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Moses (Simonson) Simmons (abt. 1605 - bef. 1691)

Moses Simmons formerly Simonson aka Symonson
Born about in Holland, Netherlandsmap
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married about 1635 in Plymouth Colonymap
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , , , and
Died before before about age 86 in Duxbury, Plymouth County, Plymouth Colonymap
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Profile last modified | Created 3 Jan 2015
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The Puritan Great Migration.
Moses (Simonson) Simmons migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 3, p. 1681)
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Contents

Biography

Origins

Moses Simmons' surname was spelled different ways in the old records: Symonds, Symons, Simons, Simonson, Simmonson, Symonson. Many of his later descendants have used the spelling Simmons. Anderson gives him a last name at birth of Simonson and notes the alternative spellings found in records.[1]

Anderson estimates Moses' date of birth at about 1605.[1] That Moses was of Dutch, not English, origins was called out by Bradford who in describing the Dutch who spoke English referred to Moses Symonson as the son of one who communed with the Dutch church in Leiden, and it was because of this association that Moses was welcomed into the church in Plymouth, New England.[2]

Moses' parents are unknown (see research notes). Jeremy Bangs analyzed the extant Leiden records after Anderson and found no obvious identification of the immigrant's parents. He does, however, make the case that the patronymic naming conventions of the time and place would indicate that Moses' father's first name would have been Simon.[3]

Plymouth Colony

Moses migrated to Plymouth Colony as a passenger on the Fortune (the second Pilgrim ship) in 1621.[4] Anderson estimated his birth date of 1605 "assuming that he was a young servant when he arrived in New England".[1]

Moses is next found in Plymouth records in the 1623 Plymouth land division when, as passengers of the Fortune, "Moyses Simonson" and "Philipe de la Noye" jointly received two acres lying "beyond the f[irst] brook to the wood we[st]ward".[5]

Moses was listed as one of the "Purchasers":[6] a group of 53 Plymouth Colony planters, together with five London men who, in about 1626, acquired the interests of the "Adventurers" (the original investors in the colony). In 1986, Eugene Aubrey Stratton wrote, "the list of Purchasers continued to be an important one for, in general, these people were privileged above others in future land grants in the colony."[7] For more information, see: The 1626 Adventurers and Purchasers.

Moses was still single at the distribution of cattle in 1627, and was the eighth person in the first company of Francis Cooke.[8] Moses first appeared in land records in August of that year, when his property is identified in a deed as bordering lands being sold by Phillip Delanoy. On 26 March 1628 Moses (and Edward Bompass) sold an acre of land each to Robert Hicks.[9]

Moses appeared on the list of Plymouth freemen in 1633 after those admitted on 1 January 1634/5[10] and again on the 7 March 1636/7 freemen list.[11]

Duxbury

On 4 February 1638/9, Moses was granted 40 acres on "the Duxburrow side".[12] On 5 March 1638/9, Moses was presented to the court for "drinking tobacco", for which he was fined.[13]

Moses was named on the 1643 list of men able to bear arms in Duxbury.[14] He also appears on Duxbury freemen lists dated 1658,[15] and 29 May 1670.[16]

Moses received a tract of land on 3 June 1662 "as being the first borne children of this government".[17]

In Duxbury, Moses served as a petit juror in October 1668[18] and as a highway supervisor in June 1657[19] and June 1662.[20] He was also listed as a surveyor of highways for Duxbury on 1 June 1675[21] (although this may be his son of the same name, who was still living).

His grandson Moses appeared on a list of Duxbury freemen admitted June 1689[22] (the Moses of this profile was still living that year, his son Moses had died, and grandson Moses was alive as he wrote his own will in 1690 but then apparently died not long after).

Marriage and Children

Moses is only known to have married once, to Sarah _____. It is known that Moses had a wife named Sarah as, in a deed dated 13 December 1660, Moses sold land "with the consent of my wife Sarah".[23] The couple probably married in Plymouth by about 1635 based on the estimated birth of their first child.

Although no contemporary records are found to prove the marriage, it is possible that Moses married Sarah Chandler, daughter of the immigrant Edmund Chandler and possibly his first wife.[24] The two families probably knew each other, as they lived in the same towns, at one time their families owned adjoining land,[25] and Benjamin Chandler, Edmund's son, was witness to Moses Simmon's will dated 17 June 1689. See research notes for more on Moses' wife.

Moses and Sarah had seven children:

  1. Rebecca, born c. 1635, married John Soule[1]
  2. Moses, born c. 1639, married Patience Barstow[1]
  3. Mary, born c. 1641, married Joseph Alden[1]
  4. John, born c. 1644, married Mercy Pabodie[1]
  5. Sarah, born c. 1649, married James Nash[1]
  6. Elizabeth, born c. 1651, married Richard Dwelley[1]
  7. Aaron, born c. 1653, married Mary Woodworth[1]

Moses' wife Sarah likely predeceased him as she is not listed in his will. She was still living in June 1673, when Richard Sutton of Roxbury sued "Moses Symonds", his wife Sarah and daughter Elizabeth. Sutton claimed that Elizabeth had promised to marry him but her parents prevented it. The court ordered "Symonds" to pay Sutton £3.[26] Sarah's last documented appearance was 4 December 1678 when Moses and Sarah gave land to their son Aaron.[27]

Death and Estate

Moses died between 17 June 1689 (will date) and 10 September 1691 (inventory date). Before he died, Moses gifted his lands to his children Moses, Rebecca and Aaron via deeds dated between 20 April 1669 and 4 December 1678.[1] The inventory of his estate included no real estate.[28]

His will, proved 15 September 1691, named the following family members: daughter Mary, wife of Joseph Alden; son Aaron; daughter Elizabeth, wife of Richard Dwelley; daughter Sarah, wife of James Nash; and son John, who was also was named the executor of Moses' will.[29]

Research Notes

Unknown Parents

A previous version of this profile claimed, citing only online trees, that his parents were Moses Simmons and Lydia Holland. Those parents have been detached as no source has been found to support the connection. Anderson's Great Migration profile names no parents.[1]

Additionally, there is no evidence that Moses was a son of William Symondson of Leyden, as proposed by Lorenzo Simmons.

Wife's LNAB

There is no contemporary record that confirms a marriage of Moses and a Sarah Chandler. The last name at birth of Moses Simmons' wife is currently listed as "Unknown". However, in 2022, Raymond Wing published a new theory about Moses' wife being Sarah, daughter of the immigrant Edmund Chandler in the Winter 2022 edition of the Mayflower Descendant.

Wing proposes that Edmund's daughter Sarah MAY have been the wife of Moses IF she was the daughter of Edmund and his first wife and born c. 1614. Wing cites contemporary records (land, probate, etc.) that indirectly suggest that her father was Edmund.[24] An example of such record is a 1665 dispute over borders of lands between Moses and his neighbor, Samuel Chander,[30] who was Edmund's son. Unfortunately, very little is known about any of Edmund's daughters except that they were named in their father's will and only their given names were recorded.

Prior to the publication of Raymond Wing's article, Sarah, daughter of Edmund, was thought to be too young to be the wife of Moses Simmons as Anderson gave her an estimated birth date of about 1638 in his 1995 The Great Migration Begins.[31] Anderson estimates that Sarah was a daughter of Edmund by his second wife, but cites no birth record.

It should also be noted that some sources identify Moses' wife as Sarah Chandler, the daughter of Roger Chandler. This connection is incorrect: Roger Chandler's daughter Sarah was married to Solomon Leonard and having children at the same time Moses Simmons was married to his wife Sarah and having children.

Thomas Symons

Anderson notes that despite others attempts to connect them, there is no known association between Moses and Thomas Symons, who was living in Plymouth in 1633.[1]

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633. Boston: NEHGS, 1995, vol. 3, pp. 1681-1683. AmericanAncestors.org($): profile of Moses Simonson.
  2. ↑ Winslow, Edward. Hypocrisie Unmasked. Providence: The Club for Colonial Reprints, 1916, p. 95. Archive.org.
  3. ↑ Bangs, Jeremy. "Moses Simons of Leiden" in New England Ancestors, Boston, MA: NEHGS, 2009, vol. 5.3, p. 54. AmericanAncestors.org($).
  4. ↑ Hotten, John Camden, ed. The Original Lists Of Persons Of Quality. London: the author, 1874, p. xxviii. Archive.org: passenger on the Fortune.
  5. ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet and Pulsifer, David, eds. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, in New England (later cited as PCR). Boston: Press of W. White, 1855, Vol. 12: Deeds 1623-1651, p. 5. Archive.org.
  6. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 2, p. 177. Archive.org. Also see PCR vol. 8, p. 210.
  7. ↑ Stratton, Eugene A.. Plymouth Colony: Its History & People, 1620-1692. Provo, UT: Ancestry Publishing, 1986, pp. 357, 419. Not available online
  8. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 12, p. 9. Archive.org.
  9. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 12, p. 7. Archive.org.
  10. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 1, p. 4. Archive.org.
  11. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 1, p. 53. Archive.org.
  12. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 1, p. 113. Archive.org.
  13. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 1, p. 118. Archive.org.
  14. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 8, p. 189. Archive.org.
  15. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 8, p. 175, 198. Archive.org.
  16. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 5, p. 275. Archive.org.
  17. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 4, p. 19. Archive.org.
  18. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 7, p. 150. Archive.org.
  19. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 3, p. 116. Archive.org.
  20. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 4, p. 15. Archive.org.
  21. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 5, p. 166. Archive.org.
  22. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 8, p. 203. Archive.org.
  23. ↑ "Plymouth Colony Deeds" in the Mayflower Descendant. Boston, MA: MSMD, 1937, vol. 34, p. 85. AmericanAncestors.org($).
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Wing, Raymond T. "Sarah, wife of Moses Simmons of Duxbury: A Possible Parentage" in the Mayflower Descendant, 2022, vol. 70, pp. 42-46. AmericanAncestors.org($).
  25. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, 1855, vol. 3, p. 48. Archive.org.
  26. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 5, p. 115. Archive.org.
  27. ↑ Simmons, Lorenzo Albert. History of the Simmons Family from Moses Simmons 1st (Moyses Symonson), Ship Fortune 1621. Lincoln, NE: Lincoln Herald Print, 1931, pp. 5-12. Archive.org: at p. 8, citing "Old Colony Deeds", vol. 4, p. 274.
  28. ↑ "Abstracts of the Plymouth County, Mass. Probate Records and Files" in the Mayflower Descendant, 1933, vol. 31, p. 60. AmericanAncestors.org($).
  29. ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch. Probate records 1686-1702 and 1849-1867 vol 1-1F, image 60.
  30. ↑ Shurtleff, PCR, vol. 4, p. 104 and 120. Archive.org.
  31. ↑ Anderson, The Great Migration Begins, 1995, Vol. I, pp. 326-332. AmericanAncestors.org($): profile of Edmund Chandler.
See also:
  • Anderson, Robert Charles. The Pilgrim Migration. Boston: NEHGS, 2004, pp. 419-422. Not available online.
  • Collacott, Margaret Oliver. The Ancestors and Descendants of Zephaniah and Silence Alden Hathaway. Mentor, OH: unknown, 1961, p. 8. Archive.org.
  • Johnson, Caleb. MayflowerHistory.com: list of Fortune passengers.
  • Rowe, Henry S., comp. The Ancestry of John Simmons, Founder of Simmons College. Cambridge, MA: The Riverside Press, 1933, pp. 9-13. Archive.org.
  • Willison, George F. Saints and Strangers. New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1945. Not available online.
  • New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, MA: NEHGS, 2015, vol. 2, p. 1337. AmericanAncestors.org($).
  • Wikipedia: Fortune Plymouth Colony Ship.
  • Wikipedia: Passengers of 1621 Fortune Voyage.
  • Wikipedia: Moses Simonson.




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Comments: 16

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Thiessen-117 Traci Thiessen
DONE 4/2/24

If there are no objections, I'd like to expand this bio with some more info from Anderson and PCR and add some more inline citations. Will get started in the next day or 2.

posted by Traci Thiessen
edited by Traci Thiessen
Madison-125 Bobbie (Madison) Hall
Objections? Never. Please do.
posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
Smith-35023 Sharon Smith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Simonson

interesting read

posted by Sharon Smith
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
Review of NEHGS sources reveals that he could NOT have been son of another Moses Simmons. He was Dutch, not English. They used patronymics. Therefore his father's first name was Simon. We're seeking a Dutch Simon ______ who worshipped with the pilgrims in Leiden. I'm detaching the current parents.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Jeanette Yager
He was born in Holland and though they assumed him to be of Dutch Origin but sometimes their are other explantions which means none of us should jump to conclusions easily on ethnicity / heritiage. Some of this is the same info and some additional & sources-

Pilgrim Fathers by E Arbor Willem Symonson William Simonson Vanderwilde See Also- See History of the Simmons Family... 1sr Chapter Page 1 and additional pages by Odd Fellow Lorenzo Albert Simmons. Lincoln Herold Print, Lincoln, Nebraska 1930 - https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Simonson-144 See History of the Simmons Family... 1sr Chapter Page 1 and Following by Odd Fellow Lorenzo Albert Simmons. Lincoln Herold Print, Lincoln, Nebraska 1930 It is available through a link on this same string forget the author of the comment. See Also info. regarding the house on Bell Alley in same book. Moses' Father is likely William Simmons ( originally Simmonson) whose Father is Known to be Simon Van Der Wilde. I have also been reading through the Leyden Reformed Church Records. which are digital and easier to read the handwriting of than the English Church's are. Many of these people were English persecuted individuals who fled to Holland and worshipped in the reformed churches there some then later emigrated to the New World. 

Census of Leyden 1622 at the State House page 333 says,” This Land Robinsons was bounded on one side by Willaim Simonds, a good old colony mate.” “ Child of one which was in Communion with the Dutch Church at Leydon.”DRC Moyses Symonson changed to Moses Simmons was most likely English Protestant of Reformed persuasion Moses was in Francis Cooke’s Company Old Colony Deeds Vol 4 p. 64 Dec 30, 1684 Dated Deed Land at Namasmet and places adjacent which had neem granted Moses by the Court at Plymouth Moses Simons of Duxbury gave to Rebeka his oldest daughter and John Soule Yeoman Purchased by Wm. Bradford, Miles Standish, and others from the Indian Sachems. Wasomequin and Wamsutta under their hand deed dated Nov 29, 1652

Copy Belonging to Addison E. Sheldon compliments of LA Simmons Cushman, Commander of the Fortune makes mention of Moses Simmons, One of the Pilgrims on the ship & Winslow stated he was a child of one who was in communion with the Dutch Church in Leyden therefore he was admitted to the church at Plymouth, New England and his children could be in communion with the church at Plymouth, New England, as well as, Winslow’s Children https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Simonson-144 See History of the Simmons Family... 1sr Chapter Page 1 and Following by Odd Fellow Lorenzo Albert Simmons. Lincoln Herold Print, Lincoln, Nebraska 1930 It is available through a link on this same string forget the author of the comment. See Also info. regarding the house on Bell Alley in same book. Moses' Father is likely William Simmons ( originally Simmonson) whose Father is Known to be Simon Van Der Wilde. I have also been reading through the Leyden Reformed Church Records. which are digital and easier to read the handwriting of than the English Church's are. Many of these people were English persecuted individuals who fled to Holland and worshipped in the reformed churches there some then later emigrated to the New World.

posted by Jeanette Yager
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
Anderson names no parents. Unless someone can name a suitable source, they should be detached.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Smith-62120 Ellen Smith
For what it's worth, the parents appear to have come in from Simmons-71, which was merged into this profile. It looks like they may have been connected to this man's profiles since about 2010.
posted by Ellen Smith
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
What is the Source for the identity of his parents, please?
posted by Jillaine Smith
Peter Geary
The book,

History of the Simmons family, from Moses Simmons, 1st. : (Moyses Symonson) ship Fortune, 1621, to and including the eleventh generation in some lines, and very nearly complete to the third and fourth generations from Moses 1st. by Simmons, Lorenzo Albert, 1857- is available to borrow in electronic form at https://archive.org/details/historyofsimmons00simm (Free membership required)

posted by Peter Geary
Watts-8451 Raymond Watts PhD
This reference is not in sources. I am adding it to "See Also." This is a complicated profile to sort out, which I will not try to do at this point, but this reference may be useful in the future.
posted by Raymond Watts PhD
Aldrich-908 Cheryl (Aldrich) Skordahl
I see Mary Chandler has been reattached as the wife of Moses Simonson/Simmons. Please see on this profile that she was not the wife.

I am detaching them, after leaving a note on Chandler-2099. I will also move information about this NON-MARRIAGE closer to the top to make it more visible.

posted by Cheryl (Aldrich) Skordahl
Smith-62120 Ellen Smith
Simmons-4913 and Simonson-144 appear to represent the same person because: These are the same person. His name was spelled several different ways and there is uncertainty in the dates, so duplicates have been almost inevitable. Simonson-144 is the project-protected profile, so it is the merge destination. The death date on Simmons-4913 appears to have been borrowed from Simmons-73.
posted by Ellen Smith
Nally-4 Rebecca Elizabeth (Nally) Syphers (1943-2023)
There seems to be information from two or more individuals mixed together on this profile. There were several Moses Simmons (Simonson and other spellings) born in Leiden before 1630. These men would have died well before the death date of 1767 stated in the profile. Sources for some of them are listed in the Biography section.
posted by Rebecca Elizabeth (Nally) Syphers (1943-2023)
Jeanette Yager
His Grandfather would appear to be Simon & his father, Moses, Sr Simonson. The Dutch and others coming to the new world often changed their Patronymic naming practices. It is that way with the Dutch many times in my Ancestry Lines especially if they married non-Dutch persons which his mother may have been
posted by Jeanette Yager
edited by Jeanette Yager
Watts-8451 Raymond Watts PhD
This is an interesting (and challenging!) insight. Do you have specific profiles that should be linked for this name-morphing paternal line? That would be a great addition, and should have a special bio section about the change from patronymic to English-style surname.
posted by Raymond Watts PhD
Nally-4 Rebecca Elizabeth (Nally) Syphers (1943-2023)
The date of death for this Moses Simmons (1625) may be actually the date of death of his father. Changed the date of death 1/19/14. 1691 seems to be the year of his death.
posted by Rebecca Elizabeth (Nally) Syphers (1943-2023)

Rejected matches › Thomas Simmons (1602-1682) › Moses Simmons III (1682-1767) › Moses Simmons (1680-1761)

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Categories: Fortune, sailed 1621 | Puritan Great Migration