Tennessee, Overton County

Overton Co., Tennessee (formed 1806 from Jackson County)

1806 James Simpson, Thomas Simpson Sen., John Simpson, identified as citizens of the extension of Jackson Counnty signed a petition to create a new county (Overton County?) (Petitions to the General Assembly of Tennessee)

1813 Sept23 Thomas Simpson signed a petition formed by citizens of Monroe regarding the selling of town lots. (Petitions to the General Assembly of Tennessee, petition #6-1-1813)

1816 Sept. term John Tate (Sr) legitimizes Dorcas Tate Simpson (wife of Thomas Simpson) and Samuel Tate. John testified that he had these legitimate children "previous to his intermarriage with his present wife." John had married Elizabeth Parkinson (aka Parkeson/Parkison) in 1789 when she was about 20. The birthdates of the legitimized Samuel and Dorcas are not known with certainty; therefore they may or may not be Elizabeth's. For now, their mother is noted as "unknown". They would, however, be older than John and Elizabeth's other children. (Overton County, TN, Circuit Court Minutes, Sept. Term 1816, page 59 per Les Tate email address lrtate@comcast.net) See Wilson County, Tennessee for more)

1840 Thomas Simpson: 2 males 10-14, 1 male 20-29, 1 male 50-59, 1 female 5-9, 1 female 15-19, 1 female 50-59 (Source Overton County TN census, pg 22-B and 23-A. (facing pages) provided by Les Tate email address lrtate@comcast.net)

1848 Thomas Simpson’s wife, Dorcas Tate Simpson died (Les Tate email address lrtate@comcast.net)

1850 Simpson, Thomas, 68, farmer, $900 real estate, VA, Eliza, 20, TN (said to be Thomas' wife), Sarah, 6 months, TN (1850 Overton County TN census, 5th District, page 33-A per Les Tate email address lrtate@comcast.net). Thomas Simpson, District 10, 65, Male, Black, 44, Female, Black, 31, Male, Black, 21, Female, Black, (Les Tate email address lrtate@comcast.net)

1850 Aug 4 Thomas Simpson, widower of Dorcas Tate, remarried to Eliza, Overton County TN. The following seems to implicate Eliza Simpson, who is listed in the 1850 household of Thomas Simpson, in a divorce action. Overton County TN Court Record: DIVORCES Mary M. BILBREY vs Isham M. BILBREY filed 2 Feb 1852. Married in Overton Co, TN 4 Aug 1850. Adultery with Aliza SIMPSON (Les Tate email address lrtate@comcast.net)

1850-1860 Thomas Simpson probably died between 1850 and 1860 He does not appear in the 1860 TN census and likely died before then. Place of death appears to be Overton County TN. Other researchers indicate he died in 1851 (Les Tate email address lrtate@comcast.net)