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Biographical History of Cherokee County, Iowa
W. S. Dunbar & Co., Chigago - 1889

[page 434-435]

   BENJAMIN O. SIMPSON was born in the State of New Hampshire, in the
   town of Windham, June 23, 1820. His father, ROBERT SMITH SIMPSON,
   a farmer by occupation, was also a native of New Hampshire, and a
   grandson of ALEXANDER SIMPSON, who settled in New Hampshire in 1735.
   He also was a farmer, and was descended from Scotch and English
   ancestors; he settled near what was called Simpson's Pond. Our sub-
   ject has in his possession the old gun used by his ancestors in the
   French and Indian War in 1757, and also in the battle of Bunker Hill
   in 1775. The barrel of this gun was originally five feet long and
   was a flint lock, but it has been changed to a percussion lock and
   is a fine shooting gun to this day; the bayonet belonging to it is
   in a good state of preservation, and is highly valued by the family
   as a relic.  ROBERT S. SIMPSON, father of BENJAMIN O., spent all his
   life in New Hampshire.  He married MARY SIMPSON, of Portsmouth, New
   Hampshire, a daughter of GEORGE SIMPSON, of English extraction; to
   them six children were born, five boys and one girl. BENJAMIN O.
   obtained his education in the schools of Windham, and after leaving
   school entered the cotton mills, where he remained ten years. He
   then decided to try his hand at farming, and he followed this occu-
   pation successfully until 1870, when he retired from his farm and
   purchased what was known as Bartley store, and embarked in the mer-
   cantile trade. He continued in this business until 1876, when he
   sold out. He was then chosen agent for the town of Windham to go to
   Portsmouth and look after the interests of the town in relation to
   the enrollment of the citizens who were not liable to military duty;
   to strike from the rolls the names of all who were disqualified by
   age or otherwise, and to put in substitutes. He also served as col-
   lector of the town of Windham for several years, and as judge of
   elections for 1867'68. June 14, 1878, Mr. SIMPSON removed to Chero-
   kee, Iowa, where he has since lived a somewhat retired life. He has
   various business interests in the way of town property, which he
   rents out. While he began in a very humble way, by good management
   and energy he has accumulated a handsome property.  Besides his town
   property he owns a good farm of 140 acres.  Mr. SIMPSON has been
   twice married; first, in 1845, to MARTHA JANE SANFORD, of Freedom,
   Maine, a daughter of HENRY SANFORD.  Two children were born of this
   union: MARY, deceased, and ROBERT.  The mother died in 1863. In 1866
   Mr. SIMPSON was again married, to ABBIE G. FOYE, a native of New
   Hampshire, and a daughter of JOSEPH YOUNG.  No children were born
   of this marriage.  Mrs. SIMPSON died March 12, 1888.  For many years
   in her early life she was a successful teacher.  Mr. SIMPSON'S life
   has not been an uneventful one; he has had three narrow escapes from
   death by shooting; in the first accident he was wounded in the neck,
   the shot entering near the windpipe and lodging near the back of the
   neck; the second time he and his son were out hunting, and a charge
   of shot entered his leg below the knee; the third time he was with
   a party hunting partridges, and the shot entered his shoulder belt
   over the lung, lodging in the belt.  He is very fond of the sport of
   hunting with dog and gun, and his appreciation of the pleasure has
   not been diminished on account of his various accidents.  He is con-
   sidered a very fine shot, and has whiled away many pleasant hours
   in this pastime.  He has served officially as a member of the City
   Council of Cherokee for four years, from 1882 to 1886.


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