John Andrew Simison's 800+ Acres

     A previous post included contents of John A. Simison's will.  (Previous post.)  His probate accounts had shown ownership of about 800 acres.   
     The General Land Office Records contains several land patents for John A Simison.   Some of the land appears to have been earned by others as a result of military service. John Simison must have purchased the title to the land from the soldiers or their estates. The 40 acre parcel came as a result of John O. G. Hamilton's (deceased) service and the 160 acre parcel from John Canfield's service.  Both men had served in the Mexican-American War in the mid 1840s.  The other parcels appear to have been purchased directly by John Simison.  The sale of some of the land appears to have been finalized after he passed away. 
     

Land Patent Image¹

Portion of Survey - John A. Simison owned land in Section 2 and 12.

     Mt. Vernon is about a mile east of his land.  John's brother, Boyd Denny Simison, owned land about a mile east of Mt Vernon.  Boyd Denny's land was very close to the Tensaw River and now appears to be swampland.  Much of Boyd Denny's land was in Baldwin County rather than Mobile County.  The Tensaw River forms part of the boundary between the counties.
     Below is a Google Map showing the location of some of the land that John Simison owned around the time of his death.²  




1.  "Search Results - BLM GLO Records." 2011. 28 Jan. 2014 <http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/results/default.aspx?searchCriteria=type=pa>

2.  Google Maps Engine, Google Imagery 2014 Digital Globe, Landsat, NOAA,  USDA Farm Service Agency.