Parke Simmons was born on 29 October 1858, probably in Clarence, Cedar, Iowa, where he grew up, the son of Edmund B. Simmons and Amelia Ann McLeod.
This photo is dated June 1875, taken when Parke was a young sixteen year old teenager.
Edmund and Amelia were married on 1 April 1857 in Cedar County, Iowa.
Parke was their only son, who was joined by sisters Minnie Louie (Luella), born 1861, Nellie, born c1864 and Gertrude Eva, born January 1870.
Parke married Jessie Bross Williams on 9 October 1895 in New Haven, Connecticut and they had settled in Evanston, Cook, Illinois by 1900, where Parke was working as a lawyer. Parke and Jessie had no children, but by 1910, they were a well-to-do couple with five servants living at home with them, plus the toddler of one of the servants. Their occupations were chauffeur, cook, gardener and maid.
Parke died on 7 October 1936 in Evanston. Jessie predeceased him, passing away on 24 October 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Both are buried at Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.
When Parke passed away, his obituary also identified him as an art collector and included his photograph [which can be found on Ancestry.]
Unfortunately, there are no direct descendants today of Parke Simmons, but he did have three younger sisters.
Minnie Luella (Louie), born July 1860; died January 1943, Troy, Rensselaer, New York; married Myron Bent Cottrell, 13 September 1882 in Clarence, Cedar, Iowa and were the parents of three children – Genevieve Day, born February 1886, who married Curtis Nathaneal Nyden. Durant Edmund, born September 1888 and Lucile, born August 1898.
Genevieve married (1) Wallace Eugene Porter, 31 August 1909, Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Wallace had one son, Eugene, from his first marriage and he and Genevieve had one daughter, also Genevieve (Peggy) Day, born c1911. She went by Day in adulthood and married twice, but appears to have had no children. Genevieve Sr. married (2) Clarence J. Perfitt, 19 June 1920, Chicago, Cook, Illinois and they had one son, John Cottrell Perfitt, born 28 April 1921; died 26 March 2000; married Catherine Jane Charlton. They had one daughter, Catherine, who died when she was 19 years old. Genevieve has no living descendants today.
Durant Edmund Cottrell married Edna Newton and they were the parents of three children – Myron Eugene Cottrell (1912-1987), who married Lillian Chisholm Starr, Catherine L. (1914-1982) who never married and Durant Edmund Jr. (1919-1999). Myron and Lillian had one son, who has descendants today. It appears Durant Jr. may not have married and, thus, has no known descendants.
Nellie, born 20 April 1864; died 2 August 1944, Evanston, Cook, Illinois; married Carleton E. Given, 23 September 1891, Cedar County, Iowa. Nellie and Carl had no children and she lived with both sister Gertrude’s family and brother Parke later in life.
Gertrude Eva, born January 1870; married Edward Jones Pearson, 7 June 1899, Cook County, Illinois. They had one son, Harlow Simmons Pearson, born 28 March 1903, St. Paul, Minnesota and lived in New Haven, Connecticut in 1920.
Harlow attended Yale and became a doctor. He married (1) Annabelle Moore Webb, 1 June 1935, Wake County, North Carolina and (2) Helen Louise (MNU). Harlow died 4 April 1985, Orange County, Florida. Helen survived him by several years, passing away on 4 August 1988.
Harlow and Annabelle had three daughters – Frances, born c1938; died 21 January 2013, unmarried and two daughters still living. Harlow and Annabelle apparently divorced and Annabelle died in 1997.
From this family sketch, there are two lines – that of Myron Eugene Cottrell (1912-1987) and Harlow Pearson (1903-1985) that have descendants today and this photo of their grand uncle is going home to one of them.