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 Simmons Cemetery (African-American)
Coinjock, NC

Location: On East side of US 158 about 1.5 miles south of Swain's Lane (SR 1146) in a thicket that juts out into the field approximately 100 feet from the road.  In 1969 was between Ina Midgett Hampton's property and Carrie McHorney Boswood's property.

The old farm house is completely overgrown with vines and thorn bushes.  I couldn't tell it was there until I started crawling around back.  I also found a burial ground to the east and rear of the old farm house.  It is also completely overgrown with thorn bushes and small trees. After looking up the church history, this church has always been an African-American church. One of its first ministers was a Rev. Robert Simmons (hence the Simmons' church). The building next to the church is an old African-American schoolhouse. The house across the street must have been the pastor's home. The area in the back of the house was probably the cemetery for the church.   There are an unknown number of graves there.  It will require  someone going in there with a small probe to find all the graves and clear out the undergrowth to find the rest.  This area is across the road from the Old Simmons Church.  I suspect the farmhouse also belonged to the Simmons family some time ago.  I don't know who owns the property at this time, but it is being actively farmed.   Photographs and comments by Patrick Patterson & Sallie & David Abraham - October 2013.

Photo from Google Maps Street View A book entitled Currituck As It Used To Be by Travis Morris (© 2011) shows a photo of the "Simmons Church" as Center Chapel AME Zion Church.  He mentions that he lived diagonally across the road from the church so he must have lived in what we are calling "the old farm house".  There are photos of Simmons' and there is mention of some of the people who are buried in this cemetery.  Only certain pages of this book can be read online but can be purchased from Amazon or other bookstores.

NAME	BIRTH	DEATH	COMMENTS
Bailey?, Albert?			At Rest
Baum, Lola Marie	May 13, 1942	June 8, 2008	[see obituary]
Bryant, Mary E.	Jan. 6, 1929	Apr. 12, 2011	Longshot with Walson (Funeral Home) on it.  Obituary is shown as Mary Elizabeth Bryant-Shannon and SS Deaths show her as Mary E. Bryant.  NC Births show that she was black, born in Poplar Branch Twp. on Jan. 6, 1929 as Mary Elizabeth Simmons, daughter of May Simmons.  Mary Elizabeth Simmons married James Edward Bryant in Pasquotank Co., NC in 1948.
Burton, Chloe	April 11, 1843	Nov.? 19, 1918	[Wife of Dennis Burton]
Burton, Dennis	April 20, 1843	[Nov. 16, 1916]	[see death certificate]  Masonic emblem; 3 interlocking rings sometimes stands for the Holy Trinity and also can denote Order of Oddfellows
Burton, Lovie Susie	Jan. 18, 1912	Dec. 23, 1955	Wife of Josephus Burton
Mackey, Albert	1904	1942	Just [last word unreadable]
Mercer, Lena	Mar. 17, 1867	Mar. 13, 1933	In my Father's house are many mansions - Wife of Wm Mercer - Her toils are past, her work is done.  She fought the fight the victory won.  [see death certificate] [Lena Burton, daughter of March & Hanna Burton, married William Mercer, son of Jacob Dozier & Jane Mercer, in Coinjock on June 7, 1893.]
Owens, Dorothy S.	May 13, [1917]	June 22, [1986]	Death years are from SS Deaths which states her last residence was Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York.
Simmons, Flossie G.	Aug. 28, 1912	Feb. 2, 1929	Daughter of N.D. & Mary Simmons - Gone but not forgotten.  [see death certificate]
Simmons, Guy	Sept. 12, 1908	May 11, 1983	NC Deaths and 1920-1940 census records show this as an unmarried, black male.
Simmons, Lydia [Ann]	1880	[Mar. 25] 1942	Rest in peace.  [see death certificate that states birth date as Sept. 15, 1883]
Simmons, Mary D.	August 26, 1877	July 14, 1958	Mother - Servant of God well done. [Wife of Nicodemus Simmons]
Simmons, Maryland	April 17, 1895	May 26, 1942	Husband - Gone, but not forgotten.  [Listed in the 1900 Currituck census as age 5, son of James & Rosa Simmons; Lived in Brooklyn, NY in 1930 & 1940]
Simmons, Nicodemus	September 8, 1877	August 14, 1968	Father - Servant of God well done.  [see death certificate] [Married Mary Ann Woodhouse, d/o Smith & Annie Woodhouse, on May 17, 1899]
Simmons, Smith S.R.	November 11, 1900	February 10, 1961	Gone, but not forgotten.
Starks, Olive B.	Aug. 10, 1905	May 12, 1978	[NC Death Index states "Olive Burton Starks" - Listed in the 1910 Currituck census as Ollie Burton, age 4, daughter of St. Clair & Mary Burton]
Winslow, Catherine	Jun. 7, 1939	Dec. 31, 1971

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© 2013 Kay Midgett Sheppard