Jesse Simmons was born 8 Oct 1893 in Charleston, Wasatch, Utah, USA to George William Simmons and Sarah Sophia Winterton. He spent his early childhood days in Charleston and helped his father on the farm where he learned to be a hard worker. He was not able to attend school much, because of farm work, but was a well educated man.
He went to work on a ranch in Nevada where he was foreman over the ranch hands. It was here that he met a pretty young lady from Chester, Utah, Susan Patralena Christensen, who went there to work helping cook for the ranch hands. Her brother William Orrin Christensen and his wife, Madge Standwood Christensen were running the ranch.
Susie said "Jesse was a very good looking man with sandy hair and loved to dance".
Jesse and Susan became engaged, and went by train back to Utah and were married in Heber, Wasatch, Utah 23 Oct 1914.
They lived in the Charleston, Wasatch, Utah area with Jesse's brother Edward and his wife Elsie when they were first married (about a year and a half). Jesse worked at a fruit farm in American Fork for a while.
They moved to Chester, Sanpete, Utah the Spring of 1916 and lived with Susie's sister Lin and husband Wilfred Allred in their up stairs (probably kitty cornered from the Chester store). They later lived in a little two room home about a mile west of the crossroads (Chester store corner) This is where Ometta was born 18 May 1916. They later moved up a lane across the road and a half a mile north and west about a block in a little house (Sherril Simmons Rigby's description). Jesse was renting the farm from a Mr. Bagnall. It was always know as the "old Bagnall Farm". Phylin was born here 23 Jul 1918 and Robert born 11 Dec 1920. Jesse rented farms in the area. He never owned a farm of his own, but did purchase a little home in Chester. He was a good farmer and worked hard, but having to pay rent never was able to gain much.
Their son Robert Jesse added two rooms on to the home after he returned home from the service, but the home never did have a bathroom, just a path outback.
Their eight children Ometta 1916-2010, Phylinda Marie 1918-2012, Robert Jesse 1920- 2002, Boyd 1924-1924, Don Etta 1925-1994, Charles Keith 1928-1997, DeVerl 1931-1988,
Francis Delon 1934-2008, Sherril Ann 1938-, were all born and raised in Chester.
Jesse and Susie went to the Manti Temple 29 Apr 1925 and were sealed and had their family sealed to them.
Jesse had an accident when one of his cows pinned him against a stall and hooked him in the face with her horn. It broke his cheek bones and he lost one of his eyes as the result.
Jesse and Susies home was always a meeting place for the neighborhood children, where Jesse liked to join in their games of horseshoes etc.
Susie passed away 16 Jun 1965,and Jesse continued living in their little home in Chester. He turned to the Senior Citizens to occupy lonely hours and still loved to dance so he attended dances throughout the valley and in Provo.
He was an active member of the LDS Church and served in the Sunday School, YMMIA and as a Home Teacher.
He spent the last days of his life in a care center in Gunnison, Utah and died at the Mayfield Hospital 19 Sep 1983. He is buried in the Chester, Sanpete, Utah, USA Cemetery.