John Marion Simpson Family
Back Row: Ada Valeda Simpson Hilliard, Harvey Albert
Simpson, Sarah Viola Simpson Hilliard, Olof Ellzey Simpson, Mary Ethel
Simpson Heckler Shephard.
Front Row: Warren McKinley
Simpson, Emma Florence Ellzey Simpson,
John Marion Simpson, Arena Glenn Simpson Hilliard
John Marion Simpson
John was born in White County, IL on Friday, 21 Nov 1856.
He was the son of James Sheldon Simpson and Elizabeth Jane
Matthews Simpson. He moved
with his parents to Wayne County, IL
when he was a very young boy.
Emma Florence Ellzey
Emma was born Saturday,
25 October 1856, in Wayne County, IL.
She was the daughter of William D. Ellzey and Barbara Davis Ellzey.
John and Emma
were married 14 Feb 1882 in Wayne County, IL.
They set up housekeeping in Lamard Township
purchasing land to begin farming.
They had 7 children, four girls and 3 boys.
The children are as follows:
Ada
Valeda Simpson
Ada
was born Sat, 23 Dec 1882. Ada
would marry Charles S Hilliard, who was born 2 Aug 1874.
He was son of George Hilliard and Amanda Green Hilliard and died
9 Dec 1954. They married
Sunday, 15 March 1903 and had one son, John William Hilliard.
They are both buried in Maple
Hill Cemetery
in Fairfield, Wayne, IL.
Ada,
Charlie and John William Hilliard
Harvey Albert Simpson
Second child and first
son was born on Monday, 18 Aug 1884.
Harve married Wed.
29 Dec 1909, Viola May Young, daughter of Robert E Young and Emma Walton
Young. She was born 9 Jan 1890.
Harve and Ola, as she was called, married at the home of his
sister, Ada,
and her husband Charlie in Geff.
They lived in Lamard
Township
until about 1914 when they moved to Arkansas
and eventually Iowa.
However, they returned to Wayne County in about 1948.
They had 3 children, Walton Young, Mina Lea and Georgia Emma.
Harve died 6 Nov 1968 and Ola died 28 Sept 1974.
Both are buried in the Oak Valley
Cemetery,
Wayne County, IL.
Harvey &
Ola Simpson
Sarah Viola Simpson
Another December baby,
Sarah Viola was born Tues, 28 Dec 1886.
They would call her Viola.
Viola married Clarence William Hilliard on Sunday, 31 December
1911. Clarence was born 5
Jun 1886, in Wayne
County
the son of John Hilliard and Marinda McClintock Hilliard.
They farmed in Lamard Township and had one son, Clarence
Harl. Clarence died 3 Oct
1959 and Viola died on 28 Jun 1970.
They are both buried in
Oak
Valley
Cemetery, Wayne County, IL.
Olof Ellzey Simpson
The second son Olof
Ellzey was born Tues, 4 March 1890.
On Wed, 11 December 1912, Olof married Ida Mae Davis who was the
daughter of William C Davis and Devada Davis. They lived in Lamard Township and had two children, John
William and Norma Eileen.
There was a lot of Flu going around and Ida became ill.
After several days of suffering, she died from pneumonia on Sat, 20 Oct 1917
leaving 2 children, Johnny, age 4 and Norma, age 1.
She was buried in Oak Valley Cemetery, Wayne County, IL
On Wed. 10 Dec 1919, Olof married Beulah Hilliard, born 17 Sept
1892, daughter of David Hilliard and Lucinda B Schell. They moved to Marion County and raised 6
children in that area. Olof
is buried between Ida and Beulah in the Oak Valley
Cemetery, Wayne
County, IL
Olof Ellzey Simpson
Mary Ethel Simpson
Mary Ethel was born Wed,
10 Aug 1892. She married
William Harry Heckler who was born 8 Feb 1885.
He was the son of
Petter Heckler and Rose A Groff Heckler.
Mary and Bill were married Wed. 10 Aug 1910 and they ran the
General Telephone office in Fairfield for a number of
years. He died in Aug 1943
and she later married, Elmer Shephard on 29 Aug 1945.
He was born 15 Sept 1874 in Indiana
and they lived in Brownstown,
Indiana
until Elmer passed away and she returned to Wayne County.
Mary never had any children of her own but she helped raise Norma
Eileen Simpson, daughter of Olaf Simpson, Mary's brother.
Norma's mother had died when she was about 2 years old.
Mary died 29 Nov 1972 at the Richland Memorial Hospital
in Olney, IL.
Bill Heckler died 18 Aug 1943 and Elmer Shephard died 16 Sept
1963. Mary and Bill are
buried in Oak
Valley
Cemetery, Wayne County, IL. Elmer
Shephard was buried in Indiana.
Mary &
Bill Heckler
Warren McKinley Simpson
Warren McKinley was born
Sat, 26 Oct 1895.
Warren
had an accident as a young boy when some cans rattled and caused a horse
to kick him in the head.
The result was brain damage and he was forever a mentally challenged
person. He lived at home
until his mother died and at some point was institutionalized I believe
in Lincoln, IL.
Warren
died on 15 June 1954. He is
buried in the Oak Valley Cemetery.
Wayne County, IL
Warren McKinley Simpson
Arena Glen Simpson
Their last child was a
girl, Arena Glenn. She was born Thurs, 21 Oct 1897 and would be called
Glenn. Glenn married Ralph Hilliard on Wed, 16 Aug 1916.
Ralph was born 18 Feb 1899 in Missouri and died 21 Dec 1983.
He was the son of
David & Lucinda Schell Hilliard.
Two children were born, the first was a boy that was stillborn.
Their second child was Hazel Lenore born 19 June 1918.
Glenn became ill with pneumonia and died on 5 Feb 1920.
Ralph died 21 Dec 1983 and they are both buried in the
Oak
Valley
Cemetery.
John Marion Simpson
Died, Saturday, 14
February 1920
While his daughter Glenn
was ill, John because sick also with the flu and also developed
pneumonia.
He was unable to attend his daughter's funeral and died 9 days
later. His family was
devastated to lose both Glenn and John and the letters that were written
to family members living out of state reflective of this terrible time.
John died on Sat, 14 Feb 1920 and after the service at the Oak Valley Baptist Church,
was also laid to rest in the
Oak
Valley
Cemetery
just across the road in Wayne County, IL
Emma Florence Ellzey
died, Friday, 25 January 1924
After the death of her
husband and child, Emma kept the family together and continued to care
for Johnny and Norma, Olof's children from his marriage to Ida.
They were a comfort but also a handful for her.
She became ill and passed away about 4 years later on Friday, 25
Jan 1924 and after a service at the Oak
Valley
Church, was laid to
rest beside her husband in the cemetery.
Viola, Mary & Ada Simpson
For more information on this family, please
contact:
Marylea Gazette,
garylea@swbell.net