Robert Simpson and Nancy Ellen Leach
Continued (Part 2 of 2)
Page -14-
Sometime
in the 1880s, Robert's financial fortune seems to have changed for the better.[51]
The family owned 120 acres, valued at $505. His financial improvement was in
contrast to his health. Robert's back problems continued. At times he could not
get out of bed without help and periodically was forced to remain in bed for
days at a time. Lifting had become a high-risk activity, since even light loads
could bring on an attack in the lower back. As a farmer, he was dependent upon
such physical activity and thus, by 1887, his doctor considered the 150-lb.
Robert to be half disabled due to muscular rheumatism. This was despite his
appearance, which the Doctor describes as strong and vigorous. In late
1888, the government, in response to the Doctor's assessment, increased his
pension to $6 per month.
In
spite of the War’s effect on Robert, it was to be Nancy who first succumbed to
the limitations of 19th-century health care. Beginning around 1873,
Nancy had been troubled by a tumor in her side. The tumor slowly but steadily
grew and apparently began to cause more serious problems. Still, from 1873
until 1888 she had given birth to seven children and managed the home. In late
1887 Nancy again became pregnant. Another daughter, Margaret Irene, was born on
May 15, 1888.[52]
It seems likely that the pregnancy was difficult. Perhaps she became ill, or
the tumor, coupled with the pregnancy, may have caused her pain. In any case, two
weeks after Margaret was born, things were bad enough that her condition was
mentioned in the local press.[53]
By mid-June, the decision was made to risk surgical removal of the tumor. The
surgery took only 15 minutes and was performed by her family physician.[54]
No further mention was made of her health for five years. Then in 1893, the
44-year-old Nancy was again pregnant, this time with another son. It is not
known if the boy lived briefly or was stillborn. He was simply said to have been
born and died on November 16, 1893.[55] This
was before the days of death certificates in KY, so we are left to speculate. Perhaps
she was weakened from complications of the pregnancy or the delivery.
Alternately, she may have never fully recovered from the earlier surgery, or
the tumor may have been an indication of a malignancy that continued to spread.
Whatever the case, Nancy passed away on November 19, 1893, just three days after
giving birth.
With six children at home ranging from 5 to 16 years of age, the need to remarry and provide a mother for his children must have been great. Thus, at age 54, Robert took as his bride the Butler Co., KY-born Laura Ann Embry, daughter of Robert and Adeline Goff Embry.[56] The marriage took place at Laura's home on April 28, 1895.[57] It was the first marriage for the 31-year-old Laura.[58]
[51]
Ohio Co., KY, tax records, 1890. They had five children between 6 and 20 still
at home. Robert and Nancy owned 120 acres of land, valued at $505. They lived
next door to their second son, William S. Simpson.
[52]
Margaret Irene was born on May 15, 1888, in Ohio Co.
[53]
Ohio Co. News, May 30, 1988, page 2.
[54]
Ohio Co. News, June 13, 1888, page 3.
[55]
Infant son, unnamed, born and died November 16, 1893, in Ohio Co. Oral
tradition has always held that Nancy was pregnant with male twins. The Leach
Cemetery tombstone inscription of a single son seems indisputable.
[56]
According to the death certificate, Laura was born on March 6, 1864. Her place
of birth is listed as Ohio Co. on that document, but I have taken her place of
birth to be Butler Co., in accordance with statements given in 1895 when she
and Robert married.
[57]
Ohio Co., KY, marriage records, Laura Ann Embry to Robert Simpson, Volume 9,
page 236. The ceremony took place at the bride's home on April 28, 1895.
[58]
The wedding was reported in the May 3, 1895, issue of the Hartford Republican,
page 3.
Page -15-
Robert
and Laura quickly began their own family, with children coming at the same pace
as they had when Nancy was alive. Their first child, Nancy Mary, was born on
October 11, 1896.[59]
Nancy Mary was followed by the birth of their first son, Ira, on February 16,
1898.[60]
He was followed by another son, Eurie, on September 1, 1899.[61]
Based on the report of a court-ordered sale of a piece of land adjacent to Robert and Laura, it appears that Sanford Simpson was living nearby in 1903 (as his property was also mentioned as defining the boundary of the subject land).[62]
In
the 1900s, the 60-year-old Robert continued to father children and lose others
to the grave. In June, when the 1900 census was being taken, Laura became pregnant again. She had seven children already at home, one of those just nine
months old. Still, the census records the presence of Simon’s first two
children, Cornelius (3) and Viola (2). The reason for taking in these additional
small children is unknown. It may indicate that Simon’s wife, Martha, was
seriously ill. Ery Gaither was born on February 2, 1901, but would die on August 4th
the next year.[63]
The cause is unknown. The couple’s fourth son, Dewey, was born on January 24,
1903.[64]
Sarah
Francis, 18, the third daughter of Robert and Nancy Ellen, died on June 3,
1904. The cause of death was given as heart dropsy (what we would now call
cardiac edema). In a routine that was already too familiar, the family made its
way to the Leach Cemetery.
Another
son, Glenn, was born on October 2, 1904.[65]
Vena was born on June 17, 1908.[66]
Glenn and Vena no doubt brought a touch of sadness to the Simpson home as both
proved to be mentally challenged.[67]
Finally, Roscoe was born on May 28, 1910.[68]
Roscoe was Robert's twenty-first (and last) child, eight by Laura (now 46). To
care for so many children and help run the farm, the Simpsons hired a live-in
servant, Mary B. Goff, who was 59 and single.
[59]
Mary was born on October 11, 1896, in Ohio Co.
[60]
Ira was born on February 16, 1898, in Ohio Co.
[61]
Eurie was born on September 1, 1899, in Ohio Co. He died on November 21, 1976,
in Ohio Co., KY, certificate 32094..
[62]
Hartford Republican, September 18, 1903, page 4 and September 25, 1903, page 4.
[63]
Ery Gaither was born on February 2, 1901, in Ohio Co. He died August 4, 1902.
[64]
Dewey was born on January 24, 1903, in Ohio Co.
[65]
Glenn was born on October 2, 1904, in Ohio Co.
[66]
Vena was born on June 17, 1908. Her death certificate indicates that she was
born in Renfrow. That is another small town located east of Beaver Dam, KY, just
south of US 62. Like others mentioned in this account (Arnold, Baizetown, Horse
Branch and White Run), all were within about a mile radius. No doubt, Robert
moved from house to house as his family grew to staggering proportions, but he
never moved far.
[67]
Neither child would ever be able to live on their own or hold a job. Vena may
have been somewhat more functional than Glenn, as the 1920 census shows her (at
age 11) as being in school, though unable to read or write. The 1940 census notes
that she did not complete any grade. Glenn (age 9 at the time) was not in
school. Both would live at home until Robert’s death, then move with their
mother to live with Roscoe. After Glenn’s death of pneumonia in 1939, Laura and
Vena lived with Dewey in Beaver Dam. Vena outlived Laura by 2-1/2 years, also dying
of pneumonia in December 1946.
[68]
Roscoe was born on May 28, 1910, in Ohio Co.
Page -16-
In 1911, the family moved to Rosine, another small town in the same area of Ohio County.
The
year 1911 would prove a difficult one for Robert and Laura. First, Robert’s
fifth son, Simon Jackson, died around 7 am on February 22nd of
pneumonia after an eight-day illness.[69]
He, his wife and five children lived in the Arnold community where he was a
farmer.[70]
Then, just six months passed before death struck Ira, 13, the first son of
Robert and Laura. Ira died around 5 am on August 6th of typhoid
fever with spinal degeneration listed as a contributing factor.[71]
In 1912, the local paper reported that
Laura had guests from the community of Graham (in the neighboring Muhlenberg
Co.), a Mrs. R, D. Brooks and her children.[72] –
SUSPECT, MAY BE THE OTHER MRS SIMPSON
Then, in 1915, the family moved again, this time to Baizetown, also in the same area.
Land
Early
KY was notorious for poor land titles. The same land, or portions of it, was
sold to multiple buyers. This alone resulted in numerous lawsuits and tales of
families losing the homestead that they had spent years developing. In the
trackless wilderness of the early 1800s, the state of the art of surveying
contributed to the confusion. In the absence of modern techniques, most surveys
used such things as “a large white oak”, “a stone near a beech tree”, or “a
large fallen tree” as reference points. Such surveys were open to interpretation,
especially following large storms or decades of the normal processes of growth
and decay. By the second half of the century, there was some improvement, even
in KY. The existence of roads, houses, and robust property markers (placed by adjacent
owners) reduced the uncertainty of ownership. Still, using the deed
descriptions given in Robert’s transactions, it is not possible to precisely
locate family land but the general area was typically identified.[73]
The following list of transactions is by no means complete but does provide
some insight into Robert’s finances and his farming operations.
In
May 1875, the local paper reported that Robert bought a plot of land (acreage
not noted) on Caney Creek from his father-in-law, L. W. Leach, for $200. Caney
Creek crosses US 62 in eastern Ohio Co.
near the Horse Branch community. The same issue of the paper noted that Robert
bought a plot of unspecified acreage, also on Caney Creek, from Henry Allen for
$300.[74]
In
January of 1877, Robert and Nancy traded four shares of a tract of land held
with M. C. Young to one of Nancy's older brothers, William Crown Leach, for a
piece of land of unspecified size along Caney Creek in Ohio Co.[75]
[70]
When Simon’s wife, the former Martha Ann Embry, died on March 26, 1917, Robert
was appointed administrator of her estate. Hartford Republican, March 30, 1917,
page 5.
[71]
Death certificate No. 21928, Ohio Co., KY.
[72]
Hartford Republican, September 20, 1912, page 1.
[73]
Conventional title research may be to connect to modern, clearly identified
lands, though this has not been attempted.
[74]
Hartford Herald, May 26, 1875, page 3. These deeds have not yet been located.
[75]
Ohio Co, KY Deed Book, Vol
____, January 27, 1877, page 154. The actual record in court proceedings
is of poor quality and difficult to read. M. C. Young was most likely Matthew
Covington Young, William Crown Leach’s father-in-law.
Page -17-
On
May 21, 1894, for $500, Robert purchased 204 acres that had been put up for
public auction as the result of a lawsuit by J. J. Stewart against Alice L.
O'Bannon and others. It appears that the deed was not recorded (due to court
proceedings) until March 3, 1897.[76]
When
Robert and Laura married in 1895, they continued buying and selling land in
Ohio Co. and would do so throughout their married life. The first known
transaction occurred on November 27th of that year when they sold
110 acres, bounded by Caney Creek and the property of J. W. Crow, to James C.
Worley for $200.[77]
Then,
in December 1897, the couple sold 56.75 acres to Robert’s brother Sanford for
$250. The property boundaries included the Morgantown Road, Hines Mill, Leroy
Raines farm, and a certain “fallen white oak”.[78]
Transactions
continued in the new century when on May 25, 1900, Robert and Laura sold 20
acres to N. J. Thomas for $100. The land was bounded by Indian Camp Creek, the
Morgantown Road, the Cunningham farm, and Sinking Road.[79]
On
April 23, 1904, Robert and Laura sold 70 acres in Ohio Co. to Jerry Cotton for
$150.[80]
The description of the boundaries of the 70 acres began at “a bench on the old school
house place”, included a couple of stones on William Leach’s property, and the
usual variety of tree species sufficient to make any nursery envious.
Next,
Laura Simpson purchased 50 acres from James W. Ezell on March 2, 1907.[81]
Around the same time, Robert bought a one-acre lot in Rosine from G. J. Thomas
for $200.[82]
Finally, on April 1, 1910, Granville Morris purchased the 50 acres mentioned
above from Robert and Laura.[83]
Community Service
The County Court appointed Robert as Surveyor
in place of Vol P. Allen, Vol 11-12, page 287
In 1893, Robert attended a July 4th celebration which in those years was a thinly veiled Civil War soldiers’ reunion (both Blue and Gray), rather than a celebration of 1776. The events,
[76]
March 3, 1897, Ohio Co., KY record of Commissioners. Deed details, as viewed on
microfilm, were not legible.
[77]
Ohio Co, KY Deed Book, Vol
____, November 27, 1895, page ____.
[78]
Ohio Co, KY Deed Book, Vol ____, December 29, 1897, page 532.
[79]
Ohio Co, KY Deed Book, Vol
____, May 25, 1900, page 269.
[80]
Ohio Co, KY Deed Book, Vol
____, April 23, 1904, page 372.
[81]
Ohio Co. KY Deed Book, Vol 29, March 2, 1907, page 558. It is not clear why the
purchase was in Laura’s name only. The transaction is reported in the Hartford
Republican, May 17, 1907, page 8.
[82]
Ohio Co, KY Deed Book, Vol
____, ___, 1907, page ___. The transaction is reported in the Hartford
Republican, May 17, 1907, page 8. As both Robert’s and Laura’s names appear on
most transactions, it is not clear why only Robert was involved with this
purchase. The purchase of a one-acre lot in a town suggests a desire to
relocate from the farm. Alternatively, Robert and Laura may have been assisting
one of the children get started.
[83]
Ohio Co., KY Deed Book, Vol 43, April 1, 1910, page 352. No records have yet
been found to explain how the land was parceled out following Robert’s and
Laura’s deaths.
Page -18-
reported in a
lengthy story in the Hartford Republican, noted the presence of Robert and over
40 other men of his regiment.[84]
Beginning
in January 1902, Robert was appointed as a Deputy Clerk of the Ohio Co. Court
for the community of Arnold.[85]
During his term as Deputy Clerk, he ended up signing off on affidavits filed in
support of an invalid pension for his half-brother Sanford and for a survivor’s
pension for Sanford’s two minor children.[86]
In February 1902, the Ohio Co. Fiscal
Court reimbursed Robert $1.50 for plowing on the road for an unspecified
period.[87]
Then in January 1903, the Ohio Co. Fiscal Court authorized payment of $6.00 to
Robert for “4 days plowing on the road”. His brother Sanford received $4.50 for
three days work.[88]
County road maintenance seems to have been a distributed task as perhaps
several hundred men received reimbursement for such work. A similar
authorization for $7.50 was reported in March 1900, though the work and
duration were unspecified.[89]
Robert’s community involvement included periodic visits to the local newspaper
editors.[90]
In
April 1907 and then again in August 1907 Robert was appointed Postmaster for
the small community of Renfrow.[91]
He seems to have relinquished the position on May 12, 1908. On November 5th of that same year, Robert won election as one of seven school trustees
(reported the next day in the Hartford Herald).[92]
1908 edition of the Hartford Herald
indicates that Robert served on an Educational Board - IS THIS THE CORRECT
ROBERT?
In February 1909, the Centennial of
Lincoln’s birth, Robert and five others traveled to Hodgenville, KY for the
rainy celebration. The affair was pleasant despite the weather.[93]
At this time, Robert also appears to have been serving as one of the officers
of the McHenry F&AM Lodge No. 800 (Free and Accepted Masons), as his name
appears on its committee resolutions.[94]
– IS THIS THE CORRECT ROBERT?
[84]
Hartford Republican, July 7, 1893, page 2. There were other local reunions.
Robert may have attended these as well, but he is not named.
[85]
Hartford Republican, January 10, 1902, page 4.
[86]
Pension record, Sanford Simpson, 17th Regiment of the KY Voluntary
Infantry, Company H. His pension application, filed January 4, 1884, was number
503419. The certificate was number 728267. Sanford died January 20, 1904. The
surviving minor’s pension application was dated September 16, 1904, application
813661. The resulting certificate was 599043. G. B. Likens was listed as the
responsible guardian.
[87]
Hartford Herald, February 19, 1902, page 1. Review of the papers will show that
County road maintenance was ‘distributed’, with many individuals smoothing the
graveled roadways in front of their own homes. Hundreds of men would receive
payment for this task every winter when there were no crops to attend.
[88]
Hartford Herald. January 28, 1903, page 2.
[89]
Hartford Republican, March 09, 1900, page 3.
[90]
Hartford Republican, October 16, 1903, page 3, notes one such visit. It was
during this time that Robert became active in local politics, as will be
described in the subsequent text. The visits may be related to those interests.
[91]
Hartford Herald, April 10, 1907, page 5, and August 10, 1907, page 5, column 2.
[92]
Hartford Herald, November 6, 1907, page 5. It is around this time that the
other Robert Simpson, born in Scotland, also begins his brief community service
in McHenry, west of Beaver Dam. Some reports are too vague to enable the
researcher to confirm which Robert was involved. That Robert ran for Police
Judge in McHenry in 1909.
[93]
Hartford Republican, February 19, 1909, page 4.
[94]
Hartford Herald, July 14, 1909, page 3. The subject resolution is an expression
of respect for the late William Tanner.
Page -19-
In
May of 1913, Robert attended a meeting of the Rosine Post of the Grand Army of
the Republic (GAR). The GAR had been founded in Decatur, IL in 1866 as a
fraternal organization of Union veterans from all services. It became an
incredibly strong political force, counting five future presidents in its
ranks. Perhaps its biggest impact was its successful lobbying effort to secure
pensions for soldiers, their widows, and their minor children. By 1913, most
veterans were already in their 70s and 80s. Not surprisingly, attendance at
small GAR Post meetings was dropping quickly. The Rosine Post was one of those
smaller chapters. The subject meeting was attended by only 5 men.[95]
The GAR was formally dissolved in 1956 with the death of its last member.[96]
Decline and Death
Between 1900 and 1910, Robert’s second son, William Sherman, had lost his wife, Mary, and had moved westward from Ohio Co. to Muhlenberg Co., KY. Then, sometime during the next decade he relocated to AR. Why he did this is not clear. The widowed William, a farmer, died there around 10 am on February 16, 1922, in Craighead Co. after a 10-day battle with the flu.[97] William seems to have been the only son to have left the KY to seek his fortunes elsewhere.
There
was no doubt that Robert was slowing down. That recognition seemed to have led
the Hartford Republican to run a brief but complementary article in 1922
following his visit to their offices. The paper noted that Robert had been a
stalwart of his local Republican Party precinct, and a proud Civil War veteran.
The author also alluded to Robert’s schoolhouse pranks from long ago.[98]
Robert’s
sixth son, Jospeh Franklin, died at 5 am on March 14, 1924, in the Taylor Mines
community (just on the outskirts of Beaver Dam). The cause of death of the
46-year-old was determined to have been angina pectoris. Joseph, a widower, had
been working in the logging industry at the time of his death.[99]
By 1926 Robert's doctor, P. T. Willis, noted that he was suffering from senile dementia and falling spells that left him unconscious for some time. Coupled with his stiffness and rheumatism, he required full-time care. Perhaps realizing that Robert could not long survive with his health rapidly deteriorating, twenty-seven adults and their children gathered at his home in Baizetown on Thursday, July 1, 1926, to celebrate his 85th birthday. The event was
[95]
Hartford Republican, May 9, 1913, page 1.
[96]
The GAR continues today as The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Full
membership limited to direct male descendants of Civil War soldiers. The
Fordsville Post, just north of Rosine, received frequent mentions in the press
[97]
Death certificate No. 243, Craighead Co., AR.
[98]
Hartford Republican, August 11, 1922, page 4.
[99]
At the time of the 1920 census, Joseph was living in the Rockport district with
his oldest brother, Leonard. At that time, Joseph indicated that he was
divorced. Death certificate No. 19307, Ohio Co., Ky.
Page -20-
page-one news in the local paper.[100]
Robert’s condition must have become clear since the stream of visits to his
home by his sons and their families took on a torrid pace starting in late 1926.[101]
In mid-year, Robert made a visit to McHenry that seems surprising given his
condition. It may be that his pending relocation was on his mind, and he wanted
to be sure that he liked the house that had been chosen.[102]
Another birthday party (his 86th) was held at Robert’s home on June
21, 1927, with 10 adults and some additional children in attendance.[103]
It may have been his worsening condition that caused a trip to Owensboro, KY
(45 miles to the north), probably to seek further medical advice.[104]
In
1927, one of Robert's feet began to swell. At one point, the swelling progressed
to where the skin ruptured. Aside from it being painful, this must have only
worsened his ability to get around. Though he was often seen by Doctors, this
seems to have been solely for the purpose of satisfying the requirements of the
Bureau of Pensions or as part of his constant petitioning for increases. At one
point, having apparently been asked for the name of the doctor who had treated
him, Robert replied, "I don't ever
have any physicians to treat me as I am opposed to being treated by a medical
doctor". Later, his opinion of the whole petitioning process came out
in a remark that provides the clearest insight that we have into the man.
Having requested increases in his pension many times and having been told that
he needed to provide some kind of evidence (of the date of his birth, the dates
of his marriage, or of the onset of his illness), Robert wrote Washington a
short but sarcastic note, "I asked
for a special examiner last autumn, but you never sent one. Now if I have to
wait until death for my increase I will not need it".
By March 1928, it was clear that Robert, Laura and their two special needs adult children could no longer live so far from family. Early that month the Baizetown home was sold to a John Wallace.[105] Just a week later it was reported that the family had already left Baizetown and moved to McHenry.[106] Robert and Laura appear to have purchased a home for themselves and children Roscoe, Glen, and Vena. The home would become Roscoe’s. There, bedridden due to his rheumatism, with kidneys failing, constant indigestion, failing lungs, and a weakened heart, he would live out his days.[107] From this myriad of problems, the 88-year-
[100]
Ohio County News, July 2, 1926, page 1. "Birthday Celebration - Robert
Simpson, of the Baizetown, community, celebrated his 85th birthday at his home,
June 21st. The following children, friends and relatives enjoyed the occasion:
Mrs. Ora Cummings and two daughters; Mrs. Press Bratcher and daughter; Mrs.
Clarance Smith; Mrs. Emma Tucker and child; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Embry and
children; Mr. John Goodman, Mr. Jack White, Mr. and Mrs. T. F. James, Mr. and
Mrs. Pate Hoskins, Mr. G. Ragland and son; Mr. Leonard Simpson, Mr. Warren
Simpson, Mr. and Mrs. Eura Simpson and children; Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Allen and
family, Mrs. Leonard Goff, Mr. and Mrs. O. S. White and children, Messers. V.
Bratcher, Orville Bratcher, Miss Arizona Embry, Mrs Ural Embry and child and
Mrs. Dessie Embry."
[101]
Visits from the family are noted in the Ohio Co. News throughout the year. December
10, 1926, page 5 (Dewey and Eura); February 18, 1927, page 4 (Dewey); April 15th,
page 1 (Eura); April 15th, page 6 (Warren); April 27th,
page 6 (Dewey); May 27th, page 8 (Ura); June 3, page 4 (Ura); June
10th, page 3; June 24th, page 6: November 4th,
page 2; November 11th, page 1; November 25th, page 8;
December 30th, page 5; and Ohio Co. News, January 27, 1928, page 8
(Dewey).
[102]
Ohio Co. News, June 10, 1927, page 3.
[103]
Ohio Co. News, July 1, 1927, page 4. The party left a strong impression on
six-year-old Garnette Simpson (daughter of Hardin and Lottie Simpson), who
attended and still remembered it sixty-five years later. In the cited article,
Hardin is mentioned, but the status of his family was not clear. Garnette also
recalled visiting a store owned and operated by Robert in the mid-1920s. No
documentation of this establishment has been located.
[104]
Ohio Co. News, July 29, 1929, page 8.
[105]
Ohio Co. News, March 2, 1928, page 4.
[106]
Ohio Co. News, March 2, 1928, and Ohio Co. News, March 9, 1928, page 7.
[107]
Ohio Co. News, December 7, 1928, page 2. The brief article reports that Robert
was very ill at home in McHenry.
Page -21-
old veteran died at 5:20 p.m. on
June 28, 1929.[108]
Dr. Willard Lake was the attending physician and attributed the immediate cause
of death to acute indigestion. Robert was buried in the old Leach Cemetery just
outside of Rosine in Ohio Co. Robert was laid to rest next to his first wife,
Nancy Ellen Leach, surrounded by several of his children.[109]
Having
served Robert faithfully as both wife and full-time nurse for many years, the
67-year-old widow could not really rest from her labors. Two of their later
children, Glenn, almost 25, and Vena, almost 21, were mentally retarded and
required her full care. In 1929, Laura petitioned for a widow's pension and a pension
for her two 'idiotic' children who were dependent upon her. Since the children
were over 16, the Bureau of Pensions denied the claim for the children (while
approving Laura's own request).
The
1930 census shows Laura, Glen, and Vena living with Roscoe and his new bride. As
Roscoe was just 19 and the home was said to have been owned, it seems clear
that the home was Laura’s. It was located on Main Street in McHenry.[110]
The small family, like the rest of the country, entered the Depression years.
For the Simpsons, the period began with the death of Robert and Nancy’s oldest
child, Leonard Sanford, on Sunday, July 30, 1933.[111]
Leonard and his wife Isabel had lived in Mortons Gap in Hopkins County, some 50
miles west of Beaver Dam, since the late 1880s. Leonard had worked as a ‘track
man’ in the railroad industry. He was buried in the Flat Creek Cemetery in
Mortons Gap.
Just
as the Depression was beginning to lift, Glen died. He was 34 and single.
Because of his limitations, he had never lived or worked outside of the home. Early
in 1939, he came down with the flu and then developed bronchial pneumonia. He
died at home in McHenry just before 4:00 pm on January 26th.[112]
He was buried in the Sunnyside Cemetery located just east of Beaver Dam along
the south side of US 62. By 1940, Laura (76) and Vena (32) had moved to Beaver
Dam, where they lived with her widowed son, Dewey (38), an auto repair
mechanic.[113]
Laura outlived Robert by almost 15 years. Suffering from chronic valvular heart disease, she died at 9:00 a.m. on June 1, 1944, having just passed the age of 80.[114] She was buried the next day in Sunnyside Cemetery, east of Beaver Dam on Highway 62. Laura’s seventh child and second daughter, Vena, passed away in Beaver Dam on the afternoon of December 3,
[108]
Death certificate for Robert Simpson, Volume 46, No. 22583, Ohio Co, KY, date
of death June 28, 1929, one sheet.
[109]
Ohio County News, July 19, 1929, page 8. "Robert Simpson died at his
home at McHenry on June 28, 1929 at the age of 88 years after a lingering
illness. Mr. Simpson was a Civil War veteran and a splendid citizen. He was
twice married. Funeral services which occurred at Renfrow Cemetery, Saturday June
29 we conducted by Rev. Jackson Allen. His widow, four daughters and eight sons
survive."
[110]
There is no Main Street in McHenry today. It's likely that what was Main Street
is now simply US 62. There is, however, a Simpson Street. A drive up that short,
one-lane, gravel road shows it to not be a very impressive monument to the
family name.
[111]
Ohio Co. News, August 4, 1933, page 4. Death certificate No. 16394, Hopkins
Co., KY.
[112]
Death certificate No. 2382, Ohio Co., KY.
[113]
The size of Dewey’s operation is unknown. He advertised in the local papers, including one particularly large ad in the Ohio Co. News, August 23, 1929, page
5.
[114]
Death certificate for Laura Embry Simpson, No. 14759, Ohio Co., KY. Date of
death, June 1, 1944. The term ‘valvular heart disease’ can be used to describe
the degradation of any of the four heart valves. The result is progressively
reduced heart functionality. Dr Oscar Allen had been seeing her for this
condition since April.
Page -22-
1946, as the result of
pneumonia.[115]
She was 38. Like her brother, Glen, she had never married, nor did she ever work
or live outside of her parents’ home. Vena was laid to rest in Sunnyside
cemetery alongside Laura and Glen.
Apart
from the occasional mention in the obituary of a child or in a land
transaction, Robert and Laura soon passed from the historical record.
Notes and References
- 1830, census, page
4. ________
- 1840 Jefferson
Co., KY, page 148. There was an Edgemon Simpson who was head of a
household. However, he is far too young (30-40) to be the 52-year-old
Hedgman. It is interesting to speculate that this young man could be a son
of Hedgman (i.e. Hedgman Jr.) and that the census taker simply provided a
phonetic spelling of the name. There is other evidence to support such a
proposition. In the Jefferson Co., KY marriage records, Book IV, page 164,
we see where James White marries Milly Simpson, the "widow of
Hedgeman Simpson". The marriage took place on November 23, 1847.
Given that Hedgman, the father of Robert was not dead, this must be
another Hedgman. Milly becomes Milly White. Some 23 years later, there was
a Milly White living next to Hedgman's widow with her sons, Andrew J. and
Thomas J. Oral tradition in the family says that one of the two was known
as "Uncle Jack", indicating some relationship. Also, a Hedgman
S. Simpson served as a Private in Captain Marshall's Co., KY Mounted
Gunmen from August 17, 1836, to February 17, 1837. He enlisted in
Louisville, KY to serve in a unit called out for the protection of the
Sabine Frontier (the Sabine River border between Louisiana and the
Republic of Texas). They travelled to Camp Sabine (1806, 1836-1838). It seems
almost certain that Hedgman S. was a brother of Sanford and a half-uncle
of Robert. Thus, Robert’s father, Hedgman (Sr.), was married perhaps as
early as the first decade of the 1800s.
|
Name |
Males |
Females |
Remarks |
|
Edgeman
Simpson |
1
male less than 5 years
|
1
female 15-20 years 2
females 40-50 years |
Possibly
Hedgman S. & wife
|
- 1850 Ohio Co., KY, census, page 33. This
census was notable for what it did not record, for
8-year-old Robert does not appear. In his pension files, Robert noted that
he had moved to Ohio Co. when he was just six (1848) and lived there ever
since. Repeated searches have not yet located him.
|
Name |
Age |
Occupation |
State of Birth |
|
Hedgeman Simpson |
63 |
Farmer |
VA |
|
Rachel |
56 |
|
PA |
[115]
Vena died on December 3, 1946, at 12:45 pm. She had contracted lobar pneumonia,
a bacterial-initiated form of the disease spread by inhalation of airborne
bacteria propelled by coughing or sneezing. Death certificate No. 2129, Ohio
Co., KY.
Page -23-
4.1860 Ohio Co., KY, census, page 126, Cromwell district. Robert was living with his Dad and stepmother. Their real estate was valued at $250 and their personal belongings at $240. According to KY Birth, Marriage and Death Records – Microfilm (1852-1910). Other data confirms that Gilbert was the illegitimate son of Martha Simpson. ‘M’ was listed as a male, though it is believed that this was actually Martha. Gilbert was born on May 24, 1858, and died February 6, 1916. in Ohio Co, KY of chronic heart disease. His death certificate was No. 5926. He was buried in the Rosine Cemetery in Ohio Co. on February 7th. He married Annie M. in about 1880. Martha would go on to marry Madison Cotton.
|
Name |
Age |
Sex |
Comments |
|
H. Simpson |
71 |
m |
born VA |
|
Rebecca |
64 |
f |
born PA, cannot read or write |
|
M. |
20 |
m |
|
|
Gilbert |
1 |
m |
|
|
Robert |
18 |
m |
|
|
Elizabeth |
14 |
f |
attended school within the year |
|
Millie White |
51 |
f |
Boarder, cannot read or write |
|
Andrew J |
13 |
|
Attended school within the year |
|
Thomas J |
11 |
|
Attended school with the year |
|
Name |
Date of Birth |
Date of Death |
Spouse/Comments |
|
Leonard Santford |
March 2, 1866 |
July 29, 1933 |
Isabel Keown |
|
William S. |
August 27, 1867 |
|
Mary Crowe Phelps (b. 11/19/1879, d. 7/4/1963) |
|
John Thomas |
Sept 25, 1872 |
Nov 5, 1953 |
Minnie Renfrow |
|
James Ewing |
August 27, 1870 |
Aug 29, 1872 |
|
|
Simon Jackson |
March 27, 1874 |
Feb 22, 1911 |
Martha Ann Embry |
|
Elizabeth Ann |
August 23, 1875 |
Feb 1, 1876 |
|
|
Joseph Franklin |
Oct 8, 1877 |
Mar 13, 1924 |
|
|
Hardin |
August 25, 1880 |
May 3, 1966 |
married Lottie Bell Hall Oct 27, 1904 |
|
Warren Ciscro |
Jan 4, 1883 |
Sept. 7 1971 |
married young/quickly divorced? Ellie
Wallace? |
|
Ilona |
June 6, 1884 |
Aug 27, 1965 |
J. Presley Bratcher |
|
Sara Francis |
April 16, 1886 |
June 3, 1904 |
|
|
Margret Irene |
May 15, 1888 |
|
Frank P. Cummings |
|
(unknown) |
Nov 1893 |
Nov 1893 |
male - died the same day. This was a birth of
twins according to oral tradition, though Robert's pension file and
the presence of only one headstone confirms that there was only one child |
|
Name |
Age |
Occupation |
State of Birth |
Real Estate Worth |
|
Robert Simpson |
26 |
Farmer |
KY |
$200 |
|
Nancy |
18 |
|
KY |
|
|
Leonard |
5 |
|
KY |
|
|
William |
4 |
|
KY |
|
|
James E |
4 mo. (Feb.) |
|
KY |
|
|
Name |
Age |
Birth/Dad/Mom |
Comments |
|
Robert |
37 |
KY/KY/KY |
Farmer |
|
Nancy E. |
30 |
KY/KY/KY |
Incorrectly shown as Mary E. |
|
Leonard S. |
14 |
KY/KY/KY |
In school |
|
William S. |
12 |
KY/KY/KY |
In school |
|
John T. |
9 |
KY/KY/KY |
In school |
|
Simon J. |
6 |
KY/KY/KY |
In school |
|
Joseph F. |
2 |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Name |
Birth |
Death |
Spouse/Comments |
|
Nancy Mary |
Oct 11, 1896 |
Jan 19, 1954 |
Married Silas Simpson, Sanford's son |
|
Ira |
Feb 18, 1898 |
Aug 6, 1911 |
|
|
Eurie |
Sep 1, 1899 |
Nov 21, 1976 |
Married Minnie Kessinger |
|
Ery |
Feb 21, 1901 |
Aug 4, 1902 |
tombstone lists Feb 2 as his birth date |
|
Dewey |
Jan 24, 1903 |
Jul 8, 1954 |
Buried in Sunnyside. Married Zora Romans |
|
Glenn |
Oct 2, 1904 |
Jan 26, 1939 |
|
|
Vena |
Jun 17, 1908 |
Dec 3, 1946 |
|
|
Roscoe |
Feb 2, 1910 |
Dec 26, 2002 |
Married Maragret Fulkerson |
|
Name |
Relation |
Birth |
Age |
Self/Dad/Mom |
Comments |
|
Robert |
head |
Jun 42 |
57 |
KY/PA/KY |
Farmer, owns his farm, no mortgage |
|
Laura A. |
wife |
Mar 64 |
36 |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Simon J. |
son |
Mar 74 |
26 |
KY/KY/KY |
Farm hand, attended school, can write only |
|
Hardin |
son |
Aug 80 |
19 |
KY/KY/KY |
Farm hand, not in school, can write |
|
Warren C. |
son |
Jan 83 |
17 |
KY/KY/KY |
Farm hand, attended school, can read and
write |
|
Sarah F. |
daughter |
Sep 86 |
14 |
KY/KY/KY |
Attended school, can read and write |
|
Margret A. |
daughter |
May 88 |
12 |
KY/KY/KY |
Not in school, can write |
|
Nancy M. |
daughter |
Oct 96 |
3 |
KY/KY/KY |
Not in school, can write |
|
Ira |
son |
Feb 98 |
2 |
KY/KY/KY |
Not in school, can write |
|
Ora |
son |
Sep 99 |
9/12 |
KY/KY/KY |
This was Eurie |
|
Cornelius |
g-son |
Sep 96 |
3 |
KY/KY/KY |
Child of Simon Jackson Simpson |
|
Viola |
g-dau |
Jan 98 |
2 |
KY/KY/KY |
Child of Simon Jackson Simpson |
|
Name
|
Age |
Occupation |
Comments |
|
Robert
Simpson |
68 |
Farmer |
|
|
Laura |
46 |
None |
7
children, 6 living |
|
Nancy
M |
18 |
None |
|
|
Ira |
12 |
None |
cannot
read or write |
|
Ura |
10 |
None |
In
school |
|
Dewey |
7 |
None |
In
school |
|
Glen |
4 |
None |
|
|
Vena |
1 |
None |
|
|
Mary
B. Goff |
59 |
Houseworker |
|
11. 1920 Ohio Co., KY census, sheet 168B. The family was living in the Select precinct.
|
Name |
Age |
Read?/Write? |
Self/Dad/Mom |
Occupation |
|
Robert |
78 |
yes/yes |
KY/PA/KY |
Farmer, owns his home, lives on a farm |
|
Laura |
55 |
yes/yes |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Eura |
20 |
yes/yes |
KY/KY/KY |
Farm Laborer |
|
Dewey |
16 |
yes/yes |
KY/KY/KY |
Farm Laborer |
|
Glenn |
15 |
no/no |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Vena |
11 |
in school |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Rosco |
9 |
yes/yes, in school |
KY/KY/KY |
|
12. 1930 Ohio Co., KY census, McHenry, sheet 1A
|
Name |
Age |
Read?/Write? |
Self/Dad/Mom
|
Comments |
|
Roscoe Simpson |
19 |
Yes |
KY/KY/KY |
Miner |
|
Margaret |
20 |
Yes |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Laura |
66 |
Yes |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Glenn |
25 |
No |
KY/KY/KY |
|
|
Vena |
21 |
No |
KY/KY/KY |
|
13. 1940 Ohio Co., KY census, Beaver Dam District
|
Name |
Age |
Read?/Write? |
Born |
Comments, yrs in
school |
|
Dewey Simpson |
38 |
|
KY |
Widowed, 8, rents,
earned $900 last yr |
|
Laura |
76 |
|
KY |
Widowed, mother, 5,
no SSN |
|
Venia |
32 |
|
KY |
Sister, 0 |
14. Union Regiments of KY, p. 449-463, Courier Journal Job Printing Company, Louisville, 1897.
15. The History of Ohio Co., KY, by M. A. Fogle, pages 327-329.
16. Doctors in Blue, The Medical History of the Union Army in the Civil War, George Worthington Adams, Henry Schuman, New York, 1952. (in the genealogy section, downtown branch of the Chattanooga Public Library)
Other Documents
- A photo of Robert
Simpson and one of his children (believed to be Vena) is said to exist.
Areas for Further Research
- Add death certificate numbers.
- Further deed research
needs to be done for Robert and Nancy, Robert and Laura, and finally Laura
in Ohio Co., 1865-1944.
- Tax data for
Nancy, Laura and Robert for Ohio Co., 1865-1944.
- Look at Ohio Co.
papers for death notices of the kids to see if they contain anything about
their parents or siblings.
- Ohio Co. has a
series of records known as "administrative". These may well be a
source of data on this veteran. They also have a set of "Civil
War" records. This may include some data on the formation of the
unit.
- We also need to
check records on Hedgman Simpson's real estate holdings to see where he
lived. This will tell us where Robert lived when he was young. The same
goes for Jefferson Co., KY.
- Research official
records war of rebellion for his officer’s report on the various battles
- Look at the
account of the Big Hill engagement in "A Rock of
Remembrance",
by Regina Hood, in KY Living, Louisville, Volume 45, Number 2,
February 1991, pages 5-8.
- Need to look closely at Pension file paperwork to
deduce where Robert was living. Will help differentiate him from the
Scottish Robert Simpson of McHenry/Cromwell/Render.
