I-Pariss Sims, 1750-1833.
II-1. Robert Sims, 1783-1842.

III-12. Robert William Sims, second son and third child of Robert and Frances Merritt Sims, was born in North Carolina July 8, 1819; died Dec. 10, 1905 at Gadsden, Tenn.--see Chapter Four. He taught his first school when he was 18 years old, and, soon thereafter started the study of law and was a merchant at old Carrollsville, then a thriving town on the Tennessee River, a few miles down the river from the present town of Clifton. He was married three times and had nine children.

His first marriage was to Margaret Jane Green of Carrollville, Dec. 10, 1843. She was born Dec. 28, 1820; died March 21, 1853. They had four children. In 1852, he, with his family and four other families, moved to West Tennessee and purchased a large tract of land from a Mr. Mason who established the village of Mason's Grove, near the Madison-Crockett County line. Here he had a general store, practiced law and was a farmer with a number of slaves, before the Civil War.

During the war soldiers of the Federal army, encamped at Humboldt, made frequent raids in the Mason Grove area. Being a slave holder, his place was one to be visited and plundered for provisions. Soldiers would ride up to his place, go into his home, stack their arms along the walls of the dining room and order a meal, which was always provided by the slave help. On a final raid the soldiers plundered his store, taking all the things they could use; then burned it to the ground while he stood by, helpless.

After the war, Mason's Grove, then a thriving village, was by-passed by a railroad, being built between Nashville and Memphis. Gadsden, a new town on the railroad, a few miles away, was founded. Shortly after that he moved his family to Gadsden and hung up his sign as "Attorney, Justice of the Peace and Notary."

Financial losses during the war had almost ruined him. Gadsden was his home until his death in 1905 but most of his law practice was at Alamo, the County Seat of Crockett County, and at Jackson, Tenn. He and his three wives and several of his children are buried on a knoll in a field, just west of Mason's Grove. In 1963, Mrs. Robert McGowan-nee Elizabeth Thompson, a granddaughter, said of him in a letter to me:

"He was a staunch believer in Democracy, in Methodism and was a 32nd Degree Mason. He was stern at times but the one thing everyone said of him was, 'Bob Sims' word is as good as his bond'. He said of himself, 'I have never tasted liquor in any form in my life and I never knew any woman other than my wife'. Gadsden still remembers the name and principles of H. W. Sims."

In 1903, when he was 84 years old, he outlined the early history of our Sims family in America in a letter to Rev. Paris Marion Simms, a great, great grandson of Pariss Sims. This letter is quoted in full, near the end of Chapter Two.

IV-130. Virginia Sims, born in Wayne County, Oct. 7, 1844; married Capt. William Birdsong of Madison County, Tenn. He had a large plantation and was a slave holder before the Civil War. They had three children:

V-Sidney, Leona and William Birdsong.

IV-131. Dr. John Emmett Sims, born in Wayne County March 15, 1845; died May 3, 1876; graduate in medicine, University of Kentucky; practiced at Mason's Grove-had office on the lawn of his father's home. He never married.
IV-132. Lambertine "Teen" Sims, born in Wayne County Oct. 27, 1848; died Oct 27, 1895. He was a merchant at Jackson, Tenn., and was married twice. His first wife was Margaret Elizabeth Key. Children:

V-133. Walter Evans Sims, born in 1884; died Jan. 30, 1965. After operating a grocery store for several years he joined the Lawrence Coal Company of Jackson with which he was connected for 39 years. He was a Stewart in the Methodist Church for over 50 years. He married Katherine Fry and they had one daughter:

VI-134. Sue Sims who married a Hutcherson and had two children:

VII-Kay and Richard Hutcherson

Walter's second wife was Rena Hawk who survive him. They had no children.

V-135. Margaret Sims who married Seff Shelton-no children.
V-There were two other daughters who never married--one of them was killed in an automobile accident.

 

V-136. Robert Lee Sims, born at Jackson April 1, 1891; soldier in World War One; farmer and rancher near Roscoe, Texas since 1918; married Dewey Nettie Brookshire of Ballinger, Tex., Dec. 23, 1920. Children:

VI-137. Gifford Robert Sims, born Oct. 1, 1921; married Helen Biggerstaff of Sweetwater, Tex., Nov. 18, 1950. No children.
VI-138. Lawrence Brookshire Sims, born May 16, 1923; served in World War Two in Germany--awarded Purple Heart; rancher, unmarried.
VI-139. Douglas Sims, born Feb. 10, 1925; awarded Purple Heart for service in World War Two; married Mary Lee Wade Sept. 23, 1953. City mail carrier, Lubbock, Tex. Children:

VII-140. Linda Sue Sims, born March 11, 1950; daughter of wife by previous marriage.

VI-141. Walter Lee Sims, born Jan. 21, 1927; served one year in World War Two; unmarried.
VI-142. C. A. Sims, born June 5, 1929; married Betty Lou Poehls Nov. 7, 1959; live in Abilene, Tex. One child:

VII-143. Becky Darlene Sims, born Nov. 19, 1960.

V-144. Forest Gibson Sims, born June 13, 1892; married Mary Bennett of Jackson, Tenn., July 31, 1919; with 30th Division in World War One; now operates grocery in Mt. Pleasant, Tex., with son, Robert. Children:

VI-145. Robert Earl Sims, born Sept. 28, 1920; married and has daughter:

VII-146. Linda Earl Sims, born Nov. 11, 1943; married J. B. Matthews and lives in Alexandria, Va.

VI-147. Leland Allen Sims, born Jan. 24, 1922; sons:

VII-148. Robert Allen Sims, born in Paris, Tex., Sept. 6, 1950.
VII-149. David Lee Sims, born in Dallas, Tex., Dec. 5, 1960.

V-150. Earnestine Sims-no record.

IV-151. Margaret Jane Sims, second daughter and fourth child of Robert Sims, was born March 13, 1853; died July 25, 1919; married William Jackson Thompson of Crockett County. He was a fruit broker and owner of a wagon shop. Children:

V- Robert Hugh, Curran Elmer, Seward Edward, Emmitt, Joel, Thurman and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Thompson, born June 4, 1891; had twin, Lydia, who died in infancy. Elizabeth, now a retired school teacher, lives at Collierville, Tenn. She married Robert William McGowan, June 13, 1909. Children:

VI- Joel Hugh McGowan, born March 10, 1910; clerk with the L&N Railway, Memphis, Tenn.; married Lorraine Roland, June 20, 1943. Children:

VII- Richard Hugh and Randal Stewart [Randall Stuart -sl] McGowan.

VI- Robert William McGowan, Jr., born June 5, 1922; married Ellen Fossey, Nov. 4, 1944. Robert is a member of the staff, Memphis State University. Children:

VII- Robert William, 3rd, and Beth McGowan.

 

IV-152. Bascom Sims, born July 19, 1854; died in infancy.
IV-153. Leona Sims, born Oct. 8, 1859; died Oct. 9, 1868.

IV-154. Henry Kent (H. K.) Sims, born Jan. 18, 1874; died Jan. 4, 1936. He owned and operated a drug store in Jackson, Tenn., for many years; married Dora Taylor, June 10, 1894. She died March 22, 1933 and he later married Cora B. Nance. He had two sons by his first wife, Dora Taylor Sims:

V-155. Hubert C. Sims, born Sept. 20, 1895; served with the Railroad Division in France in World War One; continued railroading after returning home in Jackson; now retired. He married Eva Kirkman, April 15, 1928. She died Aug. 5, 1957 and in 1958 he married Essie Travis. No children by either marriage.
V-156. Fred Lee Sims, born Sept. 10, 1899; married Laura E. Davis of Pinson, Tenn., March 28, 1922 and they have two sons:

VI-157. Fred Jewell Sims, born Sept. 22, 1931.
VI-158. Phillip Davis Sims, born Dec. 26, 1942.
The sons are unmarried and live in Inglewood, Calif. Fred was in the Navy Air Force during the Korean War and is now with Western Airlines. After two years in the Navy, Phillip is now in college.

IV-159. Develemon (Belle) Sims, youngest child of Robert Sims, married John C. Cox, a merchant in Crockett County, June 15, 1889. They had one daughter:

V-Agnes Cox of Jackson, Tenn.

Footnote: Roman Numerals indicate generations; Figures are Sims identification numbers.

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