Henry Austin Simonds (1861 - 1928)

Born 19 Apr 1861 in Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Lillie (Goodnough) Simonds — married 18 Jun 1884 in Troy, Doniphan, Kansas, United States

Husband of Mary Margaretta (Askren) Newinger — married 27 Jun 1917 in Bothell, Washington

Descendants

Died 15 Dec 1928 at age 67 in Seattle, King, Washington, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Pete Robbins [send private message] and Esther Simonds [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Bothell Pioneers, Washington One Place Study.

From the 1927 "A Partial Genealogy of the Simonds Family in the New England Colonies," by S. Dwight Simonds: Henry Austin Simonds graduated from Amherst College in 1883 and followed a teaching profession. At one time for seven years he was Superintendent of Schools at Oshkosh, Wis., and was in charge of the commercial work in the YMCA in Seattle. He married Elizabeth Goodnough of Athol, Mass., June 18, 1884. She died Dec. 21, 1915. On June 27, 1917 he married Mary Margaretta Askren.

From the notes of the Bothell Historical Museum: Henry A. Simonds was born April 9, 1861, in Athol, Massachusetts, and graduated from Amherst College with both bachelor's and master's degrees. In 1884, he married Elizabeth Goodnough at the home of her maternal grandparents in Troy, Kanasas. He taught Latin and Greek at Carlton Institute in Farmington, Missouri, 1883-87 and was professor of Latin and Greek at Nebraska Central College 1887-88. Going into administrative work, he was Superintendent of Schools in Allegan, Michigan, 1888-90, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. for the next nine years, and finally, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, until 1906 when he retired. Deciding he'd like to be a farmer and raise chickens, he moved his family to a tract of land in the Moorlands area near Bothell, sight unseen, in 1907. Discovering the land was far from town, he agreed to an offer to superintend the Bothell School District, organize a high school and become its first principal after he found there was no high school for his growing family to attend. The first class graduated in 1912 and included his daughter, Sarah Simonds. He headed the Bothell schools from 1907 to 1918, retiring once more, only to become a superintendent of schools in Skykomish, Snohomish County. He served on the State Board of Education for 11 years. His wife Elizabeth died in Dec. 1915, leaving him with six children: Albert, William, Alice, Sarah, Esther and John. In June, 1917, he married Margaretta Askren, member of a Bothell family. The Simondses then moved to Seattle where he headed the mathematics division of the YMCA schools until his death.

Research Notes

Note NI172LDS says born: 09 APR 1861 Oneida, Brown, Wisconsin

Above note is misleading, and its source is suspect. Henry Simonds was not in Wisconsin until he was an adult. His wife Elizabeth was born in Oneida, Wisconsin, in June, 1861. Apparently the writer confused the two. The identity of “NI172LDS” is unclear.

Sources

• Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:Q21C-8GK7 : 23 February 2021), Entry for Henry A Simonds and Elizabeth Goodnough, 18 Jun 1884; citing Marriage, Doniphan, Kansas, United States, district clerk, court clerk, county clerk and register offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 1,787,694. Note on the certificate that the wedding took place in the town of Troy, in the county of Doniphan.
• King County Marriage Records, 1855-2017 - Harry(sic} Austin Simonds - Mary Margaretha Askren, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://digitalarchives.wa.gov, accessed 16 December 2023.
• Department of Health, Death Certificates, July 1, 1907-1998 - Henry A., - Albert Simonds - Sarah Woodstock - Et Al., Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://digitalarchives.wa.gov, accessed 16 December 2023.
• Simonds, Samuel Dwight. "A Partial Genealogy of the Simonds Family in the New England Colonies" (np, 1927) Pages 15, 19-20 Issuu