| Notes |
- Name: Notes on the Sims of Hanover-Louisa Counties Virginia
Author: Paul H /Arnot/
Publisher: 1981, 1981
pp.1-6
The initial objectives of this research project were to develop the
parents of Edward Sims, who died about 1790 in Warren Co., N.C., and
also the parents of his wife, Elizabeth. However research in the
early stages developed that some of the basic Sims Family data in the
literature were in error, particularly in the book by Henry Upson
Sims, "The Geneology of the Sims Family of Virginia, the Carolinas
and the Gulf States," 1940. This reference has the most
comprehensive coverage for the Sims of Hanover - Louisa Cos., Va. and
the source material most often quoted. Therefore, the following
report covers the research on the Sims Family in Hanover and Louisa
Counties with the main object to develop the parents of Edward and
Elizabeth Sims of Warren Co. N. C. Admittedly, the research was not
exhausted; and hopefully, the report will assist future Sims
researchers.
Mr. James T. Anderson, Jr., of Marietta, Georgia was most generous
in providing a copy of the notes made on the Sims by his late sister1
Miss E. Katherine Anderson (died October, 1978). Her
notes were particularly valuable on Matthew Sims, II and his
descendents. Mrs. John Kerr, Jr. of Warrenton, N.C. provided
valuable research assistance, particularly in the Bute - Warren Cos.,
N.C.
The film rental service of the L.D.S. Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
was extensively used.
Early Sims Records in Virginia
Table No. 1
1704 Rent Roll, James City Co., Va.
Wm. Sims - 650 a.
1704 Rent Roll, New Kent Co., Va.
Jno. Sims - 1,000 a.
1704 Rent Roll, Surry Co., Va.
Geo. Sims - 100 a.
St. Paul's Parish was originally located in New Kent Co., Va. and
in that part of the County that fell into Hanover Co., Va. when that
County was formed in 1721. The vestry records of St. Paul's
Parish have been published by C.G. Chamberlayne which includes the
processional records for Sims from 1708 to 1771. Land
processioning is not a current practice; bowever, a necessary one
before accurate land surveys with permanent markers. The church
vestry at periodic interals,
usually four years, would divide the parish into precincts with
appointed overseers to actually go (procession) with the property
owners to re-establish their property boundaries, usually defined by
trees,stumps, rocks, streams, etc.
The lands of a John Sims and a Matthew Sims were first
processioned in 1709 in St. Paul's Parish as follows:
The lands of David Crawford, Thomas Rice, John Sims, Matthew
Sims
and Thomas Crenshaw lying adjacent to each other being made one
precinct of which the said Thomas Rice and John Sims were
appointed
overseers. They made this return viz. the within precepts
executed
according to order.
To which every of said parties Subscrib'd.
(St. Paul's vestry Book, pg.
148 March 14, 1908)
The lands of John, Matthew, Edward and George Sims were
processioned in the same precinct in 1711 although Edward and George
were "not there because of ranging." The lands of John, Matthew,
Edward, and George Sims continued to be processioned in the same
precinct
through 1743 as summarized in the attached Chart.
The lands of a John Syme and John Syme's heirs were
processioned in the same precinct with the lands of John, Matthew,
Edward and George Sims in 1732 and 1739 respectively. John Syme
(consistently spelled Syme in the records) was born in Scotland and
emigrated to Virginia about 1710. He was a land surveyor and amassed
a very large holding of land. He died in 1731-32. His widow, nee
Sarah Winston, married Capt. John Henry. John and Sarah (Winston)
Henry were the parents of the famed Patrick Henry of Virginia.
The early Hanover County records were destroyed except for some
records for the years 1733 - 1735. These early records show a James
Sims in association with John, Edward, and George Sims. James Sims
owned property in Hanover County although he was not listed in the
St. Paul's Parish vestry records.
John, Matthew, Edward, and George Sims owned adjacent property,
and it would be logical to assume that they were brothers. A John
Sims had 1,000 acres listed on the 1704 New Kent Quit Rent Roll.
Records are not available to show how John Sims acquired the 1,000
acres or how John Sims, Matthew, Edward and George Sims acquired
their processional lands in St. Paul's Parish. It would be
logical to assume that each received a share of the 1,000 acreas
listed for John Sims on the 1704 Rent Roll for New Kent Co., Va.
This point will be discussed later.
Henry Upson Sims, L.L.D. (deceased) late of Birmingham, Ala.
was a prominent lawyer, a past president of the American Bar
Association. He spent over fifteen years researching his Sims Family
History with the assistance of many regional researchers and the
cooperative help
of relatives and Mrs. Jane Morris of Little Rock Ark. who wrote "Adam
Symes and His Descendants." H.U. Sims privately printed in 1940
"The Geneology of the Sims Family of Virginia, the Carolinas and the
Gulf States." A copy of this book is in a number of the major
geneological libraries, and has become the main reference book for
research on the Sims in the Hanover County area of Virginia.
H.U. Sims in the preface of his book makes this statement,
A search to identify the first American Sims ancestor of the
family, led to conclusive circumstantial evidence that be
came to Virginia from the Island of Antigua, and a search into
the history of that island connected him directly with the
Somerset Symes family in Seventeenth Century England.
He developed with logically presented circumstantial evidence that
George Symes (Sims) of the Isle of Wight County and later Brunswick
County was the father of John, Matthew, Edward and George Sims of St.
Paul's Parish, New Kent County, Virginia. He concluded that George
Sims, Sr. probably followed his sons to that area in about 1711.
The above conclusions based on circumstantial evidence are wrong
unfortunately, H.U. Sims did not have available a key legal document
that definitely establishes that John, Matthew, Edward and George
Sims of Hanover Co., Va. were the sons of William Symes of
James City Co., Va. who also was the father of William, Robert and
James Sims.
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Abt 1788 - 1859 (~ 71 years)
![1830 U.S. census, Tennessee, Stewart County [ELLIS, William Jr.]](documents/Census_Records/thumb_CENSUS-1830-ELLIS-WilliamJr.jpg "1830 U.S. census, Tennessee, Stewart County [ELLIS, William Jr.]")
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