See the SPARKS QUARTERLY, June 1986, Whole No. 134, p. 2881:

"George Washington Simmons, son of James and Eady (Sparks) Simmons,was born on May 20, 1837, in Attala County, Mississippi. He served inCo. B, 16th Regiment Texas Cavalry, Confederate States Army from 1861to 1865. In July 1965, he married Martha Smith in Collin County,(TX). She was a daughter of A. C. Smith. She and George had onechild, Robert. She died on May 11, 1867.

"George Simmons married (2nd) Lucy Jane Phelps on May 1 1870. She wasa daughter of Aquilla and Matilda (Glaze) Phelps. She and George hadnine children, six of whom attained adulthood. George died in 1920and Lucy Jane died in 1928. They were buried in Bellevue Cemetery inClay County, Texas.

See SQ p. 2880:

George Washington Simmons, son of James and Rebecca (Cook) Simmons,was born on December 4, 1856, in Rusk County. He married, Charity AnnHorn about 1879. She was born in July 1862 and was a daughter ofWilliam and Rebecca (Fitzgerald) Horn. George and Charity weremembers of the Oak Grove Baptist Church where he served as a deaconand lay preacher for many years. Charity died on August 4, 1937, andGeorge died on March 22, 1943. They had eleven children.

SQ pp 2879-80:

James J. Simmons, son of James and Eady (Sparks) Simmons, was born onSeptember 14, 1833, in Attala County, Mississippi, and was a young ladwhen he accompanied his parents to Rusk County, Texas. It was therethat he married Rebecca Ann E. Cook on May 8, 1855. She had been bornon September 19, 1836, in Mississippi and was a daughter of Franklinand Sarah (Anderson) Cook. She died on June 11, 1905, in NavarroCounty, Texas.James J. Simmons died on January 8, 1914, in RuskCounty, Texas. He and his wife were buried in the Oak Grove Cemeterynear Kerens, Texas They were the parents of five children.

**********

See notes for Edith Arminda Sparks:

PAW: According to Deed Book B:331 of Attala County, [MS], JamesSimmons, Jr. bought land from the Tax Collector, David Eakin, for$11.50 a parcel east 1/2 of SQ quarter of section 4, T/S 12, range 5E. This transaction was dated 20 Feb 1843. This could not be the sonof James H. Simmons, Sr.
His wife Rebecca had a twin sister, Sarah A. E. Cook. They weredaughters of Franklin Cook and Sarah (Anderson) Cook. James and hisbrother William married twin sisters.

SQ p 2878:

John Simmons, son of James and Eady (Sparks) Simmons, was born onOctober 7, 1831, in Attala County, Mississippi, and was a young manwhen he went with his parents to Rusk County, Texas. It was there thathe married Eliza J. Newsom on August 16, 1857. She was born onDecember 28, 1843, in Madison County, Tennessee, and was a daughter ofLemuel and Nancy (Crowder) Newsom. She died on October 17, 1902, andJohn died on August 29, 1908. They were buried in the New SalemCemetery in Rusk County. They had seven children.

PAW: "...never married. Taught school in Clay County, TX; died about1960 and is buried at Bellvue."

SQ p. 2882:

Mary Ann Simmons, daughter of James and Eady (Sparks) Simmons, wasborn on February 29, 1840, in Attala County, Mississippi. On April 28,1858, she married Thomas Hudson Williams in Rusk County. He was bornon December 23, 1832, in Madison County, Tennessee. In 1860, he andMary Ann moved to Collin County where they lived for the rest of theirlives. He died on September 7, 1913, and Mary Ann died on March 30,1925. They were buried in the Fitzhugh Cemetery in Collin County,Texas. They had fourteen children.

**********

See notes for Edith Arminda Sparks

PAW: "Two detailed newspaper clippings exist about her. "GrandmaWilliam's 84th Birthday. Many Friends Assemble to Help Mrs. Mary AnnWilliams Celebrate Her 84th Anniversary" notes that the affair was asurprise. Guests included her children, ministers, friends, andmentioned her mailman of 23 years. Her parents were James and EdithSimmons and Mary Ann was born February 29th 1840 in Attally [sic]County, MS. She came to Nacogdoches County, East Texas, with herparents in 1846." The article includes her marriage date and listsall of the living children in 1924. It notes that she had 15children, 52 grandchildren living and 20 dead; 58 great-grandchildrenliving, 11 dead, 10 great-great grandchildren, all living."

"The McKinney DAILY COURIER-GAZETTE on April 1, 1925, page 1 featuredher obituary, "Funeral Services Held for Long-Time Resident of County:Mrs. Mary Ann Williams came here in 1860." This article repeats a lotof information which was printed for her 84th birthday. Her livingchildren are listed. Her tombstone is inscribed "I know that myredeemer livveth." and pearly gates are shown. Mrs. J. S. Hardawaywrote in the Rustk Co. History that Thomas and Mary Ann got marriednear Clear Rock, Rusk Co., TX. She had red hair."

SQ p2881:

Rufus Brissco Simmons was born on January 9, 1888. He was marriedtwice. His first marriage was to Mary Amanda Norton on July 15, 1906.She was a daughter of Josiah and Phebe Ann Alexander) Norton. She andRufus had three children before her untimely death on October 20,1918, during the flu epidemic. They were: Hollis, Calvin, and R. B.Rufus married (2nd) Lillie Mae Smith, and they had four children:Lillian, Betty, Rufus, and Ethel. Rufus died on December 14, 1971.

See Notes for Edith Arminda Sparks:

PAW: "Her obituary notes that she lived one mile north of Lucas andthat she had been partially paralyzed for several months. She was oneof the early settlers of Collin County. She was a member of thePrimitive Baptist Church, holding fellowship with the Orchardcongregation three miles from Lucas. Burial was in Forest GroveCemetery and services were conducted by the Rev. Webb of McKinney.She had four daughters and one son: Mesdames Allen and Will Biddy,Mrs. Newsome, wife of the Rev. W. T. Newsome, and James Graham,unmarried, who was still at home. She was a daughter of Mrs. Simmons,deceased, one of the pioneer settlers of this county." Obituary ofSallie (Simmons) Graham, THE DEMOCRAT, M cKinney Collin County, TX(Thursday, 3 December 1903, Vol. 20, No. 44, pgae 1]. Her husbandserved in the CSA in the Civil War.

Information relating to the descendants of Sarah Francis Simmons wasreceived on December 12, 2000, from Penny Dennis Holmes (email:pjholmes@cox-internet.com) Mrs. Holmes is a great-great granddaughterof Sarah Francis Simmons. She lives at 4707 Scrimshaw Lane, CollegeStation, Texas. She is documenting her line and is attempting toqualify her mother for a certificate from the State of Texascertifying her as a member of the First Families of Texas and wouldappreciate any assistance from persons having documentation concerningher descendancy from Matthew and Sarah (Thompson) Sparks and their sonWilliam C. and Mary (Fielder) Sparks.

See SQ, p 2879: He was married twice...Audrey Simmons was a Baptistminister and two of his sons, Jack and Ralph, also became Baptistministers.

SQ pp 2777-78:

William F. ("Bill") Simmons, son of James and Eady (Sparks) Simmons,was born about 1829 in Mississippi. (The "F" may have been forFielder.) He married Mrs. Emily (Cook) Addison on June 10, 1849. Shewas born about 1829 in Alabama and was a daughter of Franklin andSarah (Anderson) Cook. When the 1860 census was taken of Rusk County,William and Emily had two children. He died sometime prior to 1880,and his two children were named as beneficiaries in the settlement oftheir paternal grandfather's estate. At that time, they were livingin Kaufman County.

PAW: "A family member contributed the following to a biography ofWilliam F. Simmons in a Rusk Co. (?) Texas history. "William FielderSimmons...served in the Confederate Army in the Civil War as did hisbrothers, John, James J. and George W., and his brothers-in-law.William F. wrote a letter to his sister Sarah on July 20, 1864, whenhe was in a Camp on Bayou Flacen, Louisiana. He had seen his brotherJohn, who had received a 'fine cake' fr om Eliza and had saved him abig piece. He had seen Tom (Williams) [Patsy West'sgreat-grandfather] five days ago...Tom's Company was ready to go ondown on the Atchafalaya [Bay? River?]. News was all rumors...but allgood. It was reported that General Grant is leaving Richmond with hisforces and falling back toward Washington City...[there is more tothis letter but I don't have the rest of it.]

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4460: She was married to George W. Lamphiew and they had twelve children. We have learned the names of only three of them: Walter, Zulieme, and Bertha May. She was married to James Calvin Jones and they had five children, May, James Jr., Nancy Eudora, Ada Elizabeth and Jack Jones.

.
!NOTES:
SQ pg 4461: U. Valdie Burns "Kelly" Sims was born on February 6 ,1888 in a covered wagon enroute to Kent County, Texas.

See SQ p. 2890: "Lydia Sizemore was a daugher of Ned Sizemore, afull-blod Cherokee Indian."

SQ p. 4737:

"...He (James) and Ethel lived in and around Williamson, WestVirginia, where Jim worked in the coal mines..."