I found this website that pegs Garret Simonson (1819-) and Simon Van Arsdale Simonson (1830-1921) as brothers: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/il/county/henderson/bios/s-bios.htm. Simon Van Arsdale Simonson moved to Illinois first, and Garret followed and bought some land from Simon. I am not sure, but according to new.familysearch.org, they should be half brothers. Other siblings are also listed, which include a member of the Illinois legislature and a reverend who is almost certainly the same as the one in this New York Times article.
This clears up some questions in my previous post (Simonson Genealogist: Investigating the names in the Raritan Reformed Church Membership Roll). It would be interesting to know where they got their source material for their website.
Garrett and SVA are indeed half brothers. Garrett was the first son of Dennnis (John, Simon) and Gitty Cox (Cooks) Garrett and his wife came to Henderson County, Il about 1854. He was a member of the Reformed Church which was organized 1855. Due to contention in the church and thus among the neighbors he and his wife and daughter emigrated to MO during the 1880's. they settled inTroy, MO where they died and were buried.
ReplyDeleteAfter Gitty died Dennis married Ellen Nevius on 16 June 1827. They had 10 children and SVA was the second child.
Garrett had a full brother, John, who was a minister but died shortly after entering the ministry and had no issue.
I have a copy of the diary of David Nevius Simonson SVA's older brother, who was a "49er going to CA during the gold rush. Went from NJ to CA Went by way of Panama and returned across Central American by way of Lake Nicaragua and San Juan River. After returning to NJ he later came to IL ---Canton and then Port Byron and then Bushnell. The legislator was not a Simonson but married to one. Gertrude the fourth child of Dennis and Ellen Nevius Simonson was a nurse during the Civil War and met and married Parker Wright during that time. They lived in Chicago and he was a member of the IL Legislature.
I missed something about the legislator. James Simonson (Dennis, John, Simon) was the 9th child of Dennis and Ellen Nevius Simonson. He studied law and then emigratedto Port Byron, IL from NJ where he married Rose Devore. He was a banker, lawyer and IL legislator. He, his wife, his mother and sister Anna Levinia are buried in Port Byron while his father and the twins, Henry and Henriette are buried in Lamington, NJ
ReplyDeleteJust reading through this again... Thanks for commenting, Janice!
ReplyDelete