Marinda Catherine Sparkman (1838-1905) was the second wife of Benjamin Lewis Simmons. Born in July 1838 to Thomas Bryant Sparkman and Eleanor Cummings, she lived her whole life in White and Van Buren Counties in Tennessee. She appears in Van Buren County, Tenn. in the censuses of 1850, 1860, and 1870, living with her parents. In her father's will, dated 11 June 1872 and presented for probate on 8 July 1872, Marinda C. Sparkman "my youngest daughter" received land, items of furniture, farm animals, and crops.
About 1874 (based on the 1900 census which indicates she had been married 26 years), at the approximate age of 36, she married the widower Benjamin Lewis Simmons (no marriage record survives). The 1880 census lists Catherine's occupation as "keeping house". The couple had no children, and they lived together until Benjamin's death in 1902. Catherine died in 1905 and is buried at Gravel Hill Cemetery near Sweet Gum.
Notes
In the 1850 census and her father's will, Marinda's name is recorded as "Miranda C."; in the 1870, 1880, and 1900 censuses, her name is listed as "Catherine."
Sources
"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKH-KJDY : 13 September 2020), Miranda Catherine Sparkman Simmons, ; Burial, Cummingsville, Van Buren, Tennessee, United States of America, Gravel Hill Cemetery; citing record ID 32323008, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC69-G19 : 21 October 2021), Marinda Sparkmon in household of Bryant Sparkmon, Van Buren, Tennessee, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDWN-BZG : 15 January 2022), Catherine Simmons in household of B. L. Simmons, Van Buren, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Marinda by comparing test results with other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Marinda: