EARl~Y RECORDS OF SIMPSON FAMILIES IN SCOTLAND, NORTH IRELAND, AND EASTERN UNITED STATES WITH A HISTORY OF THE FA.'l\1ILY OF THE COMPILER HELEN A. SIMPSON AND TNCLUDING GE.'IBALOGIES OF ALLIED FA.WLIES HOUT, STRINGER, POTTS AND DAWSON PRESS OF J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMP A..Nx­ PHILADELPHIA 1927 " We are extensions of a life that we know not." -Anon PREFACE THIS collection of unconnected and unrelated genealogies­ was gradually accumulated in an effort to find the earlier records of my own family, which, whether transmitted in writing or by oral tradition, had been lost or forgotten. The clues I had were so vague that I made notes of many unrelated records, on the chance that they might lead to connecting links in later discoveries. Any Simpson of the eighteenth century, of Scotch extraction, especially if he had lived in Ireland, was a possible kinsman. But I sought par­ ticularly those whose Christian names occur in my family, knowing that the usual custom was to name the oldest son for his paternal grandfather, and the younger sons for their uncles or father. These names are: John, Samuel, Joseph, Robert, and James. I have passed over a number of records of Jonathans, Thomases, Williams, etc., but not all. My interest enlarged with the extent of my notes, as I found so often a repetition of characteristics both mental and moral, of occupation, of religious belief and practice, so that I have come to take a deep interest in the biography of any one of our name, though it is legion. It seemed to me also, that among all these jottings, others of my name might find bits of their family history which would be valuable to them. Therefore I am publishing a mass of detail with slight coherence. Little attempt has been made, outside of my own family, to give full data of descendants to the present time. Each family has probably its own later records and I have con­ centrated on the earliest ones. The first five chapters were written in 1924, before my visit to North Ireland and the Lowlands of Scotland, Aug., iii lV PREFACE 1925. These chapter,; are chiefly extracts from books and from published records, and, rather than incorporate them with the tale of my investigations over the same ground, I have let them stand as written. There is, therefore, some repetition of facts. The personal and private object of my earliest research, made me careless in the matter of bibliography, but I have tried to give credit to all the authors whose works have been of such valuable assistance. Pennsylvania should take pride in the records of Pennsylvania Archives, a monumental piece of work whose compilers deserve glory as well as gratitude. I testify also most gratefully to the wide knowledge and courteous helpfulness of the librarians of the Pennsylvania Historical Society whose treasures are so generously open to the investigator. HELEN A. SIMPSON. 222 We•t Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia March 21, 1927. BIBLIOGRAPHY Title, author, publisher. Allegheny County, History of, ----, A. \Varner &. Co~ Chicago, 1889. Allegheny County, Hundred Year,, Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 18S8. Annals of Derry, Rohen Simpson, Hempton, Londonderry, 1S47. Annals of My Life, Rev. Jonathan Simpson, J. P~ Mullan, Belfast, 189S. Ayr, History of the County of, James P:1tterson. Ayrshire Families, History of, James Patterson, Edinburgh, 1S52. Beaver County, History of, Bausman. Bucks County, History of, Davis, 1876. Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, Burke, 1924. Byberry & Moreland Tp~ in Phila. Co., J. C. Martindale, M.D. Canonsburg Centennial, 1902. Chester County, History of, Smith, 'Futhey & Cope. Clermont County, History of, Everts, 1880. Crests of Families of Great Britain and Ireland, James Fairbairn. Dauphin County, History of, Egle. · Dawson Family, The, Charles C. Dawson, Munsell, Albany, ~- Y., 187-l-. Early Plantation Papen, examined at Belfast, Ireland. Fraser or Frisel, History of Family of, Anderson. Frasen, History of tlte, Mackenzie, In,·erness, 1896. Galloway, History of Lands and Their Owners in, P. H. McKerlie, 1906. Grant, General, Letters of, Jesse Grant Cramer. Grarit, General Life of, Allen, Houghton Mifflin. Grant, General Life of, Church. Grant, U. S., Life and Character of, Hamlin Garland, Doubleday & McClure. Grant, Ulysses S., The True, King. Irish Landed Gentry \Vhen Cromwell Came to Ireland, O'Hart. Ireland Exhibited to England, A. Atkinson, London, 1823. Jefferson County and Steubem·ille, Twentieth Century History of, Doyle, Chicago, 1910. J'6f<l,. Jefferson and Belmont Counties, History of1 J.A.CaJd.w,)i,, Lancaster County, History of, Ellis & E,·ans. :-lorth Western Reserve, The. Notes and Queries, Egle, 1S96, and other years. Ohio, Historical Collections of, Howe. Ohio Valley Genealogies, Charles A. H:inna. Ohio Valley, History of the Upper, Harriet Upton Taylor, Brant & Fuller, Madison, ',Vi,., 1S90. Pennsylvania Archh·es. vi BIBLIOGRAPHY Pembroke, N. H., History of, Republican Press Association, Concord, N. H., 1895. Prerogative Wills of Ireland, Index to (1536-1810), Ed. Sir Arthur Vicars, Ulster King of Arms, Dublin, 1897. Potts Family, The, Thos. Maxwell Potts, Canonsbu~ Pa., 1901. Potts Memorial,. The, Mrs. T. P. James, Cambridge, Mass., 1S74. Richland County, History of, A. A. Graham. Richland County History of, Baughman. St. Andrews (N. Y.) Society, Register of, McBeai.. Scotch-Irish, The, Ch:irles A. Hanna, Putnam Sons, 1902. Scotch-lrith Society of America, Addresses of 9th Congress of, Barber & SmlJi, Nashville, 1900. Scots Peerage, History of Noble Families of Scotland, Ed. Sir James Balfour, Paul Lord Lyons, King of Arms, Edinburgh, 1911. Scots Worthies, The, John Howie, Edinburgh & London. Thomas, General, Life of, Don Piatt, Cincinnati, 1893. Westmoreland County, History of, Albert. Who's Who in America. EXPLANATION The exponent, or second number, above and to the right of the first, is the number of the generation in the family. Abbreviations: ab. for about b. " born Batt. " battalion bur. " buried Co. " Company (military) as well as county. d. " died daugh. " daughter or daughters dee. " deceased d. y. •· died young educ. " educated grad. " graduated mar. " married res. " residence or reside unmar. " u=arried CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. ORIGIN OF THE NA.:'\!E-ARM:S ......................... II. IN SCOTLAND............................................. 4 III. MIGRATIONS OF THE SCOTCH TO NORTH IRELAND. 8 IV. THE SCOTCH-IRISH, AND CAUSES OF THEIR IMMI­ GRATION TO A.'\IERICA................................. IS V. IN PENNSYLVANIA....................................... 25 VI. THE FR.-\SER CLAN... 29 VII. FAMILY OF JONATHAN SIMPSON OF AGHADOWEY, CO. DERRY, IRELA.'l'lD..... ... 34 VIII. MY SEARCH IN NORTH IRELA.:--.;D .•.................... 65 IX. :MY SEARCH IN AYRSHIRE AND EDThi'"BURGH, SCOT- LAND •.................................................... 83 X. SIMPSON FAMILIES FROM SCOTLAND AND IR.ELAND IN NEW ENGLAND..................................... 89 XI. SIMPSON FA.\ULIES FROM SCOTLAND AN"D IRELAND IN NEW JERSEY .....................................••. IOO XII. SIMPSON FA.\fILIES FROM SCOTLA.:"llD A.~D IR.ELAND IN PENNSYLVA!-HA, BY COUNTIES, AND INCLUDING MIGRATIONS TO OHIO ................................. 108 1--cimSTER Coo:-"TY••••••••••••••.••••.•••••••••••..•• 108 2-PmLADELPHIA Cou:-.-rv ANO CITY......... I 13 3-BuCKS Cou:-.-rr ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••.• 4-Mo:-."TGOYERY Cou:-.-n- A.'\"D CLEIUI0:-."1' Cou:-."TY, OHIO.. 132 5-NO&THU!,IBERLA.'-"D CoU:-"l'Y •••••••••.••.••.••••.••••• 15; 6-LA.'-CASTER A.,-o DAVPHIN CoUXTIES ••••.•.••••••.••• 163 ;-CUMBEIU.A.'--0, WESTMORELAXD, AXD ALLEGHEXY Cov-:-."l'IES .••••••••••.•••.•.•.•.••••.•.••••.•••..•• 185 8-WASHL'-GTOX Cou:-."l'Y •..•••••..••.•••...••.•.•••••.• 198 ix X CONTENTS XIII. S™PSON FAMILIES FROM SCOTLAJ.'m AND IRELAJ.'l'D IN OHIO, INCLUDING THE FAMILY OF THE COMPILER. .•.•.......................................... 2:?9 1-JEFFERSO:S- Cou:,,-n: A-'1> HAu1s0:s Cou:,,-n-. BIOGRAPHY OF Joax SUIPSO:S- OF JEFFERSO:S- CouxTY••• 229 2-RICHLA.''l> Cou:-.-n-. BIOGRAPHY OF SAl!UEL SIMPSO:S- . • . • • . • • • • • • • . • • . • . 268 3-BIOGRAPHY OF Joax SUIPSO:S-, OF MA.-.SFIELD ..•..••. 284 AooE:-.-OA: PE:O.'"XS,,.'I,VA.'"IA SWPSO:S- RECORDS WITHOUT SPECIFIED REsmE.-.cE ................................................ 301 XIV. THE HOUT FAMILY AND THE HALES FAMILY ........ 302 ·xv. THE STRINGER F&v!ILY ......... ······· ................ 318 XVI. THE POTTS FAJ.\-llLY INCLUDING THESUVERFAl'v!ILY. 343 XVII. THE DAWSON FAMILY .......................•.......... 362 EARLY RECORDS OF SIMPSON FAMILIES CHAPTER I ORIGIN OF THE NAME-ARMS \VHEN a single name ceased to be sufficient identification for a man, the surname was added in order to differentiate. It was in some cases indicative of the person's business, as, John Miller or Taylor; or, descriptive of his residence, as, Pot, meaning " a cup-like hollow in a down " ( In Bishop Percy's "Ballads" is a story of Thomas a Pott-the same construction as Thomas a Beckett) or, it designated his father by adding or prefixing an equivalent of the word son. Simpson meant the son of Simon. In Welsh names the s alone signified son, and therefore, Simons and the shortened form of Sims, have the same derivation as Simpson. In Scotland, usage was divided: in the lowlands the word son was added, while in the highlands the prefix Mac ( of Celtic origin and meaning son) was used instead. If the Simpsons had been Highlanders instead of natives of Ayrshire and Edinburgh, we should probably all be MacSimons, as there are Mac\Villiams, MacHenrys, and MacDonalds.