Thomas Henry Sims ¹¹⁷

  General Notes:

In a 1906 letter to his nephew Jimmie P. Garrett, Poet (Powhatan) Garrett writes "Well, the history I have of the Sims family (Poet's mother's family) is not very good but such as I have I will give it to you but would not to everyone. Old Grandpa Thomas Sims was I guess a good old man himself but raised a hard lot of children -- had ….. girls and three boys. He, I have heard mother say, was at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis and saw him hand General Washington his sword. ... old Grandpa Sims was a strong old time primitive Baptist. I have heard mother say he would sit for hours and read his Bible and the tears would run down his cheeks."

DAR membership # 301455, Ruth Coleman Garrett, June 16, 1937, Dorothea Henry Chapter-Thomas Sims, Sergeant-Continental Line.

The 1850 Federal Census for Platte Township, Clay Co., Missouri, page 357B records a Richard Simms (98 - b 1852-Va.) listed as a Revolutionary War Soldier. This could be a brother to Thomas Henry Simms and went to Missouri with his brother's widow, Amy Wall Sims. Also in the household are Margaret (52), Tennessa (48), and Joseph S. (45) Simms all born in Virginia.

The 1830 Federal Census for Rockingham Co., NC records Thomas Simms (70-80) with a female (60-70), a female (15-20) and a male (5-10). Next on the census list is Thomas Sneed (see daughter Sallie Sims and the 1906 letter from Poet Garrett).

Thomas married Amy Wall, daughter of Zachariah Wall I. and Annie Everett, about 1786 in Culpeper Co., VA. (Amy Wall was born on 13 Sep 1761 in Prince George Co., Maryland, died on 18 Jan 1851 in Henry Co., Missouri and was buried in Snipe Cemmetery, Henry Co., Missouri.)