Nine letters between the Reid and Simpson families
written between 1816 and 1847
Contributed by Ralph Simpson
The following letters are copyrighted by the University of North Carolina and
posted here with their permission.
They were given to the University as a gift from Miss Cora F. Sanders, 19F Springvale
Apartments, Croton-on-Hudson, New York, 10520 in March 1969. The donor's
mother was a Reid from Tulip, Arkansas. She writes:
In the 1840s and 1850s, the Reids
and the Simpsons, who had been tobacco planters in eastern North Carolina,
migrated to Arkansas where they became cotton planters. This 1847 letter
[below] was addressed to Keziah Reid in Tulip, Arkansas where she was staying
either with her daughter Clarissa Smith or her sister Mollie Simpson Harris
(Mrs. Tyre Harris). In 1855, Thomas J. Reid (my grandfather) youngest son
of Major John Reid, went from his tobacco plantation in Person County, North
Carolina to Arkansas. The women and children of the family made the
long journey in carriages, the men were on horseback, and the slaves were in
covered wagons.
All these families built their
homes in Tulip, Arkansas. Their cotton plantations were on the Mississippi
where their cotton could be shipped to New Orleans. Up to the time of the
Civil War, they were all very prosperous. They brought a teacher from Boston
to teach their children, sent the older ones to Eastern schools. They had
fine homes. My mother (daughter of Thomas Reid) said their home had iron
gates, a long, tree-lined drive to the house, which was white Southern Colonial
with a two-story veranda. Her father had about 270 slaves; his uncle-in-law,
Tyre Harris, had over 1,000 slaves.
In the last paragraph of this
October 1847 letter Duke Simpson writes: "You request to know of my father your
age and his. You were born on the 8th February 1767 and he was
born on the 3rd of March 1770." Note the penciled figures at
the end of this letter. Evidently Keziah figured her age, several
times. The last time at 94. She died at 96 years.
From the John Reid Papers #3882
Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
|
1) John B. Reid to his father, Major John Reid (1/9/1816)
2) John B. Reid to his father, Major John Reid (3/3/1816)
3) John B. Reid to his mother, Keziah Simpson Reid (3/5/1816)
4) Richard "Duke" Simpson to his brother-in-law, Major John Reid (4/24/1816)
5) Richard "Duke" Simpson to his brother-in-law, Major John Reid (5/8/1816)
6) Richard "Duke" Simpson to his nephew, William B. Simpson (4/7/1845)
7) Richard "Duke" Simpson to his nephew, William B. Simpson (9/9/1845)
8) Richard "Duke" Simpson to his sister, Keziah Simpson Reid (5/4/1847)
9) Duke Williamson Simpson to his aunt, Keziah Simpson Reid (10/25/1847)
SIMPSON - REID
By Mrs. T.H. Bowles
The excerpt on the Simpson - Reid
family of which Clarissa Harlow Reid Smith, wife of Colonel Maurice Smith, was
a member was taken from "Miscellaneous History of Hot Spring County, Vol.
III" (Malvern, Arkansas Library) pp. 88-90.
Richard Simpson, Sr. in 1727 was
granted 300 acres of land on South Run of Pohick Creek in Halifax County, Virginia.
He died between September 19, 1761, when his will was written, and December
1762, when it was probated. His widow, Sarah, was dead by August
1766. Their children were Moses, George, Elizabeth, Sarah, Richard, Jr.,
Mary and William (as named in his will).
Richard Simpson, Jr. died in 1789 and
was survived by his widow, Mary, who was born in 1718 in Richmond County, Virginia,
was the daughter of John Kincheloe, Sr. and Elizabeth Canterbury of Stafford
(now Prince William County, Virginia. After John's death in 1746, his
widow, Elizabeth, married Edward Emms.
Elizabeth Canterbury Kincheloe was the
daughter of John Canterbury, who died in 1716, and Ruth Williams, who was born
in Rappahannock County, Virginia. Ruth was the daughter of Roger Williams
and Joane "Jen" Frith. Jen married first Roger Williams and
they resided in Northumberland County, Virginia before 1665. After his
death she married second, Samuel Wills, and third, Lewis Lloyd. Jen was
the daughter of Nathaniel Frith, who died in 1676.
John Kincheloe, Sr. was the son of
Cornelius of Richmond County, Virginia. John's children were: Cornelius,
Daniel, Elizabeth, Mary, John, Jr., Wileman (a daughter who married John
Hoskins), Margaret and Sarah.
Mary Kincheloe married Richard Simpson,
Jr. and they were living in Essex County, Virginia February 8, 1767 when
their daughter, Keziah, was born. In 1857, Keziah Simpson Reid told the following
to her granddaughter, Annie Maurice Smith, an 18 year old girl:
"When Daniel Boone was enlisting
settlers to move to Kentucky, Richard Simpson, III, Keziah's older brother,
decided the future would be more profitable if he moved his family to Kentucky.
Their sister Sallie had married Nathaniel Hart in 1760 and the Harts had lived
at their country seat "The Red House" in Caswell County, North
Carolina from 1760 until their removal to Kentucky in 1779. Nathaniel
Hart and William Henderson bought Kentucky from the Cherokee Indians in
1775. Captain Nathaniel Hart was killed by Indians in sight of Fort Boonsboro
on August 19, 1782. Children of Sallie Simpson and Nathaniel Hart were:
Susanna, 1761-1833, who married Isaac Shelby, first governor of Kentucky;
Mary Ann; Keziah; Chinoe; Nathaniel, who married Susanna Preston; John;
Simpson; Cumberland and Richard Green."
Keziah Simpson went with her brother
and his family to Kentucky and in 1873 married William Buchanon, who was killed
by Indians soon after their marriage. Keziah's siblings were: Sallie Simpson,
who married Nathaniel Hart; Bettie Simpson, who married Jesse Oldham; Richard
Simpson, III, who married Henrietta Williams; Lydia Simpson, who married
Richard Tate; Eda Simpson, who married William Nunn; Nancy Simpson, who married
Waddy Tate; Frankie Simpson,
who married Jerry Poston; and Mary Ann
(Mollie) Simpson, who married Tyree Harris as his second wife. Tyree
Harris was born April 8, 1728, son of Major Robert Harris and Mourning
Glenn. Tyree married first, Elizabeth Chapman. He was born in Albemarle
County, Virginia, but moved to Caswell County, North Carolina. He and
Mary Ann had a daughter, Lydia Harris, who married Robert Brown. They
were parents of Tyre (called Tary) Harris Brown, who settled in Tulip, Arkansas.
Tyre H. Brown married Martha Bethel, daughter of John Pinkney Bethel and wife,
Sarah Smith (died 1858) natives of North Carolina, but resided in Shelby
County, Tennessee many years. Tulip was called Brownsville for Tyre
Brown.
John Reid, a Major in the Revolutionary
War, was born April 16, 1748 and resided on the Holstein River in Washington
County, Virginia. He was appointed ensign in the Third Regiment
commanded by Lt.Col. John Montgomery. He immediately raised his quota of
men, joined the Regiment at Long Island on the Holstein, and served there from
January 9, 1779, to January, 1781, during which time he acted as Adjutant and
then as Quartermaster. He also carried Expresses from Col. Evan Shelby,
Arthur Campbell and David Smith. He was under Col. Campbell in the battle
of King's Mountain and served as quartermaster with Col. William Campbell in
the battle of Guilford. (This information given on John Reid's widow's
application for a pension. File No. 26946)
John Reid had known Keziah Simpson
before her marriage to William Buchanon, and he and Mrs. Keziah Simpson
Buchanan were married on March 22, 1784 at Boonesborough, Kentucky. They
moved to Caswell County, North Carolina where six children were born to them:
1. Nathaniel Reid, born October 5, 1794.
2. John B. Reid, born September 16, 1796, died 1816.
3. Buchanon Reid, born May 15, 1799, died 1847 in Fayette County, Tennessee. One of his children John Reid,
went to Tulip, Arkansas in the 1850's.
4. Thomas Jefferson Reid, born September 5, 1801.
5. Amelia Reid, born September 15, 1803, died in infancy.
6. Clarissa Harlow Reid, born April 11, 1806.
John Reid died June 23, 1826 in Caswell County, North Carolina
and Keziah personally managed her estate for many
years after his death. During her latter days she drew a Revolutionary
War pension for his service. "King's Mountain Men" by White,
page 213, says "John Reed enlisted in Washington County, Virginia, served
as an express; was at King's Mountain and Guilford and died in 1826. His
widow Keziah was allowed a pension. She lived at Tulip, Texas, age
82. Her only surviving child was Mrs. Charles H. Smith."
Clarissa Harlowe Reid, born April 11,
1806, Caswell Co., N.C., married Maurice Smith April 28, 1830 as his second
wife. Maurice Smith was born June 10, 1801, son of Samuel Smith and
Elizabeth Harrison, married first Mrs. Martha (Williams) Hays and had two
children, Cornelia and Samuel. His children by Clarissa were: Elizabeth
K.; Annie Maurice; Lockie Lenore; Olin Derbin; Ashbury Warren; John Reid and
Mary K. Smith. Records of this Smith family are given in "Webb Smith
Kin of Dixie," a book at the Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock.
When Maurice Smith moved his family
from Tennessee to Dallas County, Arkansas in 1844, he brought Keziah Reid with
him. They came in ox-drawn "Carry All" wagons. She died
at Tulip in 1858 at age 92. The family Bible says she died Aug. 9, 1858, but
her tombstone gives her death as June 26, 1858. Maurice Smith died May 14, 1871, and
his wife, Clarissa, died September 29, 1874. All are buried in Tulip Cemetery.
ARKANSAS GAZETTE, September 11, 1858: - Died. On
the 9th Aug., at the residence of her son-in-law, Col.
Maurice Smith, Tulip, Dallas county, Ark., after a lingering illness of many
months, MRS. KEZIAH REID, in the 91st year of her age. She was born in
Caswell county, North Carolina, whither her parents, Col. Richard and Mary
Simpson, emigrated from Virginia at the early settling of that country.
At the age of fifteen she emigrated to Kentucky, with her brother-in-law, Col.
Nat. Hart and his family. They witnessed many of the difficulties of the
pioneers in that region - often she spoke of their conflicting scenes with the
savage Indians - of tent and fort life with Col. Boone, etc. A short time
after her removal to Kentucky, she was married to Mr. Wm. B. Buchanan, who was
killed soon after.... [She was left] a young widow in the western wilderness
[and] she preferred to return to her native place in Carolina, where some time
after she was married to Major John Reid, an officer in the Revolutionary
war. The writer has often heard her speak most familiarly of those
'scenes and times that tried men's souls.' Her husband was a sharer in
the battle of King's Mountain, Guilford Court House and other important
conflicts, side by side with Cleveland, Shelby and Campbell...." The
obituary mentions her move to Tennessee in 1841 and later, to Dallas County, Arkansas,
"following her beloved children in their westward migration. In 1832
she united herself with the Methodist Episcopal Church and evinced her faith by
a Godly walk and conversation.... For the last five years she was too
feeble to attend the sanctuary; but she sought and found frequent opportunities
by converse with ministers...." Tulip, Ark., Aug. 27th 1858.
Clarissa H. (Reid) Smith wrote a "Record of my Father's Family";
Major John Reid was born April 16th 1748, died June 26th 1826;
Keziah Reid was born February 8th 1767, died August 9th 1858;
Nathaniel Reid was born October 5th 1794, died in infancy;
John B. Reid was born September 16th 1796, died May 5th 1816;
Wm. B. Reid was born May 15th 1798, died January 1847;
Thomas J. Reid was born September 5th 1801;
Amelia Reid was born September 15th 1803, died in infancy;
Clarissa H. Reid was born April 11th 1806.
