Second Generation

8. SIMON ADAMSON^1,6,7 was born in 1733 in Springfield, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.^2,4 He died after 1817 at the age of 84 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.^1,5

Email from another Adamson descendant, Paul Fuenning <rev227@hotmail.com> lists some curious information about the family of Simon. No sources furnished. He listed sons Jesse & Enos as born in Fairplay, SC in 1758 and 1760; then listed a Joseph born in 1775, also in Fairplay SC. The children in between born in Randolph Co NC, Orange Co NC, then TN, but again he has children born in TN before some of those born in NC. This makes no sense with any other Adamson information I have found as I know of no residences for Simon and family other than PA then perhaps VA, then NC, and on to TN as the usual migration pattern follows.

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kenbowen/bowenk.wbg/wga22.html
The Adamson family were at Haddonfield, NJ and moved about 1726 to,
Springfield, Bucks County, PA and were for a time members of the Gwynedd MM.
Many of the names of the Allied families in the ROUTH and ADAMSON genealogy were
residents of Chester County, PA. There was a large migration of these people in
1733 when they moved to Frederick County, VA. The land records suggest that
there was another group of Quakers from Chester and Bucks Counties, PA moved to
Frederick County, VA in the early1750's, and many of the individuals in both
groups moved thence into North Carolina. The Opequon or Hopewell MM records for
that crucial time period when our ancestors were in Frederick County, VA were
destroyed by fire.

Probably the Simon Adamson found in Orange Co NC along with Jesse Adamson: Colonial America 1607-1789 NC Census Index.

Simon married "out of unity" and left Bucks County, first to North Carolina and then to Tennessee. His first wife is listed as unknown by Judy Dye, Mary T. is listed in other references. So many Larkins are in the neighborhood and this name is subsequently used as an Adamson given name - perhaps the first wife was a Larkin. He had a second marriage to Eleanor ?Lewis about 1766. She is supposed to have been a widow, perhaps Eleanor Moon, or was she a Larkin? There is also the possibility that she has been confused with Eleanor Routh, wife of Simon Jr - two daughters Elizabeth & Martha often listed for Simon Sr. were more likely children of Simon Jr as named in his Will, instead of daughters of Simon Sr. Sometimes a son David is listed for Simon, but I have found no indication he existed. One database had a wife as Margaret Patterson - again with no proof whatsoever.

Tax lists in Tennessee are confusing given the fact that multiple Simon Adamsons were present. Both Jefferson and Knox Counties were formed out of Greene & Hawkins Counties in 1792.
1800 1800 JEFFERSON COUNTY, TN TAX LIST alphabetized Taxable property in Capt
Hodge's Company
Simon ADAMSON 75 acres [no poll and could be Simon Sr, not taxed because of age]
John ADAMSON 132 acres 1 White Poll
Jonathan ADAMSON 63 acres 1 White Poll
1806 KNOX COUNTY, TENNESSEE TAX LIST
ADAMSON, Simeon 115 acres [Jr or Sr?]
My note: I believe Simon Jr was in Jefferson Co first since he was accepted into the Lost Creek MM in 1805 and that the Simon in Knox Co in 1806 was most likely Simon Sr.

29 Dec 1810, Simon Adamson Sr was received in the Lost Creek MM at New Market, Jefferson Co TN on his own request. His son Simon Jr was already a member there. Lost Creek was established in 1797 from New Garden MM in North Carolina. Simon's sons were present in Jefferson Co as well. The name of New Market from Jefferson Co would be passed to to a community in MO when the family moved West.

Although some attribute a will written in Jefferson Co TN, 22 May 1812 and proved in Mar of 1814; that was not this Simon but the Simon who married Eleanor Routh, probably his son. Records referring to two Simons in Jefferson Co TN cease about 1810.

I have actually found a later record for Simon, Sr. at the "Digital Library on American Slavery". A petition, #11481738, was filed to the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Tennessee, in Knoxville, in 1817. Forty-one petitioners argued that slave owners should be permitted to free their slaves on terms which will not involve them, nor their estates, for their maintenance. And they proposed a law to declare all descendants of slaves, born after the passing of the law, shall be free at a certain age which your honourable Body may fix upon. Signers to the petition included John Adamson, Jonathan Adamson, Simon Adamson Sr, and Isaac Williams.
A copy of the petition is held at the Tennessee State Library & Archives in Nashville.

SIMON ADAMSON and ?Mary T. [ADAMSON] were married.^1,4 ?Mary T. [ADAMSON] was born (date unknown).

SIMON ADAMSON and ?Mary T. [ADAMSON] had the following children: