Sempronia Hamilton (Lanham) Coons (1823 - 1898)

Born 8 Jan 1823 in Piscataway, Prince George, Maryland, USA

Ancestors

Wife of George Washington Coons — married 16 Jan 1839 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Descendants

Died 4 Apr 1898 at age 75 in Elk Grove, Sacramento, California, USA

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Biography

She (FamilySearch Person: KZ5S-7C2) was born 1823 the youngest daughter of George and Sempronia Hamilton Lanham. She was raised for only abt eleven years in a farmhouse on his father's and grandfather's, 'Lanham Farm' plantation in Piscataway MD on what became the Washington Executive Airpark, Clinton MD. Her father being the sheriff of Prince Georges Co amassed a number of judgements against him causing him to quit, transferring his Maryland assets to his daughter, Susannah and son, Edward L. and moving much of his family to St Louis abt 1834/5.

Sempronia/'Semproney'^[1] Hamilton Lanham married George Washington Coons (b. 1813) on 16 Jan 1839 ^[2] in St Louis MO^[3]. Upon her marriage, her parents gave her their best colored maid (Rachel Ward B. 1813 - D. 8-12-1886) who was very fond particularly of Sempronia and helped rear their family of 12 children and remained with them until she died at 75 years old. ^[4]

Her husband left from St Louis MO via flatboat around Cape Horn about 1849, at the peak of the goldrush, leaving his wife and children as well as his widowed mother temporarily with her older brother, Edward L Lanham enumerated in 1850^[1]. His wife (Coons) and mother (Lanham) appear as 'Temponey' if the old penmanship 'S' is not recognized. Sempronia is an old ancestral family name from Maryland with various spellings including Symphronia and Sophronia.

Sometime after 1850, When George located a place to settle, he returned to retrieve his family and possessions via Cape Horn. By 1860, the family is enumerated in Elkgrove, CA with seven of their children and their faithful friend and ex-slave, Rachel^[5]. Here there are listed with mostly Initials and nick names including the difficult to interpret 'S H' for Sempronia Hamilton Coons.

The first seven of their children are^[6] are enumerated in 1860 in CA^[5]:

1. 'David' Coons (1840)
2. [WC] William Carlayne Coons (1842) [m. Martha Crary] ^{[7] [8]}
3. [Robert] Edward Lanham Coons (1847) m. I. Davis Elk Grove
4. Harry Coons (1848) m. H. Polhemus Elk Grove
5. 'Marion' Whitesides Coons (Jan1855^[9]) m. M. Witt Auburn CA
6. [G] Collin Gillespie Coons (1857) m. E. Garrett Elk Grove
7. [Lilly] Lillian Louise Coons (1858) (m. Marshall^[10] R. Beard^[11]) ^[6]
8. Frank Marshall Coons (1860) m. E. Mohr
9. Benjamin Franklin Peabody Coons (1862) m. J. Taylor Roseville CA
10. Charles Cornelius Birdenier Coons (1863) m. S. Rudolph San Franscisco

Beard Family of Navato, CA c/o Kevin J. & Jeanne Mullen

Lillie Louise married Marshall Beard. George Coons had his wife's four poster bed set and dresser sent around the horn about 1850. The inscription (apparently introduced by George Beard's wife) reads: "Simphronia Coons born Missouri came to Elk Grove Calif. about 1849". "She had 12 boys and one girl - Lillie Coons Beard, George's mother"(Src: Kevin^[6] and Jeanne Mullen Apr 2002). Photographs were graciously supplied by the Mullen family of Novato, CA.

Leidy Family of Northern CA

13 Jul 2013 via 23andme and its chat messaging connected the Leidy Family to the Surratts, Prince Georges Lanham and Bryan families. William Carlayne and Martha Crary Coons' daughter, Irene married a Bruner. Irene Coons Bruner's daughter, Gladys married Leidy and had two daughters.

She passed away in Elk Grove^[12] and buried at Elk Grove-Cosumnes Cemetery^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} 1850 Federal Census, District 82, St Louis MO; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-67F3-RTX?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMDZ2-69R&action=view
2. ↑ "The Lineal Line of Descent of Alice Church Lanham Knapp"; typed by Alice Church Lanham Knapp, 9 Jan 1951; Data and Notes collected by Mary Eleanor Lanham Wherry (age 80) in 1922 when she transferred them to her niece Alice Church Lanham Knapp
3. ↑ Marriage index St Louis Co, MO, p. 148; "Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6683-B8WT : Wed Oct 18 13:02:05 UTC 2023), Entry for G W Coons and Sempronia Lanham.
4. ↑ The Deborde - Coons family history book currently held by Joshua Patterson and Danna Doty "ourfamilyhistoryonline.info"
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} 1860 Federal Census, Elk Grove, San Joaquin Twp, Sacramento, CA; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBP-PGV?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMDKJ-9QM&action=view
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Kevin J Mullen (1935-2011) Obituary Novaya, CA; https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sfgate/name/kevin-mullen-obituary?id=20711612
7. ↑ Carolyn Lundgren Greer
8. ↑ 23andme; Carol Leidy
9. ↑ 1900 Federal Census, San Joaquin Co, ED96, Sacramento, CA; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DCWQ-CD7?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM953-VG3&action=view
10. ↑ 1900 Federal Census, Sacramento, Precinct 1, CA; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D83C-95?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM953-D6P&action=view
11. ↑ Marriage License, 23 Sep 1878, Sacramento CA; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-DM8T-Y?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXLDD-VLD&action=view
12. ↑ California Death Index "California Death Index, 1940-1997," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPQT-N2S : 26 November 2014), Lanham in entry for Frank Marshall Coons, 12 Nov 1948; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.; https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/KZ5S-7C2
13. ↑ Find-a-Grave; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39594813/sempronia-hamilton-coons#source