Tuesday, March 12, 2013

David Marshall Simpson

Over the years people have sent information to me about David Marshall Simpson. 


David and Susan (Hamilton) Simpson
Photo provided by Terry Hazlewood

As early as the Fall of 1988, I published a query in The Simpson Clan for Margaret G. Baldock of Clovis, New Mexico as follows:


Am seeking the father of David Marshal Simpson.  D.M. Simpson b. 4 Apr. 1814 in Ohio or TN d. 30 Oct. 1903 in Clay Co., Ark.  He married Susan J. Hamilton b. 14 Feb. 1815 in Nashville, TN & died 7 May 1891 in Clay Co., Ark.  They had 10 children & my gr-gr-grandmother, Martha Jane Simpson b. 31 Oct. 1841, d. 16 Dec. 1915 was their 4th child.
 Martha Jane and Ulysses S. Grant were cousins (either 1st or 2nd) but I've not been able to make the exact connection.  Family members who knew her remember her talking about visiting with him as a child, but no information has come forth as to their exact kinship.  Can anyone help?
 Margaret G. Baldock, 117 W. Plains, Clovis, NM 88101 
 In a follow-up letter, Ms. Baldock wrote that an article in the Commonwealth of Kentucky written in 1896 by David Marshall Simpson's youngest son, James, named his grandfather as David who was connected with the steamboat lines which plied between Cincinnati and New Orleans.  On the 1840 U.S. Census a David Simpson is listed in Humphreys Co., Tennessee with 1 m. under 5, 1 m. 20-30, 2 f. under 5 and 1 f. 20-30.

Recently, Terry Hazlewood contacted Don Simpson with information about David. M. Simpson's family. He stated that he'd been told that the Simpsons, Hazlewoods and The McKeels all moved together around the 1880s thru 1900 and that her father's great-grandmother was Ellen Isabell "Bell" Simpson McKeel.




Ellen Bell Simpson McKeel
Terry noted that his dad smoked a corncob pipe with Bell Simpson who had lived with Terry's great-grandparents, William Thomas and George Hester McKeel Hazlewood


David Marshall Simpson Sr and Susan were married in Graves Co., Kentucky. Their first child Mary Ann was born there in 1837 . Then they moved to Humphreys county Tennessee. Their children were as follows:

1. Mary Ann born 1837 in Graves Co., Kentucky
2. Louisa Frances born 1838
3. William H. born 1840
4. Martha Jane 1841 (her descendant sent me the picture of D.M Sr and Susan )  Its about a fourth generation copy. Martha lived with another family growing up .  I don’t know who but someone said it was with some of the  Hamiltons. I guess there were too many babies at once.
5. Ellen Isabel b 1843 married Lewis McKeel (my ancestors)
6. David Marshall Jr born about 1846 married Rebecca Norman.
7. Sarah Emma 1848
8. John Sylvester 1851
9.  Jesse F born 1854 died 1873
10. James Dee Simpson  1856 married Fannie Cochran

They, D.M. Sr and Susan, moved back to Kentucky for a short time, back to Tennessee again and then to Clay Co Arkansas where they stayed and are buried.

Terry noted that he doesn't know who David Marshall Simpson Sr.’s father was but has wondered if it might be William Simpson age 73 in  1850 census and living in Humphreys Co., Tennessee very near David Marshall Sr. 

That man’s birthplace is listed as North Carolina which doesn't mean he can’t have lived in Ohio or Kentucky or another state. Especially if he was in shipping or merchandising.

(Note from Nona: I have attempted to list various Simpsons in Humphreys Co., Tennessee in my other blog here. The color-coded names demonstrates my attempt to identify family groups, but may not be accurate.)

Don Simpson added the following comments:


The name "David Marshall Simpson" sounded familiar but I could not remember anything about him so I did some searching through my files. It seems that no one has really solved the problem of who his parents were, at least not for certain. David M & Susan (Hamilton) Simpson had a son, James Dee Simpson, who lived in Graves Co., KY, and who left a biographical sketch in which he mentioned his parents. Not everything in that sketch can be accepted as correct but it does contain valuable data. He said that David Marshall Simpson was born in Ohio but this conflicts with all census entries which give his birthplace as Tennessee. James also stated that David's father was an older David Simpson but gave no further info on him other than that he had been connected with some steamship line between Cincinnati & New Orleans. The 1880 census lists David M as born Tennessee and father born North Carolina, mother born Tennessee. The 1900 census lists David M as born Tennessee, and both father and mother born Tennessee. 

One other oddity I found may be just a strange coincidence or it may be significant. At the 1900 census in Clay Co., Arkansas, David M. Simpson was living next to two young bachelors, Thomas & Frank Weatherly. The brothers, Thomas & Frank Weatherly, were descended from one of the very early Weatherly families of old Guilford Co., North Carolina. Those Weatherlys were associated with my Simpson ancestors in Guilford County over many years. This does not prove that David M. Simpson's ancestors were from Guilford Co., and it may just be an unusual coincidence that David was listed adjacent the two Weatherly boys in 1900, but it may be worth keeping in mind. 

On March 13, 2013 Don Simpson added the following comments:


The info that you had in the article on the Humphreys CountySimpsons proved useful. Under date of 1854 you list some land records that mention David M. Simpson as having land on Tennessee River. I have found that it was located at a place called Cuba Landing, a village that is now under the waters of the lake created by dams on the Tennessee River. It's location is indicated on Google maps by Cuba Landing Marina on the east side of the river just north of the bridge for Interstate 40. 

Under date of 1807 is listed Nathaniel Simpson, William Simpson, & John Simpson being on a tax list in the Hurricane Creek area. That was taken from a research report that I did in 1995 but which I had completely forgotten. Under date of 1847 you list a deed record for sale of land on South Fork of Hurricane Creek by heirs of Nathaniel Simpson, based on info provided by Fran Laird. The headwaters of Hurricane Creek and it's south fork are located along the eastern edge of Humphreys County near the Dickson County line. That is about 4 miles southeast of McEwen and about 25 miles due distance from Cuba Landing. Thus a connection between David M Simpson & William Simpson based on their both being in Humphreys County is uncertain. Cuba Landing seems to have been a river port and it's existance may have been related to the traffic on Tennessee River. 

This still leaves many unanswered questions about David M Simpson such as who was his father & why did he live at Cuba Landing for several years. The 1840 census lists him near several Buchanan families, Stokely D. Humphreys & B. F. Thompson. I wonder if those could have been related to David?