The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-08-25

part referred to is taken rom Page sn oS G is
The Ancestry of General Grant, anu -
as follows: -. .Ao. COO
dsuchtsr and third child of John
Siupson. and was born ana hrouSht up
In Montgomery county, fenIsS ~ az, ~,
rwertv miles from Philadelphla. M.
simr son was highly respectable laliu
Of American ancestry for several sen"Ia-
lions None Of the family connec'iohS
we're ever aspirants for fame or poHlc.I
rcfcriety. but we're more soil,liDns do ~
their standing in regard 10 inlesil.y,
racitv. ard Independence. Ths fanny
had removed 20 Ohio a few years pre-,
Vicusiv. and settled in Clermcrt county.
Another letter from the same source 10
the New York Ledger. says. o.,
AT the time of our marriage tune ~
1S2D Mrs Grant was an unpretehllhg
,.irl handsome but not vain. She had
nreviously ioined the Methodist churchi
and can truthfuliy say that II has never
had a moro devoted and consistent MEM
Per. Her sfeadiness, and strength OF
character have been the stay OF the ram
ily through lfe. She was always careful
and most wa.chfm over her chlldren'
but nev'r austere, and not Opposed 10
their free participation in innocent
apusemcnts.
The influence and inherited traits or
General Grants mother upon his charac-
ter. have been told so many times that
they need no reiteraton here. IL only
remains To snow the lDlluUftdblt fanny
ties Of the Simpsons and Davises, IN an
ccstral composition, as chemist might
say.
''The Life of John Davis is the log
book by which every real PENNSYLVANIA
Davis swears The manuscript Tor IL
was prepared from old documents in pos
session OF various branches of the fami-
". covering a period of nearly two hun
dred years. The collection ana arrange
mcnt OF these documents FOR print re-
years. and the work was done and pub
lished for private circulation, In lSs6. by
General ". W. II. Davis, now living at
Doylestown, Ia.
General Davis was an officer In the
Mexican war, Brigadler-General in the
Union Army of the civil war, later Gov
ernor of New Mexico, and United states
Commissioner to the 1873 Paris EXPOSE
ton. His military. civil, and literary rec
ords constitute him an authority on the
subject here discussed. on page 80 OF the
Life Of John Davis" are these state
cnts.
John Davis married Ann Simpson,
daughter OF William simpson, on June 20
l.S
William Simpson was a soldier of the
Rev olution. We have no record OF MS
service. and cannot say when. nor
how long he served In the Continental
army. Born in 1872. he is supposed 20
have immieratcd from the north OF Ire
land, between 174S and 1850, and settled in
Buckingham township. Bucks county,
Pennsylvania. lie made application TO
purchase 100 acres of land January 10,
i.c. and the deed was executed by John
Penn. May 23 1861. He married Nancy
Hines, OF New Britain. was the father Of
two sons and two daughters-JOhn ana
Matthew, and Ann and Mary. Matthew
removed 20 near GAINESVILLE. Ohio, In 1910;
John lived and died in the county; Ann
married John Davis. William simpson
died in 1916. aged cighty-four
lDgrGnIg1
the Bucks county Simpsons"
The difference lHtween Montgomery
county in Jesse Root Grants letter ana
Bucks county in General Davis state
ment. Is very slight Montgomery county
wss part OF Philadelphia until 1884.
Both Joined the present city OF Philadel-
phia, on the west and north, and the en-
tire territory where the early DaNlses ana
Simpsons lived Is within radius of about
forty miles from the present Public
Building IN Philadelphia.
Thus General Grants great grandfather
was William Simpson. who was father of
John Simpson. who was father OF Mrs.
Grant The Roots also married with the
Grants In Ohio, and the present and pre-
Ceding generation of Roots claim a first
cousinship with the ohio Davises.
In answer TO letter of inquiry on these
points, General Davis has written:
"Doyiestown. Pa.
July %. 1895.
"My Good Cousin
"Yours at hand and contents noted.
do know anything about John Simp-
SOM My fathers mother was Ann Simp-
son, Of buckingham township this coun-
~. n daughter OF William, who was "a
Revolutionary soldier and he had a son
.iohn. | have often heard my father say
that General Grant was cousin of his
Grant was also rotated 10 the hougnS &c
this county. who are our relatives. You
came from the same ancestry.
Judge Root did not belong 10 this bail
iwick
''Regarding the conversation had with
Jefferson Davis while he was secretary
OF War. I know nothing more than l
have told. you. Our talk was informal.
He thought We were cousins.
Goodbye
"W w. III. DAVIS"
New York"
During Jefferson Davis last illness no