Mary French (Simmons) Stephenson (abt. 1901 - 1978)

Born about 1901 in Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

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Biography

This profile is part of the Simmons Name Study.

Mary French Simmons was born about 1901 in Tennessee, United States, daughter of William Henry Simmons (1860–1941) and Frances Walton (1862–1943).

Mary had a sister, Julia Simmons (~1898– ).

Mary married William Samuel Clouston Stanger (born on 23 Jan 1897 in Point Douglas, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; son of William Hunter Stanger and Guðfinna Sigríður (Jónsdóttir) Stanger).

In 1910, Mary (8) T was in the household of her father, William, in Springfield, Robertson, Tennessee. ^[1]

Mary died 24 Dec 1978, aged about 76. She was buried in Pembroke Parish Cemetery, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda.^[2]

Robertson County Historical Society - March 4, 2020

Women of Robertson County - this week we have a lady of mystery - Lady Mary "Simps" French Simmons Stephenson. She was born April 29, 1901 in Springfield and died December 24, 1978 and is buried in Bermuda. Her parents were Col. William Henry and Frances Walton Simmons. The Simmons were very successful in their tobacco dealings and Mary was known as a "Springfield Tobacco Heiress". They lived in the "Cheatham House" located on 7th Avenue in Springfield.

In the early 1920s Mary and her sister Julia sailed to England to open a tobacco shop in London. On the voyage, Mary observed a restless Canadian who remained aloof from the rest of the passengers reading textbooks. Deciding he was shy, she struck up a conversation with him about Europe. The gentleman became enchanted with her and they married in 1924. The shy Canadian was Sir William Samuel "Intrepid" Stephenson a WWI flying Ace and WWII Canadian spy. Sir William was a self-made millionaire and inventor who patented a system for transmitting photographic images and the first picture transmitted across the Atlantic was of his wife, Mary. The picture along with their wedding announcement appeared in several U.S. newspapers.

They kept homes in New York and London but traveled to Springfield quite often. In the June 3, 1926 Robertson County Times it was noted "Mrs. Robert D. Moore complimented Mrs. W. S. Stephenson of London, England with a bridge party Tuesday afternoon, ten tables were played."

Lady Stephenson lead a secret life and used her southern charm to develop diplomatic contacts to assist her husband and helped change the course of history in World War II. Sir William was said by some to have been the single most important man in the war to defeat Hitler. By his side was his very Southern Tennessee wife who was known for her ability to recall facts.

Lady Mary Stephenson was cited by Winston Churchill and President Harry Truman for helping her husband create and run a British wartime espionage network. What exactly she did was never known. Both Lady Stephenson and Sir Walter lead secret lives in their wartime activities.

They retired to Bermuda preferring to remain anonymous and lived a very simple comfortable life.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGFW-25P : accessed 8 January 2022), Mary T Simmons in household of William H Simmons, Springfield, Robertson, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 165, sheet 22A, family 489, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1516; FHL microfilm 1,375,529.
2. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167563475/mary-french-stephenson: accessed), memorial page for Mary French Simmons Stephenson (29 Apr 1901–24 Dec 1978), Find a Grave Memorial ID 167563475, citing Pembroke Parish Cemetery, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda; Maintained by R Lerch (contributor 47507564).