Sims Family
Littleton Sims
1769-1844
In June 1763 George Sims made
his will in Brunswick Co.
Virginia, naming sons
Nathaniel, Zachariah, Bartlet,
Burwell, and William Sims, and
appointing his son Millington
his executor. This George Sims
is purported to have married
Martha Walton. George Sims is
also purported to have been
the brother of William Sims, a
well known surveyor of
Mecklenburg and Tryon
counties.
On 22 June 1761 Burwell Sims
purchased 212 acres on the
Meherrin River in Brunswick
Co. from James Wall. On 24 Nov
1766 Burwell Sims sold this
same tract to James Hinton.
One of the witnesses to this
last deed was Peter Freeman
whose widow Faithy Freeman
would later move in the 1790's
to Rutherford Co. NC.
On 11 Feb 1775, Burwell Sims
witnessed a deed in Tryon Co,
NC from Phillip Henson to John
McFadden, for a tract of land
on William Robbins Cr. of
Broad River. On 10 Apr 1777 in
Tryon Co., Burwell Sims
witnessed a deed from John
Ashworth to John Pain for 300
acres on Henderson Creek of
Second Broad River. On 12 Feb
1778 Joseph Burnett entered a
tract of 150 acres in Tryon
Co. in Tryon Co, including
Burwell Sims's improvement. On
20 Jan 1779 in Rutherford Co.,
which had been formed out of
Tryon Co., Robert Webb entered
50 acres on Second Broad
River, including Burrel Sims
improvement. On 7 June 1779 in
Rutherford Co., Robert
Barnhill entered 50 acres on
Robertson's Creek of Second
Broad River near Burwell
Sims's place. On 25 Jan 1780
Burwell Sims entered 100 acres
on Flat Creek of Broad River
above James Miller and below
John McClain. Burwell Sims
then disappears from the
records of Rutherford Co.
There is no evidence that
Burwell Sims ever obtained
title to any entry of land he
made in Tryon/Rutherford
County.
On 26 Mar 1783 Mary Sims
married James Welch in
Rutherford County.
At the Rutherford Court in Oct
1783 Littleton Sims, orphan,
age l4, was bound out to
Andrew Hampton. In Jan 1784
George Sims, orphan, age 10,
was bound out to Jonathan
Hampton. In Jan 1784 Martha
Sims was also bound out. In
April 1790 James Sims, orphan,
age 16, was bound to Thomas
Welch.
On 22 July 1796 James Largin
had a tract surveyed on
Mountain Creek. Littleton Sims
was one of the chainbearers.
On 6 Oct 1798 Littleton Sims
purchased 100 acres on First
Broad Creek in what is now
Golden Valley from Thomas
Stockton. On 27 Feb 1801
Littleton Sims purchased 200
acres on Mountain Creek from
James Holland. On 20 Jan 1802
Littleton Sims purchased 100
acres on Mountain Creek from
John Sorrels Sr. One of the
witnesses to this last deed
was William Mitchell. On 8 Feb
1805 Littleton Sims purchased
183 acres on the North Fork of
First Broad River from Thomas
Stockton and on 17 Oct 1806
Littleton purchased, by
Sheriff's deed from Thomas
Webb, another tract on the
North Fork of First Broad
River. On 3 Mar 1808 Littleton
purchased 20 acres on First
Broad River from Joseph
Grayson.
Littleton Sims also acquired
four North Carolina land
grants on the waters of First
Broad River with surveys made
on 18 July 1808, 10 Nov 1808,
10 April 1810 and 14 May 1830.
Hugh Mitchell and James Sims
were chain bearers for the Nov
1808 survey, and James
Mitchell and James Sims were
chain bearers for the 1810
survey. All these First Broad
River tracts were in present
day Golden Valley.
The relationship of Littleton
Sims to the other Sims family
members discussed above has
not been documented. One can
ask these questions: Was
Burwell Sims of Rutherford
Co., the son of George and
Martha Sims of Brunswick Co.,
VA? Were Littleton, George,
Martha, and James Sims orphans
of Burwell Sims? Were George
and Martha therefore named for
their grandparents? Search of
the existing records has not
answered these questions
absolutely.
Littleton married Hannah
Mitchell on December 31, 1792
in North Carolina. They had 9
children.
|
