Ralph Simmons was born in 1854 in North Carolina, likely into slavery. Little is known about his early life or family. In 1877, Ralph was living in Henry County, Tennessee, where he married Mary Whitfield on February 22. He worked as a farmer in Henry County until at least 1880. In about 1886, Ralph and his family—including mother-in-law Charity James—relocated to southwest Missouri. Sometime between 1894 and 1900, Ralph and Mary separated. No divorce was ever filed, but they lived apart the rest of their lives, and each claimed they were widowed in the 1900 census. Two of Ralph’s sons lived with him in Dade County, Missouri and his two daughters lived with their mother in Ash Grove. The rest of Ralph’s children lived with their grandmother in Ash Grove. Ralph was working as a zinc miner in Dade County in 1900, and had attended school for three months, probably as part of training for his job. The date and place of Ralph Simmons' death are unknown (Russel 2012).
Grave Marker: Ralph Simmons may not be buried in the Berry Cemetery, as no known documents record his death. However, he is memorialized there by a marble cross vault obelisk, which bears the names of four individuals: Ralph Simmons (west face), son Jasper Simmons (west face), son Enoch Simmons (east face), and mother-in-law Charity James (south face). The monument records death dates for Enoch, Jasper, and Ralph that precede Charity's death, suggesting that this stone was commissioned after Charity died as a memorial to all four individuals. The monument is set on a marble upper base and limestone lower base. This monument bears text and ivy imagery on its south, east, and west faces. By 2009, the upper part of the monument had detached from the base. In 2017, through a grant from the Phenix Marble Company, the upper portion was re-attached to the base. Excluding the base, the monument is 31 x 10 x 10 inches in size. The two-part base is 8 x 15 x 15 inches in size. Ralph Simmons is further memorialized at the Berry Cemetery by a tablet style limestone monument, just 6 cm wide, inscribed with the initials "R. S."
Monument in 2009, before repair
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West face of monument
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Text on West Face RALPH SIMMONS JULY 4 1854 MAY 6 1904 JASPER SIMMONS MAY 2 1882 JAN 11 1908 |
Text on East Face ENOCH SIMMONS AUG 13 1886 FEB 1 1900 |
Text on South Face CHARITY JAMES MAR 18 1842 MAR 31 1914 |