Aaron Sanford Simpson
RICHARD EDMUND JOHNSON-4 married MARY ANN SIMPSON, the daughter of a neighbor, ENOCH SIMPSON, and his wife, ELIZABETH CARTER SIMPSON, on August 16, 1842, just a few years before AUSTIN’s death. AUSTIN JOHNSON’s two older daughters also married into this family, with Martha Johnson Turner marrying RICHARD’s father-in-law, ENOCH SIMPSON, and the other sister marrying the brother of RICHARD’s wife.
MARY ANN SIMPSON, was the sixth generation in line of descent from seventeenth-century settlers to Stafford County, Virginia, on lands now found in Fairfax County. Her family emigrated to Virginia from Scotland, and from Virginia into North Carolina. The SIMPSONS were fairly late arrivals in Sumner County, Tennessee, coming there in the mid-1820s. MARY ANN’s father, ENOCH SIMPSON-5, was born November 1, 1797, in the part of Orange County that became Caswell County, North Carolina. Orange County was located just south of the Virginia border, about one-third of the distance west of the coast at that time, and was the parent county for several counties, including Caswell. ENOCH was one of the 11 children of a Revolutionary Soldier, AARON SIMPSON-4, and his wife, CHARLOTTE WISHEART. Both RICHARD E. JOHNSON and MARY ANN SIMPSON-6 were grandchildren of Revolutionary soldiers.
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.