I found mention of my JOHN SIMMONS in the "Cowley County Courant" newspaper dated 5 Jan 1882. Under "County Commissioner's Session", it states "Constitutional exemption was allowed to JOHN SIMMONS OF DEXTER TOWNSHIP and proportionate taxes remitted to him". First of all - what does the phrase "Constitutional exemption" mean in regards to taxes? Is this the same thing that I have found in earlier times where a person who reached a certain age was exempt from taxes? Kind of like a senior citizens discount or exemption??? He was born ca 1823 which would make him either 59 or 60 years of age. Second - where is Dexter Township in Cowley County? Is it on the edge of a county line and if so what county? How close is it to Wichita? I think Wichita is close to Cowley, isn't it? JOHN SIMMONS Jr.'s middle initial (according to the 1870 Madison County, Arkansas census) was "N." I have always suspected that the "N" stood for Nathan, named perhaps after his mother's side of the family where there was a Nathan. On the 1887 Wichita, Kansas, city directory there is: SIMMONS, NATHAN, stone mason, residence: 609 N Water St. He does not appear on the 1891 Wichita City Directory. However, there is a: J. M. SIMMONS, residence: 811 S. Mead and a JNO W. SIMMONS, residence corner 2nd and John. John N. Simmons had sons named: James Mark Simmons and John W. Simmons. What really caught my eye was that this Nathan Simmons was a "stone mason". My grandfather, Frank Simmons, son of James Mark Simmons and grandson of John N. Simmons Jr. was also a stone mason. May be just a coincidence but I thought it was worth following up. Thanks for any help. Regards, LaVelda Faull Glasgow, KY _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com