Adam Simonton of Ohio Family Website: Ohio Pioneers

         In the Fall of 1796, Adam Simonton, along with his grown children Ellen, Ann, John, Theophilus, William, and Jane travelled from Iredell County, North Carolina with their families to the Northwest Territory of Ohio to resettle.

         The precise reasons for moving, their mode of travel, and the route taken along this trek of nearly 500 miles are unknown. It is quite possible that they were among the thousands who travelled through the Cumberland Gap at the turn of the Nineteenth Century, but no one can be sure. It is known that they were landowners in North Carolina with sufficient lands to sustain them and that prior to their departure they were not slave owners. It is also known that they departed not long after the death of Adam's father and mother-in-law (John Cooper d. 1794, Jane Cooper d. abt. 1795).

         Proof for Adam Simonton and his sons, Theophilus and William, being in Ohio at an early date is ample, based on the fact that they are mentioned as being in Ohio while selling off their remaining lands in North Carolina (Adam, Sep. 1797) (Theophilus, 1798)and in early Ohio land deeds (Adam, Aug. 1800), (William, Dec. 1800), (Theophilus, 1807) They are also all mentioned as heads of Household in the 1802 tax list for Clermont County, Ohio. The earliest record that clearly places the Simonton family in Ohio is the marriage of William Simonton to Mary Shaw on June 15, 1797 in Hamilton County, Ohio.

         Proof for John Simonton being in Ohio is based on the fact that he is mentioned as having made the trip according to Beers History of Warren County, "Hamilton Township",p. 606. He appears as "John Sinontor" on the 1806 Warren County Tax List.There is also ample evidence that his children were early in the area (Richard Simonton, 1810 Warren County, Ohio Tax List)

         Proof for the sisters Ellen, Ann, and Jane being in Ohio and being daughters of Adam Simonton is a bit more speculative as it comes from various sources including early Ohio marriage lists, descendant lines, and graveyard data.

         This 1840 Platt Map of Hamilton Township, Warren County, Ohio shows the location of the residences of Theophilus Simonton and his two oldest sons Alexander and Adam Simonton. Alexander's homestead was not part of the original map but has been written in to show it's location approximately where it was built the following decade. Adam Simonton later sold his home and moved on to Illinois. All three homes are still being used as residences to this day. To view these homesteads as they look today, click on the "Simonton Family Homesteads" link below.(Map provided by Virginia Farquer - Email: [email protected])

Simonton Family Homesteads



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