Aaron Sanford Simpson
Contributed by Edith Martin Young
Great, Great, Granddaughter of Aaron Sanford Simpson
© July 1999
Aaron Sanford (Sandy) Simpson, born November 20, 1819 in Caswell County, NC was the son of Enoch Simpson
who came to Sumner County Tennessee from Caswell County NC about 1821. Enoch
first settled in Giles County and then in 1826 moved to Sumner County, Tennessee.
About 1840, he built his home on Dry Fork Creek, which still stands today. He
was killed there in 1860.
Aaron Sanford married
Mary Frances Johnson (Fanny) on April 21, 1841. Mary Frances was born on Sept.
13, 1824. Fanny was the daughter of Austin Johnson and Ann Elizabeth Corley. In
1849 Aaron bought 580 acres of land from the James Bracken tract, which was
land south of what is now Hwy. 52 in the area known as Liberty Community. Aaron
Sanford died on Nov. 10, 1879. Aunt Mattie Durham, a granddaughter, and
daughter of William Simpson, said they had a very severe winter that year. Aaron
Sanford was buried in Pond's Burying Ground on Mt. Vernon Road near Bethpage, but they did not have the funeral until the following spring so that family and
friends could attend.
The original log house
was still standing on what is now Earnest Cates Road when I was a little girl. I
can remember going to visit the Jasper Simpson Family when they lived there. Jasper
was a son of Aaron and Fanny. The children of Jasper Simpson are living today:
Eulalah Simpson O'Neal lives in Westmoreland, Tennessee.
William and Joe served in
the Civil War. Charles Ray Durham, grandson of William, tells an interesting
story about their leaving home to serve. It seems that their mother, Fanny,
did not want them to join the forces. One day they went to the fields to work
and never came back to the house, but left to join, much against their mother's
will.