Which Thomas Simpson?
Contributed by Erick Montgomery
As a follow up to Rhoda's excellent information
on our ancestor, John Simpson, the Scotsman of Aquia, Stafford County, Virginia,
I am submitting this additional information on his son, Thomas. I must
acknowledge the collaborative effort of Mary Gregg and Rhoda Fone who have
assisted me in properly and accurately interpreting the information that
follows. I should also acknowledge Helen Meeks and the late Tom Meeks, who
generously obtained copies of some of the courthouse documents cited below, and
shared them with me.
We know that John the Scot had a son named Thomas from the deposition of Anne
Gist, daughter of John Simpson, the Scotsman, as cited in Rhoda's information.
That is collaborated by the deposition of Catherine Halley, also cited by
Rhoda.
Ann Gist stated in her 1769 deposition that "the next two eldest Brothers of
John Simpson and Sons of John Simpson Scotsman died about 50 years ago (as well
as she remembers)." This suggests that both Thomas and George Simpson died
around 1719, although Ann admitted that it was a rough estimate. (Ref: Prince William
County, Virginia Land Causes, 1789-1793:40-41)
Catherine Halley made her deposition regarding the Simpsons in 1790, stating
"she frequently heard the said John Simpson say that he had two brothers, one
by the name of Thomas, the other George, and that they were both dead and
Richard Simpson was the youngest brother and the only one then living." From
this authoritative statement, we can infer that both Thomas and George Simpson
were dead before 1740, when Catherine's mother, the widow Silent Jeffries
married John Simpson, Jr., son of the Scotsman. Since Catherine Halley lived in
the household of John Simpson "for many years," and did not remember either
Thomas or George Simpson, brothers of her step-father, it seems certain that
they both must have died in the 1730s or before. (Ref: Prince William County,
Virginia Land Causes, 1789-1793:87-88, transcribed by Ruth and Sam Sparacio).
From the above, there seems to be no argument that John Simpson, the Scotsman
had a son named Thomas, and that he died sometime before 1740. His birth
certainly occurred after about 1680, the approximate year of birth of John
Simpson, Jr., the eldest son, and before 1691, the year that Henry Thompson
wrote his will and left property to "the three eldest sons now living of John
Simpson in Aquia Creek Scotsman." But which Thomas Simpson was our subject? The
extant records of Stafford and Prince William Counties suggest that there were
at least two candidates. One died before 1733 and the other died in 1734 or 1735.
Either one of these could be the one, or he could have been neither of them.
Evidence for the two that left information will follow.
The first Thomas Simpson in the area died before 16 August 1733, as proven in the following record:
(Prince William Co., Va. DB ?B:98-100) Aug. 16, 1733. Wm. Hogan of Pr. Wm. & Elizabeth his
wife to Mary Griffin of same, widdow, for 20 pds. current money, 409 acs. on the upper side of Piney Branch
falling into Popes Head Run being one of the branches of Occoquan...granted to
Walter Griffin dec'd., who by his last will devised it to Thos. Simpson for
life who now being dead, the same reverts to Elizabeth as only sister &
heir of sd. Walter ...deeds of lease & release.
Wits: Geo: Mason, Jas. Gib /s/ Wm. (W.H.) Hogan, Eliz. (E) Hogan
W. Watson
Acknowledged Aug. 17, 1733
Unfortunately, the will of Walter Griffin does not survive, and nothing else is
known of this Thomas Simpson. As can be seen from the above, this gives no hint
of his age, but his relative obscurity might suggest that he was young when he
died. Even the date of his death cannot be determined, except that he must have
been living at the time Walter Griffin wrote his will. Since it is missing, we
don't know when that was, but we can say that Walter was living as late as 21
October 1728 when he received the following patent of land, which is the same
parcel cites in the Hogan deed above:
(NN Pat Bk B:156) Oct. 21, 1728. Walter Griffen of Stafford Co., 409 acs. in Stafford
on Piney Br. of Pope's Head Run of Occaquan.
Thus, we can say that the Thomas Simpson associated with the Griffins died
after 21 October 1728, since this is the same tract that Walter Griffin willed
to him for life; and this Thomas Simpson died before 16 August 1733, since William and Elizabeth Hogan stated that he
was deceased at that time.
Whether Thomas Simpson was related to Walter Griffin is not stated, but seems
possible. He apparently made another bequest in his now missing will to James
Halley, who later stated that he was a nephew of Walter Griffin. The
association with John Simpson, the Scotsman's family should be noted here, in
that James Halley (1707-1792) married in the early 1730s to Elizabeth Simpson
(1717-1785), daughter of Richard Simpson and granddaughter of John Simpson, the
Scotsman. It should also be noted that Walter Griffin was actually a Junior,
and a son of Walter Griffin, Sr., of Stafford County, Virginia who married the
widow of Thomas Baxter, Sr. This link will become more apparent when we discuss
the second Thomas Simpson, below. Mary, the widow of Walter Griffin, Jr.,
remarried to Lewis Ellzey. They Ellzeys would remain associates of the
descendants of John Simpson, the Scotsman, in Fairfax County, Virginia for many
decades.
Most Simpson genealogists have assumed that the other Thomas Simpson, known as
"Carpenter," was the son of John Simpson, the Scotsman, primarily because the
above mentioned Thomas Simpson was either unknown to them, or close enough
examination had not been given to the precise dates involved with him. Perhaps
it has been assumed that the two Thomas Simpsons were one and the same person.
This, however, cannot be the case when closely comparing the extant records.
This Thomas Simpson , was granted 423 acres of land on both sides of Sandy Run
in what was then Stafford County, Virginia on 6 June 1717 (Northern Neck Grants
5:141). Parts of this land would remain in possession of his direct descendants
well into the 19th Century, providing clear evidence of their lineage in some
of the latter deeds. This tract fell into Prince William County when it was
created in 1730/31 and subsequently into Fairfax County in 1742, about seven
years after Thomas' death, as shown below.
At some point before his death, Thomas Simpson "Carpenter" came into possession
of another parcel of 250 acres, located on Occoquan Bay. It was part of an old
patent of Thomas Baxter, Sr., which had been regranted to Thomas Baxter, Jr. on
14 December 1703. (Northern Neck Grants 3:6). Thomas Simpson's 250 acres was
only a portion of Thomas Baxter's total grant of 1,907 acres. It has been
suggested that Thomas Simpson "Carpenter" may have married a daughter of Thomas
Baxter, and that he was likely the builder of the oldest extant house in Fairfax
County located on the same tract and later known as "Belmont Plantation." (See
Moxham, Belmont Plantation on the Occoquan, pp. 4-5). Although there does seem
to be circumstantial evidence because of this parcel of land, and the fact that
Thomas Simpson "Carpenter" named one of his sons Baxter Simpson, no
documentation has surfaced to prove that such a marriage actually occurred.
Thomas Simpson "Carpenter" sold this 250 acre tract on 28 May 1734 to Catesby Cocke,
Esq. (Prince William County, Virginia Deeds B:284).
Something can be assumed about this Thomas Simpson's age by the relationships
stated in his will. First, he was a grandfather. Assuming that his daughter was
at least 15 years of age when she married, and that she was at least 18 years
old by the time she had her second child, she should have been born no later
than 1716, and possibly before since she was already a widow. This pushes
Thomas Simpson "Carpenter's" date of birth back into the 1690s, if not before.
He therefore remains a possible candidate as the son of John Simpson, the
Scotsman.
Just as the first discussed Thomas Simpson had obvious ties to the Baxter
Family, so did Thomas Simpson, "Carpenter." As shown above, he once owned part
of a Baxter land patent, and he named a son Baxter. The descendants of Thomas
Simpson, "Carpenter" were close associates and neighbors of Richard Simpson,
the Scotsman's youngest son, for several generations, and even intermarried in
several instances. When Thomas Simpson, Jr. died in about 1740, his elder
brother William Simpson was appointed administrator with Richard Simpson
serving as William's bondsman. (Prince William County, Virginia Wills C,
1734-1744, p. 269)
The first discussed Thomas Simpson left no evidence regarding his age that has
surfaced so far. Unless evidence can be found that he was born after 1791, he
also cannot be ruled out as a son of John Simpson, the Scotsman. It is
sincerely hoped that additional documentation will come to light that will help
to determine which Thomas is a son of the Scotsman, whether it be one of these
two men, or another one still not identified.
