Simeon Simon (1759-1835) was George Washington's bodyguard and a chief of the

Pokanoket The Pokanoket (also spelled PakanokickKathleen J. Bragdon, ''Native People of Southern New England, 1500–1650'', page 21) was the village governed by Massasoit (Wampanoag, c. 1581–1661). The term broadened to refer to all peoples and lands go ...

people.

Life

Simon was born in

Griswold, Connecticut Griswold is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 11,402 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Griswold contains the borough of Jewett City, Connecticut, Jewett City and the villages ...

(called Pachaug at the time) in 1759 during the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the ...

, and died in 1835 at age 76. A card file at the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island states that he was a colored man, with a note at the bottom of the card: "'Colored'" as distinguished from Negro. He was said to have been a full blood American Indian,

Tribe".{{citation needed, date=October 2018 Simons was a descendant of

Massasoit Massasoit Sachem () or Ousamequin (c. 15811661)"Native People" (page), "Massasoit (Ousamequin) Sachem" (section),''MayflowerFamilies.com'', web pag was the sachem or leader of the Wampanoag confederacy. ''Massasoit'' means ''Great Sachem''. M ...

, Wampanoag chief in Massachusetts at the time of the Pilgrim's landing, and also of Massasoit's son

Metacomet Metacomet (1638 – August 12, 1676), also known as Pometacom, Metacom, and by his adopted English name King Philip,King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

. Simons' Revolutionary War Pension states that he was born in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut New London County is in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, ...

; however, Norwich included part of Griswold and other towns at the time. According to Griswold legend, General George Washington stopped to refresh himself in Pachaug on the way to Boston in June, 1775. Word of his arrival spread rapidly throughout the small community, and Washington noticed a group of young men engaged in exercises such as leaping and wrestling. One of them was Simons, and he allegedly impressed the general with his athletic carriage. Washington summoned him to his room and asked him to be his bodyguard, and Simon remained with him throughout the Revolutionary War."Griswold--A History: Being a History of the Town of Griswold, Connecticut From the Earliest Times to the Entrance of Our Country Into the World War in 1917" by Daniel L. Phillips. The

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...

visited Johnson Tavern in

Jewett City Jewett City is a borough in New London County, Connecticut, in the town of Griswold. The population was 3,487 at the 2010 census. The borough was named for Eliezer Jewett, who founded a settlement there in 1771. Geography According to the Unit ...

on August 22, 1824 and met many who had known Washington from the Revolutionary War, one of whom was Simons.

References

1835 deaths Wampanoag people People of Connecticut in the American Revolution 1750s births People from Griswold, Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut Native Americans in the American Revolution