Born in 1772, Martha Dickinson Simms was the daughter of Shadrach and Keziah Simms Dickinson. At her death in about 1848, Simms lived in an area of Wayne County in or very close to present-day Wilson County. In May 1845, she executed a will that included these provisions:
- to daughter Elizabeth Whitley, two negro men Cader and Will
- to daughter Zillah Simms, negro woman Delanah and her children Simon, Charles, Dick and Sara
- to grandson Willey Simms, Harry, Lucy, Hannah
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- Harry and Hannah Simms and daughter Lucy Simms Woodard
Will of Martha Simms, Wayne County, North Carolina Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998, http://www.ancestry.com.