Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Wedding Wednesday - Davee / Simmons




The State of Illinois, Fulton County
The People of the State of Illinois
To who all shall see These Presents - Greeting:
Know Ye, That License and Permission has been granted to any Minister of the Gospel authorized to Marry by the Church or Society to which he belongs - any Justice of the Supreme Court - Justice of any Inferior Court - or any Justice of the Peace, - to Celebrate and Ratify the Marriage of 

Mr James Davee to Miss Mary R. Simmons


now both of this County, according to the Usual Custom and Laws of the State of Illinois


Witness:  John H Perisol  Clerk of the County Court in and for the County of Fulton,

and the Seal of said Court hereunto affixed, at Lewiston, this 30th day of July, A. D. 1861
John H. Perisol, Clerk

State of Illinois, Fulton County

I hereby Certify that on the 31 day of July, A. D. 1861, I joined in the Holy State of Matrimony James Davee to Mary R. Simmons, according to the Custom and Laws of Illinois.
Given under my Hand and Seal, this 31 day of July, A. D. 1861.
Benjamin Davee, P. M.

While I can find quite a bit about James Davee online (he may have been married as many as 5 times), it is really the death date and burial location for Mary Rosilla Simmons that I most want to find.  She was my 2nd Great Grandmother Rachel's sister.  My narrative on Rachel is here

Although I haven't confirmed this, according to census records and others' online trees James & Rosilla had 2 children, Eliza Jane born May 28, 1862 in Cumberland County, Illinos and William Grant born November 1864.  Then July 1, 1866 James married Mary Shepard in Jasper County.  So sometime between November 1864 and July 1866 and somewhere in Cumberland, Jasper or maybe Fulton county, Rosilla Davee died.  She would have been about 22 years old.  

Rosilla's parents were Lebius and Ruth (Smith) Simmons.  Lebius died sometime between 1850 and 1854.  Ruth died sometime between 1862 and 1866, about the same time as Rosilla.  I'd love to find the causes of their deaths to know if it was some disease they both died from.  Is there an obscure source for death records in the 1860's central Illinois that someone can tell me about?

James is the son of Benjamin and Amanda (Shorde) Davee.  (Yes, I think this is the same Benjamin who married James and Rosilla.)  They are in Shelby County, Indiana in 1850.  Amanda died in 1856 and is buried in Aten Cemetery, Hidalgo, Jasper Co., Illinois.  Benjamin with new wife Nancy and family including James are in Greenup, Cumberland Co., Illinois in 1860.  

In 1870 Crooked Creek, Jasper Co., Illinois I find James, with wife Louisa 19, his children (with Rosilla), Lizia J 8, and William 5.  Also in the household are Alwildia, 9/12, and Francis Elliot 73.  Benjamin Davee is still in Greenup with wife Nancy and 5 children.  Nancy was much younger than Benjamin, so assuming the children are theirs, the most interesting thing is that the youngest child, just a month old, is named Rosilla.  I think that says they thought well of Mary Rosilla Simmons Davee.


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