WILLIAM AUDREY SIMMONS
The following bio was taken from page 387 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.
Transcribed by Claudia Schuster
Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator
When William Audrey Simmons’ great-grandfather and his wife, Edith, came to Rusk County from Mississippi in 1848, James told Eliza that their cast iron wash-pot would have to be left behind because there was not room for it in the wagon. Realizing how desperately it would be needed at their new home, Eliza hid it under the wagon seat, covering it with quilts. When they arrived in Rusk County, no one was happier than James Simmons to discover this much-needed item in the wagon. The old wash-pot was handed down in the Simmons family and today is owned by James Simmons’ great-grandson, Clyde Simmons of Houston.When James arrived in Rusk County with his family, he settled near New Salem on land received from a land grant from Mexico. Old deed records show that his land extended from near the foot of Quinn Mountain to "the banks of the Angelina River." James’ son, John, was Audrey Simmons’ grandfather; John’s son, George, was Audrey’s father. George and Mattie Newman Simmons were the parents of five sons: Leonard, Maurine, Ernest, Noble, and Audrey; and three daughters: Myrtle (Mrs. Arthur Acker), Florence (Mrs. R.O. McGehee), and Betty (Mrs. Mack Hawkins). The family grew up on a farm near the foot of Quinn Mountain, which was a part of the original Simmons’ tract.
Audrey Simmons was a Missionary Baptist minister. He pastored a number of churches in Rusk County from 1934 to 1957. He was the pastor at Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church near Minden from 1938-1957. He later held pastorates in Lufkin and Pasadena, and was at First Missionary Baptist Church in Ora, near Lufkin, at the time of his death. He died in 1972 and was buried in New Salem Cemetery near where his forefathers had first settled when they came to Rusk County.
Audrey and his first wife, Mary Etta, were the parents of five sons and two daughters: Morris, Jack, John, Juanita (Mrs. D.L. James), and Ina (Mrs. Wayne Rowell). Mary Etta died in 1931, and Audrey later married Lura Norman. They were the parents of five sons and two daughters: Roy Ralph, Charlie, Ray, Norman, Michael, Syble (Mrs. James P. Burks), and Julia (Mrs. Wayne Gilstrap). Eight of the Simmons children presently live in Rusk County.
The family is a close-knit one, and family-get-togethers are joyous occasions, especially at holidays. Gathering around the piano and singing hymns was a regular occurrence during Audrey’s lifetime and continues to be a favorite family activity.
A favorite family tradition is the annual Christmas Eve "get-together" at the home of James Paul and Syble Burks near Brachfield. The family gathers for a wiener roast: then they load onto a hay-filled trailer for a hayride and Christmas caroling in the community.
Two of Audrey’s sons, Ralph and Jack, have followed in his footsteps in the ministry. Four other sons are deacons in their churches. In addition to Audrey’s children, there are forty-two grandchildren and thirty-one great –grandchildren to carry on family traditions.
Submitted by Mrs. R.W. Rowell