George E. Simmons & Dora Turner/Charity Waller of Essex

[092086]

I am doing research on my 2nd great grandfather, Arthur Simmons, who happens to be the only "difficult" member of my family tree.

The 1881 England Census lists his birth as 1873 in Chigwell, Essex, with George and Dora (Turner) listed as his parents.

However, George also had another marriage, as I found out, to "Charity Waller" who died in 1874, a year after Arthur was born.

Also, in Arthur's marriage record later on in Canada, he is listing his mother as Dora Turner.

Could it be perhaps that Arthur's real mother was Charity but since Charity died when he was young he thought of Dora as his mother?

It gets even more confusing when I dig further back into his father, George Edward's past. His obituary lists him as having 22 children total - 11 with Dora and 11 with Charity. After plugging various pieces of information into Family Tree Maker, I found about 30 trees with all sorts of great uncles/aunts of mine, and a LOT of conflicting information.

What is also interesting is that almost none of these trees list my 2nd great grandfather, Arthur, in them. It looks like he never even existed out of 22 children. Was he the black sheep? After all, he migrated to Canada around 1892, alone.

What is causing me the most grief is that George appeared to travel around a lot, with children being born in Virginia, USA and Essex, England, and them moving back and forth, with George eventually dying in Utah.

What I would like to know is if there are any descendants of George & Dora/Charity on this board who would be able to help me out with information.

Thanks for your consideration.

[crisane]

First of all I looked at the 1881 census for George and Dora  with Arthur age 8 and his siblings. Then I found them again in 1871 still in Chigwell essex as in 1881 and George born Northale Buckinghamshire, still a farmer of 62 acres. Charles age 9 born Alleghenny IO US and Annie K age 6 born Pittsburgh   then George A age 4 Dora M 2 and Amy 7months were  born in Chigwell. So George and Dora were out of UK sometime before 1862 and back to Chigwell again by 1867.
Then I looked for Charity Simmons death in 1874 and it was in Sussex. So I went looking for her and husband George Simmons in 1871 RG10/1063/77/14  Living at Newlands Cottage Keymer Sussex.
George 43 ag lab born Keymer SussexCharity 42 born Clayton Sussex
Elizabeth 19 Clayton, Joseph 16 Keymer, Sarah 14 Keymer, Charity 11 Keymer, George 9 Keymer
Mary 7 Clayton.
Comparing when George and Dora's children were born and when the younger children of George and Charity were born it seems impossible for them to be the same George. George 9 and especially Mary 6 were born in the period when George and Dora's son Charles and dau Annie were being born in US.
Do I have the right families here? Or am I completely on the wrong track?
Do you have George's death certificate. Can you post his obit in full?

[crisane]

Marriage of George and Charity Cuckfield Sussex Sept 1/4 1850 vol 7 page 481.
Both the bride and groom are entered twice with different spelling od their names.
George Simmonds and George Simmons. Charity Walder and Charity Walter.

Clayton in Sussex and Chigwell in Essex are only about 75 miles apart so it is possible that George was keeping two families going at the one time but how to father a child in England whilst fathering one in US?

[092086]

Here's George's Obituary:

---

Married Charity Waller Dec 11 1849 Keymer England she died Aug 1, 1874 in Cliftenville England.

The Wasatch Wave Newspaper May 16, 1902
Charleston

As stated, in last week's Wave George E. Simmons died at his home in Charleston Wednesday May 7th at the advanced age of 74. The cause of his death was general debility. He has been in ill health for two years and has been a confirmed invaled for the past six months. Although his suffering at times was intense yet he clang to life with a tenacity that was remarkable. All that loving hands could do was done in his behalf and although he will be missed by those near and dear to him they have the satisfaction of knowing they did their duty by him in every respect.
George E. Simmons was born Jan. 19th, 1828 in Clayton, Sussex County, England. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day-Saints September 19, 1852. On Dec. 11, 1879 he married Charity Walter, I assume this was a typo and actually 1869 who died August 1st 1874. Left thus with a large family of children, he was married Nov. 27, 1885 to Dora Turner by whom he also had eleven children. It will thus be seen he was the father of 22 children nine of whom survive him.
In the old country, as well as in this, he was a great student of the scriptures and a preacher of righteousness. Many of his friends here will remember his counsels for good, years after his body has moldered to dust. His everyday life was an example for any one to follow. He held the office of high priest in the Church until his death. As a farmer he was a model: his farms were always laid out in the neatest possible style. His straight rows of peas often half a mile in length and sometimes through very stony ground, were a marvel to the beholder.
The funeral services were held in the meeting house at 2 p.m. on May 9th. The coffin and decorations were all pure white. The floral offerings were beautiful. The speakers were Patriarch Murdock, bishop Daybell, President Murdock and Emanuel Richman. Each of the speakers eulogized the deceased and exhorted all to follow his good example.

[092086]

Also,

1881 England Census
George Simmons 52
Dora Simmons 39
Charles W. Simmons 19 Arthur named his son Charles Alfred
George A. Simmons 14 Arthur named his son George Arthur
Dora M. Simmons 12 Arthur named his daughter Dora Margaret
Arthur Simmons 8
Ethel M. Simmons 5
Alfred Simmons 4

===

If by any chance these are both the same people, I am having trouble understanding how one can travel back and forth between England and USA and afford 11 children back in the 1860s, being just a humble farmer and all.

[crisane]

Goerge and Dora are still on the 1891 census RG12/1361/69/18
The Old farm Chigwell
George Simmons 62 farmer Northall Bucks
Dora 50 Eddlesborough Bucks
Ethel M 15 Chigwell
Alfred 14 Chigwell
Ernest 9 Chigwell

Have you any dates of sailing for George Simmons from Sussex going to the US.

[092086]

Goerge and Dora are still on the 1891 census RG12/1361/69/18
The Old farm Chigwell
George Simmons 62 farmer Northall Bucks
Dora 50 Eddlesborough Bucks
Ethel M 15 Chigwell
Alfred 14 Chigwell
Ernest 9 Chigwell

Have you any dates of sailing for George Simmons from Sussex going to the US.

In some of the family trees I've found:

Spouse & Children
 Dora Turner 1852 – 1904

Charles W Simmons 1862
Annie Kate Simmons 1864 – 1907
George A Simmons 1867 – 
Dora M Simmons 1869 – 
Amy Simmons 1871 – 
Arthur Simmons 1873 –
Rose Louisa Agnes Simmons 1875 – 1955
Alice Dora Simmons 1876 – 1900
Ethel M Simmons 1876 – 
Alfred Simmons 1877 – 
Joseph Benjamin Simmons 1878 – 1952
John William Simmons 1880 – 1961
Maud Bell Simmons 1882 – 1962
Ernest Simmons 1882 – 
Lilly May Simmons 1885 – 1892
Stephen Andrew Simmons 1886 – 1961 (born in Utah, USA)
Mariam Bertha Simmons 1889 – 1960 (born in Utah, USA)
Jabes Ray Simmons 1892 – 1892 (born in Utah, USA)
Fellie Simmons 1894 – 1894 (born in Utah, USA)

[092086]

This image is supposedly George E. Simmons which is attached to many of the family trees.

I also remember this picture distinctly as it was once in one of my grandma's photo albums.

[crisane]

1891 RG13/1657/97/50
Woodman Road Gt Warley
George simmons 72 gardener domestic born northall Bucks
Dora 60 Northchurch HERTFORDSHIRE (changed her mind as to where she was born)
Ernest 19 Cycle maker Chigwell
Harold S Stephens Grandson 8 Warley essex.

So a George Simmons died in Charleston May 1902 age 74. If these two george's were one and the same man he left England sometime after the 1901 census to die in the US 12 months later.

I cannot find a marriage of a George Simmons to a Dora turner at any time in the uk on FreeBMD so it looks as if they may have married in the US before 1862 and charles'birth.
I am of the opinion that these are two separate families but surely someone with knowledge of the family gave the info for the obit.

George husband of Charity I can't find as yet in the 1881 census so did he take his family to US after Charity's death\?