1 - Ida Elizabeth Henry Simmons

Ida Elizabeth Henry Simmons

 My maternal grandmother, Ida Elizabeth Henry, was born on September 10, 1896 in Springfield, Robertson County, Tennessee, USA. She was the daughter of David Henry and Ida Elizabeth Daniel.  She was the youngest of four brothers and one sister: Forrest Lee Henry, Mamie Ann Henry, Jessie Daniel Henry, Robert Earle Henry, and David Leroy Henry. When she was less than two years old, her father, David Henry, passed away on August 10th, 1897. He had just returned from the New York World's Fair and brought Little Ida a souvenir, a sea shell which advertised the fair of that year. It is still in our family. Her mother, Ida Elizabeth Daniel was left alone on a 97 acre farm to raise four children.  Little David LeRoy Henry, had passed away the previous year, at the age of two, and her brother Robert Earle Henry died the same year as her father, in 1897. The other two brothers had to leave school to work on the farm.

The 1900 Federal Census with Ida E. listed below:

Ida Elizabeth Henry lived in Robertson, Tennessee, in 1900.

Ida Elizabeth Henry's mother, also named Ida, a former school and music teacher, met Dr. Henry Guller  and they were married September 28, 1910, in Robertson County, TN. Ida E. Henry was 14 years old.  

Dr. Guller owned a home, orange groves and other property in Florida and that same year they moved to Oak Hill, Fl. After the move to Fl., Ida contacted malaria and diptheria at the same time and almost lost her life. Dr. Guller, luckily was an osteopathic physician and she always credited him with saving her life. After recovering from this illness, her mother enrolled her as a student at Southern Seminary in Buena Vista, Va. where she spent several years.

Southern Seminary

Dr.Guller and Mrs. Guller also owned a home on the ocean in Salisbury, Maryland where they vacationed frequently.

Family Farm in Tennessee

On March 26, 1915, Ida Elizabeth Henry married Harry Lyman Simmons

in Volusia County, FL.  She was 19 years old. 

Ida Elizabeth Henry Simmons

Ida Elizabeth Henry Simmons (third from right)

Harry Lyman Simmons (second from right)

Together, Harry and Ida, had four children:

Lillian Simmons Papouleas  (1917-1986)

Charles Arthur Simmons  (1919-2006)

Harriett Marie Simmons Goodrich (1927- )

Ida Henry Simmons Goodrich (1931- )

July 13, 1959, Ida's husband Harry passed away from a heart attack, leaving her a widow. They had been married 43 years.

**********

This book and quote was shared by my mom, Ida Simmons Goodrich, in a Facebook post August 28th, 2016:

"This was my sister, Marie Goodrich, and my favorite book when we were children. Our mother, another Ida, read to us every night as we were going to bed with a kerosene lamp. We both have always loved books and reading. I have looked for another copy of this book for years, but to no avail."

**********

This is the way I remember my Grandmother Simmons.  She was always smiling.  Grandma was sitting in the family rocker in front of her home built in 1926. 

Ida Elizabeth Henry Simmons

I began staying with my Grandmother Simmons when I was three months old while my parents worked. I continued to stay with her after school and in the summers for most of my childhood.  Her love of God, family, animals, art, and music left a lasting impression on me. 

Grandma Simmons loved animals of all kinds but particularly dogs.  She shared that she brought two dogs down with her when they moved from TN.  When I was growing up, she always had a dog.  

Grandma loved to write letters and when her oldest children lived out of state, she wrote to them every day. When we went on vacations, she would write us every detail of her day and send her letters to us at various stops along our route. 

She read her Bible daily and never wanted anything materialistically for herself. If there was a severe thunderstorm, she would turn to John 14 and we would read the chapter together to calm our fears.  

She loved art and music.  She played the piano and painted with oils. 

She was a romantic and loved the TV soap: Days of Our Lives. My mom shared that she would listen to her daughters' favorite soap operas every day on the radio while they were at school.  She would describe the whole program when they returned home.  

In her older years, after breaking her hip, she was unable to walk alone.  During that time, she re-read many of the classics, stories about pets, and completed needlework. She embroidered many items over the years.

Grandma Simmons made a lasting, positive, and loving impression on everyone in our family.  We miss her dearly.  

Ida Elizabeth Henry Simmons passed away on April 10, 1983 at her home in Oak Hill, FL, USA.  She was 86 years old. 

********************************

Last updated 8/28/17

© 2017

embeddable family tree updated live from WikiTree