The Courtship of Fannie Simmons

My wife and I recently moved, and I seem to have misplaced the records of Will's military service (of a little more than six months, drilling in Texas during the ten-week Spanish American War and waiting for discharge after the war ended).  My grandmother told me that her mother, Fannie, was in a long courtship with a young man, when suddenly Will came into town in uniform after being discharged, swept Fannie off her feet and married her a few weeks later on November 24, 1898.

As my grandmother also used to say, "Well, it makes a good story."

What makes me wonder about the story is that the muster rolls, created in April 1898 when the men of Grayson County, Texas signed up for Troop L of the First Texas Volunteer Cavalry, have Will's name right after Wellington Simmons and right before William Simmons.  Wellington was one of Fannie's brothers (later my grandmother's favorite uncle), and William was one of Fannie's and Wellington's cousins.  Thus, these three may have signed up together, suggesting they knew each other before joining.  If that is the case, Will may well have known Fannie at least six months before their November marriage.

On the other hand, if Wellington and William first met Will when they signed up, the meeting between Fannie and Will may have happened some time later, even as late as November.  But Will would not have been a complete stranger, as I imagine that Wellington made the introduction of Will to Fannie.  Wellington was one of the brothers who took the long trek from Denison to Roswell to get Fannie, Ernest and Mabel after Will ran out on them five years later.

And, it was not until August 21, 1911 that Fannie was able to get her divorce from Will.