The Simpson name belongs to Clan Fraser of Lovat. 

Y-DNA testing confirms this family belongs to Haplogroup R-L21, SNP R-DF41.

The earliest Simpson of record in this family line is apparently James Simpsone of Dalkeith, Scotland who married Marion Herriot. (This information and that of his children come solely from LDS IGI records.) Pushing back further in time has become problematic due to  multiple Simpson families living in the area during this time and the lack of multiple sources to make a positive determination of  the members of the preceding generation.  Not until the second generation have I been able to find additional sources to collaborate the descendants as noted in the 10 Generations of Simpsons. (Persons listed where the last name is in caps are direct ancestors of mine. JHS)

Thus it begins as James Simpson of Dalkeith, Scotland  married Marion Herriot in 1709.

Of their seven children,  James Simpson of Dalkeith, Scotland (1715 - ca1810) married Isobel Ansilie. While documentation is not fully complete,  it would appear that of five children, their second son, Peter (ca1746 - ca1795), a tanner in Dalkeith, Scotland and married to Helen Blair, was the father of  James (1784 - ca1788), Benjamin (ca1786 - ) and  Peter Simpson (1787 - 1830) who emigrated to the US.

This Peter (1787 - 1830), married to Jane (Jean or Jain) Hood (1791 -1869),  went bankrupt in 1814. The bankruptcy kicked off a multiyear legal battle to clear the bankruptcy and recover the remaining funds. This created numerous documents now in the National Archives of Scotland which have been viewed and which now provide a more complete picture of the Simpson family from about 1795 and beyond in Scotland. From the Register of Sasines (or land deeds), it was learned that Peter's family dwelling and tannery were located at the present day address of 7 North Wynd in Dalkeith which today is the site of a window blind shop and a parking lot to the left; and that he own additional properties at Cleghorns Close, Capmakers Close and at a location called Dick's Subjects. Due to name changes in the last 200 years, these locations have yet to be located on a modern map. By 1821 he had finished disposing of his  Dalkeith real estate interests.

He and his wife and, at the time, three children then sailed to America from the port of Leith, Scotland upon the brig "Sceptre" arriving in New York on July 22, 1822. Peter settled in Lexington, Green County, New York where he worked as a tannery foreman and died in 1830. He died without a will (intestate) and his son-in-law Robert Humphrey was appointed administrator as at the time none of his sons were of legal age.  An inventory of his estate indicates a man of very modest means.

Between 1855 and 1856 his  eldest son, Peter (III) (1813 - 1870) and Lemuel Boice erected the Boice & Simpson Tannery at Shokan, Ulster County, NY. It was a short lived partnership with Boice buying out Peter's interest March 15, 1856.  In 1857 a town wide  meeting was held at his house. He later appears to have moved to New York City 1864 to 1866.  While there he was appointed sole agent by a tanning partnership of his brother and Levi Newkirk to try to recover money due from the City of New York as a result of the tanning business. He then resided in Kingston until his death with his wife Maria and daughter Euphemia. The remaining history descends from Peter's (II) other son James A. Simpson and his heirs as found in the companies and pictures contained this web site.

On June 29th, 2005 while on vacation in the UK, Jay and Mary Fayne Simpson visited Dalkeith, Scotland 186 years since the family left.  Specific points of interest were Tolbooth Close and Back Street, the location of the residence of Adam Hood. While the Tolbooth building still stands, the close has long given way to "urban renewal"  and modern houses now occupy the site. Back Street has been renamed St Andrews Road. One could only imagine where the house of Peter Simpson was located. While it was the subject of a legal proceeding, the document doesn't specifically cite the address. Another location of interest was St Nicholas Buccleuch Church and its kirkyard. The graves of Peter and Helen Chalmers were located there, being the only graves located of those in the Simpson Genealogy. Two other nearby graveyards were searched without success. As it was raining hard at the time, two other graveyards just outside of Dalkeith were not searched. Dalkeith House- an estate owned by the Duke of Buccleuch was also visited which currently houses the University of Wisconsin's Scotland campus. Transportation to Dalkeith was easily made by bus in about a half hours time.  Dalkeith is a small and charming city of about 11,500.

Since that visit, we have been able to determine the location of property owned by the Simpson Family prior to 1819 in Dalkeith. A researcher was hired to go into the National Archives of Scotland and look up the old deeds which, by comparing the description to old and present day maps, pinpointed the location of the house and tannery at 7 North Wynd , now the site of a parking lot and window blind shop. Any structures from the period are long gone. We then made a repeat visit on May 21-23, 2011 where we stayed at the County Hotel right in Dalkeith which gave us the time to really explore the area. This was part of a two week visit to Ireland and Scotland.

The next generation visits Scotland

On New Years Eve 2007 Owen Simpson and his future wife Elizabeth flew to Scotland to spend a week touring the country. They also visited Dalkeith, the ancestral home town as well as Glasgow, Edinburgh and the highlands. Owen and Elizabeth married in 2009 and now have a son, Jack B. Simpson and a daughter, Stella A. Simpson.

And so the story continues....