THE SIMPSONS
In 1835 Allen Simpson, my great-grandfather was born in South Carolina. From him and other Simpson relatives came a unique and very large family. During my research I found out that my great-grandfather, Allen was certainly unique. Pap Simpson was unique because he lived a long and fruitful life. I have been told that he owned land during a time when "blacks" did not have that opportunity open to them.
His descendents are coast-to-coast. We come in every shade from cream-to brown-to deep and luscious black. We are a colorful family not just in shades of color but in life. Yet we have a common bond, we are all Simpsons. We share a bloodline that has gone through slavery, the Civil War, Jim Crow, the Great Migration to the North and Civil Rights. Today we are skilled professionals, artistic and some of us are even outspoken. 
Since I began this great journey I have found some new and very interesting facts. The first item to correct is the misinformation which was given to me by the Latter Day Saints (LDS) genealogy service. The LDS genealogy service informed myself, and another cousin that Allen Simpson had two families living in Jackson Township, Nevada County, Arkansas in 1880. He did live in that are and he had two sets of children by two women, but they did not live in separate houses they were one family. Grandpa Allen (Pap) had 3 children who were born in Texas, the mother is unknown but born in Mississippi. Those children are: Washington, Allen Jerry, and Louzinka; the other children: Lizzie J, Mary C, Samuel, Henry, Belle, Ellen, Alice, Susan, Walter, Carrie, and Lou E [Lula] belonged to Lear Simpson. I have always been under the impression that the LDS church meant the children of Francis Simpson were the other family, this is not so.
No one that I have ever spoken to knew who the husband of Francis Simpson was but I searched using different variations of the Simpson name (Simson, Sympson, Symson, etc.), and I finally found Ms. Francis in the 1870 census under the name Frances Simson in Jackson Township, Oauchita County, Arkansas with the correct birth year. I stand corrected. With this new research, I have also found some really amazing but wonderful news. Those who attended the reunion know that Ms. Frances' husband's name began with either an "O" or a "D" which is all that is on the census. What the census did confirm for me was the lady from our church is truly rooted in this family.
We are just beginning to know one another and it is an amazing and exciting journey for me because these are my roots. Not often does the African American family get a chance to know their roots as far back as the early 19th Century. We are still looking for you! So, if you believe that you are related to these Simpsons in some way, please leave a message in the comments section of this website and I will attempt to contact you.
God Bless!
Vicki Cosby-Jefferson (Great-granddaughter of Allen Simpson)
