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.
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1850 Wheat became a major crop for farmers in Minnesota.

1850 FED census
Orland Township, Cook County, Illinois
Oct 12, 1850
-----------John(3) Jr. Simpson, born NY, age 25, Farmer; with land valued at $1600
----------Wife Sarah is listed as: 19, born MA
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1853-1857 There was a population explosion in Minnesota from 40,000 people in 1853 to approximately 150,000 people in 1857.

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.

In Waterford, seven more Simpson children were born on their farm located north of Northfield City, by the Rice/Dakota Co line in what would become Greenvale Twp., MN, about 4 miles from Sarah's parent's farm located in what would become Waterford Twp., Dakota Co., MN.

1856 Sarah's Porter mother & father had followed them from their farm near Hadley Village in Homer Twp., Will Co., IL. The Porters opened a very large tract of land 2 miles NW of Waterford Town (still farmed in the 1980's by the son & dau(s) of Abbie Simpson Howland), the land being in both Waterford Twp and Greenvale Twp where John 3 and Sarah's original homestead was.
The Porters were prominent in the founding of Waterford and Dr. Moses was the 1st practicing Physician in that section of the county, as he was back in Will Co., IL.
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The Panic of 1857 sent prices skyrocketing in Minnesota. Banks went bust and businesses failed. Depression lingered until 1861.

1857 STATE/ Territorial census
Township #112 (would become Waterford and Greenvale Twps), Dakota Co, MN
-------John(3) 32, Farmer
-------Sarah 26
-------John E 7
-------Sophia 4
-------Charles A. 2

Two farms away by census were Sarah's parents-
-------Moses Porter 57
-------Martha A. (Martha Alvord Snell) 52
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1858 Newspaper promotion of the Minnesota Territory prompted over one thousand steamboat arrivals in St. Paul, filled with settlers.

May 11, 1858- Minnesota became the thirty-second state admitted to the Union of the USA.

1859 The first Minnesota State Fair was held.

1860 FEDERAL census
Waterford Twp Dakota Co., MN
July 15, 1860
---------John(3) 34, born NY, Farmer, land worth $8,500, personal property worth $650.00
---------Sarah S. 28 born MA
---------John E. 9 born IL
---------Annah 3 (born 1857) born MN
---------Catherine 6 mo (born Jan 1860) born MN

(Notes from Rebecca Dodds- John & Sarah had no children named Annah or Catherine.
Their Simpson children Martha Alice & Charles are missing from this census, and since the dates are close enough- Charles A. was born 1855 (and he was in the 1857 State census) and Martha was born in 1858-we assume they are the same children.)
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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

A few lines down on the record- John3's brother James P.Simpson is listed for Waterford Town, County of Dakota.

1863 At the Battle of Gettysburg the First Minnesota Regiment makes a heroic charges, losing 215 of 262 men.

1865 The Civil War ended.

1865 STATE/ Territorial Census
Dakota Co., MN
----John(3)
----Sarah
and children-
----Elizabeth
----Sophia
----Charles
----Alice
----George
----Everett E. and
----Alba M. (Abbie Marie)
(Sons Edwin, James and Frank are not yet born)
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1870 Federal census
Waterford, Dakota County,MN
Waterford Post Office
Sept 30, 1870
----John3 age 45, born NY, Farmer, land worth $25,000 and personal property worth $5,000
----Sarah age 38, born MA
----John E. age 19, born IL, Farm Laborer (John Eleazar was the future husband of Mary Withers who lived on the next farm in the census)
(The census with the remaining Simpson children went to the next page. The surname heading on the next page was incorrectly SIMMONS not Simpson.
-----Sophia I. 17, born IL
-----Charles A. 16, born IL
-----M. Alice 12, born MN
-----George 10, born MN
-----Everett 7, born MN
-----Abbie 5, born MN and
-----Edwin 3, Born MN.
James and Frank were not born yet

Another 4 farms down in the census were Sarah's parents- Moses Porter and Martha AS (Alvord Snell), both born in MA.
Moses was a Physician, 70 and Martha 64. Their real estate was worth $6,800.00 and personal property $1,300.

Also on this 1870 census page, living on the next farm (about a mile away from John and Sarah's farm) were the Kelseys.
John3 & Sarah's son John Eleazar Simpson's wife was Mary Withers.
Mary Wither's mother was Elizabeth Hargreaves.
When Mary's father Robert Withers died, Elizabeth Hargraves-Withers married Daniel B. Kelsey and had 2 Kelsey children with him.
Mary and her full brother Albert kept the Withers name.
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1880 Federal CENSUS
Waterford, Dakota County, MN,
-----John(3) Simpson, 58, Farmer;
-----Sarah 48,
children-
-----John E. 29, Farmer
-----George E. 19, works on farm
-----Everett E. 17, works on farm
-----Abbie Maria 15
-----Edwin William 13
-----Frank Austin 6

They were the next census household to John3 & Sarah's son- Charles Arthur and his family. Staying with Charles and family was Sarah's mother- (Charles' grandmother) Martha Alvord Snell-Porter, since her husband Moses Porter had died in 1876.
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1885
MN Territorial Census
Waterford, Dakota Co
PO Northfield
----John3 b NY, 59
----Sarah P. b MA, 53
children all born MN-
----George C. 24
----Abbie M. 19
----Edwin W. 18
----Frank A. 11
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John died of a gall stone obstruction in his gall bladder.
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The following info was provided by Deborah McCombs Moore
Township: Waterford
County: Dakota
Name: John Simpson
Birth Date: 1826
Death Date: 19 May 1885
Cemetery: Red Rose
Comments: SP. SARAH S. PORTER. NFD. 23/MAY/1885
Section: 83 C
Source Information:
Dalby, John. Minnesota Cemetery Inscription Index
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