John J Simpson, III

• Came to USA from Scotland, at age @20, with both parents and 7 brothers and sisters, a 6 wk sailing trip from Port of Dumfries, Scotland on the Schooner "Thomson's Packet", arriving into the Port of Philadelphia, July 13, 1818.
• 1854-55 When he couldn't work the Cook County farm, John3 had been doing winter work- hauling supplies by wagon, a very long journey from Chicago to the newly built Fort Snelling (now Minneapolis),about 650 miles round trip.
• 1856 In his work travels, John3 Simpson saw the opportunity to take advantage of the better climate and land in MN, so March, 1856 John3 moved his family to Minnesota- Sarah, John Eleazar age 6, Sophia Isabella 3 years and Charles Arthur just 6 months old. They first traveled across Illinois by horse and wagon (about 200 miles), then by steamboat up the Mississippi for a distance of 2/3 of the western border of the state of Wisconsin, (which is about 400 miles by boat), to Hastings, Minnesota and then again traveled by horse and wagon to the tiny settlement of Waterford.
• 1861 The Civil War began.

1863 U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations- Name: John(3) Simpson Residence: Waterford, Dakota, Minnesota Age on 1 July 1863: 38