John Simmons ¹

  Research Notes:

Excerpts from a posting by Dave Minder in 2001-2002 on boards.ancestry.com:

The same year that Rev. Ezra Sr. died in the fire [1866?], his daughter Melissa from his first marriage, settled in Maryborough Township, on the outskirts of Drayton, with her husband John Simmons. John was born in Ireland. His family had pioneered in the Brockville area where John and Melissa met. John and Melissa were the ancestors of the Simmons bridge builders of Maryborough Township. John's obituary reads:

One of Drayton's earliest pioneers in the person of John Simmons now sleeps his last sleep on the prairies of North Dakota. He was laid to rest on Sunday 28th May at Drayton, Dakota. He was born in 1819, of Irish descent, and attained an age few men reach viz: four scour years. He immigrated into the Queen's bush from Brockville in 1849, having married in 1848 Melissa Healey, sister of Almon Healey. The family consisted of three daughters and four sons, viz: Tunis, Harriet, Maria, Albert, Alva, Lydice and Alexander. His wife died about the year 1871 and was buried in the old Methodist cemetery in this village. About five or six years ago he left Ontario for Dakota along with his son Tunis to join several of the family who had preceded them. He was in fairly good health until within a short time of his death.

His greatest desire for several months previous to his demise, was that he might be able to return to his native home in Ontario and be buried in the same plot beside his wife. The old family residence on Main Street was torn down only two months ago and stood on the site on which Mr. Arthur Samis is now building a new brick residence.

He was a man possessed of good moral principles, and it was often remarked that he was equal if not superior in managing affairs for the public to all others of his day. In fact it was generally conceded that he looked after others people's rights more than after his own, and he often disobliged himself in order to oblige his neighbors. His advice was often asked by men in better position in life than he was; but when John Simmons could not devise some plan to overcome a difficulty harmoniously it was generally given up, even by men who considered themselves his superior. In politics he was a life-long Reformed; in religion a Methodist, and although he wavered at times he found great consolation in trusting in his Savior in whom he had faith that he would some day be found among those who had washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and the writer has every reason to believe that the deceased has passed through the pearly gates into the celestial city where sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

John married Malissa Matilda Healey, daughter of Ezra Healey and Sally Stewart, on 22 Feb 1845 in Johnstown, Grenville (Leeds and Grenville), Canada West (Ontario), Canada.¹ (Malissa Matilda Healey was born on 4 Dec 1825 in Upper Canada (Ontario), Canada and died on 5 Jul 1871 in Drayton, Wellington, Ontario, Canada ².)