Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of William Simpson, Sr.

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Descendants of William Simpson, Sr.

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM¹ SIMPSON, SR. was born Abt. 1750 in Ireland, and died Bef. February 1821. He married MARTHA ORR Abt. 1770 in Ireland. She was born Abt. 1752 in Ireland, and died November 16, 1832.

Notes for WILLIAM SIMPSON, SR.:
"William Simpson Family" by Ney McNeely, The Waxhaw Enterprise, 1911; reprinted in The Monroe Enquirer, "Our Heritage", Sept. 22, 1960.

"The Numerous Descendants of the Irish Pioneer Who Settled in this Section Before the Revolutionary War"
Of the pioneers who settled in this section of our country, no part of the world furnished so many as Ireland, and the grudge that Ireland had against England sharpened the fighting spirit of the American colonists in the War of the Revolution. It is said that none of the Irish pioneers in America were ever Tories, and that every one able to bear arms gladly enlisted and bravely fought for the American cause.
Some time prior to the Revolution there lived in the north of Ireland a youth named William Simpson, whose heart was imbued with the love of liberty and the spirit of adventure. He loved, became engaged to and married a girl named Martha Orr, and with his young wife came to America. In the year 1773 he settled on Four Mile Creek, in Mecklenburg County, and built him a little home. His soul soon became fired with the spirit of the Revolution and when the war came he enlisted anxiously and fought bravely until the conflict terminated in its glorious conclusion. This William Simpson was the progenitor of the entire Simpson family in Union (county of North Carolina).
*****
In 1778 William Simpson entered 150 acres of land on the head waters of Four Mile Creek. In 1785 he bought lands from James and Margaret Orr near where South and North Crooked Creek merge.
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"My mother's aunt mentioned a Simpson grave yard close to William's former land near the head waters of Four Mile and North Crooked Creek. (William supposedly lived there until 1785.) He then sold out that land and bought land down Crooked Creek just below the confluence of South and North Crooked Creeks. This last location is supposedly the location of the Simpson graveyard included in the area of William G. Long's plantation."
Joyce Honeycutt Holman (2000) <Tchrjoyce @aol.com>
*****
"...I will tell you this, when my grandfather was living, W. B. Simpson, he took me to the old Simpson homeplace close to Goose Creek. There is a crooked creek mile "creek' that runs by this old homeplace. The house was still standing at that time, but since that time, mother took me back and the house was down. Also I went to where William Simpson Sr. is buried on Hwy. 601 north of Monroe about one mile from the main road. He and some of his family are underneath a huge tree. If you didn't know it was there, you would miss it going by. It has been fenced around with wire. The society here tries to keep it up since he was in the war. I heard someone say they would like to see a big historic marker there. I am not sure one has been put up. I did walk around it, not very large maybe 8 or 9 graves there, with old markers. They were hard to read.
Once, we had a Miss America to come to Wingate when we had a Miss Monroe contest. When my grandfather heard she was coming to Monroe for this appearance, I had to get tickets to go. He said she was a relative of ours. He so much wanted to talk with her, but the security guard would not let him. He said his relatives left to go west and part went on to Arkansas. She was from that line who went. (Note: Was this Donna Axum or Sharon Evans?)
Barbara Mullis (2000) <barbaram@carolina.rr.com>
*****
" I, too, have Simpsons in my ancestral lineage. They are related to me through my father's (Medlin) side of my family from Union County, NC. I have been to the cemetery where they are buried, and it is on what was former Simpson land. You are correct that they are buried in a very old cemetery, which is located out in the middle of a plowed field, close by the waters of Four Mile and North Crooked Creeks, in Goose Creek Township, just off Hwy. 601. I have been to their graves. Someone, possibly the DAR, has replaced the original stones, which were very probably made of slate and had deteriorated over time. I have photographs of the new markers, which are not headstones but rest horizontally on the ground. This graveyard, which is enclosed by a chain length fence, is overgrown with trees and shrubbery and also contains other graves as well." Anne Medlin (11/27/2000)

Notes for MARTHA ORR:
Notes for Martha Orr's possible family (brother, etc.):
James "Whistling" ORR was born of Scottish ancestry. He was married twice - first to Sarah McCONNELL; second to Margaret Jane LEMMOND, daughter of William Marr LEMMOND. James was the father of twelve children.

The Orr family first settled in the area of Goose Creek Township in what is now northwest Union County. Some descendants attended Philadelphia Presbyterian Church in Mint Hill, Mecklenburg County, NC. Other later descendants attended Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church north of Charlotte. Many descendants of this family were soldiers, policemen and firemen.
Donna Johnson
http://www.charweb.org/gen/orr/

Children of WILLIAM SIMPSON and MARTHA ORR are:

	i.	WILLIAM² SIMPSON, JR..
2.	ii.	JAMES SIMPSON, b. Abt. 1770, Ireland; d. November 1853, Union Co., NC.
3.	iii.	JOHN SIMPSON, b. Abt. 1771, Ireland; d. November 29, 1844, Union Co., NC.
	iv.	ELIZABETH SIMPSON, b. Abt. 1772, Ireland; m. JAMES RUNNELS; b. Abt. 1770.

Notes for ELIZABETH SIMPSON:
"Elizabeth Simpson, daughter of the original William Simpson, married James Runnels and went to Georgia." -- Ney McNeely, 1911 "Monroe Enquirer" article

MARY SIMPSON, b. Abt. 1780; m. PETER NEWELL, September 11, 1801, Mecklenburg Co., NC; b. June 01, 1775, Caswell Co., NC; d. June 01, 1850, Mecklenburg Co., NC.

Notes for MARY SIMPSON:
Moved to Georgia.

4.	vi.	MARGARET HARRIETT SIMPSON, b. 1782; d. October 30, 1844.
5.	vii.	THOMAS SIMPSON, b. 1785.
6.	viii.	MARTHA SIMPSON, b. Bet. 1792 - 1796, Mecklenburg Co., NC.
7.	ix.	JANE SIMPSON, b. Bet. 1788 - 1790, Mecklenburg Co., NC; d. Abt. 1840.
	x.	ROBERT SIMPSON, b. Abt. 1792, Mecklenburg Co., NC.
8.	xi.	DAVID SIMPSON, b. 1799, Mecklenburg Co., NC.

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