John Timmons of Spartanburg and Greenville County, South Carolina made his will in 1796.  It was probated March 7, 1799 in the Spartanburg County Court.  His exact date of death is unknown, but we can  assume he died in 1798 or early 1799 just prior to the probate date.

It hasn't been determined when John was born or who were his parents, but we could speculate it could be the “old” Mr. Timmings who was living in the Spartanburg area by 1753.  Most researchers believe John Timmons was descended from Timmons people who were Scotch Irish or English.

 The old wagon road that led down from Virginia to the south was the favorite route taken by many settlers during the 1741 - 1751 and many people moved from the Pennsylvania area into the Yadkin River area of western North Carolina migrating from there into South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky.  See Robert W. Ramsey’s “Carolina Cradle” published in 1964 by Chapel Hill.

Other reference material is Landrum’s “History of Spartanburg County"  that was published during the 19th century and the “History of South Carolina” published by William Simms in 1860.  "A Timmons Family History" by Mary L. Roberts is the primary source for  my Timmons family.  I had the pleasure of talking to Mary on the phone and discussing the family through letters.  She was very quick to let me know that there is still a lot of research that can be done with this family.

The “old” Mr. Timmings can be found on the Tyger River in 1755.  There was a Thomas and John Timmons with 400 acres of land on the Pacolet River in 1767.  This makes these families some of the earliest settlers in this area.

The John Timmons which we are discussing is believed to have migrated into South Carolina well before 1770.  John purchased 1000 acres of land on the Tyger River in Craven County, South Carolina.  This deed of indenture is proof that he was already living along the Tyger River when he purchased this land from Frances Wilson in 1773. The 400 acres of land granted to John and Thomas Timmons on Jack’s Branch of the Pacolet River in 1767 raises the  possibility that John, and what is believed to be his son Thomas, were granted this land in 1767 in Craven County, and sold it before the purchase of the 1000 acres on the Tyger River in 1773.

Land Grants and Memorials for John Timmons:

100 acres, Craven County, 1769
100 acres, Craven County, 1770
100 acres land grant, Craven County, 1770
100 acres land grant, Craven County, 1771
100 acres, Craven County, 1772
100 acres, land grant, Craven County 1773

John and Thomas Timmons, memorial for 400 acres in Mecklenburg County, N.C. 1772.
This land would be resurveyed and found to be in South Carolina.

Craven County was at that time a portion of upper South Carolina extending from the north coastal region to the border of North Carolina and Georgia.  Later Craven County was redefined into the Ninety Six District of South Carolina which included Spartanburg, Union, Laurens, Newberry, Abbeville and Edgefield Counties.

John Timmon’s wife was named Elizabeth.  The only reference to her is found on a deed of conveyance dated 11 January 1796 where she signed with her X.

Greenville County was one of the last counties to be opened up to settlements in South Carolina.  In 1777 two districts which previously had been Indian land was opened up. Following the War Of Independence land was opened up for sale.  On October 15, 1784, John Timmons, for the sum of forty seven pounds and six shillings was granted a parcel of land consisting of  473 acres.  It is upon this land that the present day Springwood Cemetery is found in the heart of downtown Greenville.  John never resided on this land, however, and later he sold 313 acres of the land to his son in law, Nathaniel Stokes who had married his daughter Nancy.

All of these records are available through court records.

John and Elizabeth were large land and slave owners in the late 1700’s but disposed of the last of their land in 1796 when they signed over to Moses Timmons, their son,  330 acres on Timmons Mill Creek.  Elizabeth died sometime between the conveyance of that land on January 11, 1796 and August 26, 1796, the date John made his last will and testament. We know that because John did not mention her in his will.  She must have died between the date she signed the deed mentioned above and John writing his will.  John died sometime very late in 1798 or early 1799, when his will was probated.  Reference Will of John Timmons, file #2031, Spartanburg, SC. Dept. of S.C. Archives.

Children of John and Elizabeth Timmons:

1. Samuel, born between 1745-48, died 1807, married Sarah ......
2. Leah, born 1745-50, married Frances Howell
3. Thomas, born between 1750-55, died in 1785.  Name of wife not proven, may be Ruth.
4. Abner, born 1755, died 1830-31, married Hannah (sometimes called Ann in Kentucky)
5. Rachel, born 19 Feb. 1757, died 28 Feb. 1839 in Alabama. Married David Goodlett.
6. Moses, born 1760, died before 1840, married Hannah.............
7. Sarah, born 1760-63, died after 1820, married Edward S. Arnold
8. Nancy, born abt 1765, married Nathaniel Stokes.
9. Catherine, born (unknown), married James Airee

Genealogist disagree about Catherine being John's daughter.  Some believe she is his daughter in law and the wife of his previously deceased son Thomas.  When John made his will, he refers to Catherine as his daughter.  However, there is a problem.  If she was in fact a daughter, then she must have had a child out of wedlock, because her son Levi Timmons was also living in John's household.  Catherine didn't marry until after John's death, and then it was to John Aire.  It is my understanding that in those days it wasn't uncommon for someone to refer to a daughter in law as a daughter.  The other thing that makes the will more interesting is when John refers to his dead son Thomas.  He states that Thomas's family has already received their share.  But, later in the will he leaves the bulk of his estate to Catherine.  So,  it's all in how you interrupt John's will and other events when you try to decided whether or not Catherine is a daughter, or a daughter in law.

Thomas Timmons Sr.
son of John

Thomas, who is believed to have been born between 1750 and 1755, is thought to be the third child of John Timmons.  In Johns will, Thomas’s heirs are third in line for legacy. In his will, John wrote that Thomas had been deceased close to eleven years which means he died about 1785.

It is thought that Thomas married when his father deeded him a tract of land in 1776.  It was a deed of gift, given out of love and affection.  Thomas was deeded 150 acres of the 1000 acres that John had purchased. There are no records stating the name of his wife.

Thomas was in the prime of his life when the Revolutionary War broke out.  Thomas,  like his bothers Samuel and Abner, was a  horsemen under Captain John Collins.  It appears the younger brother, Moses, may have also served with the patriot militia for a period of time.  John Timmons, their father, furnished supplies to the needy troops. Audited accounts for military service indicate that Thomas Timmons Sr. served from 15 June 1880 until 1 June 1881, taking part in numerous battles. One of the major battles was The Battle of Cowpens.

It is not known why he died, but he did die young.  Thomas may have sustained some kind of injury in one of the battles he fought.  Many men were injured, only to succumb several years later from those injuries.  Of course, Thomas may have died from some kind of accident that isn't documented.

Thomas died sometime in the spring of 1785.  Because he didn't leave a will, he died intestate.  His father, John, filed for the right to administer the estate of Thomas.  The estate was inventoried by James Jordon, Alexander Vernon and Francis Dodds and appraised at a value of 48 pounds, 10 shillings.  This did not include the 150 acres given to him by his father, nor the household goods.  Included in the inventoried items were three horses, twelve cows, a mattox, an ax, two plows, a bed, pans, some pewter, and a saddle. 

The estate of Thomas Timmons Sr wasn’t closed out until 1793.  It is unknown why it took nearly 9 years to close the estate.  When a man died intestate in those days, his widow had a “dower right” to the real estate the man owned, but not necessarily the right to all of his personal belongings.  It was sometimes arranged for certain items to be put on the inventory list for appraisal and auction, and the widow could buy back many of the items put up for sale if she desired.  Most of these items were purchased at auction by a woman named Ruth Timmons.  Was she his wife?  Ruth bought just about everything for a total of 73 pounds, 14 shillings and 6 pence. 

This is the only mention of Ruth Timmons that has been found to date.  There is no real evidence to support the theory that she is Thomas' wife, just as there isn’t any evidence that Catherine was his wife.  I find it strange that Catherine didn't buy anything at the auction.  You would think she would if she were is wife.

Children of Thomas and ____________(wife) Timmons

1.  Thomas Jr., born 1778-82, married Celia Connell.
2.  Elizabeth, born 1784-85, was still a minor in 1802 when she petitioned the court to
appoint Moses Timmons as her guardian.
3.  If Catherine Timmons was the wife of Thomas, then Levy Timmons must be added to the list of
children.
 (Note) If Catherine was his wife, why would Elizabeth, a minor, petition the court to appoint Moses Timmons as her legal guardian when Catherine was still alive?

Thomas Timmons Jr.
son of Thomas Sr

Thomas Timmons Jr. was born in the old Ninety Six district of South Carolina sometime between 1775 and 1785.  

Like his ancestors, he was a farmer in Spartanburg County.  On September 1, 1803, he married Celia Connell.  The marriage was performed by the Rev. William King.

Thomas was forced to dispose of the land he had inherited from his father early in the marriage.  He sold 150 acres to Jesse Traylor and is believed to have resided in Greenville County after that transaction, just over the county line in what is now Greer.  No records can be found of further land transactions by Thomas Jr, so he may have leased land or resorted to some other kind of occupation..

By the time of the 1810 census, Thomas and Celia had two sons under ten years of age, and there were two daughters under the age of 16.  There was also an older female in the household, and this could have been the sister of Thomas Jr.  who was called Elizabeth if she didn't occupy Moses (her guardian) to Kentucky when he and  Abner migrated there prior to 1810.

Thomas was then between the age of 26 and 45 years of age according to the census and his wife was between the age of 16 and 26 years of age.  The early census records aren't very helpful in determining the ages of the people as you can see.

Thomas was a volunteer member of Captain Manley Ford’s Company of Infantry.  He enlisted on the 29th of September 1814, for a term of six months, with the rank of private. He was discharged at Beaufort Island, South Carolina on 12 March 1815.

Thomas Timmons Jr. died on 18 January 1816 less than a year after he was discharged from the militia duty in the War of 1812.  Like his father, he died young.  Could it be that he died from injuries received in the war?  He, like his father, didn’t leave a will and he possessed too little to warrant a probate.  No tombstone has been found for Thomas Jr.

The census in 1820 has Celia listed as (Selah) and the head of household.  There were four males between the ages of 10 to 26 years old, and 3 females under the age of 16.  It is believed that the four males were William R.,  Benjamin, Henry, and John Timmons.  If you look at the 1850 census for that area, a strong case can be made for the ages of these men to be Thomas’s sons.  Of course, there isn't any positive proof to support this theory.

Bounty lands for the veterans of the war were enacted by Congress on 28 September 1850, and the another on 3 March 1855.  Celia, widow of Thomas, went to court to secure these bounty lands.  She was awarded 60 acres.  She said she sold this land, but no records have been found about that transaction.

She later sought other bounty lands she might be entitled to by the Act of 1855.  It is in those applications that Thomas' participation in the War of 1812 is highlighted and genealogical data revealed.

The third and fourth generation of the Timmons family is difficult to research because they did not acquire land holdings to trace.  They didn’t hold elected offices, nor bring honor or dishonor to their name.  They were just ordinary people.

Celia Timmons is believed to have been either a Conner or Connell.  Her name appears both ways on applications for bounty lands.  Bible records record it as Connell.  It appears the County Clerk made a mistake on the applications and the bible records are the accepted spelling.

There is a cemetery in the town of Greer called the Wilson Cemetery.  Many of the tombstones have fallen.  Among those toppled stones is a small gray one that is inscribed:

Celia Timmons
Died
the year 1857
Aged
about 70 yrs.

It is believed Celia Timmons was buried in this small Wilson Cemetery because her son, William R.Timmons,  had married Jane Wilson.  It is believed that if William R. Timmons wasn’t her son, Celia wouldn’t have been buried in this location which was a family graveyard at that time.  William R. and Thomas H. Timmons along with a grandson, William Marion Timmons,  were all living in the vicinity of Greer.  William H. Timmons accompanied Celia during her applications for bounty land and had in his possession the family bible which he stated he had for 20 years..  For this reason, we believe that he is also a son of Celia.

Children of Celia (Connell) and Thomas Timmons, Jr.:

1. William R. Timmons, born May 4, 1809, died October 16, 1882.
2. Thomas H. Timmons, born 1815-16, died between 1853 and 1860.

Possible other Children:

3.  Henry, born abt. 1810 died unknown
4.  Benjamin, born abt 1814-15
5.  John, born abt 1809-10
 

William R. Timmons
son of Thomas jr. and Celia Timmons

William R. Timmons, a great grandson of John and Elizabeth Timmons,  is first found on the 1840 census as follows:

William R. Timmons, aged between 30-40
1 female, aged between 20 - 30
2 male children, aged up to 5 years
1 female child, aged up to 5 years

From this information, we can approximate that William R. Timmons and his wife had been married about six or more years, as the three children were all under five years of age. From documents found, we know that he married Jane Wilson.  This is found on the death certificate of William Marion Timmons, son of William R. Timmons.  Her full name was probably Margaret Jane Wilson since the 1850 census lists her as Margaret..  She was born about 1815 and died before 1860 since she didn’t appear on that census.

By 1850 William had become a wheelwright.  He built wheels for various kinds for wheeled vehicles.  He would have needed knowledge of working with both wood and metal.

1850 Census
William R. Timmons male 41 wheelwright
Margaret  female 34
Elizabeth  female 13
William M.  male 11
Sarah T.  female 9
Mary E.  female 4
Adeline  female 1

Living in the area of William in 1850 was T. H. Timmons and his wife Nancy and 2 children, Benjamin Timmons with his wife Jane and 2 daughters and A.C. and Nancy Timmons.  During this time, William and Margaret Jane were attending church at Zoar Methodist Church along with other Timmons relatives.

Church records indicate that William R. Timmons was “dropped” from membership on 3 November 1853.  There were no further church records for this family in the next few years.  Could it be that William R. moved his family elsewhere for a time?  Shortly after that, it seems Margaret Jane became ill and died leaving William with small children.  Nothing further was found about Margaret Jane’s death or burial location.

There is a judgment record in the Court of Common Pleas, Spartanburg County, revealing that during the Spring Term of this Court, a judgment against William Timmons was rendered on April 6, 1857, and an order went out for the arrest of Timmons.  The suit had been brought against  Timmons after he failed to pay his attorney, Bobo V. Edwards, for defending him in the prior case of Joseph West versus William Timmons.  Edwards sought payment for cost and fees incurred.  After the costs were determined by the Court, the presiding judge decreed that since Timmons had defaulted on payment, the money must be recovered.  Accordingly, Special Deputy Sheriff H. Abbott rode the six miles to and from Timmons place to arrest him and serve the papers.  The matter was resolved when the defendant settled the account in full on 22 May 1857.  The original bill had been $14.10, but the sheriff's expenses and the added court  cost ran the total to $17.73. Court of Common Pleas, Spartanburg County, SC, Judgment, Joseph West Versus William Timmons, Roll 4441, Book M, Page 502, 6 April 1857.

By 1860, William and his family were residing in the township of Fort Prince Post Office. He was back in the original area of the home site of John and Elizabeth Timmons, his great grandparents.  The Post Office is located near the Old Timmons Field., that portion of land deeded to Samuel Timmons by his father.  This field had been the location of the local Militias drills and practices for half a century.

The Fort Prince Post Office was just 7 miles west of the Spartanburg Court House.

In 1860, William’s occupation is shown as a miller.  There had been an old mill on the Tyger River on John Timmons land, and this mill was mentioned frequently in deeds and other documentation relating to the Timmons families.  It may be that William was working at this old mill.

The 1860 census also revealed that Margaret Jane had died since she wasn’t listed.

The census reads:
(1860 Census)

William R. Timmons age 51 miller
Frances M. female age 90
M. E.  female age 14
Alfred F.  male age 12
Nancy M.  female age 10
C. C.  male age 8 (Christopher Columbus Timmons)

It hasn't been determined who the  90 year old female Frances could be, but she is probably a relative.  If her age is giving correctly, she would've been born in 1770 making her another mystery in this family.   We can rule out the possibility of her being Thomas Sr.'s wife, she would be too young. 

Since William Marion Timmons wasn’t listed in this census, it can be concluded that he had gone to work and live elsewhere.  A William Timmons, 20, and a Thomas Timmons, 19, can be found on the census in the household of  T. Grambling, probably a widow, in the vicinity of Mt. Lebanon. They were listed as farm laborers.

Sometime in the early part of the 1860’s, William R. was married a second time to a woman name Mary.  Mary was close to 25 years junior to William in age.  She was born abt. 1833 and died at the age of 60.  Her parentage has not been learned.

After the War Between the States, another census was taken in 1870 that recorded this family was now living in the Beech Springs township, and that William R. was working in a grist mill. His family had grown with the new wife that included 3 more children.

1870 Census

William R. Timmons male 61 grist mill worker
Mary A.  female 36 keeping house
Adaline  female 10 (daughter of Margaret Jane, the first wife)
Rebecca  female 7
Winfield  male 4
Roxanne  female 8 months

After the war, things were hard all over the south.  It wasn’t different in South Carolina. Cedia (Timmons) Curtiss, a granddaughter of William R. sometimes spoke of how the war created more poor people,  including relatives and her own parents who had to work harder and longer for less.

William R. Timmons was 71 years old by the time the next census came in 1880 and another male child was added to his list of children.

1880 Census

W. R. Timmons male 71 wagon maker
Mary   female 46 wife
Adeline  female 19 working in cotton mill
Rebecca J.  female  17 working in cotton mill
Winfield Scott  male 14 working in cotton mill
Roxanna  female 10 at home
Rufus E.  male 4 at home

The family was still living in the Beech Springs township, village of Cedar Hill.  Cedar Hill was the home of Cedar Hill Cotton Manufacturing.

In 1882, John R. Timmons was laid to rest in the cemetery at Zoar Methodist Church near Greer.  His wife Mary survived until January 3, 1893, and then she was buried beside her husband.  Nearby are the headstones of many more family members.

Christopher Columbus Timmons
son of William R. Timmons

Christopher C. Timmons was born May 13, 1852 in Spartanburg County and died February 11, 1912.  Although he was living in Union County at the time of his death, he died in Spartanburg County and is buried in the area where he was born at Zoar Methodist Church where his  father is buried.  I've been told by family members that he had left Union to visit his relatives still living in Spartanburg County when he became ill.  It was his wish that he be buried with his family at Zoar Methodist Church when he died.

Christopher married Mary Alice Smith May 2, 1873 in Campobello, SC.  Mary Alice was born May 11, 1854 and died August 19, 1896.  She was the daughter of James E. Smith from Spartanburg County.  It hasn’t been determined who James’s parents were at this time.

Christopher and Mary Alice can be found in the 1880 census living in Union County. One can only speculate that they left the Spartanburg / Greer area between 1873 and 1880 to seek employment in the cotton mills in and around Union, South Carolina.  

Children of Christopher Columbus Timmons and Mary Alice (Smith) Timmons:

Edward Belton Timmons born Feb 23, 1880 died June 29, 1958
James William Timmons born July 16, 1883 died Jan. 28, 1948
Harvey L. Timmons  born April 25, 1885 died
Della Jane Timmons  born Sept. 3, 1887 died
Florence M. Timmons  born May 19, 1890 died Feb. 2, 1892
Alice Ada Timmons  born July 15, 1893 died Dec. 31, 1917
Oscar (Osker) Timmons born Mar. 19, 1896 died June 16, 1896

Edward Timmons, first son of C.C. and Mary,  married Beaulah Ophelia Knox.  Beaulah was born March 2, 1877 and died December 16, 1930.  Their children are:

Otis Timmons   born July 10, 1900
Clifford Columbus Timmons born Dec. 10, 1906
Lona Timmons  born Sept. 6, 1909
Annie Knox Timmons born

The second son of C.C. and Mary, James William married Betsy Hudson.  She was born Feb. 14, 1890 and died August 6, 1975.  There children are:

Melvin O. Timmons  born Aug. 17, 1910
James Earl Timmons  born Nov. 14, 1912
Clarence E. Timmons  born June 23, 1916
Mary Timmons  born Oct. 3, 1918

Very little is known about Harvey Timmons, the third son of C.C. and Mary at this time except that Harvey did lose an arm at some point in life.  The rumor I heard was he lost the arm while jumping a train.  I don’t know at this time if he ever married, although I believe he may be buried in Union, SC in Rosemount Cemetary.

The fourth child, and first daughter of C.C. and Mary was Della Jane who married John Douglas Blalock Feb. 11, 1906 in Buffalo, SC.  Their children were:

Timmons Blalock  born
Harley Blalock  born
Elsie Blalock   born

In 1910 Douglas and Della were shown in the census living in the home of  Christopher Timmons in Union, SC.  They later moved to Whitmire, SC,  Newberry County where employment could be found in the cotton mill there.  That is where they lived out their lives.

The sixth child, and third daughter of C.C. and Mary was Alice Ada Timmons.  She married William Levi Sparks in Union, SC.  Will (as he was known) was born August 31, 1890 and died Feb. 16, 1972.  Ada became ill and died December 31, 1917 during the Flu epidemic that plagued the country at that time.  She is buried in Rosemont Cemetery in Union, South Carolina next to Will and his second wife, Marie Hewett Sparks.

Children of Ada and Will Sparks

Arthur Sparks   born    died
Clyde Martin Sparks  born June 30, 1916 died Jan. 24, 2002

As you can see, this is still a work in progress.  I am missing data.  So, anyone reading this paper that has  information they are willing to share can email me from the homepage email link.  I didn’t attempt to take this information any further at this time.  I would think anyone interested in the data would know exactly how they fit into the tree at this point. I hope I have given you some information you didn’t know about before reading it here.  I would love to hear from anyone connected with the family at any time.  If you can prove or disprove the data written, I would especially like to here from you.