HISTORYOF THE SIMMONS

"TheSimmons Family Coat of Arms traces its roots back to ancient times where it wascarried onto the field of honor, with chivalry to defend family and allies, kingand country
The Shield: Black and silver with three three leafed clovers and a border. 

TheCrest: An Ermine. 

   The motto: "Simplex Munditiis" Origins Available:English Origin Displayed: English
Spelling variations include: Symons, Symonds, Symond, Simmins, Simins, Simmonds,Simonds, Simond, Simmons, Simon, Simmon, Simmen, Symon and many more.

   First found in Devonshire and in Cornwall, where the faily held a family seatsince ancient times.

Someof the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: Robert andWilliam Simons, who settled in Virginia in 1606; 14 years before the"Mayflower"; Henry Symons, who settled in Boston in 1630; Oliver,Sarah, Dorothy, Francis, James, and Joe Symonds, who all settled in Virginia in1635.

Thespecific etymology of the SIMMONS surname has been difficult to establish.Several possible origins include: 1) Possibly derived from the Biblical nameSimon or Simund, from the Greek form of the Hebrew name Shim'on which meant"hearkening" or "listening." 2) A possible evolution of thename SEAMAN, meaning "navigator or sailor."

   The surname SIMMONS is a very good example of thevariation of names. Most on authority rely more on intuition and opinion than onacutal evidence and contend that SIMMONS was a surname havings it's origin's inthe given name of SIMONS. Many believe that Simon Peter, the Saint and Apostleinspired (many) earlier English adoptioned this as their surname. Unlike SIMONS,SIMPSON and SIMS which they believe has little in common w/St. Simon Peter.

   SIMMONS, SIMONDS, and SYMONDS are, (in fact) evolutions of the name SEAMAN. TheSIMMONS ancestors were orginally thought to be "sailors".(interesting)... There are 3 main types of "evidence" which has leadthe writer (who's name is not mentioned) to this conclusion. 1) Numerousexamples can be found among them the Sussex family of SIMMONS living in Seaford,England for 350 yrs, orginally spelled "SEAMAN". 25 generations ago (durthe 12 century) when English surnames were being formed, each succeededgenerations in the SEAMAN family, which varied the spelling of their surname alittle at at time (with time) from: SEAMAN to SEMAN.... SEMANS to SEMONS...SYMONDS to SYMMONDS.... SIMMONDS and finally "SIMMONS".

   2) A study was done on the distribution of the surname "SIMMONS" inall the English counties, with emphasis / concentration along the south coast ofEngland's (5) five major ports. The spelling of SIMMONS and SIMMONDS were verycommon along the coast of Cornwall, but gradually became less frequent as theymoved further inland. The SYMONDS and SIMONS were more focused in the areas ofCornwall, Devon and Dorset, along the more east end of the coast.25 to 30 of theSYMONDS "coat of arms" featured a swimming dolphin as their primarychange. Though only 2 SIMMONS "coats of arms" were know to even exist;one though had the dolphin in the swimming position, but this "arm"was not adopted once they immigrated to America. The other SIMMONS coat of arm(the one that was brought to America) had a divided field set w/gold and blackroses.         Probably reason: Only 2SIMMONS coat of arms existed in the "sea-related" families mentionedabove.

Anotherinteresting "historical note here". Armorial bearings were only givento families that held principle property, so the branch of SIMMONS thatimmigrated to America were well established since they had a family arms andthis set of "arms" orginiated in England.

  There were 436 SIMMONS families in theUS whenPres. George WASHINGTON authorized the 1st Nat'l census (1790). The averageSIMMONS family had 5.6 memebrs. Primary areas of concentration were: (86) NC(73) NY (58) MASS (54) RI (49) MD (36) VA. The remaining (80) SIMMONS familieswere distributed inthe other five "new" states. Most of theseindependent SIMMONS were young men just finishing their service in theRevolutionary War (must be where they got these statistics) Though SIMMONS wasnot a very prominent name in the WASHINGTON era a later census taken in 1964from the Social Security fifles show that SIMMONS is the 90th most commonsurname in our country, at that time.

   Heraldy, or the research of "armorial" bearings, run's hand in handwith the study of family history. Coat armor, was uknown in Europe before the12th century, not appearing in England until about 1250. It's sudden appearanceas been contributed to several events which include the "GristCrusade" ca 1097; the the need for "body armor" and the growingneed use of "seals" on personal deeds and documents. The earlydevelopment of heraldic devices followed closely to the need for a better mean'sof "identification", and the trend just tookoff. Embellished onshields in the beginning and armors had started a "trend" for moreelaborate heraldic designs made on surcoats, horse trappings, and privatepossessions, such as to be used as "insignia's" including bends(diagonal stripes), horizontal stripes, crosses, chevrons and the use of brightcolors for bloody battle use. Charges, or icons of animals and natural objectsdidn't gain popularity until 1/2 way through the 12 century, the the use ofsurnames was revived.

   When gunpowder entered history in the 14th and 15 centuries, and the decline ofarmor needs were in battle waned, the coats of arms became a somewhat belovedfamily decorative "crest" and was handed down through generations,proudly. Their is question of rightful ownership of coat of arms, but does notpertain in the USA.ARMS: party per pale or and sable, three roses couterchanged.On a field divided vertically, one half gold and the other half black, threeroses of colors counter to their fields.

HISTORYOF THE JACOB Family

FamilyCrests of France
Origins Available: English,German

Origin Displayed: German
   Spelling variations include: Jacobsen, Jacobson, Jacobs,Jacobse, Jacob, Jacober, Jacobi, Jacobie, Jacoby, Jacobsohn, Jacobssohn, Jakobs,Jakober, Jakobsohn, Jacobsson, Jakobsson, Jakobssohn, Jakobsen, Jakobi, Jakobson,Jakobie and many more.

   First found in Silesia, where the name was an integral part of a feudal societywhich would shape modern European history.

   Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: JurgenJacobs, who settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683 along with many othermembers of this family. Christian Jacob came to America in 1709; as did JohnJacobi in the same year, while Johannes Jackobi came to Philadelphia in 1753.Wendell Jacobie came to Philadelphia in 1733.

Origin Displayed: English
    Spelling variations include: Jacobs, Jacob and others.

First found in Dorset where they were seatedfrom very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and thearrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Some of the first settlers of this name orsome of its variants were: John, Frederick, Phillip, Samuel and William Jacobsarrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.
Suggested Readings for thename Jacob
    History of the Jacob Family in England, Ireland, and Americaby Caroline Nicholson Jacob.

Placeof Immigrant Origin

   Alsatians origin in France . In the Alsace-Lorraine area ofeastern France live the Alsatians, a people whose native tongue is a dialect ofHigh German. This ancient frontier area has been the object of disputes betweenFrench and Germanic rulers since the Middle Ages, and control over the regionhas changed hands many times. Since the end of World War II (1939-1945) theregion has belonged to France. A desire for cultural autonomy is widespread in  

Alsace,Lorraine but there is little sentiment for joining Germany

   Alsace-Lorraine is a region of France located in the northeastern tip of Francejust over the border of Germany. The two regions are shown by the red outlineson the map. Lorraine is the arm of the region that juts out to the west, andAlsace runs from north to south along the Germany border touching Switzerland atthe southern tip. Alsace is divided into two districts; Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin

Germanoccupation of Alsace began in the late 700's when Charlemagne's grandsonsdivided his empire. During the 1500's the French began to take over the regionin stages culminating during the French Revolution of 1789. It is purported that50,000 Alsatians migrated to France when Germany retook Alsace-Lorraine in 1871