EDMUND SAMMONS NOTES

In several documents Edmond was called Edward.

Edmund Sammons married Ann Mariah Hays in Williamson County in October 1826
(possibly 1825). They had a son, Jonathan, and a daughter, Frances, in Tennessee,
and then, in 1830, moved to Morgan County, Illinois.

Edmund's brother, George, most likely preceded him to Morgan County as there is a 
record of a marriage between George and one Sarah Bell in Morgan County in 1828. 
Edmund and his family lived for a number of years in Morgan County, where Joseph, 
James, Thomas, Susan and Mary were born. In 1847 they moved to St. Marys City in 
Hancock County, Illinois and Gilbert and Devrix were born there. They lived in 
Hancock County for about 8 years and then moved to a farm near Lancaster, Schuyler 
County, Missouri. Edmund's brother, George (a widower by the time of the 1860 
census), also moved to Schuyler County with his family sometime after 1855, possibly 
at the same time as Edmund as they lived very close to each other in Schuyler County.

Two of the sons, Jonathan and James, appear to have remained in Illinois and 
established their families there. Jonathan stayed in Hancock County.  James (who 
oddly spelled his surname Samons) first settled in McDonough County but four years 
later returned to Hancock County, living there for most of the remainder of his life. 
Nothing is known of Frances except the mention of her name in the 1850 census.

It was in Schuyler County by the way that they met the Legrand family. The Legrand's 
appear to have arrived in Schuyler County somewhat earlier from Kentucky. There was 
extensive interaction with the Legrand's for the next few decades and Susan and Mary 
married Legrand brothers Henderson and Joel within a few years of their arrival in 
Schuyler County.

Edmund lived only a short while after the move as he died in 1857. In a deathbed
will, witnessed by his brother, George, he willed to ["Gilbert Sammons the South east 
quarter of the North West Quarter of Section Twenty Six and to Deverix Sammons the 
Southwest qr of the said section and the North West of Northwest is to be divided 
equally between the said Gilbert and Deverix Sammons and Gilbert Sammons is to pay 
Mary Sammons forty dollars if he takes the well. Deverix Sammons is to pay Mary 
Sammons thirty dollars when they become of age]."

The 1860 census for Schuyler County, Independence Township, Lancaster, Missouri
shows Mariah, age 50, living with Mary, age 17, Gilbert, age 12 and "Deris" (note 
the continuing problems with the name Devrix). On the adjacent farm lived Joseph 
Sammons, then a Joseph Glendening, and then George Sammons with his six children.

The onset of the Civil War was the catalyst for future change. Most or all the 
Sammons brothers were involved in the war, except for Devrix who was too young. 
James served in the 118th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteers. Thomas served in 
an Iowa unit but the rest, including the two Legrand brothers-in-law, all enlisted 
in the 21st Missouri Volunteers. Gilbert was the only one of the brothers who died 
in the war. The cause of death was dysentery -- in fact his brothers and brothers-
in-law all filed in later years applications for invalid pensions reflecting long-
lasting effects of dysentery.

Gilbert's mother, Ann Mariah, filed an application for a dependent mother's
pension claiming that she had been dependent on Gilbert's work to support her and 
that the only help left at home was a "sickly boy of 14," meaning Devrix The 
applications were accompanied by affidavits of support from various people, her 
two sons-in-law (though not identified as such), Henderson and Joel Legrand, her 
brother-in-law, George Sammons, Samuel Wyatt (who many years later married Susan 
Sammons Legrand Pettijohn after the death of their respective spouses). She did 
receive a pension but it was later cancelled on charges of fraud. The pension file 
contains a lengthy report by a special investigator who came out from Washington 
and interviewed many people. It appears that this issue caused a great deal of 
dissension in the neighborhood as a number of people demonstrated a lot of 
hostility toward Mariah and the Legrand brothers. A large number of neighbors got 
up a petition claiming that she was receiving the pension under false pretenses as, 
they claimed, her son-in-law Joel was living on the farm and both son-in-law were 
allegedly benefiting from the pension.

Even her brother-in-law, George Sammons, turned against her, implicitly recanting
his former support and reaffirming the allegations of fraud. In the final analysis 
the investigator recommended bringing charges against her and the two Legrand 
brothers.

It may be coincidental but the Legrand brothers, probably accompanied by Thomas 
Sammons and a nephew, Warner Legrand, were the first to leave Schuyler County to 
move west. One can speculate that they left because of the threat of prosecution 
but there is no proof of that. In any case they appeared in the Wyandotte County, 
Kansas area as of early 1873. Joel, however, did not survive long, dying in 1875 
of typhoid fever. Henderson, interestingly enough, became acquainted with a nearby 
neighbor, Joseph Combs, father of James Combs, who also moved west to Rooks County 
around 1878. There is no exact date for Henderson Legrand's move to Rooks County 
but he was cited in a later [Webster Eagle] article in 1887 as "[the first settler 
in western Rooks County in Alcona]".

Two more Sammons brothers followed the path to Rooks county not too long afterwards. 
Joseph and Devrix went probably in 1878. From the wording in an affidavit written 
later by Devrix for Henderson Legrand's request for a pension it appears that he, 
and probably Joseph as well stayed with Henderson Legrand while they were getting 
settled. They took out homestead claims in Richland Township not far from Legrand 
and close to one another.

Joseph returned to Missouri for his family. Devrix married again in 1879 to Minerva 
Jane Swift, his first wife [Sarah] America Legrand having died sometime before after 
having borne two children, Maggie and Thomas Park[er].

Edmund Sammons, the confirmed ancestor of our line in Illinois and Missouri, and his 
brother George both stated in later census reports that they were born in Virginia, 
Edmund possibly around 1800 and George around 1803. Note that there has been some 
confusion as to whether his name was Edmund or Edward.
There is no doubt that it was Edmund based on statements made in his widow's later 
request for a Dependent Mother's Pension.

However, he was listed as Edward in the 1850 census -- though census takers were 
notoriously unreliable when reproducing names. More puzzling is his being listed as 
Edward in the book, [History of Hancock County] in the entry on his son, James, and 
presumably provided by James. If Edmund and George are indeed the sons of Newit, 
there was at least one other brother and a sister. The names are not known because 
census information prior to 1850 gave only the name of the head of household and 
numbers for others.

Edmund came to IL in 1831 and lived in Morgan county until 1847, when he moved 
into St. Mary's town, and was there eight years. He finally moved to the State of 
Missouri, and lived there until his death in 1857. At the age of 20 James located 
in McDonough county and there remained four years, and then moved to Hancock county, 
and has since resided on his present farm of 267 acres, valued at $30 per acre. 
Mr. S. was married in 1855 to Sarah E. Way, native of Illinois and was born in 1840. 
They have been blessed with 7 children; viz., Mary J., Edmond, Chars. W., Ruth E., 
Louisa, Stephen A., Ida May. Mr. S. enlisted in Co. A, 118th Reg., under Capt. 
Campbell, in 1862; was in battles of Thompkins Hill, and Baker Creek; discharged at 
Port Hudson, Louisiana, in 1864. He is a Republican]. [James appears to spelled his 
name SAMONS consistently]]

In a 19 February Certificate of Disability for Discharge, it was stated that James 
enlisted on 15 August 1862 in Captain John D. Rosenbrook's Company K of the 118 
Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. He was described at the time (age 26) as 5' 7" tall, 
light complexion, blue eyes, light hair and "[by occupation when enlisted a farmer]". 
The form noted that "[said soldier had been unfit for duty for 60 days. Said James 
Samons contracted his disease in the line of his duty while on the march around 
Vicksburg, Miss. He is a good soldier who executed his duties promptly]."

James was discharged at Port Hudson, Louisiana, on 12 March 1864, giving his address 
at the time as Fountain Green, [Hancock County], Illinois.

James applied for an invalid pension in 1890 based on his complaint of "[bronchial 
affection and rheumatism and heart trouble and deafness and ventral hernia and 
general disability]." He stated at the time that he was a resident of Joetta, 
Illinois. His wife, Sarah, died in 1903. He remarried in 1908 to a Lucy Wade in 
1908. He had probably known her for some years as she gave her previous places of 
marriage to previous husbands as St. Marys City and Plymouth, Illinois. 
Interestingly, they were married in Lancaster, Schuyler County, Missouri, by 
[Charles] Wesley Burnett, very likely because he was the husband of James' sister, 
Mary, the widow of Henderson Legrand, who had moved back to Missouri and married 
Burnett in 1904.

After a series of applications, he was finally approved for a pension of $15 per 
month to commence 23 February 1907. In a subsequent declaration in 1912 seeking an 
increase, he gave his address as Plymouth, Hancock County, Illinois. He died in 
November 1915. According to subsequent letters by his widow, Lucy, in unsuccessfully 
attempting to claim his accrued pension, he was very ill the last few years, 
requiring intensive care from her. At this time, there is no further information on 
his descendants other than their names.

His deathbed will was witnessed by his brother, George Sammons. Edmund died in 1857.

In 1860 census for Schuyler Co.-Independence Twp. Lancaster MO house 547/539 shows 
Mariah age 50, living with Mary age 17, Gilbert age 12, and Deris.

Next door in house 548/540 Jacob Sammons age 28 living alone.

In house 549/541 Joseph Glendening age 30 Elizabeth 30, Martha 14, Sidney 13, 
William 6, Mary 3, Joseph 1/12.

In house 550/542 George Sammons age 27 with Jane 29, Abner, John, Newton, Julian, 
Sintha, and Mary J Sanders.

Charlotte Curlee Ramsey
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cramsey/index.html