Tombstone Tuesday Lawrence Simes 1818-1880

In Memory
Lawrence Simes
There is Rest
Born
In Rockingham Co. Va
April 15, 1818
Died
In Copiah Co. Miss
April 11, 1880
His words were Kindness, his deeds were love
His spirit humble, he rests above.

Buried at Spring Hill Plantation Cemetery
Copiah County, MS

Picture Courtesy of Beverley Ballantine

Obituary of Peggy Sims, Lawrence's Wife

The Interview of Sallie B Williams - 1999

The House of Sallie's Childhood

SALLIE B. WILLIAMS
Daughter of Hilliard Williams
Interview: November 1999
Across the road from the entrance to Spring Hill
Present: Carol Murff Oates, Georganne Murff Johnson, Beverley H. Ballantine

Blogger's Comments

Sallie B Williams was the daughter of Hilliard and Johnnie Overton Williams. Sallie was born 05 May 1915 in Copiah County, Mississippi. She died 11 Feb 2002 in Hazlehurst, Copiah County, MS.

The interviewers are the descendants of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro.

BB: How long have you been living here?

SW: Been livin’ here all my born days.

CO: How old are you?

SW: I’m 83 years old.

SW: Yes’m I knew the Taliaferros. Miss Betty Taliaferro.
Elizabeth "Betty" Macon Rice Taliaferro was the widow of Charles Adams Taliaferro. Betty was born in 1846, died in 1931. Charles' father was Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro, a slave owner of my family.

CO: She must have been pretty old when you knew her.

SW: Miss Pearl – her daughter – Miss Pearl took her out in the automobile. Miss Balmayne, Miss Edwynne (pronounced EdWeen), Miss Fay, and another one named Miss Josephine was the nurse.
The children of Charles and Betty Taliaferro were: Mariella, Bessie Pearl, Balmayne, Sarah Frances, Charles Jr., Edwynne, and Josephine.

CO: That’s right. She went and nursed people’s children for them. And my daddy came as a little boy. He was about – Josie B’s son was Billy Gordon and my daddy was Tolly Murff and he came here and spent his summers, too. He was about Billy Gordon’s age. And her daddy [pointing to Georganne Murff Johnson] was Harvey Murff; he was a little bit younger.

SW: Taliaferro Murff. And then the baby boy was named Harvey. (pronounced Hahvee)

GJ: That was my daddy and they lived down there.

SW: Yeah, they lived down there him and his wife.

BB: What do you remember about any of them?

SW: One of them sold – Miss Balmayne and her sold.

BB: They sold the place.

SW: Sewed. Made different things for people.

BB: Oh, they would sew things with their hands and sewing machine?

SW: Yes, ma’am. Miss Balmayne and Miss Edwynne.

BB: And who did the garden? That was Balmayne, wasn’t it?

SW: Miss Balmayne did the garden.

CO: She won the state contest for that garden.

SW: Yes, she had a garden. She raised chickens and turkeys.

CO: Do you know the Christmas family? There’s another cemetery over there at Spring Hill.
The Christmas family were slaves of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro on Spring Hill Plantation.

BB: Who are the Christmas people? Why would they be buried over there?
I recognized three Christmas men and a wife named within the probate records of PRTaliaferro. Richard "Dick" valued at $1000 and his wife Leanna valued at $1100, and Albert valued at $1000, given to Peachy's daughter Sarah Frances. Ben valued at $1300 was given to Peachy's eldest son Richard. I believe Ben and Albert were the sons of Dick and Leanna.

SW: They’s buried over there when I was younger.
There are two headstones with the Christmas surname in the Spring Hill Cemetery. Albert and Irene Christmas's daughter Arlosia E born 1878, died 1901; and Ben Christmas born 1841, died 1889.

CO: Did they live on Spring Hill?

SW: Un-uh. They lived on their own place, but buried over there. Spring Hill was they family cemetery.

BB: For the Christmas. Was there ever a Dick Christmas?
Yes, Dick Christmas was named in PRTaliaferro's probate records. Richard Christmas served with the 5th Regiment, United States Colored Heavy Artillery. Ben Christmas served with the 50th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. Albert Christmas served as a body servant to Calvit Roberts who was a son-in-law of PRTaliaferro.

SW: I don’t know. There could’a been.

BB: One of the stories was that during the war times, the civil war times, that Dick Christmas buried the silver in the pond. Nobody told you anything about that?

SW: No, nobody told me anything about it.

CO: Can you come and sit down? Are you gettin’ tired?

[We all sit down and BB goes to get camera]

CO: Did your daddy build this house?

SW: No, he didn’t build this house.

CO: Whose house was this?

SW: This was a lady that he stayed with. His uncle’s house.

CO: What was his name – the uncle’s name?

SW: John Demise. And his wife was named Virginia Demise [voice too far away]. This old house my momma stayed when she was a girl. Her mother raised my momma. [Voice too far away – but she says something about grandaughter.
John Demyers was the son of Tom and Peggy Demyers. John was born about 1839. He married Virginia Williams/Taylor. Virginia was born about 1850 to Hardenia Williams. John and Virginia raised Johnnie Overton, Sallie's mother. I don't know the names of Johnnie's parents. Johnnie was first seen in the Demyers' house in 1900 as a 15 year old.

CO: She raised her own grandchild as her daughter.

SW: And my daddy come in - and his uncle made him stay here he’s out runnin’ off on they momma. He didn’t like his stepdaddy. He’d see him in the road and my daddy’d say he made us come Come in here, come in here you naughty boy. Go yonder and ask my wife if she got
Hilliard Williams was Sallie's father. Hilliard was born about 1864 to John Weldon Williams and Emma Demyers. By 1900, Hilliard is in John T Demyers' household and thereafter. John T Demyers was Hilliard's uncle.

CO: So that’s the way your mother and your daddy got to know each other?

SW: And they got married.
Hilliard Williams and Johnnie Overton married 18 Dec 1901 in Copiah County, MS.

CO: And a few years later they got married.

SW: She wouldn’t let ‘em move out of the house. She told ‘em, no you ain’t carryin’ my daughter no where. Her daughter she raised
The couple did remain in the home per the census records. John Demyers died between December 1909 - April 1910. He left one third of his property to his nephew Hilliard who he said he loved as a son.

CO: If you’re going to marry, you’re going to live here, hunh? That’s a pretty old tree. That’s been around a while.

SW: That’s a pecan tree. My daddy put them pecan trees in and Miss Pearl. Miss Pearl Taliaferro ordered trees and had him help her set ‘em out and so she [voice too far away].

CO: Her daddy built it. [don’t know what – something about a little house] [voices garbled - too far away] We have an aerial photo taken from an airplane about 1920 or 1930 and maybe you can look at that and tell us what was what. There are several structures on it, but we didn’t really know what was what.
[At this point only Carol’s voice can be heard. She asks about the pecan trees and if they give Ms. Williams a good crop. She asks who built the new house across the street (answer may be niece’s daughter) Does she come over and see about you?

SW: They ain’t moved out there yet. [a lot of conversation that can’t be heard] Now you’ve got people living here with you.

SW: Yes. [too far away] GJ: Who owned that land where they built the house

End of Transcription
____________________

How does Sallie connect to my family tree?
My 2nd great grandmother Alice Demyers Overton Usher's sister
Emma Demyers Williams's son
Hilliard Williams had a daughter, Sallie B Williams

Sources
Albert Christmas Confederate Pension Application
Ben Christmas Federal Pension Records
Copiah County Marriage Records
Copiah County Probate Records of Peachy Ridgway Taliaferro
Interview Contributed by Beverley Ballantine
Obituary of Sallie B Williams
Research Notes of Beverley Ballantine
Research Notes of Suzanne Brown
Richard Christmas Federal Pension Records

You might be interested in these posts:
Affidavit in the Case of Harriet Christmas, Ben Christmas' Wife
Copiah County Body Servants List
John T Demyers' Will
Virginia of Somerset Plantation

Amanuensis Monday In Memory of Peggy Sims - Obituary 1885

Peggy was born between 1830-1835, in Virginia, according to the census records. She was the wife of Lawrence Sim/e/s, mother of Melissa. She was the slave of Sarah Frances Adams Taliaferro who was the wife of Peachy R Taliaferro. The family resided in Copiah County, MS. It is believed Peggy was buried in the Spring Hill Plantation Cemetery. Peggy's husband Lawrence was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery. His headstone reads: In Memory of Lawrence Simes - There is Rest - Born in Rockingham Co., Va. - April 15, 1818 - Died in Copiah Co., Miss - April 11, 1880

Peggy's Obituary Who entered into rest with bright hopes and unwavering faith, June 6th 1885. She was born in Orange County, Va., was raised by Mrs. S. F. Toliaferro, in whose home she imbibed those early pious impressions which ruled her useful life, and to this kind friend she proved through her entire life a faithful servant, a tried friend, ever true. Possessed of a warm heart, an ardent nature, she lovingly served her white friends who warmly reciprocated her attachment. In olden time the bonds that bound her to her owners, were kind and loving as a child to a parent. their children who she tended in infancy, now heads of families, in reverting to their childhood, remember the face of their kind nurse "Peddy" among their earliest and happiest impressions. Ever ready to rejoice with them in their prosperity, to sympathize in adversity, to mourn with them in their sorrow, and to mingle her tears with theirs around the "bier" of their loved dead. To her colored friends she was a bright example as a christian, counsellor and neighbor, respected and loved by white and black. Always ready to help in any way their conditions demanded, willingly giving of her abundance laid up by an industrious life and judicious management. Sadly will they miss her. In an eminent degree, she possessed the faculty of bestowing ready and obliging attention, which made her welcome in every household she visited, and rendered it a delight to be waited on by her.

Especially around the sick bed, her gentle services were peculiarly grateful, there she was in her element, unwearying, unremitting in efforts to releave pain irrespective of color, for friend or foe, faithful to the promise, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto me." Relying, with the unquestionable faith of a child, on the blessed promises of a covenant keeping God, in the simplicity of her guileless heart, the dying bed became "Victors Couch," and as the Pale Boatman with noiseless oar approached, with joyous shouts of victory, and eager longing for the glory of Heaven, to be with Jesus, her spirit passed away from earth.

Farewell faithful kind friend! We will all miss thy tender care while we journey here, but thy triumph has been sooner won. May we meet around our great Master's throne.

A Friend

Source: Hazlehurst Signal
Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss
Vol 4, No. 24, July 23 1885, Page 2
Microfilm Number: 29666
Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Headstone of Lawrence Simes, Peggy's Husband

Peggy and her husband Lawrence shared the same slave owning family with members of my family.