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Creator
Simmons, Robert A.
Call number
Sc MG 709
Physical description
0.21 linear feet (1 box)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Robert A. Simmons collection, Sc MG 709, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

Robert Simmons was a teacher and elected official in the Reconstruction government of Holmes County, Mississippi. In 1875 he was elected sheriff and tax collector and in 1876 he was appointed supervisor for the registration of voters. Simmons lived in Prichard, Mississippi, New York City and Long Island, NY and owned property in Tunica County, Mississippi. He died in or before 1923. The Robert A. Simmons Collection documents his teaching and political careers during the Reconstruction era, as well as some aspects of his personal life and real estate ventures. Correspondence between Simmons and his friend John R. Porter discuss securing teaching positions in Holmes County, Mississippi, 1870. Correspondence with friends and relatives discuss personal matters, 1887-1915. There are also certificates of appointment as sheriff (1875), tax collector (1875), and supervisor of registration of voters (1876).

Biographical/historical information

Robert Simmons was a teacher and elected official in the Reconstruction government of Holmes County, Mississippi. In 1875 he was elected sheriff and tax collector and in 1876 he was appointed supervisor for the registration of voters. Simmons lived in Prichard, Mississippi, New York City and Long Island, NY and owned property in Tunica County, Mississippi. He died in or before 1923.

Scope and arrangement

The Robert A. Simmons Collection documents his teaching and political careers during the Reconstruction era, as well as some aspects of his personal life and real estate ventures. Correspondence between Simmons and his friend John R. Porter discuss securing teaching positions in Holmes County, Mississippi, 1870. Correspondence with friends and relatives discuss personal matters, 1887-1915. There are also certificates of appointment as sheriff (1875), tax collector (1875), and supervisor of registration of voters (1876).

The balance of the collection deals with property and business matters. There are cancelled property deeds for hundreds of acres of property Simmons owned, some jointly with L.A. Bell, 1875-1891; as well as promissory notes he signed for land owned by the Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway Company, 1886-1892. Correspondence in the 1920s discusses the purchase of United States Oil Corporation stock by a relative, Charles R. Iles. The collection also contains photocopies of photographic portraits of family members, and a family tree.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift, 05/--/2002

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor

Access restrictions

Researchers are restricted to photocopies.