ALLEGHENY REGIONAL ANCESTORS, Volume 3, Issue 2, carried an article entitled "The Simmons Quagmire of Pendleton County." The article, written by Jeff Carr, dealt with identifying and documenting the various lines of the Simmons family down to the 1850 census. This research, primarily the work of Jeff Carr, remains valid and a valuable contribution to the Simmons family history.

The article repeats a tradition, however, that Pendleton County Nicholas Simmons was identical with the Hans Nickel Simon born in Pfeffelbach, Germany in 1707, son of Jacob and Agnes Simon. This statement was made only after extensive research in the records of Pfeffelbach to show that such a Nickel Simon existed there. A good deal of reading was done in the records of Pennsylvania to prove that Pfeffelbach Nickel could be placed as a neighbor and associate of other families who moved to Virginia in the 1700s. However, new evidence has surfaced that there may in fact be TWO Nicholas Simons in Pennsylvania, near neighbors to each other, EACH OF WHOM HAD A WIFE NAMED MARGARET. Thus the identification of Nicholas Simmons pf Pendleton County as iidentical with the Nickel Simon from Pfeffelbach can no longer be regarded as proven.

It is clear that Nicholas and Leonard Simmons were on the South Branch by 1753 making claim the land there, as shown in the Augusta County Entry Book 1. The existence of a 1754 record in Pennsylvania in which Pfeffelbach Nicholas baptised a child had been dealt with by a possible scenario in which Nicholas and Leonard Simmons had been in Virginia in 1753 only on a land scouting expedition and had returned to Pennsylvania, Nicholas then being present there in the 1754 baptism.

However, a trip to the Tulpehocken region of Pennsylvania uncoverd a 1774 baptism for a George Hederich child in which Pfeffelbach Nicholas and Maria Margaret Simon were sponsors. Also, recent reading in the Pfeffelbach church record has shown that the Pfeffelbach Nickel Simon and his family were relatives and associates of the Hederich family there. So it now appears possible that Pfeffelbach Nickel Simon can be shown to have STAYED in Pennsylvania.

ARA editor David Armstrong colaborated with Jeff Carr in the German Simmons research and hereby goes on record with him stating that a possibility now exists, based on further evaluation of evidence, that the Hans Nickel Simon born in Pfeffelbach IS NOT identical with Nicholas Simmons of Pendleton County. The further possibility exists that ANOTHER Nicholas was present in the Tulpehocken Region of circa 1751. This Nicholas seems to have had a wife named ANNA Margaret rather than MARIA Margaret, which was Pfeffelbach Nicholas' wife's name. Further research is needed to solidify these identifications.

The authors of the Simmons article ask that all interested readers consider the above and hereby retract any statement, made or implied, that attempts to positively identify Pendleton County Nicholas Simon or any Simon on the South Branch with Pfeffelbach, Germany. They both acknowledge that such an identification in the ARA article may have served to perpetuate a previously published error, and if so accept responsibility. Interested parties are invited to comment and further updates will be forthcoming.

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