John Simpson, of Watertown

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Simson-108

Profile last modified 28 Jan 2021 | Created 4 Apr 2016

John Simson (abt. 1605 - 1643)

John Simson

Born about 1605 in England

Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling%28s%29 unknown]

Husband of Susanna (Unknown) Parkhurst — married 1633 [location unknown]

Father of James (Stimpson) Stimson M.D., John Simpson and Jonathan Stimson

Died 10 Jun 1643 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

John Simson migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640).

Biography

John Simson was born In England about 1605. John migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640), and arrived at Massachusetts Bay in about 1633/4. He settled at Watertown. John Simson married Susanna, whose surname is unknown, by 1633/4. A deed made and attested by him 25 Nov 1639, indicates he was an educated man.[1]

Buried at Watertown, Massachusetts: “John, the husband of Susan Simson, bur. 10: 4m: 1643.”[1][2]

Susanna, John Simson’s widow, married secondly, by 1644 George Parkhurst.[1][3] Susanna Simson sold some of her first husband's land on 9 Nov 1643. George Parkhurst sold two acres of Simson's land on 16 Nov 1644,[1] so they married sometime during that year. Parkhurst is then recorded in Boston in several deeds between 1645 and 1655. “The General Court authorized them 23 May 1655 to sell certain other lands, reserving two thirds of the price with Mr. Browne for the use of her 2 eldest sons when they become 21 years old.”[1]

In a 1695 in a suit involving George Parkhurst’s son George and some land of John Simson's, there is an affadavit that says George was "about 67" in 1655, that his family was in destitute condition, that his wife had had seven sons and three daughters in America (including two sons with Simson) and that she had gone to London with six of those children. She had found her family unable to help and George apparently wanted to sell his remaining land to go to her aid. If he indeed returned to England with her, it makes sense that he is the "Old George Parkhurst" who is buried at St. Lawrence, near where he was married and had children by his first wife.[4]

Early New York Families, Hudson-Mohawk Family Memoirs, Vol. III, page 1307 has an entry on George that mixes up several of the spouses:

"George Parkhurst, born in England about 1590, came to America about 1638 or 1640, and settled at Watertown, Massachusetts, where he was living in 1642. He removed to Boston, and is supposed to have died there as there is a record of the adminstration of his estate. He married (first) in England, Rebecca _______; (second) Susanna Simpson, widow of John Simpson of Watertown. Children: George jr. born 1618; Joseph; Benjamin; Phebe married Thomas Arnold; Deborah married John Smith; Elizabeth, married (first) Emanuel Hilliard, (second) Joseph Merr; Mary, married Joseph Merry."
The children Susanna took to England probably remained and grew up there, never to return to America, except Benjamin who, if he was taken back, apparently returned as a young man to his American brothers and sisters and then migrated to New Jersey. A letter of 25 Jun 1669 from George, Jr. To his cousin requesting payment to his brother Benjamin of £5 of the £20, which would be due him from his Aunt Dalton (his legacy), shows that Benjamin lived to maturity, had dealings with his brother, and was probably then in New England, further support to the identity of the Benjamin Parkhurst in New Jersey the next year.[4]

Children of John Simson and Susanna

The children were born at Watertown, Massachusetts.

Simson, Sary, dau. John and Susan, b. 28: 3m: 1634.[5] Simson, Hanna, dau. John and Susan, b. 25: 5m: 1636.[6] Simson, John, son John and Susan, b. 1: 7m: 1638.[7] Simson, Jonathan, son John and Susanna, b. 17: 10m: 1640. MCR[8] Simson, Elisabeth, dau. John and Susan, b. 3: 1m: 1642. MCR [9] Sources

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Pope, Charles Henry. The Pioneers of Massachusetts: A descriptive list drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches, and other contemporaneous documents. Heritage Books. Boston. 2007. Simpson, Simson, pp. 76, 416 ↑ Watertown Births, Marriages and Deaths; page 11; Massachusetts Vital Records Project ↑ William G. Parkhurst, The Parkhurst Family Journal, Jan. 1995; e-newsletter, archived (link no longer exists), page 4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Threlfall, John B. Fifty Great Migration Colonists to New England & their Origins. (Madison, Wisconsin: J.B. Threlfall, 1990), 257-259. ↑ Watertown Records; Page 3; Massachusetts Vital Records Project ↑ Watertown Records; Page 4; Massachusetts Vital Records Project ↑ Watertown Records; Page 6; Massachusetts Vital Records Project ↑ Watertown Records; Page 8; Massachusetts Vital Records Project ↑ Watertown Records; Page 10; Massachusetts Vital Records Project Great Migration 1634-1635, R-S. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S, pp. 341 - 345 by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. Featured name: John Simson.for subscribers $ Barker, Fred G. Watertown Records: The first and second books of town proceedings, with the ... Watertown, Mass. 1894. John Simpson, 21 results : accessed 27 Oct 2019. Edson Salisbury Jones, The Family of George Parkhurst of Watertown and Boston, Massachusetts, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, #68, p. 370, 1914 Parkhurst, Peter G. George. Parkhurst increasings for nine generations. (Los Altos Hills, California: P.G. Parkhurst, c1995), Vol. 1, p. 7 Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862), 3:358. See also:

Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=47484679&pid... Godfrey Memorial Library, comp. American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620-1988 Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook). Venn, J. A., comp.. Alumni Cantabrigienses. London, England: Cambridge University Press, 1922-1954. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Directory: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1640, A Concise Compendium (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015). Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration 1634-5, 7 vols. (Boston, Mass.: Great Migration Study Project, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999-2011). International Genealogical index, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Family History Library, 35 N. West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150, USA, www.familysearch.org Acknowledgements

Sara V Mosher, Oct. 2019 Thank you to Diane Tavegia for creating profile Simson-29 through the import of DIANEWELDYTAVEGIA-10-90e0b0.ged on Oct 14, 2012. Thank you to Bruce Anderson for creating profile Stimson-49 through the import of Anderson Family Tree_2012-10-16.ged on Oct 16, 2012.

Married Susanna, who married George Parkhurst next. 2 sons (John, Jonathan) & 3 daughters (born at Watertown 1634-1642/3)

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1. Some of the Ancestors and Descendants of Samuel Converse, Jr., Charles Allen Converse, (Eben Putnam, Publisher, Boston, Mass. 1905), page 10. "George Parkhurst, Senior, married about 1645, Susanna, widow of John Simpson of Watertown, and about that time removed to Boston."
2. The Family of George Parkhurst The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 68. 1914. Page 370-372.

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• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via son George Stimson by SmartCopy: Sep 28 2015, 6:58:25 UTC