MIMS FAMILY STORIES
James Calhoun Mims & the Widow Rebecca Hart
& Jane Winters
& Susannah Harriet Coleman
1788-1879
Mims in South Carolina
The Mims surname has also been spelled several ways by various members of the same family throughout the generations - Mims, Mimms, Mymmes, Mimbs, etc. One is just as correct as another given that spelling of general words were not standardized until Webster took on the task. At times the same person might spell his/her name differently on various documents - more or less phonetically.
There are variations to the story of how the Mims came to South Carolina
The basic thread in the variations is that Thomas Mims (Mimms) came over from England to the Virginia colonies. According to the family story, the reason was political - that he was "out of favor" with the powers-that-be, and escaped to the American colonies. From Virginia at least one of his grandsons (Thomas Mims III) moved to Bladen, Anson County, North Carolina.
From there the descendants moved to South Carolina and Georgia, and from there to other states. The descendants who stayed in South Carolina seemed to settle in one of two places - Edgefield County and the LowCountry (Dorchester and Charleston Counties).
James Calhoun and Rebecca Mims
James Calhoun Mims, the son of James Mims Jr. And Mary Ridley Jones, was born in 1796 in South Carolina. He died on Saturday, July 15, 1854. He was a LowCountry branch of the Mims family.
The connection between James Calhoun Mims AND James Mims Jr. and Mary Ridley Jones as his parents is one on which I've found conflicting information. According to other branches of the Mims family, they had no son named James Calhoun Mims. My information of their connection is from a copy of family information in a Mims family Bible (James Calhoun Mims' family Bible). Being one of his descendants, I will assume (at this time) that he knew who his parents and siblings were.
If his information was written incorrectly, I will amend my listing of his parentage (if necessary) when I find a record proving the identity of his parents. As this line of Mims ancestors continues to develop on this website, feel free to relate to whichever family members tie into your family tree.
Rebecca (???) Hart Mims was the second wife of James Calhoun Mims. The only information that I have found on Rebecca is that she was known as the "Widow Rebecca Hart" when she married James Calhoun Mims. Rebecca was born in 1788 and died on Sunday, November 23, 1834. Her first marriage was to Hamilton Hart (1776-1826) of St. James Parish (what is now Goose Creek), Charleston County, SC.
The family of James Calhoun Mims and Jane Winters (his 1st marriage)
James Calhoun Mims and Jane Winters (1800-autumn of 1822) were married on Thursday, May 10, 1821. The Rev. West Williams performed the marriage. They had two (2) children:
- Elizabeth Jane Mims (Friday, May 10, 1822 - 1856)
- child - unknown, possibly a miscarriage with complications to the mother - otherwise there would not be time for two full-term pregnancies in the less than 2 years of their marriage
The family of James Calhoun Mims and the Widow Rebecca Hart (his 2nd marriage)
James Calhoun Mims and Rebecca (???) Hart were married in September of 1828 by the Rev. West Williams. They also had two (2) children:
- Lieutenant Thomas Harry Mims Sr. (1830-1905)
- Amanda Rebecca Mims (1832-1855)
The family of James Calhoun Mims and Susannah Harriet Coleman (his 3rd marriage)
After Rebecca's death in 1834, James Calhoun Mims married Susannah Harriet Coleman on Saturday, July 28, 1838 with the Rev. West Williams officiating one more time. Susannah Harriet Coleman was born in 1823 and died on Monday, April 7, 1879. They had seven (7) children:
- Frederick Coleman Mims (1840-1840) who lived 3 months
- Harriet Susannah Mims (1841-1842) who lived 9 months
- Aelea Adam Mims (1844-1870) - a twin
- Amanda Eve Mims (1844-1847) - a twin who lived 3 years
- Eliza Crawford Mims (1847-1917)
- Caswell Calhoun "Cal" Mims (1850 - ?)
- Adanerane Judson Mims (1852-1853) who lived 13 months