Henry Smith Simonton (abt. 1783 - 1844)

Born about 1783 in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Byers) Simonton — married Feb 1799 in Iredell County, North Carolina, USA

Descendants

Died Oct 1844 at about age 61 in Robertson County, Republic of Texas

Biography

Henry Smith Simonton was born between 1780-1785 in what was Rowan County, North Carolina. The area became Iredell County when Rowan was divided in 1788. His parents were Scots-Irish:^[1]

Father: William Simonton b: 1716 in Co. Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland; died: 22 AUG 1811 in Statesville, Iredell Co., NC

Mother: Mary McKee b: ABT 1740 in PA; died: 25 Jun 1815 in Iredell Co., NC (Old 4th Creek Cemetery)

In February 1799, when they were still teenagers, Henry S. Simonton married Mary Byers, b: 15 February 1785 in Rowan County, NC. The couple had 9 children in North Carolina and Alabama:^[2]

1. William Sylvester SIMONTON b: 18 DEC 1799 in Iredell Co., NC
2. Henry Smith SIMONTON b: ca. 1805 in Iredell Co., NC
3. Joseph C. SIMONTON b: 1812 in Iredell Co., NC
4. James SIMONTON b: 1815 in Iredell Co., NC
5. John Robert SIMONTON b: ca. 1816 in Iredell Co., NC or Tenn.
6. Theophilus SIMONTON b: ca. 1820 in Iredell Co., NC
7. Mary-Theresa SIMONTON b: 10 Jan 1821 in Franklin Co., Alabama; d. 8 Dec 1898, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa Co., Alabama
8. Margaret SIMONTON b: 1823 in Franklin Co., Alabama
9. Jane SIMONTON b: 25 Oct 1825, Tuscaloosa Co., Alabama; d. 28 Jun 1883, Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa Co., Alabama, USA

In the 1840 US Federal Census, Henry S. Simonton was listed as Head of Household in the Southern District, Tuscaloosa Co., Alabama with his wife and 2 females under 20 years old (possibly grand-daughters) and a pair of house-slaves.^[3] Between June 1840 and his death in October 1844, Henry and his family, except for his married daughters, left Alabama and moved to the newly-independent Republic of Texas, which was actively soliciting American farm families to immigrate as part of its struggle with Mexico.^[4]

The Simonton family homesteaded a tract of land in Robertson County, Texas, located about 135 miles Northwest of Houston. Henry S. Simonton died there in October 1844. His wife survived his passing. She moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, just south of Houston, with her son Joseph, married to Julia Byers, her niece. Mary (Byers) SImonton died in Fort Bend Co., Texas, after 1850 (she is on 13 Sep. 1850 US Census in Ft. Bend Co., TX) after Texas had been admitted to the Union (1846).^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Theophilus Simonton - Allison-Thornton on RootsWeb - Henry Smith Simonton
2. ↑ List from 2 sources (that disagree on some parentages). #1 = The Leland Family of Virginia, et. al. on RootsWeb - Henry Smith Simonton and #2 = Mary-Theresa Simonton on Davidsongenealogy.com
3. ↑ 1840 Census results cited on The Leland Family of Virginia, et. al. on RootsWeb - Henry Smith Simonton
4. ↑ See: Republic of Texas article on Wikipedia Texas was an independent country from 1836 to 1846 when it joined the United States. Mexico never recognized this independence, ultimately leading to the Mexican-American War.
5. ↑ The Leland Family of Virginia, et. al. on RootsWeb - Mary Byers, #C1840

• The Leland Family of Virginia, et. al. on RootsWeb - Henry Smith Simonton
• "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBH-9RW : 13 August 2017), Henry S Simonton, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States; citing p. 235, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 16; FHL microfilm 2,335.