Susan Phoebe "Susie" Simmons: 1890-1971 – My Great Aunt
This photograph of my great-aunt, Susan Phebe "Susie"
Simmons, is a family favorite. Taken around 1894, it captures a
four-year-old Susie sitting on the axle of an old farm cart, cradling a chicken
with a comfort that speaks to her life on a West Virginia farm. Her neatly
braided hair contrasts with a mended, well-worn dress—a visual testament to a
child who was deeply loved and cared for despite the humble social conditions
of the time.
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| Andrew Lincoln Simmons, Susan Lavina Cokeley Simmons and Susan Phoebe "Susie" Simmons photo taken about 1891 Photo enhanced with MyHeritage |
Susie was born on September 4, 1890, in Harrisville, Ritchie
County, West Virginia. Her early life was marked by sudden loss; just after her
second birthday in 1892, her mother, Susan Lavina Cokeley, passed away
at only 25 years old due to complications from a miscarriage.
Following this tragedy, Susie’s life took a different path than her
father’s:
- The Household in West Virginia: Susie was raised to adulthood by
her maternal grandmother, Susan Cokeley, and her aunt, Mary Cokeley. By
1900, census records show ten-year-old Susie living with them in Ritchie
County.
- A Father’s New Path: Her father, Andrew Simmons,
eventually moved to Missouri and later Illinois to serve as a Methodist
minister. He remarried and started a second family, giving Susie several
half-siblings she likely only knew through the regular letters they
exchanged.
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| Susan Phoebe "Susie" Simmons Photo taken about 1910 - Enhanced with MyHeritage |
The year 1912 was a turning point for Susie. She married her first
husband, Wade Hampton Riggs, and gave birth to her first daughter, Inez
Virginia, the following year. However, heartbreak followed:
- Double Loss: In 1915 and 1916, Susie lost
both her grandmother and her aunt—the two women who had been her surrogate
parents since she was a toddler.
- A New Beginning: After a divorce in 1917 and the birth of twin boys, Susie found lasting stability when she married Harmon E. Webb in 1920. Together, they had two more children, Hosea Earl and Pearl Marie.
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| Susan Phoebe "Susie" Simmons Riggs and her first child Inez Virginia Riggs Photo taken about 1915, Enhanced with ChatGPT |
Susie spent the next 47 years in Harrisville, West Virginia. She
was a fixture in her community, eventually helping her daughter run a local
restaurant. Though she outlived her husband and two of her children, she
remained a resilient figure until her death on May 20, 1971, at the age
of 80.
It is a striking coincidence that I began my family research the same
year Susie passed away. While my father knew little of his West Virginia roots
due to his own father’s early death, this photograph serves as a bridge across
time. I often find myself wishing I could have sat with that small child from
the picture and talked to her about her long, full life in the hills of Ritchie
County.
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| Susie P. Webb born Sept. 4, 1890- Died May 20, 1971 Buried at Harrisville IOOF Cemetery, Harrisville, Ritchie Co., WV |
