simmons was born on May 18th 1816 in Georgia in
either Putnam or Oglethorpe counties. His family moved to Harris County,Georgia
and were living there in 1832. He
married Lorena Welden on November 30th
1837 in Harris County, Georgia and started a family. He and Lorena lived on a farm in the north western part of Harris
County. They had several children
before moving to Alabama. After the recording of the1840 census, John and
Lorena have moved across the Chattahoochee River into Chambers County, Alabama.
By 1856 he had moved his large family
to an area in eastern Tallapoosa County known as Church Hill. When war came in
1861 his two eldest sons, Henry and Allen Simmons, enlisted with the 47th
Alabama Infantry in Company B. Both
sons were lost in the Gettysburg campaign in 1863. One was killed in action at
Gettysburg and the other was captured and died in POW camp at Ft.Delaware. John's younger son, Tillman S. Simmons,
enlisted in the 2nd Alabama Reserve Regiment later designated the 63rd Alabama
Infantry and fought at Mobile,Spanish Fort, and Blakely. John at age 48 enlisted as a private in
Company A of the 3rd Alabama Reserve Infantry Regiment at Camp Watts near
Notasulga, Alabama on the 1st of April 1864. He served until the 4th of April
1865. He survived the war and remained in the area of Tallapoosa,Chambers, and
Lee Counties of Alabama until his death April 18th 1902. He is buried at Roxana
Methodist Church Cemetery in Lee County, Alabama. His wife Lorena was born August 20th 1820 in Georgia and
died January 12th 1886. She is also buried at Roxana Cemetery in Lee County,
Alabama. Children included the following: Tillman S. Simmons Family Tillman S. Simmons was born in Chambers County, Alabama in
May of 1845. His father was John W. Simmons born 1816 and died 1902. His mother
was Lorena Welden Simmons. She was born in 1820 and died in 1886. Tillman was
raised on his father's farm. His father moved the family to Tallapoosa County
in 1856 to an area known as Church Hill. When war came in 1861, he saw his two
older brothers go off to war. He lost both of them in the Gettysburg campaign
in 1863. Tillman enlisted as a private in Capt. John H. Echol's Company of
Provost Guards on January 1st 1864 at age 17. He enlisted from Tallapoosa. This company later became Company A of
the 2nd Alabama Reserves. His regiment
later became the 63rd Alabama Infantry Regiment. The 63rd was sent to Mobile to
defend that city. His regiment fought at Spanish Fort and later at the seige of
Blakely. He was captured with the fall of Blakely and sent to POW camp and
later paroled. Tillman attained the rank of Corporal. He survived the war and returned to Tallapoosa County where he
was married to Narcissa Jane Brewer June 3rd 1866. He raised a family and was a
farmer. He moved his family to East Tallassee and later to Phenix in Lee
County, Alabama. He died on December 7th 1904 after suffering a stroke related
to Bright's Disease and was buried at Philadelphia Church Cemetery near what is
now Smith Station, Alabama in Lee County. His wife Narcissa was the daughter of
Alford Brewer and Mary Coleman. She was born near Covington in Newton County,
Georgia on July 14th 1839. She died in Phenix, Lee County, Alabama on July 22nd
1917. She is buried near her husband.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright(c) 2005-2006 Cheryl K. Whitlock. All rights reserved. |