George William SIM (1899-1941)

BIRTH - George William Sim was born May 3, 1899.  His parents were John Wm. Sim and Mary Ann Wallace.  He first shows up on the 1900 US Census as a one-year old living with his family at 49 Adams Street, Monroe County, Rochester, NY.  However, the Sim Bible states he was born in Buffalo, NY. 

EDUCATION - The 1940 US Census lists four-years high school.

George, Crystal Beach, 1923

Photo courtesy Aunt Pat H.

(This photo received the most views on Flickr account - over 120 in 2016)

PHYSICAL- Per WWI draft registration, George was medium height, slender built, blue eyes, with light brown hair.

MILITARY SERVICE - On September 12, 1918 George registered for the draft.  He is in Washington, DC working as a Switchboard Installer for Mr. Bright.  The New York Records of the National Guard showed George, age 23, with the Military Unit HQ Co 54th Infantry Brigade on May 8, 1922. 

MARRIAGE - On June 18, 1924 George Sim married Edna Otwell in Buffalo, NY.
                        They had five children, William, John, Joan, Patricia and Gerald.

OTWELL-SIM marriage, 1924

CENSUS REPORTS 

US 1900/l year old       49 Adams Street, Monroe County, Rochester, NY

NYS 1905/6 years old        Batavia, Genesee County, NY

US 1910/10 years old        91 Peach Street, Buffalo, NY

CDN 1911/12 years old     Grey North District, Ontario, Canada

NYS 1915                             Family not found

US 1920/20 years old        500 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY  Living with parents. Occupation: None

NYS 1925/26 years old      Lackawanna, NY

US 1930/30 years old        217 LaSalle Ave., Buffalo, NY  Living with his family at his parent's home.                        Paying $40 rent.  Occupation - proprietor of a restaurant

US 1940/41 years old        296 Chapman Dr., Hamburg, NY, renting, yearly income of $2080.                                   Occupation - foreman -  steel mill

George at Woodlawn Beach, 1923

Photo courtesy of Aunt Pat H.

BUFFALO COURIER AND BUFFALO EVENING NEWS ARTICLES



(Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards Website)

June 18, 1924 - Applied for marriage license with Edna Otwell

Dec. 21, 1927 - George was stabbed and seriously wounded in his soft drink place at 17 Wadsworth, Buffalo.  He was taken to Columbus Hospital and received 30 stitches to close the wound.

Jan. 5, 1928 - George Kirby, 27, charged with assault and robbery.

Feb. 15, 1928 - A supreme court jury found George Kirby not guilty of a robbery, first degree charge.

  

May 16, 1928 - George was charged with dry law violations.

Oct. 20, 1928 - Charge dismissed when it was shown George had sold his place of business prior to the raid to Frederick Otwell, his brother-in-law.

 

DEATH - October 19, 1941 in Hamburg, NY, George W. Sim died from aplastic anemia. He was 42-years old.  His remains are interred at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Cheektowaga, NY.

Visit his on-line memorial:

George William SIM (1899 - 1941) - Find A Grave Memorial

See more photos of George here.

Mystery Lady: "Aunt Rose"

George's aunt, maternal line

You may remember the mystery lady "Aunt Rose" that appeared in this photo of George taken in 1924 in Owen Sound during his honeymoon.

She appeared again in this photo of Edith and Gene FOLEY taken in Buffalo (photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F).  And, she is wearing the same suit!

 

Aunt Rose was Mary Ann WALLACE-SIM's younger sister Rachel Rosetta WALLACE.  She was born in 1890 in Sarawak - the youngest daughter of William WALLACE and Mary HUSTON.  She married James Thomas HIX in 1920.  I was unable to trace her after that and do not know if she had any children.

Edith Mary SIM-FOLEY (1895-1968)

Edith - Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

 George SIM's sister

Early years- Edith was the 2nd child of John Wm and Mary Ann SIM.  She was born on 22 September 1895 in Sarawak Township, Grey, Ontario, Canada.  In 1898, the family immigrated to the US.  Edith had a 9^th grade education. 

SIM Siblings Alice, George and Edith, about 1900, Buffalo

Photo courtesy cousin Mary Ellen F.

 

Work history- In the 1920 census, Edith was listed as a hotel maid. 

Immigration and Citizenship- John Wm immigrated the family to the US about 1898.  Edith became a naturalized citizen in 1915. 

Family- In 1919, at age 24, Edith married 24 year old Eli Eugene "Gene" FOLEY (1895-1960) of Buffalo.  They had one daughter, Dorothy, who later married Edward “Ted” F. KUMROW of Buffalo. 

Gene was the son of Joseph FOLEY and Christina JAUME of Buffalo.  Gene's grandfather Miles FOLEY (1818-1894) had immigrated to Buffalo from Ireland.  Miles' wife Susannae JAMES (1831-1811) was born in Wales. 

In the 1920 census, Gene was a street car conductor.  In 1925, he was a transportation clerk.  In 1930, he was a proprietor of a restaurant.  In 1940, he performed air conditioner maintenance.  Gene died 17 February 1960. 

 

Obit from Buffalo Courier Express

Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards website

 

Edith and Gene FOLEY and Aunt Rose

Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

They live at the following Buffalo locations:

In 1920, they lived in John Wm’s household at 500 Niagara Street

1925-1930, they lived at 98 Fern Hill Avenue

1935-1940, they lived at 100 Potomac Avenue

We know from Dorothy’s correspondences during WWII that the family temporarily lived in John Wm’s household about 1945.  They later lived at 121 Crestwood Avenue

Death- Edith died 13 October 1968 in Buffalo.  Her remains are interred at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Cheektowaga, NY.

From the Buffalo Courier Express

Found on the Old Fulton NY Postcards website

 

Visit her on-line memorial

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92203633

Can you help ID the people in the SIM Family Mystery Photos?

Alice Elizabeth SIM-MCCALL (1894-1966)

Alice and her grandchildren Peter and Judy

Photo courtesy cousin Judy B.

George SIM's sister

Early years- Alice was the eldest child of John Wm and Mary Ann SIM.  She was born on 5 February 1894 in Sarawak Township, Grey, Ontario, Canada.  In 1898, the family immigrated to the US.  Alice began grade school in Batavia, NY and finished in Buffalo’s School No. 24.  After graduation, she joined the school’s alumni association as an elected official.  Alice was the first SIM in our family to graduate from high school.

 

Alice and little brother George and their dog Sparky

Work history- After high school, Alice moved into an apartment and worked in an office.  She did not work when her children were young, but in the 1930 census, she was working in her husband’s lunch room.   In 1940, after her husband’s death, she was a seamstress. Later, she was a companion to the elderly.

Immigration and Citizenship- John Wm immigrated the family to the US about 1898.  Alice became a naturalized citizen in 1915.

Family- At age 22, Alice married 26 year old Ronald Beebe MCCALL (1890-1938) on 6 June 1916 in Tonawanda, Erie, NY.  They initially settled in the Buffalo area.

They had at least 3 children (all born in Buffalo):

Etta MCCALL (1917-1949) who married Charles A. WOOD

Doris MCCALL (1918-2001) who married Charles P. CHAPIN

Ronald B. MCCALL, Jr. (1922-1975) who married Joy Lee REED

Ronald was the eldest child of Archibald C. MCCALL and Etta A. BEEBE of Arcade, Wyoming Co., NY.  Ronald attended Cornell University.  In the marriage registry, he was listed as a superintendent.  In the 1920 census, he worked in a shipyard.  In 1925 he was a restaurateur.  In 1930, he was a proprietor of a lunch room.  Ronald died suddenly on 3 August 1938.  He was interred in the MCCALL family plot in Arcade.

 

Ronald with Doris and Etta

Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

 

From the Buffalo Courier Express

Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards website

In the 1920 census, the MCCALLs were living in Philadelphia, PA.  By the 1925 New York Census, they had returned to Buffalo.  They remained in Buffalo at the following locations:

In 1925, they lived at 777 Amherst Place in Buffalo.

In 1930, they lived at 86 Virgil Avenue in Buffalo.

In 1935-40, Alice and her children lived with her mother-in-law at 307 Bedford Avenue in Buffalo.  Her mother-in-law died in 1940.

Later, Alice lived at 277 Norwalk Avenue in Buffalo.  Nearby was John Wm and Mary Ann, the HOFMARs and the FOLEYs. 

Interesting Notes-

·         Alice was the matron of honor for Joyce CAMPBELL in her wedding to Donald HOFMAR (Alice’s nephew).

·         The daughters of John Wm and Mary Ann were known as “The Simple Sim Sisters”.

• Alice had colon cancer in the late 1950s and had a colonoscopy.

 

 

Alice and her sister Edith - 2 of the Simple Sim Sisters

Photo courtesy of cousin Judy B.

Death- Alice died 18 May 1966 in Buffalo.  Her remains are interred at Elm Lawn Cemetery in Kenmore, NY.

From the Buffalo Courier Express

Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards website 

Visit her on-line memorial

 

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=123394700

Mary Ann WALLACE-SIM (1870-1945)

John William and Mary Ann, 1941, Buffalo

50th Wedding Anniversary

Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

George SIM>Mary Ann WALLACE-SIM

Early years- Mary Ann was born in 1869 in Sarawak Township, Grey, Ontario, Canada to Irish immigrants William WALLACE and Mary HUSTON.   (This area was also known as Owen Sound and today, it's part of Georgian Bluffs ).  She had an 8^th grade education.

Immigration and Citizenship- The family immigrated to the US about 1898.  In 1915, Mary Ann became a US citizen.

Religion- Mary Ann was Presbyterian.

Work History- prior to marriage to John William SIM  in 1891, she was a waitress in Toronto, York, Ontario.  As was common, she did not work outside of the home during marriage.

4 Generations: Judy & Doris CHAPIN, Alice MCCALL and Mary Ann, 1944, Buffalo

Photo courtesy of cousin Judy B.

She was the mother of Alice, Edith, George, Bertha and Esther Sim.

Death- Mary Ann died 2 May 1945 in Buffalo.  She was 75 years old and the causes of death were pernicious anemia and cerebral hemorrhage.  Her remains are interred at Ridge Lawn Cemetery in Cheektowaga.

Clipping from the SIM Scrapbook
Courtesy cousin Wendy P.

From the Buffalo Courier Express

found on Old Fulton NY Postcards website

Visit her on-line memorial at:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92409196

See photos of the SIM Family here.

See the SIM Family Bible with Mary Ann's hand written notes

John William SIM (1870-1954)

John Wm, Buffalo
Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

George SIM >John Wm SIM



Early years- John Wm was the youngest child of James SIM and Elizabeth GRUER.  He was born on 7 August 1870 in Ontario, Canada. The SIM family lived in Cramahe Township in the Village of Colborne, Northumberland, Ontario.  He had an 8^th grade education and was also known as “Jack”. 

Military service- He served 5 years in the Canadian armed forces; 2 years as a private and 3 years as a Gunner in the Canadian Field Artillery (C.F.A.) 37th Regiment.  This likely occurred some time between 1891 and 1898.

Work history- In the marriage registry on 1891, he was listed as a bartender.  From 1900 through 1920, he was a lineman and electrician for a telephone company.  He next owned a couple of speakeasies, I mean "soda shops", in Buffalo.  By 1940, he worked as a security guard at the Fowler Plant (an airplane manufacturing) in Buffalo.  

Immigration and Citizenship- John Wm immigrated the family to the US about 1898.  In 1915, he became a US citizen.   Later, in Canada during WWI, he signed draft documents pledging his loyalty to the crown.

Physical: John Wm was 5' 8", fair complexion with auburn hair and blue eyes.

Religion: In the marriage registry, he was listed with no religious affiliation.  In a 1911 Canadian census, he was listed as Presbyterian (same as wife).

Family- At age 18, John Wm met Mary Ann WALLACE (1870-1945), a waitress at a Toronto restaurant.  Two years later, they were married on 11 September 1891 in Toronto, York, Ontario. 

From the Gloversville Leader Republican, 1941: 

 They had at least 5 children:

• Alice Elizabeth SIM-MCCALL (1894-1966)
• Edith May SIM-FOLEY (1895-1968)
• George William SIM (1899-1941)
• Bertha M. SIM-HOFMAR (1901-1959)
• Esther Jemima SIM-MAHONEY-UNGER (1908-1992)

In the early years, they lived in Mary Ann's hometown of Owen Sound and their first 2 children were born there.  Then things got confusing:
They appear on the 1900 census in Rochester, Monroe, NY and it is likely that they moved there because his sisters where living there (Mary, Jemima and Jessie).  It appears that they owned several properties in Western New York and Ontario.  By 1905, they appear in the Batavia, Erie, NY census.  In 1905, there was a newspaper article stating that they were moving to Toronto.  In a 1907 obituary, they are listed as living in Springville, NY.  They appear in the 1910 through 1940 census in various locations around Buffalo.  In 1911, they appear in the Owen Sound, Canada census.  We found out from Aunt Pat and Aunt Joan that they owned several properties in Western New York and Ontario.  Here are the Buffalo addresses:

• In 1910, they lived at 91 Peach Street in Buffalo.
• In 1915, they lived at 106 Congress Street in Buffalo.
• In 1917, they lived at 500 Niagara Street in Buffalo.
• In 1920, they moved to 330 Hudson Street in Buffalo.
• In 1930-1940, they lived at 217 LaSalle Avenue in Tonawanda.
• By 1945, they lived at 150 Norwalk Avenue in Buffalo.

Death- John Wm died 4 July 1954 at the Betty Storck Nursing Home in Buffalo.  He was 83 years old and died of coronary thrombosis.  His remains are interred at Ridge Lawn Cemetery in Cheektowaga.
Documents we have found tell us he was 5'8", fair complexion, auburn hair and blue eyes.

From the Buffalo Courier Express, 1954

Visit the on-line memorial at:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=343001&GRid=92409185&

Read more on how the SIM Family came to Buffalo, NY

SIM Family Bible

This bible was originally owned by John William and Mary Ann SIM and includes some important family dates.  The bible was passed down to their daughter Edith FOLEY and then, to her daughter Dorothy and was shared by cousin Mary Ellen F. in 2015.