Butte County
Biographies
JAMES H. SIMMS
JAMES H. SIMMS.—Public-spirited and
liberal, James H. Simms is a popular and esteemed citizen of Chico. He was born
near Huntsville, Randolph County, Mo., on March 25, 1845. His father,
Bluford Simms, was a native of Virginia and an early
settler of Randolph County, where he was engaged in farming. The mother,
Mildred (Austin) Simms, was also a native of Virginia. Of their seven children,
James H. Simms was the youngest. In 1861, at the age of sixteen, he
volunteered, with patriotic enthusiasm, in the Fourth Regiment of Missouri Infantry,
serving under General Sterling Price. He was in the battles of Pea Ridge,
Lexington, and others. In 1862 he was honorably discharged and began farming in
Randolph County. Later he was engaged in business in Huntsville and again in
Moberly. In 1888, he located in Chico, where he has been in business ever
since. He has a billiard-parlor and cigar-store on Main Street.
Mr. Simms was married, in Missouri, to
Miss Sarah Margaret Hall, a native of that state. He is a member of the Chico
Business Men’s Association. The politics of Mr. Simms are those of the
Democratic party.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
29 October 2009.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Page 1283, Historic Record Co, Los
Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2009 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's
Butte County Biographies