TIMMONS
False tradition says that my Timmons line is descended from John Timmins, born about 1662
supposedly in Pons, Saintonge, France and supposedly a member of the French Huguenot Church
there. Recent investigation cannot find any spelling of Timmons in the Pons Huguenot Church
or anywhere around Pons.
It is now believed that he came to South Carolina by way of Virginia and was in Johnston
County, NC in 1776 before SC. According to YDNA, he had a Timmons cousin, Abraham Timmons
born 1765 in Worcester, Maryland. The TMRCA based on DNA is about right for them to even
be brothers.
Some yDNA tests have linked several Timmons families in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and
South Carolina. The old Haplogroup was R1b1b2a1a1d* (The * indicates that we are slightly
different from the standard R1b1b2a1a1d.) This is indicative of Frisian ancestry. Today
R1b1b2a1a1 is found mostly on the fringes of the North Sea in England, Germany and the
Netherlands, where it reaches levels of one-third.
DNA UPDATE based on Whole Genome Sequencing of my DNA.
My Timmons Y-Haplogroup is R-BY141862
Terminal SNPs are BY120352, BY136194, BY141862, BY147424, BY147602, BY68252, BY69545, BY73773,
Y170678, Y177588.
Too much emphasis should not be given to the difference inspelling (Timmons, Timmins or Timon) since names
were most often written the way they sounded back then and the same name is often spelled many different ways.
The false story about Pons, France in Happy Heritage.
The French City of Pons is in Saintonge, not in Bretagne/Brittany as stated in the Happy
Heritage(1) book (Bretagne is French for Brittany). Bretagne did indeed extend beyond
it's present area in years past, but never included Pons. Pons is near La Rochelle on
the Seugne river. This may account for the Pons name(either from pont, French for
bridge, or pontius, Latin for marsh)(2). Pons is in the Charente-Maritime region on the
coast. The unproven family legend is that John Timmins(Timon?) was an officer in the
French Navy. If so he and if he was from Pons, he most likely sailed from La Rochelle.
I have examined the Pons Huguenot Church 1648-1680 registry and have not found a
Timon/Timmons. However, the Timon name did exist in that area in 1700's. I have found a
Jean TIMON in France in the correct time period, but he appears to be in a Catholic area.
Have also found a Captain Oliver TIMON that sailed from Cancale France, but again, he
seems to have been Catholic.
See A short Huguenot history for more information about the
persecuted Huguenot minority. The Huguenots began arriving in Virginia and South
Carolina as early as 1688. In the period between late 1699 and early 1700 there were
five embarkations from England to Virginia and Carolina. The names of 3 of the 5 ships
which transported Huguenots were 'Peter and Anthony', 'Nassau' and 'Mary Ann.' Because
England and the American colonies were at war with France, many of them anglicized their
names to more easily fit into American society. In 1687, the Huguenot Relief Committee
in London aided 600 Huguenots in their move to VA.
There is a unproven legend that our John Timmins(Timon?) was a French Naval Officer that
landed in Virginia before 1700 and came to Charles Town, S.C. on horseback to join his
Huguenot church members from France. A John Timmons was Captain of the schooner called
Harriet Ann/Harriett Anne of Baltimore, burthen 39 tons or thereabouts - per carpentry
Certificate she was enrolled as a new vessel the 28th day of April 1819 - built in Gunpowder
Neck, Harford County, Maryland (along with a scow) for Edward and John Timmons (father
and son) by John Lief. (3)
While the statement below is written in a book by the well respected Arthur Henry Hirsch,
the part about Pons Congregation of Elias Prioleau joining him in Charleston is not
true (See "From New Babylon to Eden" by Betrand Van Ruymbeke.)
FALSE Pon’s Story -
"The Charles Town French Church was an extension, or
perhaps better, a transferred reestablishment of the French
Protestant Church of Pons, France, whose pastor was Elias
Prioleau. He, with his congregation, in April, 1687, witnessed
the destruction of their church building in that place
by their Catholic enemies. While it was being demolished
Mr. Prioleau gathered his congregation about him, and after
he had addresed them regarding their plans for the future,
they determined to embark for England. How many followed
him is not known, but the names of a number of
French families denizened the same day that Mr. Prioleau
and his family were denizened in England, names that in
later years are familiar in Carolina, indicate reasons for the
supposition that at least a number followed their spiritual
leader to England and subsequently to South Carolina.
Others probably followed as it became possible. Hands ruthless
in the destruction of visible buildings were unable to
destroy the church organization. It reasserted its life on
American soil. The members of the church followed their pastor Rev.
Elias Prioleau and many settled on the Santee River in South
Carolina." (4)
(Note that an examination of the registry of the Pons church finds few, if any, people
that came to Charleston. Therefore, most of the people that joined Rev. Prioleau must
have come from other parts of France and joined him in England.) See
Huguenot Pons Story ERROR - Research by Ray Timmons (Published in The Carolina Herald).
Cannon, in Happy Heritage says that our John Timmons name was on the church roll displayed
at the Pan American Exposition in Charleston, SC, 1902 by Dr. Vedder, pastor for the Huguenot
Church. (1) This roll book cannot now be located. Most believe that all roll books were
burned in the Charelston fire before the fair. I have examined Dr. Vedder's journals at
the Caroliniana and found that while he was involved in several aspects of the fair, there
is no mention of this roll.
There were more Huguenot's in Charleston than in Santee. The only Timmons I can find in
records of the Santee settlement is a Thomas Timmons (5), but there are records of Timmons
in Charleston. Complicating research is that there is a Lynches River near Charleston.
It is believed by some that my GGGGGG Grandfather was a John Timmons that fought for George
Washington in Virginia from December, 1776 until December, 1779. yDNA has linked my GGGGG
Grandfater John in the Pee Dee area of South Carolina to the Spartanburg Abner Timmons
(Abner later moved to Kentucky). But this link may be many generations away.
Although the will The John in South Carolina says that he is John Senior, in the Audited
accounts (AA7816 page 7) Samuel possibly mentions John his brother. Also, Thomas in X1252,
mentions John, with adjacent entry X1251 for Abner and X1253 for Samuel with the same date.
Entries Z296 and Z297 for Samuel and John are adjacent and the same date, even though not
in alpha-betical order. These and other reasons, along with yDNA tests makes some believe
that this John's father is the John Timmons from Virginia that had other sons of Samuel,
Thomas, Moses and Abner.
My GGGGG Grandfather, John TIMMONS moved to Johnston County, NC where he married Mary SIMMONS,
then to what is now Florence County, SC. See SC Land Grants for early land grants and plats.
John Timmons fought in the Revolutionary War for Francis Marion. Several of his wife's
relatives were also members of Marion's Militia. See Simons/Simmons cousins that fought
in the Revolutionary war here. A cousin, Capt. John SIMONS was killed at the battle of
Eutaw Springs. He is mis-named as my John TIMMONS in several books. Records prove that
my John TIMMONS did fight at the battle of Eutaw Springs, but that he survived.
Audited Accounts show that John Timmons also provided provisions to Marion, Morgan and
others, such as five steers and five hundred (pounds?) of flour Feb 9, 1780, "eight days
horse hire" in 1781 and also provisions worth more than seven pounds sterling in 1781.
John Timmons, (Jr.?) served for "two hundred and seventy two days as a private in Capt
Peter Youngbloods Troops". A Peter Youngblood was one of Francis Marion's officers, but
there was another different Peter Youngblood. See Audited Account Revolutionary War
documents concerning John Timmons.
See John Timmons 1824 tax return here (is there a middle initial at the bottom?). His
will is here.
His Grandson, William TIMMONS's estate reached from Effingham station to Old Elim Church.
The Effingham Post Office was in his store. Series S213190 microfilm Volume 40, page 319
has a plat of 2,415 acres on Lynches "Creek", Marion District for Maj. William TIMMONS.
Locations are Lynches "Creek", Cockfield Bay, Little Cypress Branch, Oakey Bay, Mill Pond,
Flat Bay and Gallington Bay.
The Rev. John Morgan TIMMONS was granted 1,384 acres by Gov. James Hamilton, Jr., later
he bought a pine stand that is now Timmonsville, SC. John Morgan set the railroad
path through NorthEast SC and negotiated purchase of the land. John Morgan signed
the SC Ordinace of Succession in 1860. John Morgan founded and was the first pastor
of Hebron Baptist Church located at Friendfield, SC. He was also pastor of the Old
Elim Baptist Church.
My Great Great Grandfather Randelson Meyers TIMMONS had a plantation on the Lynches
River South of Hebron Church. Randelson and and his wife Martha were buried with their
slaves on their land near Lynches River (behind Dorsey Timmons farm). The Huguenot
tradition was to bury family in the back yard. Their burial site is located off
Friendfield Rd, toward Lynches River on Eugenes Club House Rd. He was active in
Hebron Baptist Church with 78 Entries in Hebron Baptist Church minutes. The Hebron
Baptist Church minutes, page 239, appears to say that he died in 1893, but his
tombstone says 1892. The house of my Great Grandfather, Jimmy TIMMONS still stands
on the other side of Friendfield Road. His house can be seen in a 1913 map identified
as J. H. Timmons above "Mill Pond".
(1)Happy Heritage, By Lyndon Lee Cannon.
(2)Email from Dominique RICHARD.
(3)Email from Mary TIMMONS.
(4)The Huguenots of Colonial South Carolina,
By Arthur Henry Hirsch, Professor of History In Ohio Wesleyan
University, 1928, Duke University Press.
(5) Petitions for Land from the South Carolina Council Journals - Volume IV, by Brent
H. Holcomb, page 164 Thomas Timmons "two hundred acres of vacant Land on the waters of
Santee" Dated July 4, 1755.
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