Joseph Dungan Simmons

DUNGAN, GOFF, NORRIS, SIMMONS

Posted By: Kent Transier (email)
Date: 1/11/2010 at 22:02:14

“History of Madison County Iowa and Its People”
Herman A. Mueller, Supervising Editor
Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915

Joseph Dungan Simmons, was born in Randolph county, Indiana on April 8th, 1840 to Jacob and Elizabeth (Dungan) Simmons. The father followed agricultural pursuits and Joseph D. Simmons was early trained in the work of the farm, pursuing that vocation through early adulthood. During the Civil war Joseph manifested his patriotism by trying to enlist in an Indiana regiment in 1861 but was refused on account of impaired hearing, caused by scarlet fever. Later, however, he was drafted and faithfully served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Indianapolis, Indiana. On August 10th, 1861 Joseph was united in marriage in Delaware county, Indiana, to Miss Mary Katherine Goff. She was born in Delaware county, Indiana, April 9, 1843, a daughter of Nathan P. and Elizabeth (Norris) Goff, natives respectively of West Virginia and Kentucky.

Mr. Goff, who was a farmer by occupation, removed to Indiana in the early days of that state and there cultivated land until 1864, when he and his family became residents of Madison county, Iowa. He purchased land in Jefferson township but subsequently removed to Douglas township, where he farmed for many years. At length he was enabled to retire and passed his declining years with his children. His death occurred in February, 1900, and his wife died on the 16th of August, 1894.

Joseph D. Simmons and his bride came to Madison county, Iowa, in 1864 with her parents and Mr. Simmons operated land given him by his father-in-law for twelve years. He then sold it and removed with his family to De Soto, Dallas county, this State, where he worked at his trades, being a carpenter, stone-mason and also a plasterer, and known as a thorough and painstaking workman. He met death by accident in De Soto on the 3rd of February, 1877.

To Mr. and Mrs. Simmons were born seven children: Florence, whose birth occurred in Indiana, July 3, 1863, and who died on the 4th of July, 1864; a son, born December 2, 1864, who died in infancy; Amanda J., born May 12, 1866; William E., who was born August 23, 1868, and is living in Colorado; Nathan E., whose birth occurred on the 16th of December, 1871, and who is assisting his mother in the operation of her farm; Lydia O., born April 6, 1873; and Mattie J., born April 19, 1877.
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Transcriber's note: This biography was extracted from the biography of his wife found in the cited source and edited with additional information from other records.

Madison Biographies maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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