The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-25

William Simpson was a soldier OF the
revolution We have no record OF his
service. and cannot say when. nor how
long he served in the continental army
Born IN 1872, he is supposed to have i'm
migrated from the north of Ireland be-
tween lf4S and 1850, and settled in Buck
ingham township. Bucks county, Penn
sylvania. He made application to pur-
chase 100 acres Of land Jan. IS. 1906 and
the deed was executed by John Penn. May
., 1901 He married Nancy Hines of New
Britain, was the father of two sons and
two daughters-John and Matthew. and
Ann and Mary. Matthew removed 10
near GAINESVILLE. o., in 1910; John lived and
died in the county; Ann married John
Davis. William Simpson died in 1916, aged
Gen. Grants mother descended from
the Bucks county Simpsons
During Jefferson Davis last illness he
was prevailed upon by his friends to die
tate a short statement of his ancestry,
and though very feeble, he made a short
cictatiOn- His first statement was:
Three brothers came to America from
Wales, in the early part of the eighteenth
century. They settled at Philadelphia"
Tnen he meagerly traced his lineage back
through Samuel Davis, his father. The
life of Jefferson Davis has been ably writ.
ten by his wife, Mrs. Varina J. Davis. The
history of the Philadelphia Davises can be
read by any one sufficiently interested. The
names of David Davis, and of the innu-
merable lawyers. physicians and literary
men, are easily traced. Through John
Davis, ii appears, William Simpson was
great-grandfather of Jefferson Davis, as
well as of Gen. Grant, thus making these
men direct second cousins.
John Davis crossed the Delaware twice
with Washington, took care of Lafayette
when he was wounded, and for some weeks
entertained James Monroe. afterward
president
Though both the Grant and the Davis
characters are sui generis, the blood of
the Simpsons and of many other good
people coursed and courses through the
veins of each. There are more than five
hundred descendants in the United States
at the present time, who are about equally
related to both Gen. Grant and Jefferson
Davis.
And. however though there may have
been some chances of error in tracing the
exact relation of these two great men.
a rev observations on the similarity of
their characters may not be out of place.
The writer of this was too young, even
TO see the last battle of the civil war, and
never met either of the men personally.
but II appears that he is related to both:
hence, laying aside further grandfather
ism, fair comparison will be attempted
The curtain has been drawn between
inns SeHeIdtloH ana the times IN which
Gen Grant and Jefferson Davis lived
and fought. The one was a soldier-states-
man; the other statesman soldier. Both
came from common parentage in Great
Britain For five generations their mu-
tual ancestors lived under American in
huences-almost in the same localities.
progressing westward and southwark
Their forefathers were fellow colonial sub
Jects of Great Britain, then close comrades
in Washingtons army, also in the war of
III, and the sons in the Mexican war
While Gen. Grant was conquering the
Spaniards in the ancient Aztec country.