Susan Donnell, resided in York, Maine, subsequently moved to Sullivan, Maine and died there, was for many years shipmaster. Children were: i. ii. PAUL, b. July 6, 1776; d. Sept. 5, 1845. MARIAN, b. Nov. 29, 1779; m. Robert Gordon and d. Jan. 28, 1832. iii. JOHN, d. unm. iv. SUSAN, d. unm. V. JOANNA, d. young. JOSHUA SIMPSON, son of Henry, born Oct. 29, 1723; married Maria, daughter of John Bradbury, Esq., Sept. 10, 1754. She was born April 5, 1729. They resided at York, Maine. Children: i. BENJAMIN, b. Jan. 2, 1755. ii. ZEBADIAH, b. Oct. 10, 1756. iii. EDWARD, b. Jan. 26, 1759; married; children, Edward, Catherine who m. Goodwin. Children, Edward, Emily and Marcia. iv. THEOPOLIS, b. Jan. 29, 1763; died unmarried. V. SARAH, b. Aug. 14, 1765. EBENEZER SIMPSON, son of Henry, married Mary, daughter of Peter Nowell, Jan. 16, 1752, resided in York, Maine. were: i. SUSANNA, b. April 21, 1753. ii. MARTHA, b. Jan. 13, 1755. iii. MARY, b. Feb. 25, 1757. iv. MERCY, b. May 13, 1759; m. Benjamin Simpson. v. HENRY, b. July 5, 1761. vi. SARAH, b. July, 1764; d. vii. SARAH, b. Sept. 16, 1765. viii. EBENEZER, b. March 29, 1768; d. ix. EBENEZER, b. July 9, 1770. Children NATHANIEL SIMPSON, son of Henry, born July 23, 1728, and died previous to the year 1770, married Sarah, daughter of Capt. Thomas Bragdon, resided at York, Maine. Children were: i. WILLIAM, b. - d. ii. WILLIAM, b. Sept. 2, 1753. iii. JOEL, b. July 25, 1755. iv. NATHANIEL, b. June 28, 1759. SARAH SIMPSON, daughter of Henry, married Joseph Grant, resided in York, Maine. Children were : i. JAMES, b. Aug. 13, 1764. ii. EDWARD, b. Sept. 9, 1766. iii. THEODOSIA, b. Dec. 24, 1768. iv. MARY, b. July 20, 1771. V. SARAH, b. Nov. 8, 1773. JABEZ SIMPSON, son of Joseph, born May 17, 1740, died Jan. 1, 1796, married Mariam, daughter of Dan'l Simpson, Esq., Aug. 1771, moved to Sullivan, Maine, and died there. Children were: JABEZ, b. Jan. 17, 1775, d. Feb. 8, 1852. i. ii. JEMIMA, b. April 23, 1773. iii. MIRIAM, b. June 7, 1777. iv. OLIVE, b. July 8, 1779. v. JOSEPH S., b. June 1, 1783. MIRIAM SIMPSON, daughter of Joseph, born married Joseph Donnell, resided in York, Maine. 1. MARY, b. Aug. 16, 1763. ii. JAMES, b. Oct. 24, 1765. iii. MIRIAM, b. March 6, 1767. June 4, 1742, JOSEPH SIMPSON, son of Joseph, born April 8, 1744, married Elizabeth, daughter of Daniel Bragdon, published July 18, 1772, resided in York, Maine. Children were: i. JOSEPH, b. May 5, 1773. ii. MARY, b. April 24, 1775. iii. MERCY, b. Oct. 18, 1777. iv. SAMUEL, b. Nov. 26, 1781. PELTIAH SIMPSON, son of Joseph, born Dec. 6, 1752; married Mary Donnell, published July 3, 1778; resided in York, Maine. Children were: i. PAULINA, b. April 8, 1780. ii. POLLY, b. Nov. 2, 1784. v. GEORGE, b. Aug. 29, 1793. TIMOTHY SIMPSON, son of Joseph, born Sept. 4, 1755, married Deborah, daughter of Zebulon Harmon, Oct. 15, 1787; resided in York, Maine. Children were: JOAN SIMPSON, daughter of Josiah and Prudence (Bragdon) Simpson, born about 1761, married Richard Downing, of Sullivan, formerly of York, Maine, and died Sept. 1825, at Sullivan, Maine. Children were: iv. JOHN, b. March 7, 1799; d. July 27, 1868. JAMES SIMPSON, son of Josiah, born 1761, died Aug. 13, 1836; married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Bragdon, Aug. 25, 1785. She was born 1766 and died in 1806. He was a sailor in early life, and afterwards farmer and lumberman, and resided at Sullivan, Maine, now the "Falls Village;" was shipmaster in early life. Children by first wife: V. AARON, b. Sept. 8, 1800; lost at sea in 1824, from the schooner Mars." vi. JOSEPH, b. Sept. 3, 1804; lost at sea Aug. 26, 1830, from the schooner "Aristides," of which he was mate. Children by second wife, Mrs. Jane Bragdon, whom he married Jan. 7, 1807, were: vii. JANE M., b. Oct. 23, 1807; d. Nov. 19, 1877. xi. PRUDENCE, b. Feb. 5, 1819. JOHN SIMPSON, son of Josiah, born Dec. 7, 1763; died Nov. 20, 1798; married Rachel Sullivan Feb. 12, 1789. She was daughter of Capt. Daniel Sullivan, formerly of Berwick, Maine, who was the son of Master John Sullivan, and brother to Gen'l John Sullivan of Durham, N. H., and Gov. James Sullivan of Massachusetts. She died Aug. 10, 1806. John Simpson was born in York, Maine. He moved with his father to Sullivan, but returned to York to attend school, where he remained for several years. Returning to Sullivan, he was sent to sea. At an early age he was placed in command of one of his father's vessels. He built himself a store, also mills, and engaged in trading, manufacturing lumber and building vessels, and was one of the leading men of the place. In 1796 or 1797, he built a schooner which he named "Rachel" after his wife. She was commanded by his younger brother, Josiah, Jr., and in the winter of 1797, she made a voyage to the West Indies. In November, 1798, the "Rachel" was loaded with a cargo of lumber, and taking charge of her himself, Capt. John Simpson sailed for Salem, having on board the following persons: Paul Dudley Sargent, Jr., passenger; William Abbott, mate; Stephen W. Merchant, Zachariah Hodgkins, and James Springer, seamen. The vessel sailed from Sullivan in company with the schooner "Diana" commanded by Capt. Josiah, Jr. Both vessels put into Seal Harbor, near White Head. Me. They sailed from there on the 18th of November, the weather so threatening, and it being so apparent that a storm was approaching, the "Diana" on reaching Herring Gut, St. Georges, Me., put in for a harbor, and the "Rachel" continued on her course. On the 20th of November, during the memorable snow storm that prevailed over the whole of New England, during which the snow fell to the depth of four to six feet, the "Rachel" was wrecked on Cape Cod, near where the "Highland Light House" now stands. When the storm, which lasted nearly a week, cleared off, nothing but the wreck of the schooner, and the dead bodies of those on board were found. From the wreck of the vessel, a small portion of her cargo of timber, and some of her rigging were saved. The bodies of those on board were found by people living near, and buried in the old burial ground at North Truro. The following year after the disaster, Capt. James Sullivan, brother in in-law of Capt. Simpson, visited the burial ground, and marked the grave of his brother-in-law, by erecting a slate-stone. He also obtained some small article which were found on the bodies of the dead seamen, among which was a handkerchief, placed in Capt. Simpson's pocket by his little five year old daughter Rachel, on the day of his sailing from Sullivan. A pocket knife of his, was also obtained, both of which are now in possession of his grand children. In the summer of 1878, Messrs. John S. and Erastus O. Emery grand sons of Capt. Simpon, visited Truro, and with the aid of Capt. Jesee, and Miss Polly Collins, whose father assisted in burying the dead seamen, were enabled to locate their graves. In the following September Mr. John S. Emery, erected a handsome tablet of Italian marble, set in a granite base cut from granquarried in Sullivan near the home of Capt. Simpson, and bearing the following inscription : "This tablet marks the burial place of Capt. John Simpson of Sullivan, Me. aged 35 years, master of the schooner, "Rachel' of that place, who, with his entire crew consisting of the following persons, viz., Paul Dudley Sargent Jr., passenger, William Abbott, Stephen W. Merchant, Zachariah Hodgkins, and James Springer, were lost in the wreck of the above vessel, near this place in the memorable snow storm of November 20, 1798 and afterwards buried here. Erected in 1878, in memory of Capt. Simpson, by his grandson John S. Emery, of Boston. JOHN SIMPSON and his wife Rachel, had the following children: PRUDENCE, b. Feb. 4, 1790; d. June 18, 1812. i. vi. MARY A., b. March 6, 1798; d. April 18, 1868. ANNA SIMPSON, daughter of Josiah, born Nov. 21, 1771, died Nov. 15, 1828; married June 6, 1791 Ebenezer Bean, who was born Oct. 1, 1760; died Sept. 28, 1825. Children were: V. ABITHA, b. April 8, 1803; d. vi. SYLVESTER M., b. Feb. 21, 1806; d. 1834. vii. RACHEL S., b. Nov. 9, 1808; d. viii. JOHN S., b. June 25, 1810; d. Feb. 6, 1886. JOSIAH SIMPSON, JR., son of Josiah, born about 1773-4; died April, 1833. He was many years a prominent ship master, sailing from Castine, Sullivan and Belfast. At the time of his death he was light keeper on Petit Menan Island. His body was |
