Research Concerning the Estate of James Sims, Benton County, Alabama
By Kenneth O. Sims
The purpose of this research is to pursue the search for the parents of Beverly Hutson Sims, (c. 1824-1884) called Hutson, Hudson, Hutt or Uncle Hutt, great grandfather of the writer.
Background:
According to the 1850 U.S. Census entry for Hudson (sic) Sims (pg.303 fam. 521, Benton, (now Calhoun) County, AL) he was born in South Carolina in 1824. He lived with his wife L.F. (Griffin) who he had married in May of that year. Nancy, obviously his mother, who was in the household, was born ca. 1783 in South Carolina. His brother Henry G .Sims (father of Elizabeth Anna Sims, the second wife of Thomas Benton Sims, the son of Beverly Hutson) lived next door. The children of Thomas Benton Sims by his second marriage knew that their parents were first cousins and that their grandfathers were brothers.
Henry G. Sims was born in South Carolina ca. 1814. He married Elizabeth Chambers, the daughter of James Chambers who was a brother of Samuel Chambers who died childless in Benton County. Henry married Elizabeth Chambers between January 8, 1846 when she was listed as Elizabeth Chambers in the estate records of her uncle Samuel and November 20, 1847 when she was listed in the same estate records as Elizabeth A. Simms and husband Henry Simms, child and heir of James Chambers. This marriage is not in the published marriage record index of Benton County (nor are any of our Sims’ except B.H.). The Chambers family was in Benton as early as 1834 when the processing of the estate of William, the father of James and the grandfather of Elizabeth was begun.
Land Records:
The earliest records of this Sims family in Benton County appear to be purchases of land in Section 32, T12 South R10 east from the U.S. Government beginning in 1843. In June, 1843, Henry Sims purchased 80 acres in Section 32, being fractions 11 and 14 (Cert. 7655). On June 28, 1844, Hutson Sims purchased 80 acres, being fractions 10 and 15 joining Henry’s land (Cert 8127). Land joining this Sims land was purchased as follows:
Richard Boles - Fractions 5-8 and Fraction
Fraction 12 which joins Fraction 5 – 1849
George L. Sims - Fraction 9 -1847
William M Michael - Fraction 16
Benjamin Bridges - Fraction 18
William P Neeley - Fractions 19 and 20
Garrison Sims - Fraction 13 – Feb. 10, 1845 Cert. 8436
Benjamin Bridges had a son named Bailus who died in Ohio Feb. 4th 1865, evidently in the Civil War. Hutson Sims named a son John Bailus (grandfather of the writer) in 1858. It would seem that the Bridge’s and Sims’ were close friends as well as neighbors.
Various research reveals the following on Richard R. Boles next door neighbor of Hudson Sims in 1850:
Richard R. Boles lived next door to Spencer Morgan, his father-in-law in 1840 north of Cross Plains (now Piedmont) Benton County. Richard stayed there when the Morgan’s moved to Nance’s Creek Valley. Richard Boles is buried in Goshen Cemetery (just across the county line into Cherokee County) in an unmarked grave. Richard Boles came to Benton County from Franklin County, Tennessee in 1833-34.
In 1860 B.H. Sims’ post office was given as Cross Plains. Henry’s was given as Ladiga. Both Cross Plains and Ladiga were in the very most upper N.E. corner of Benton County. Cross Plains was a small settlement on the intersection of roads from Ladiga and White Plains and Jacksonville. Goshen was north of Cross Plains. The Goshen Cemetery is across the county line in Cherokee. This is the closest cemetery on the map and therefore is possibly where the Sims’ were buried.
These land records seem to connect Henry and Hutson to Garrison and George Sims.
The Estate of James Sims, Benton County, AL.
From The Estate of James Sims, Box 153, Benton County (Calhoun) Estate Records
March 10, 1843. Inventory appraisal (marked out). Moses Whiteside, Leonard Brock and Albert Alexander certify correct June 5, 1843. An examination of this appraisal shows that Henry, Hudson and what looks W. participated.
April 12, 1843. Sale of property of James Sims, deceased, by Administrator, R.S. Porter. Total only $6.00. Buyers were:
Mrs. Sims (widow) Ira Webb Talbot Sims
Henry Sims A. Wilkins Garrison Sims
William Sims ______ Whitlock
September 20, 1849. Notice to Robert S. Porter, Administrator “exofficio” of the estate of James Sims, late of Benton County, Alabama, deceased, to file accounts and vouchers for final settlement. Folder cover names Nancy Sims.
November 16, 1849. Robert S. Porter, Administrator of the estate of James Sims, responds in writing that there was nothing to account for and that he was appointed Administrator as Sheriff of Benton county, Alabama for the purpose of being made a party to an intended suit that was never brought and that he only realized $3.00 as Administrator and that this $3.00 was paid to M.M. Hinton, former clerk.
Research on the above listed buyers:
Henry Sims - Obviously our Henry, born in S.C. ca 1813. First son named Marion, second son named James H.
William Sims - No conclusion. Possibly the W. of the James Sims appraisal. If so, indicates he is a son of James.
Ira Webb - Born in Tennessee, March 24, 1811; married Sara Roberts; died May 29, 1887; lived in Cherokee, County;Sarah Roberts was born in Tennessee July 4, 1816; died October 29, 1883. Webb's moved from Tennessee between 1835 and 1837. Source: 1850 U.S. Census; Cherokee County cemetery records. Apparently no family connection.
Anderson Wilkins - Born between 1800-1810. Source: 1850 U.S. Census. Apparently, no family connection.
_______ Whitlock - No conclusion.
Talbot Sims - Born in S.C. ca. 1806; lived in Perry County in 1850; first son named James; lived in Alabama in 1836. If a son of Nancy, must be the first child. Source: 1850 U.S. Census.
Garrison Sims - Born in S.C. ca 1817; lived in Cherokee Co. Ga. in 1850; appears to only have had daughters. In 1848, Garrison Sims promised to sell his land (Fraction 13) to Bevrly (sic) H. Sims in a document the original of which was discovered in 2005 and is in the possession of descendents of B.H. Sims. Birth years and birth places of his children indicate that Garrison Sims moved from Al. to Ga. between 1847 and 1849. The land sale indicates 1848. There has been a tradition in the Thomas Benton Sims 2'nd family, who were descendants of both Hutson and Henry, that the Sims' came from Georgia. Perhaps Garrison was returning home.
Hutson Sims would have been 19 at the time of the 1843 sale.
The Sims land purchases in Section 32 began within two months after the estate sale of James Sims.
Conclusion:
It appears that James (of 1843 estate) and Nancy of 1850 and 1860 censuses of Benton County, and of 1849 transactions of James Sims estate where the parents of at least Henry, Hutson, and William (W. of the inventory appraisal ?) and possibly Talbot, and Garrison, and George who owned adjoining land.
