Nancy Caroline (Baty) Simmons (1827 - 1868)

Born 9 Sep 1827 in White, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Benjamin Lewis Simmons — married 14 Mar 1844 in White, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Nov 1868 at age 41 in Van Buren, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: B Wiseman [send private message]

Biography

Nancy Caroline (Baty) Simmons (1827-1868) was the first wife of Benjamin Lewis Simmons and the mother of six of his children.

Nancy was born (per her tombstone) on 9 September 1827^[1], in White County, Tennessee. Her father's name is unknown, but he evidently died sometime before 1839. Her mother was Margaret Adair (1805-1885), who remarried James Wilson Copeland on 6 February 1839 in White County. She had at least one brother, John S. Baty (1825-1853) who married Mary Alice Copeland, daughter of James Wilson Copeland.

In the 1840 census of White County, Nancy is most likely one of three females aged 10-14 in the household of James W. Copeland, her stepfather.^[2] On 14 March 1844, she married Benjamin Lewis Simmons in White County.^[3] In the 1850 census, she and Benjamin appear in District 2 of White County as parents of two children.

1850: White County, Tennessee, District 2^[4]

In the 1860 census, she and B. L. Simmons appear in Van Buren County with five children; Nancy is identified as a seamstress. The couple lived near a small community known as Sweet Gum.

1860: Van Buren County, Tennessee^[5]

Nancy passed away (per her tombstone) on 19 Nov 1868^[1]; if the tombstone dates are accurate, her age at death was 41. She was buried at Gravel Hill Cemetery in Van Buren County. Benjamin survived her and remarried. The 1870 census entry for Benjamin indicates that Nancy had been the mother of a sixth child before her death.

The known children of Benjamin Lewis Simmons and Nancy Carolina Baty Simmons were:

• Sidney M. Simmons (1846-Aft.1860)
• Charles Taylor (Charley) Simmons (1849-1920), married Jane (Jennie) Phifer
• Joseph Rutherford Simmons (1853-Aft.1900), married Emeline Shockley
• Saphronia F. Simmons (Abt.1856-1918), married George W. Lawson, married (2nd) James Tanner
• Margaret D. (Maggie) Simmons (1859-1923), married James Thomas Miller
• Benjamin Lewis Simmons, Jr., M.D. (1863-1935), married Mary Eliza Holmes

Notes

• An entry on Benjamin Lewis Simmons in Memorial and Biographical Record: A Compendium of Local Biography: Cumberland Region of Tennessee, published 1898, includes this paragraph on Nancy: In early manhood Mr. Simmons was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Beaty, a native of White County, Tenn., who died in 1869 at about the age of forty years. The death date of 1869 conflicts with the date on her tombstone.
• The above reference is the only one that refers to Nancy Caroline's first name as "Caroline". In the 1850 and 1860 censuses, her marriage record, and her tombstone, she appears as "Nancy C.".
• A "Cyprus Beatty" appears on an 1825 tax list for White County, Tenn. (Capt. John Halterman's Company), and no other "Beattys" (or "Batys") are on the county list. Could this therefore have been Nancy Caroline's father?
• The surname Baty has many alternate spellings, including Beatty, Beaty, Batty, Batey, and others. Descendants of Nancy's brother John S. spell it "Baty" however, so we'll go with that.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find a Grave, database and images, (Memorial ID 32323055 : accessed 08 November 2022), memorial page for Nancy Caroline Beaty Simmons (9 Sep 1827–19 Nov 1868), citing Gravel Hill Cemetery, Cummingsville, Van Buren County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Reba Bain (contributor 46851099).
2. ↑ United States Census, 1840, database with images, FamilySearch (XHYM-MHG : 6 Oct 2023), Entry for James W Copeland, 1840.
3. ↑ Tennessee, White County Records, 1809-1975, database with images, FamilySearch (QPQX-TZCM : 5 Oct 2023), Entry for Benjamin L Simmons and Nancy C Beaty, 13 March 1844.
4. ↑ United States Census, 1850, database with images, FamilySearch (MC6Q-WTX : 23 December 2020), Nancy C Simmons in household of Benjamin L Simmons, White, Tennessee, United States.
5. ↑ United States Census, 1860, database with images, FamilySearch (M8TT-52K : 18 February 2021), Nancy C Simmons in entry for B L Simmons, 1860.