RAMBLE CXXXVII.
John Simes and his Descendants.

ON the lot of land on Market street now occupied by the stores of C. H. Mendum & Co. and Hill & Carr, in the last century stood an old fashioned gambrel-roofed house, with a shop on the street, and in which was done as much of the dry goods trade as in any other store around it. The house was built by Mr. John Simes, the first of the name among us, who came from England about 1736, and located on this spot. His land extended west to High street. A deed dated in 1760 conveys to two of his grandchildren, Elizabeth Hart (afterwards the wife of Rev. Dr. McClintock,) and Mary Parker, (widow of Capt. William Parker, and mother of Capt. Samuel Parker,) children of Humphrey Fernald, as probably their share of the estate, the house and land on High street, which has long been known as the Parker house, and was recently purchased by C. H. Mendum, of the widow of Capt. Samuel Parker. He held other real estate at the time of his death, which took place before the Revolution. He left but one son, Joseph Simes -- and five daughters. One of the daughters married Cyrus Frink of Newington, from whom the extensive family of that name descended; another married Humphrey Peavey of Newington; the third married John Nutter of Newington; the fourth married Moses Noble, from whom the family on Noble's Island have descended; the fifth married Humphrey Fernald of Portsmouth, the grandfather of John W. Fernald, who is now the only male descendant in that line.

Joseph Simes was Chairman of the Selectmen of Portsmouth in 1776, and a highly esteemed citizen. He occupied the homestead on Market street till his death, near the close of the last century, and after his death the widow continued the dry goods business at the same store in the house. They had ten children -- six sons and four daughters. The eldest son John was a painter. His shop was in the rear of the house, approached by an avenue, probably the same that is now on the north side of Lafayette Laighton's store. The other sons were Thomas, landholder and livery stable proprietor, the father of Stephen H. Simes; Mark, merchant and postmaster, the father of John D. Simes; William, goldsmith, the father of Bray U. Simes; George, landholder and livery stable proprietor, the father of John P. and William Simes. Mark, William and George owned handsome mansions in the same neighborhood on Court and State streets.

The daughters were Ann, the wife of Capt. Martin Parry, and mother of the first wife of late William Jones; Mary, wife of Capt. Thomas Lunt; Hannah, wife of George Massey; and Elizabeth, who was unmarried.

Our older citizens well remember the mother of the large family when she sold English goods on Market street, not on quite so large a scale as some of her descendants, but large for the times. Mrs. Simes was highly respected for her many virtues. Habits of industry and enterprise had a marked influence on the children and grandchildren of this family, which is not yet eradicated. Of John Simes's six children, and his son's ten children, fifteen were married and settled in Portsmouth and its vicinity. Of their descendants many are now located among us, and are making their mark in the world -- but "our fathers, where are they."

Transcript copyright 1999 by SeacoastNH.com from Brewster's Rambles 1869