Henry Simmons (abt. 1792 - aft. 1830)

Born about 1792 in Wilkes, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Sozzy Gonad — married 17 Jan 1813 in Putnam County, Georgia

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Biography

Pvt Henry Simmons served in the War of 1812
Service started:
Unit(s): Georgia Militia
Service ended: March 15, 1815

Henry SIMMONS, born Abt. 1790 in Georgia. His parents were William Simmons and Patience Unknown. His parents had moved from near Raleigh in Wake County, North Carolina to Wilkes County in Georgia about 1785. His father owned land in Wilkes County on Clark's Creek that he purchased in 1795. Henry's father, William Simmons , provided for his sons in a deed gift dated 1797 in Wilkes Co., Georgia. The deed named the following sons Willis, Solomon, John, Henry, and Asa Simmons.

In another Deed of Gift William Simmons to his sons and daughters, 200 acres on Clark’s Creek; Children Willis, John, Henry, Asa, Solomon, Polly, Nancy, Rachael, and (M)Celinda Simmons, dated June 5, 1798, deed book NN, page 115...

Baldwin County, named after Abraham Baldwin, was created in 1803 by Creek cessions of June 1802. The land was distributed by the 1805 Land Lottery. The Second (1807) Lottery of Georgia, Act of Legislature was passed on June 26, 1806. Four new counties were made out of parts of Baldwin: Morgan, Randolph (later to become Jasper County), Jones and Putnam.

The Simmons families moved into Baldwin from Wilkes County. Henry's older brother, Willis was married in 1804 in either Baldwin or Hancock County. He applied for a passport through the Creek Nation in 1809. Willis departed to the Mississippi Territory that year.

Henry's older brother Solomon was married in Columbia County the same year.

Henry and Solomon are both listed in Capt. Jacob Lindsay's District in Putnam County on a tax list in 1813. ^[1]

Their father, William Simmons, was listed on the same tax list in 1813 in Capt. Robert Brodnax's District.

War of 1812

On 1 Jan 1812 President Madison gave a speech before Congress addressing grievances against Great Britain. The Congress declared war on 18 June.

During the years of the War of 1812, Henry and Asa, and his sisters, Polly and Malinda, were married. Henry was married to Suzzy Gonad on 17 Jan of 1813.

The new counties of Putnam and Jones were the western border of Georgia with the frontier of the Creek Nation. The greatest threat to Georgians during the war came from the hostile Creek Indians allied with and supplied by the British. On August 30, 1813, a strong force of Creeks attacked and destroyed Fort Mims, an American post on the Alabama River, north of Mobile.

Major General John Floyd became the Commander of the Georgia Militia. In September of 1813, Floyd assembled 3,600 Georgia troops at Fort Hawkins. Fort Hawkins was a Federal Fort established in 1806 on the Ocmulgee River south of Putnam and Jones Counties along the boundary with the Creek Nation. This was the future location of Macon, Georgia. Floyd established a fort on the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River in what would later become Russell County, Alabama. This was Fort Mitchell. Floyd marched his troops into Creek territory. his army, bolstered by a friendly Indian contingent, fell upon the hostile Creeks at the Creek town of Autosse on November 29, 1813. In a desperately fought action, Floyd's men forced the Creeks to retreat after a bayonet charge. This allowed Floyd to destroy Autosse and a second town nearby. Lacking proper supplies, Floyd returned to Fort Mitchell. Later on 27 January of 1814 thirteen hundred Creek warriors mounted a surprise attack against the encamped army on the banks of Calabee Creek. The assault was blunted by the Georgians' use of artillery and superior fire. The hostile Creeks were defeated by Andrew Jackson's forces in March of 1814 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in what is present day Tallapoosa County, Alabama. During the war the next area of concern for Georgians was a British invasion of the coast. On 24 December a treaty was made in Ghent, Belgium. The American and British forces in the south were not aware of this. Although the peace agreement was signed on December 24, word did not reach the British forces assailing the Gulf coast in time to halt a major attack. On January 8, 1815, the British marched against New Orleans, hoping that by capturing the city they could separate Louisiana from the rest of the United States. 7,500 British soldiers under Sir Edward Pakenham were unable to penetrate the American defenses, and Jackson’s 4,500 troops, many of them expert marksmen from Kentucky and Tennessee, decimated the British lines. In half an hour, the British had retreated, General Pakenham was dead, and nearly 2,000 of his men were killed, wounded, or missing. the Americans suffered only eight killed and 13 wounded.

On January 10, 1815, British forces under the command of Admiral Sir George Cockburn landed on Cumberland Island, Georgia and later occupied St. Marys. General Floyd prepared his Georgians to defend the coast. News of the treaty came in Feb and the British withdrew.

During the war Henry's father passed away prior to Aug of 1814. Henry's mother raised the younger children.

To get a better prospective of Georgia in this time period see this map of Georgia in 1814. ^[2]

Military

Henry served as a Private in Jenkins' Regiment of the 2nd Georgia Militia during the War of 1812.

SIMMONS HENRY PRIVATE PRIVATE JENKINS' Regiment 2 GA Vols & Militia Jenkins-2570 Lt. Colonel James Robert Jenkins was in command of part of a division in the War of 1812. He was at Fort Hawkins in 1813. The regiment was with General Floyd when he entered the Creek Territory across the Chattahoochee River. Lt., Colonel Jenkins and his regiment were at the Battle of Autosee on 29 Nov 1813. He died soon after the battle on 29 November 1813. Henry may have been in this battle.

Family

Henry was married to Suzzy Gonad 17 Jan 1813 in Putnam Co, Georgia.

Life after the War of 1812

Henry was the older brother to William and Sanders W. Simmons because he was appointed their guardian in 1819; the records states minors of William Simmons; Henry Simmons appointed guardian 7-11-1819, Min, Bk A. p. 178.

Henry is recorded in the 1820 census living in Putnam County, Georgia. The census indicates that there was one male and at least 2 females under age 20 living in his household. He may have had 2 slaves as well.

Henry was named in a deed record in Houston County, Georgia in 1826 in which the land obtained by his mother as a fortunate drawer in the 1821 Land Lottery was sold. Crawford County was created in 1822 from Houston County.

Henry was a fortunate drawer in the 1827 Georgia Land Lottery.

32d Day's Drawing - April 12, 1827 # 1 3 88 Simmons, Henry - Crawford County, Wilsons

1 3 88 Simmons, Henry Crawford County Wilsons Lee County

Henry moved to Crawford County, Georgia by 1827. His brother Solomon was also living there. The 1830 census indicates that Henry had 2 males and 5 females in his household under age 20.

Research Notes

Follow Henry after the 1830 census. His brother Solomon moved to Harris County, Georgia and was living there in the 1830s and up to 1842.

Sources

• "Georgia Marriages, 1808-1967," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWQN-V6T : 24 December 2014), Henry Simmons and Suzzy Gonad, 17 Jan 1813; citing Putnam County, Georgia; FHL microfilm 394,053.

• Probate Records, Putnam County, Georgia

• United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLX-P51 : accessed 12 December 2017), Henry Timmons, Capt John Kendricks District, Putnam, Georgia, United States; citing p. 78, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 9; FHL microfilm 175,768.

• The above-cited record is misinterpreted as Timmons. The last name is Simmons

• "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPF-4W3 : 24 August 2017), Henry Simmons, Crawford, Georgia, United States; citing ??, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 16; FHL microfilm 7,036.

• Deed Records, Wilkes County, Georgia

• http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/crawford/deeds/1827craw2.txt

• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/m/e/i/M-S-Meinhart/GENE9-0009.html

1. ↑ http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/putnam/taxlists/1813taxd.txt
2. ↑ https://mapgeeks.org/georgia/#!fancybox/cbb48130/1814-Map-of-Georgia.jpg

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Allan Thomas for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Allan and others.

Thanks to John Eady Simmons for editing this profile and other contributionsThomas-8856 19:34, 29 June 2019 (UTC)