4 - Harry Lyman Simmons
Harry Lyman Simmons
Harry Lyman Simmons was born March 7, 1894 in Hawk's Park, Volusia County, FL; currently the city of Edgewater. Harry was the oldest son of William Perry Simmons and Melinda Jane Tucker and one of ten children. He is my maternal grandfather.
Katie was born in 1891
Harry in 1894 (my grandfather)
Annie in 1896
Charles in 1898
Bessie in 1901
William 1903
Harvey 1905
Pearl in 1907
Buddy in 1910
Margaret in 1912
Harry is on the left and his older sister, Katie, is holding the baby, William. These two could have been twins in this photograph. The girls to the right of Harry are Bessie and Annie.
In the 1900 Census, the names of each family member listed is correct, however, the birth month, day, and year for Harry Simmons is incorrect. Four children were born before 1900.
Harry was the oldest son but he was not the oldest child. Katie, his oldest sister, was almost three years old when he was born.
Harry Lyman Simmons
Harry's daughter, Marie Simmons Goodrich, shared that her father was excellent in Math. She said that if she had difficulty with any Math problem in school, he was right there to help.
His daughter, Ida Simmons Goodrich, saved his Math book that he shared with his sister Katie. Some of his math figuring is on a piece of paper safely tucked inside. The book copyright is 1895. I've included an example of the "Fractions" page which was considered Standard Arithmetic.
Harry married Ida Elizabeth Henry on March 26th, 1916.
It was my understanding that it was an elopement and not a formal affair.
Harry Simmons is second from right with his wife, Ida Henry Simmons third from right. Katie Simmons, his oldest sister is sitting to his right. Harry's sister, Annie Goodson and her husband, Craig, are in the driver seats.
One of the stories that we heard all my life was about my Grandpa Simmons getting bit by a rattlesnake and living to tell about it. It was a great surprise to find an article written in 1916 about this important event in Harry's life. The newspaper article below explains the chain of events around the memorable rattlesnake bite. Of course being a family of dog lovers, our version had the dog survive. It was not until this article was uncovered that we knew the truth about Grandpa's dog.
October 27, 1916
Harry Simmons could usually be seen with a Camel cigarette, but out on the river he rolled his own.
My mom saved two of his Prince Albert tobacco cans and papers he used to hand roll his cigarettes.
Even though, Grandpa Simmons did not serve in the war, as he had a family and child, he was still required to register and the registration card is below. The registration card also shares personal physical characteristics such as hair and eye color, occupation, and other descriptive information.
At this time, Harry lived in Mims, Florida with his wife, Ida, and daughter, Lillian.
One story Harry's wife, Ida, (my Grandmother Simmons), shared with her children was that they lived for a while in a "cracker - styled" house during prohibition, in Stuart, FL. They had three children during that time, Lillian, Arthur, and Marie. The acquired liquor was stored, lining the perimeter of the house, in sacks. It was hidden to avoid revenuers. My Grandfather Simmons would help pick up or hide the liquor until it was picked up by those with the "big bucks". Aunt Marie shared that one of the areas where Grandpa Simmons traveled was to the Bahamas to an area called West End, which she and Uncle Wilfred visited many years later. It was also mentioned that Al Capone was involved with some of the local bootlegging activities.
By the time the 1920 Census rolled around, Harry was living with his wife, Ida, mother-in-law Ida Henry Guller, and his two oldest children, Lillian and Arthur.
The above article was published in 1922 and described a hunting success story with Harry Simmons, George Ritchie and Craig Goodson.
In the 1945 Census, Harry Simmons is shown at age 51, with his wife, Ida - 48, and children, Arthur - 26, Marie - 17, and Ida - 13. Lillian was not listed because she had married Chris Papouleas and moved to Hull, Mass.
Harry Lyman Simmons and Ida Elizabeth Henry Simmons were blessed with four children:
Lillian the oldest in 1917, Arthur, the only boy, in 1919, Marie in 1927 and the baby, Ida, (my mother), in 1931.
Harry Lyman Simmons
Harry had a great sense of humor. One favorite family story takes place when Harry was fishing on the river with two other fishing companions. Each night, one of the fisherman had to make coffee in a tin coffee can. If anyone complained, then it was their task to make the coffee the next time. One night, when Harry was tasting his coffee, he was asked by one of the companions, "How was your coffee?" Harry responded, "It tastes like hell, but it's JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT!"
The Oak Hill section of the U.S. City Directories in 1947 lists Harry Simmons as a Packer. He is listed with his wife, Ida E. and children Ida H. and Marie, who were students.
During this time, he packed fancy fruit boxes which included many types of fruit, jellies, and during certain times of the year, even decorated with orange blossoms. The tourist attraction where he worked was called "The Garden of Eden" (Log Cabin Groves) owned by the Travis Family.
Harry Lyman Simmons standing with his daughter, Ida Simmons on the grounds of Florida State University, in Tallahassee, FL, in 1949, where they attended Marie Simmons' graduation from college.
Grandpa Simmons worked as a commercial fisherman but he also spent many hours budding and selling citrus trees. He grafted each tree with wax and rope and was paid only if the graft was successful. Many of the groves that now sit on NASA property were grafted by my grandfather. For those not familiar with grafting citrus trees, a small wild citrus tree, also known as a "sour", was planted and a specific piece of a sweet citrus was grafted into the sour tree. If the graft was successful, the tree would produce wonderful fruit: oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines, to name a few. As a small child, I watched my father graft citrus trees, sometimes adding several varieties of citrus (orange and tangerine) to one plant. It is a process that some people have a knack for and because of this skill, Grandpa was able to make a good living from the process.
Three of Harry Simmons' grafting knives shared by his daughter, Ida Simmons Goodrich.
Several times, when I was small, it was not unusual to see a deer skin stretched across the building behind Harry's sister, Annie's house, which was next door to ours. He also had several pair of deer antlers hanging around his house with one in particular placed near the front door. He was a hunter and fisherman throughout his life.
Mom and I were very excited recently to see that Grandpa Simmons was featured on a VHS tape that my dad made from 8 millimeter projector film. Dad had taken many films from over the years and spliced them together to create one VHS tape. Mom was able to make a DVD from this tape which allowed us to grab screenshots to share.
Harry Simmons with his Camel cigarette and his signature felt hat.
Harry Simmons at a local turkey shoot.
One of the few photos of Harry and Ida Simmons together.
Grandpa Simmons feeding me as a baby while Aunt Lillian is holding me near the playpen.
(Left to right: Ida Simmons Goodrich, Marie Simmons Goodrich, Arthur Simmons, Karen Papouleas, Harry Simmons, and Jennifer Goodrich Bonamo with Lillian Simmons Papouleas in Clarence and Ida Goodrich's backyard in the mid 1950s.)
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I only had 5 1/2 years to spend with my Grandfather Simmons but the ones that I did have, he visited me almost every day. My mom shared that he would always bring me a package of cookies when he visited. For Christmas, he would always buy me a new dress which would be hanging near the Christmas tree.
The photo below was another screenshot taken from one of the 8 millimeter films and Grandpa Simmons is carving a wild turkey he hunted then carved for our Thanksgiving dinner.
The photo below was another screenshot taken from one of the 8 millimeter films and Grandpa Simmons is carving a wild turkey he hunted then carved for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving at Grandpa and Grandma Simmons' house in 1958.
We celebrated birthdays together.
Here I am, sitting in Grandpa Simmons' lap, and helping him blow out his candles on his 65th birthday cake, in March, 1959. I love the smiles!
Sadly, one of the days that I remember the most about my Grandfather Simmons was the day he died. I was five years old but the memories are vivid. His wife, my Grandmother Simmons, kept me at my house while my parents worked.
On this particular day, it was the 13th of July in 1959, and very hot. Grandpa was digging up sour orange trees and it was around noon. Someone called on the phone and told us to hurry over to my Aunt Annie Goodson's house, which was next door; explaining that my grandfather was very ill. They said he may have had a heart attack or heat stroke. My grandmother and I, walked to her house and upon entering I saw my grandfather lying on the bed. I immediately climbed up on the bed and asked my Grandpa how he was feeling. I remember about that time, someone pulled out a shot to place in his arm and when I saw it, I asked him if it hurt. He smiled and said that it did not hurt and that he was fine. I don't remember much else going on in the room, other than the bed was surrounded by my grandmother and his sister, Annie. A man explained that my grandfather was going to be taking a ride in an ambulance and heading to the hospital so I had to climb down off the bed but not until I gave him a big hug and kiss. That was the last time I would see him because on that ride to the hospital, he passed away.
Harry Lyman Simmons' Obituary
Harry Lyman Simmons died on July 13, 1959 in route to the hospital in Volusia County. He was buried in Edgewater Cemetery.
Last Updated: 08/28/17
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