Clan William: Sarah Jane Vaughn Simmons Family

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson >  Henrietta Munson > Sara Jane Vaughn m Joel Simmons

My 3rd great grandfather Amos Munson's sister Henrietta Munson Vaughn, can be read about here.

The Vaughn's had a total of 13 children, not all surviving until adulthood. Daughter Sarah Jane was born 28 Dec 1840 in Trumbull County, Ohio She married Joel Simmons in 1856 after the Vaughn family had removed to Grant County, Wisconsin.

Joel Simmons was born in Pennsylvania, but was raised in his formative years in Ashtabula, Ohio. His family later removed to Grant County and then, Joel and family moved to Dresden Township in Chickasaw County, where they farmed. In the early morning hours of Feb 12, 1877, Joel died unexpectedly at home, leaving his wife and five children to mourn him. He was only 37 years old.

Mrs Simmons forged on for many years. Jane's last several years were lived at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Alice Sinderson (second wife of William Custer Smith), where she died Jan 19, 1915.

Their children were:

George Craft Simmons, born 20 Sep 1857 in Wisconsin, he moved with his parents to Iowa in 1860. He married Martha R Hinkley in Frederika on 25 Dec 1882. They had five daughters and one son, who died at age 13 of typhoid. George lived intermittently in Waterloo. His wife died in 1932. He died in 1940 in Waterloo.

Clara Jane Simmons was born 06 Sep 1859 in Wisconsin. She married David Nathan Hinkley, 04 Jul 1877, in Chickasaw County. The couple had four children before David's death on 16 Mar 1888. Clara married Nelson B Ross on 08 Nov 1903 in Fredericka. He died 13 May 1917. Clara died in 1946. Two of Clara's sons, William Moon and Roy Robert, both died within six months of one another in 1925, at young ages. Roy was a sales manager for the Iten Biscuit Co. in Oklahoma City when he had a ruptured appendix and died of complications at the age of 41. William died at 38 of complications of the flu, on 10 Mar 1925 in Eagle Grove.

Alice Simmons was born Aug 1862 in Fayette County, Iowa. She married her cousin Mary Ann Munson's widower, William Custer Smith, on 20 Mar 1893. Smith died two years later, the homestead was sold to Smith's children by Alice, and she received $2,040.She returned to Frederika and then married Englishman Arthur J Sinderson on 16 Aug 1898 in Chickasaw County. Arthur was born 01 Nov 1855 in England and died 29 Jan 1935. He was a laborer and lastly worked as a janitor before his retirement. The couple lived in New Hampton during their marriage. Arthur died 29 Jan 1935 and Alice died 05 Dec 1937. She celebrated her 75th birthday with the family in 1936, just months prior to her death. The Sindersons had no children.

On Sunday August 16, the Simmons relatives gathered at the Frederika park to celebrate the 75th birthday of Mrs Alice Sinderson of New Hampton. The weather was ideal and to add to the pleasure of the occasoin the Littel German Band of Hawkeye played all the afternoon. Everyone enjoyed it very much.

Those in attendance were: Mr & Mrs Fred Simmons, Alice Sinderson, Mr & Mrs Guy Hinkley, Eagle Grove; Mr & Mrs Cal Thompson and daughters, Millicent and Mary, Mr & Mrs John Carney and sons, Robert and Max, Mr & Mrs Everett Hartson and daughter Betty, Mr & Mrs Lester Simmons and children, Edith, Eldo, and Ruth; Mr & Mrs Carl Smith, and sons, Max, Bruce, and Roger; Lowell Carney, Waterloo, Mr & Mrs Frank Sherman, daughter Imogene, Mrs Clara Ross, Mr George Simmons, Mr & Mrs Neil Simmons.

Fredericksburg News, Fredericksburg, Iowa
Thursday, August 20, 1936

William Wallace Simmons was born 28 Jan 1863 in Fayette County, Iowa. He married Alice Carpenter on 23 Oct 1889 in Buena Vista. They had one son, Merle Phillip Simmons, Sr., on 03 Jan 1892. A successful businessman, William died suddenly on the streets of Yale, Oklahoma on 19 Jan 1915  where he'd gone on business. He was a resident of Oklahoma City. His wife died 13 Mar 1939 in Oklahoma City.

Fred Simmons was born 13 Dec 1872 in Chickasaw County. He married May Clara Gardner in 1896. They had three children: Lester Ralph, Neil Arthur, and Veva Pearl. The Simmons had farmed for many years and in retirement in May 1936, they moved to Fredericksburg, but then moved back to the farm in Mar 1937. His son Neil had intended to take over the farm, but that didn't work out. Neil and his second wife, Mary, owned a variety of restaurants and bars in the Frederika area. They were both killed in a 1961 auto accident. Fred died in June 1948. May died in 1968.

Downtown Yale in the boom days

Clan William: Mystery Muddle: Who Is Alice Simmons?

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson >
Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson > Amos Munson > Henrietta Munson > Sara Jane Vaughn > Alice Simmons m William Custer Smith 

and...

...Freeman Munson > Amos Musnon > Mary Ann Munson m William Custer Smith 

Sometimes, if you work the brain too hard, it just shuts down. I've been working on trying to figure out who the mysterious Alice Simmons, second wife to William Custer Smith, was and where she came from. Yesterday, I accidentally ran across the solution to this mystery muddle in my very own family tree. Time, and perhaps a couple more county courthouse trips may bear me out.

Read about WC Smith's land here. Read about Amos Munson here (Mary Ann's father). And read about John Lorin Vaughn and Henrietta Munson (sister of Amos) here.

So, nutshelling my solution, it goes down like this: WC Smith's wife, Mary Ann Munson, daughter of Amos Munson and Mary Ann Kearney died in 1888 at the young age of 51. WC married again, but not until 1893 (still seeking marriage license) and he died in 1895. He married Alice Simmons.

Click image to enlarge

 I was unsuccessful in locating any Alice Simmons in Bremer or Butler counties during this time. I'm thinking widow woman with kids based on WC Smith granddaughter Alyce Smith Rasmussen's note. Maybe not so much old widow woman, but young spinster with no other options in front of her.

Amos Munson's sister, Henrietta Munson Vaughn, had a pile of kids and her daughter Sarah Jane married a fellow named Joel Simmons. Joel and Jane married in Grant County, Wisconsin, then Joel up and died at age 37, leaving her with at least five kids. Among those children was Alice A Simmons. They all lived in rural Chickasaw County around that time, near Dresden. Chickasaw, Butler, and Bremer counties all abut one another.

Alice was getting pretty long in the tooth and was single at age 31, which would have been her age at the time of marriage if indeed she was the bride. WC Smith, at that time, would have been 62. Not unheard of - old maid marries older gent.  They were cousins-in-law. And, after WC's death, she sold the farm to his kids and walked away with a nice settlement of $2,040. 

In 1898, THIS Alice Simmons, who is the daughter of Joel and Sarah Jane, is listed in the marriage record of Chickasaw County as Alice Smith. She married Arthur J. Sinderson, an Englishman. They lived in New Hampton for the remainder of their lives and had no children. Score, case solved.

1898 Marriage to Arthur Sinderson; has Alice Simmons Smith listed as name of bride

UPDATE: Written proof of the marriage of Miss Alice Simmons and Mr. William Smith was finally located in this brief item in the Waverly newspaper (a like item was also published in the Waverly Democrat the same day):