"HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY"


BIOGRAPHICAL SECTION.
PAGE 410

DR. J. A. SIMS, a native of Greene County, Ind., and a successful
physician at Newberry, was born in Beech Creek Township, July 23,
1850, and is one of six living children in a family of nine born to Al-
ston and Martha A. (Wilson) Sims.  Alston Sims was born in Monroe
County, Ind., in about 1817, a son of Alexander and Barbara Ann Sims,
who were natives respectively of Virginia and Tennessee.  These grand-
parents of Dr. Sims emigrated to Monroe Coutry, Ind., a year previous
to the admission of the State into the Union, but afterward move to
Beech Creek Township, this country, where they finally died.  Alston
and Anderson Sims entered land in Beech Creek Township at an early day,
and were the first of their family to endure hardships of pioneer life

in Greene County.  The former married his wife in Owen County, and
sold out and moved to Jack Country, Tex., which is at present their home.
J.A. Sims was raised in a similar way, as were the majority of the boys
at  that day.  At the age of seventeen years, he began teaching school,
and for thirteen terms of five months each pursued this vocation with
gratifying success.  On the 19th of October, 1873, Miss Alice Rice be-
came his wife, and this same year he began the study of medicine.  In
1875, he moved to Newark, and while pursuing his studies under the
advisement of Dr. M.L. Holt, he taught the village school two terms,
then took a course of lectures at the Medical College of Indiana, and
the spring of 1878 began practicing at Newark as an equal partner of
his preceptor.  The fall of 1878, he returned to his old alma mater,
graduating in 879.  In July of the last named year, Dr. Sims located
in Newberry, where he has since practiced his profession with good suc-

cess.  He is a member of the Odd Fellows' fraternity; is a Democrat in
politics, himself and wife are members of the Christian Church, and
the parents of two children - Carrie, born October 19, 1874, and Lanna,
born September 3, 1882."

DATA ENTRY: Debbie Jennings
SUBMITTER: Kathryn Martin