Malinda (Simmons) Smith (1796 - 1875)

Born 1 Jan 1796 in Georgia, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Basil Smith — married Apr 1814 in Putnam County, Georgia, United States

Descendants

Died 17 Apr 1875 at age 79 in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mary Richardson [send private message]

Biography

Malinda Simmons was born in 1796 in Wilkes County, Georgia. Her parents were William Simmons and Patience (maiden name unknown). Her parents had moved to Wilkes County, Georgia from Wake County, North Carolina about 1785. Her father named her and her sisters in a Deed of Gift in Wilkes County in 1798. Her family moved to Baldwin and later Putnam County, Georgia. Malinda grew to maturity there on the farm with her parents and siblings. During the time period of her marriage the War of 1812 was on going. Her brother Solomon was a soldier in that war as well as her oldest brother, Willis. Willis had moved to Mississippi. Many of her siblings were married in Putnam County. Malinda was married there in 1814 to Basil Smith.

Malinda Simmons is sometimes referred to as "Celinda" as this was how her name reads in the Deed of Gift written by her father.

("And to my four daughters, Viz; Polley, Nancy, Rachel and Celinda the following properties....." - William Simmons, 15 June 1798, Wilkes County, Georgia.)

However, in all census and marriage documents, she is Malinda (or Melinda), and she is Malinda on both of her headstones. "Celinda" could be anything from a one-time error made by the clerk to a pet name.

"Melinda & her husband, Basil Smith also went to Pike Co., MS for a while in the 1820's, but before too long moved over to the Rapides Parish."^[1]

Malinda and Basil continued their life there in Rapides Parish, Louisiana.

Malinda and Basil were living near to their son, John, and his family at Alexandria Post Office in Rapides Parish in 1860. By April of the next year war came to the south and to Louisiana.

By 1870 Malinda and her husband were living with the family of their son, John Smith in Calcasieu Ward, Rapides, Rapides Parrish, Louisiana.

Family

Malinda and Basil had 9 known children:^[2]

1. Basil Smith, Jr.
2. John Smith, b. 1 Jan 1817, Georgia d. 12 Jul 1899, Cheneyville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana Age: 82
3. Patience Smith, b. Jul 1818, Georgia d. 2 Mar 1901, Rapides Parish, Age: ~ 82
4. William Smith : William Smith, b. 1820, Mississippi, d. Texas
   
5. Sanders Smith, b. 1825, Mississippi
6. Nathaniel Smith, b. 1 Jul 1829, Mississippi Or Blount Springs,Blount County, Alabama , d. 12 Jun 1909, Gay Hill, Milam County, Texas Age: 79
7. Ezekiel Smith, b. 1831, Louisiana
8. Prudence Smith, b. 1834, Louisiana
9. Joseph Smith (information about Joseph from referenced site redacted; Shari S was the original source of that information and has since provided updated information on the linked profile)

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/n/e/Herman-W-Snell/GENE5-0008.html
2. ↑ Earnest Gene Lawrence Jr., Lawrence/Stanley Family Genealogy Pages, page for Basil Smith

• Georgia, Marriages, 1808-1967. Bazzele Smith and Melinda Simmons. Putnam County. 8 April 1814. Transcribed record: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FWQN-KZL

• United States Federal Census. 1840. Louisiana. Rapides Parish. Page 196. Presumed to be in Basil Smith household. Link to image at Ancestry.com: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1840usfedcenancestry&h=1307785&indiv=try

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJ8-291 : 9 November 2014), Malinda Smith in household of Bazil Smith, Rapides parish, Rapides, Louisiana, United States; citing family 407, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFP7-H66 : 30 December 2015), Malinda Smith in entry for Bazil Smith, 1860.

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M87N-VS3 : 17 October 2014), Melinda Smith in household of John Smith, Louisiana, United States; citing p. 170, family 1464, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,027.

• FindaGrave.com. "Melinda Simmons Smith". Photos of original headstones provided by descendant Brian K. Smith. These images were uploaded by Shari S to the memorial page, which now also includes photos of the modern headstone for Basil and Malinda. (The fate of the original stones is not known.) Note that the original headstone reads "Malinda Simmions, wife of Basil Smith" and that it only includes the month of birth, not the day. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=14324924

• AMIABLE CEMETERY - Rapides Parish

• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/e/i/M-S-Meinhart/ODT11-0006.html

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~barronfamily/Barron/jamessmithfamily.pdf page 11

• http://mollenhour-barron.org/getperson.php?personID=I485&tree=Combined

• Many descendants of Basil Smith and Malinda Simmons have taken autosomal DNA tests and segments have been triangulated among those matches. Those known to be participating at GEDmatch.com include:
  • A456300 - descendant of son Joseph's daughter Emma
  • A257419 - descendant of son Joseph's daughter Emma (different child)
  • A862784 - descendant of son Joseph's daughter Emma (nephew of A257419)
  • A724226 - descendant of son Joseph's daughter Emma (niece of A257419)
  • A099330 - descendant of son Joseph's son Joseph Richard
  • A904638 - brother of A099330
  • M063631 - descendant of son Sanders' child Sydney
  • M084500 - descendant of son John

• Descendants of Malinda Simmons' siblings and first cousins:
  • A555545 - descendant of William Simmons and Patience
  • A765803 - descendant of John Simmons and Dianah Herbert