I am researching James and Nancy Sims of Clarke County, GA. I find them on the 1850 census as follows: Name: James Sims
Age: 80
Birth Year: abt 1770
Birthplace: Virginia
Home in 1850: Wildcat, Clarke, Georgia
Gender: Male
Family Number: 911
Household Members: Name Age
James Sims 80
Nancy Sims 75
Mary Sims 30
James Sims 8
John Sims 6
Mary Sims 4
Sarah Sims 2
Martha Hinsley 25
Thomas Hinsley 1
I believe from other research that the Mary Sims listed is a daughter of James and Nancy, not the younger Sims children’s mother. (She refers to him as her father in a dispute over a slave in Cherokee County, AL). The John Sims listed, age 6, is my great-grandfather. I believe the 4 young Sims children are orphans of an unknown son and daughter-in-law. I find this family in Cherokee County, Alabama on the 1860 census, with James the elder no longer with the family group. Name: Nancy Sims
Age in 1860: 70
Birth Year: abt 1790
Birthplace: Virginia
Home in 1860: Division 1, Cherokee, Alabama
Gender: Female
View Image Household Members: Name Age
Nancy Sims 70
Mary T Sims 28
James Sims 15
John Sims 14
Mary Sims 12
Sally Sims 10
I find part of the group (grandmother Nancy, daughter Mary, grandson James, and the two Sims granddaughters) in Cherokee County, Alabama on the 1870 census. Nancy is listed as the HOH’s grandmother and Mary as the aunt. I know from other research that grandson John moved to Tishomingo County, Mississippi by 1868.
Name: J Simes
Age in 1870: 26
Birth Year: abt 1844
Birthplace: Georgia
Home in 1870: Township 11 Range 10, Cherokee, Alabama
Race: White
Post Office: Coloma
View Image Household Members: Name Age
J Simes 26
N Simes 78
M Simes 45
Simes 22
Simes 20
Here is the issue: I cannot find the name of the son of James the elder Sims who would have been the parent of the 4 children (James, John, Mary, Sarah-Sally). I hope that your access to Georgia records between 1810-1850 will yield some clues. I suspect the deceased son’s name was probably John or William, but have no proof of that. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Bobbie Sims
Charlotte, NC
Research by Jeannette Austin
1820 and 1830 Clarke Co. Census - James Sims
Clarke County Marriages
Mary Sims to Lindsey Johnson Mara 26 1871
Elizabeth Sims to William D. Cawley Jan 20 1836
Mary Sims to Sam Lasseter Sept 30 1817
Ben L. Sims to Jane Shirley Sept 30 1832
Bennet Sims to Mary Jane Matthews Feb 27 1834 (in Hall Co. in 1830 and Madison Co. in 1850)
C. Sanford Sims to Nancy McRee Mar 24 1843
George W. Sims to Adaline Glasson Feb 10 1836
Apparently your James Sims was Capt. James Sims listed in Clarke County as owing militia fines, 1809-1819) Source: Records of Clarke County, Georgia 1801-1892. In that same book under Militia Records from Duke University, 1804-1820s. "Militia records of Clarke County from the Clarke County records that were formally at the William Perkins Library but which are not at the Georgia Department of Archives and History."
"James Sims, 1813".
Presumably, the William Perkins Library still has these records.
See these newspaper accounts
James M. Sims and John Sims
Martha Ann Sims, wife of William Sims and Murray Sims, deceased
Conclusion: Murray Sims looks suspect to me to be the father of the children as he died 1848 in Clarke County with Bennet Sims as administrator. I tried to track this one down in Jones and Madison Counties, but could not find anything there on Murray Sims. There are probably a number of unknown children of your James Sims, born 1770, who were in several Georgia counties. The Martha Sims who left the bed of William Sims in 1850 is interesting. I wonder if she is the same person as "Martha Hinsley" with a one-year old son, listed with your James in 1850. I also searched the marriages and other records for the Hinsley name, however, there was a Wiley Hinsley 23 years old, harness maker, listed by himself on the 1850 Clarke County Census.
Hope this helps. I have exhausted my research. Jeannette Austin