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Simpson line

Emeline Cora Hethcot

Also known as: Emma Hethcot, Emma C. Hethcot, Emma C. Simpson, Emma Cora Simpson

Feature profile

An Iowa-born Hethcot daughter, wife of Thomas Nelson Simpson, and mother of a large Simpson household whose records trace the family from Iowa and Nebraska into Saskatchewan.

Life Story

Emeline Cora Hethcot, often recorded after marriage as Emma or Emma C. Simpson, was born on 24 July 1871 in Iowa. Family records and later census entries connect her to the Hethcot family of Iowa and Nebraska and to the Simpson family that later settled in Saskatchewan.

She was the daughter of Nathan Wilson Hethcot and Mary Jane Harper. In 1880, Emma Hethcot was living with her parents in Penn Township, Guthrie County, Iowa. She was recorded as nine years old, born in Iowa, and attending school. By 1885, the family was in Spring Valley Township, Dallas County, Iowa, where Emma was listed as fourteen years old. Those records place her in the same broader Iowa community in which the Simpson family was also living before the move west.

In August 1890, Emma Hethcot was listed among Hendley enrollees at a county teachers’ institute reported in the Beaver Valley Tribune. The notice is brief, but it shows that she had some education or teacher-training activity before marriage.

On 21 December 1890, Emma C. Hethcot married Thomas Nelson Simpson in Phelps County, Nebraska. The marriage record gives her age as nineteen, her birthplace as Iowa, and names her parents as A. Hethcot and Mary Harper. The father’s initial does not match the stronger body of evidence identifying her father as Nathan Wilson Hethcot, but the maternal identity, age, and family context fit Emma.

Thomas and Emma lived in Nebraska during the early years of their marriage. In 1900, the family was recorded in Beaver City, Furnas County, Nebraska, where Thomas was working as a salesman. The household included Verva, Alta, Everett, and Cecil. Newspaper notices from the same year explain the temporary Beaver City residence: Thomas represented the Deering Harvester Company and had moved his headquarters there for a time before returning to Holdrege.

Thomas and Emma had seven known children: Verva Leslie, Alta Mae, Everett Thomas, Cecil June, Clement Nelson, Rachel Martha, and Lowell Leon Simpson. Clement Nelson Simpson died in 1903 as a young child. His death notice identifies him as the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Simpson and helps explain a later census problem: the 1910 census reported Emma as the mother of six children, all living, even though Clement’s death is documented.

Emma appears in Holdrege community notices during the years before the family’s Canadian move. In 1906, Emma Simpson was among eight new members initiated into the Royal Neighbors, a women’s fraternal benefit society. In 1910, Mrs. T. N. Simpson directed children in a drill at a Modern Woodmen and Royal Neighbors picnic, and eight little girls sang “Moonlight Bay” under her direction.

Emma remained connected to her Hethcot family after marriage. Her mother, Mary Harper Hethcot, died at Holdrege in 1913, and the obituary named Mrs. Emma Simpson of Holdrege, Nebraska, as a surviving daughter. Her father, Nathan W. Hethcot, died in 1925 at North Platte, Nebraska, at the home of his daughter Mrs. A. B. Godwin.

Thomas’s later obituary stated that he came to Canada in 1914 and first settled at Pathlow, Saskatchewan. That date is retrospective, but records from the 1920s place Thomas and Emma firmly in Saskatchewan. The 1921 Canada census records them in the Carrot River area. In 1922, Emma C. Simpson released her homestead rights when Thomas mortgaged land in Saskatchewan.

Emma and Thomas’s household also became part of a larger family response to loss. Their daughter Verva Leslie Simpson Lutz died in Nebraska in 1923, leaving six young children. A funeral notice reported that Thomas and Emma of Pathlow, Saskatchewan, attended the funeral and that three of the children would go home with their grandparents to Canada. By the 1926 Canadian census, all six Lutz grandchildren were living in Thomas and Emma’s Saskatchewan household. In 1931, Mary and Meredith were still living with Thomas and Emma, although they were enumerated under the Simpson surname.

Emma Cora Simpson died in 1932 and was buried at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The burial index uses the name Emma Cora Simpson, one of several name forms found in the records.

Children

Known children of Thomas Nelson Simpson and Emeline Cora Hethcot Simpson include:

  • Verva Leslie Simpson, later wife of Charles Robert Lutz.
  • Alta Mae Simpson.
  • Everett Thomas Simpson.
  • Cecil June Simpson.
  • Clement Nelson Simpson, born 5 November 1900 and died 2 August 1903.
  • Rachel Martha Simpson.
  • Lowell Leon Simpson, direct-line child.

Research Notes

Emma appears under several name forms. Her marriage record names her as Emma C. Hethcot or Hetchcot, and most records after marriage identify her as Emma or Emma C. Simpson. The Saskatchewan Burial Index names her Emma Cora Simpson. Family materials use a Cora/Emeline form. The public profile uses Emeline Cora Hethcot while preserving the alternate forms as record evidence.

Her parentage is supported by the 1880 and 1885 census records, the 1890 marriage record, and Mary Harper Hethcot’s 1913 obituary. The marriage record’s rendering of her father’s given name appears inconsistent with the rest of the record set, but Mary Harper matches the maternal identity found in later sources.

The 1910 census child-count entry says Emma had six children, all living. That conflicts with the 1903 death notice for Clement Nelson Simpson and the family Bible copy, both of which identify Clement as a child of Thomas and Emma. The 1910 child-count entry appears to have omitted the child who had died.

Several McCook and Red Willow County newspaper items name an Emma Simpson or Mrs. Emma C. Simpson. Those records should not be attributed to Emeline Cora Hethcot Simpson without additional evidence tying them to Thomas Nelson Simpson, the Hethcot family, Holdrege/Phelps County, or another known family connection.

Evidence Timeline

  1. Birth in Iowa

    Family records give Emma's birth date and Iowa birthplace.

  2. Hethcot childhood household

    The federal census places Emma with Nathan and Mary Hethcot in Penn Township, Guthrie County, Iowa.

  3. Dallas County household

    The Iowa state census places Emma with the Hethcot family in Spring Valley Township, Dallas County.

  4. Teachers' institute listing

    A Beaver Valley Tribune notice lists Emma Hethcot among county teachers' institute enrollees.

  5. Marriage to Thomas Nelson Simpson

    The Phelps County marriage record identifies her as Emma C. Hethcot or Hetchcot, age nineteen, born in Iowa.

  6. Nebraska family household

    Census and newspaper records place Thomas and Emma's household in Beaver City and Holdrege, Nebraska.

  7. Holdrege community activity

    Newspaper notices place Emma in the Royal Neighbors and directing children's performances at a community picnic.

  8. Saskatchewan records

    Canadian census and land-title records place Thomas and Emma in Saskatchewan.

  9. Lutz grandchildren in household

    After Verva Simpson Lutz died, records show her children living with Thomas and Emma in Saskatchewan.

  10. Death and burial

    The Saskatchewan Burial Index records Emma Cora Simpson's death year and Prince Albert burial place.

Family Group Sheet

Spouse / family connection
Thomas Nelson Simpson, married 21 Dec. 1890 in Phelps County, Nebraska
Children and direct-line notes
  • Verva Leslie Simpson - later wife of Charles Robert Lutz
  • Alta Mae Simpson
  • Everett Thomas Simpson
  • Cecil June Simpson
  • Clement Nelson Simpson - born 5 Nov. 1900; died 2 Aug. 1903
  • Rachel Martha Simpson
  • Lowell Leon Simpson - direct-line child

Photographs

Photograph Index

Images embedded in the story are gathered here with the additional family photographs connected to this profile.

Unknown date Thomas Nelson Simpson and Emeline Cora Hethcot Simpson family photograph, supplied with the profile materials. Photo details
Unknown date Hethcot women: Alice Belle Hethcot, Aurelia Evelyn Ballard, Sarah Elizabeth Hethcot, Emeline Cora Hethcot, and Esther Mae Hethcot. Emeline Cora is fourth from left. Photo details

Documentary Base

Sources

family paper

Thomas Nelson Simpson Family Bible Copy

Contemporary record

Citation: Thomas Nelson Simpson family Bible birth entries, typewritten copy in family papers, listing births of Thomas Nelson Simpson, Emeline Cora Hethcot Simpson, their children, and Lutz grandchildren; attached affidavit of Joseph Strachan, general merchant of Gunworth, Saskatchewan, sworn 18 August 1947, stating that he had seen the Family Bible of Thomas Nelson Simpson and that the attached paper was a true copy of the Bible page; privately held by Davis Simpson, 2026.

Access: Private family paper reviewed in 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas Nelson Simpson was recorded as Thos. Nelson Simpson, born 27 July 1868 at Perry, Iowa.
  • The family Bible copy records Emma and the children of Thomas and Emma.
  • The attached affidavit explains the source of the typed Bible copy.

census

1880 Emma Hethcot Census

Contemporary record

Citation: 1880 U.S. census, Guthrie County, Iowa, population schedule, Penn Township, enumeration district 78, p. 9, dwelling 69, family 74, Nathan Hethcot household, including Emma Hethcot, age 9, daughter; "Iowa, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB4-V15?view=explore : accessed 29 May 2026), image 250 of 717; citing United States National Archives and Records Administration, Image Group Number 005160604.

Access: FamilySearch digital image, accessed 29 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Emma Hethcot was living with Nathan and Mary A. Hethcot in Penn Township, Guthrie County, Iowa.
  • The record gives Emma as age nine, born in Iowa, and attending school.

state census

1885 Emma Hethcot Iowa Census

Contemporary record

Citation: 1885 Iowa state census, Dallas County, Iowa, Spring Valley Township, Nathan Hethcot household, including Emma Hethcot, age 14; "Dallas, Iowa, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-YP9J-3Z?view=explore : accessed 29 May 2026), image 466 of 793; Iowa Historical Society, Image Group Number 004539586.

Access: FamilySearch digital image, accessed 29 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Emma Hethcot was living with Nathan and Mary Hethcot in Spring Valley Township, Dallas County, Iowa.
  • The record places Emma in the same broader community as the Simpsons before her marriage.

newspaper notice

1890 Emma Hethcot Teachers' Institute Notice

Contemporary record

Citation: "The enrollment on the second day was 103," county teachers' institute report, Beaver Valley Tribune (Beaver City, Nebraska), 7 August 1890, p. 5, listing Emma Hethcot among Hendley enrollees; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/beaver-valley-tribune-emma-hethcot-enrol/57240580/ : accessed 28 May 2026), "Emma Hethcot enrolls in educational institute," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Emma Hethcot was listed among county teachers' institute enrollees in 1890.
  • The notice supports education or teacher-training context before her marriage.

marriage record

1890 Thomas Simpson and Emma Hethcot Marriage

Strong support

Citation: "Nebraska, Marriages, 1855-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X58M-KZ9 : accessed 28 May 2026), Thomas N. Simpson and Emma C. Hetchcot, 21 December 1890, Phelps County, Nebraska.

Access: FamilySearch database entry, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas N. Simpson married Emma C. Hethcot on 21 December 1890 in Phelps County, Nebraska.
  • The record identifies Thomas as age 22, born in Iowa, son of N. Simpson and Rachel Woods.

census

1900 Thomas Simpson Household Census

Contemporary record

Citation: 1900 U.S. census, Furnas County, Nebraska, population schedule, Beaver City precinct, enumeration district 60, sheet 7B, dwelling 158, family 158, Thomas Simpson household; "Furnas, Nebraska, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6X9Z-GW?view=explore : accessed 28 May 2026), image 45 of 271; citing United States National Archives and Records Administration, Image Group Number 004119889.

Access: FamilySearch digital image, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas and Emma Simpson lived in Beaver City, Nebraska, in 1900.
  • Thomas was listed as a salesman.
  • The household included Verva, Alta, Everett, and Cecil.

newspaper notice

1903 Clement Nelson Simpson Death Notice

Contemporary record

Citation: "Sad Death of Child," death notice for Clement Nelson Simpson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Simpson, The Weekly Progress (Holdrege, Nebraska), 7 August 1903, p. 1; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-weekly-progress-obituary-for-clement/76823609/ : accessed 28 May 2026), "Obituary for Clement Nelson Simpson," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Clement Nelson Simpson was a son of Thomas and Emma Simpson.
  • His death in 1903 explains the conflict with the 1910 census child count.

newspaper notice

1906 Emma Simpson Royal Neighbors Notice

Contemporary record

Citation: "Initiation and Reception," Holdrege Daily Citizen (Holdrege, Nebraska), 23 February 1906, p. 1, reporting that Emma Simpson was among eight new members initiated into the Royal Neighbors; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/holdrege-daily-citizen-emma-hethcot-simp/198493628/ : accessed 28 May 2026), "Emma Hethcot Simpson Royal Neighbors," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Emma Simpson was initiated into the Royal Neighbors in Holdrege in 1906.
  • The notice supports Emma's community and fraternal involvement.

newspaper notice

1908 Thomas Simpson Canada Land Notice

Contemporary record

Citation: "Mr. Thomas Simpson moved his household goods and family to Holdrege," local notice, Holdrege Daily Citizen (Holdrege, Nebraska), 2 April 1908, p. 7, stating that Thomas Simpson expected to enter the real estate business as an agent for Canada land; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/holdrege-daily-citizen-thomas-simpson-a/198492860/ : accessed 28 May 2026), "Thomas Simpson, Agent for Canada Land," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas Simpson had a documented business connection to Canadian land promotion in 1908.
  • The notice predates the family's later Saskatchewan settlement.

census

1910 Thomas Simpson Household Census

Contemporary record

Citation: 1910 U.S. census, Phelps County, Nebraska, population schedule, Holdrege city, ward 2, enumeration district 102, sheet 2A, dwelling 603, family 35, Thomas Simpson household; "Nebraska, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRK3-YYL?view=explore : accessed 28 May 2026), image 208 of 1406; citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 853.

Access: FamilySearch digital image, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas and Emma Simpson lived in Holdrege, Nebraska, in 1910.
  • Thomas was listed as a commercial traveler.
  • The household included Verva, Alta, Everett, Cecil, Rachel, and Lowell.

newspaper notice

1910 Mrs. T. N. Simpson Picnic Report

Contemporary record

Citation: "Good Crowd at the Picnic," Holdrege Daily Citizen (Holdrege, Nebraska), 1 September 1910, p. 1, reporting that a group of boys and girls under the direction of Mrs. T. N. Simpson gave a drill and that eight little girls under her direction sang "Moonlight Bay"; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/holdrege-daily-citizen-holdrege-picnic/198512582/ : accessed 29 May 2026), "Holdrege Picnic, Emma Hethcot Simpson mention," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 29 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Mrs. T. N. Simpson directed children in a drill and song at a 1910 Holdrege picnic.
  • The identification is tied to Thomas Nelson Simpson and the Holdrege community.

obituary

1913 Mary Harper Hethcot Obituary

Contemporary record

Citation: "Mrs. N. W. Hethcot Dies Last Friday," obituary of Mary Harper Hethcot, Holdrege Daily Citizen (Holdrege, Nebraska), 5 June 1913, p. 1, naming Mrs. Emma Simpson of Holdrege, Nebraska, as a surviving daughter; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/holdrege-daily-citizen-obituary-for-mary/93648714/ : accessed 28 May 2026), "Obituary for Mary Harper," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Mary Harper Hethcot's obituary names Mrs. Emma Simpson of Holdrege as a surviving daughter.
  • The obituary supports Emma's parentage and continued Hethcot family connection.

census

1921 Thomas Simpson Canada Census

Contemporary record

Citation: 1921 Census of Canada, Saskatchewan, Prince Albert District, Carrot River sub-district, p. 7, Thomas Simpson household; Library and Archives Canada, RG31, Statistics Canada, census record e003124350 (https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=census&idNumber=68523887&ecopy=e003124350 : accessed 28 May 2026).

Access: Library and Archives Canada census image, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas and Emma Simpson were living in Saskatchewan in 1921.
  • The record supports post-migration residence in the Carrot River area.

land title record

1922 Thomas Simpson Saskatchewan Mortgage

Contemporary record

Citation: Saskatchewan, Land Titles Act mortgage, Thomas Simpson of Pleasant Valley, Saskatchewan, farmer, to William Forbes Alloway of Winnipeg, Manitoba, banker, for the E 1/2 of section 35, township 43, range 20, west of the 2nd meridian, executed 11 November 1922 and filed 11 March 1924; "Melfort, Star City No. 428, Saskatchewan, Canada records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G569-98GV?view=explore : accessed 28 May 2026), images 413-416 of 501; Saskatchewan Archives, Image Group Number 004366197.

Access: FamilySearch digital images, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas Simpson was described as a farmer of Pleasant Valley, Saskatchewan.
  • He mortgaged the east half of section 35, township 43, range 20, west of the second meridian.
  • Emma C. Simpson released her homestead rights in the property.

newspaper notice

1923 Verva Leslie Simpson Lutz Funeral Notice

Contemporary record

Citation: "Sad Funeral Held Sunday," funeral notice for Mrs. Chas. Lutz, identifying her as Verva Leslie Simpson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Simpson, Sherman County Times (Loup City, Nebraska), 2 March 1923, p. 1; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/sherman-county-times-funeral-of-verva-le/198446123/ : accessed 28 May 2026), "Funeral of Verva Leslie Simpson (Verva Lutz, Mrs. Chas Lutz)," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Verva Leslie Simpson Lutz was a daughter of Thomas and Emma Simpson.
  • Thomas and Emma of Pathlow, Saskatchewan, attended the funeral.
  • Three of Verva's children were expected to go to Canada with their grandparents.

newspaper notice

1925 Nathan W. Hethcot Death Notice

Contemporary record

Citation: "Nathan W. Hethcot passed away," death notice, The North Platte Tribune (North Platte, Nebraska), 25 September 1925, p. 1, reporting Nathan W. Hethcot's death at the home of his daughter Mrs. A. B. Godwin and burial at Red Oak, Iowa; clipping, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-north-platte-tribune-nathan-w-hethc/198515307/ : accessed 29 May 2026), "Nathan W. Hethcot Death Notice," clipped by davissimpson.

Access: Newspapers.com clipping, accessed 29 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Nathan W. Hethcot died in 1925 and was buried at Red Oak, Iowa.
  • The notice provides parent-family context for Emma's Hethcot family.

census

1926 Thomas Simpson Household with Lutz Grandchildren

Contemporary record

Citation: 1926 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, Saskatchewan, Melfort electoral district, enumeration sub-district 16, municipality of Carrot River, pp. 11-12, dwelling 105, family 109, Thomas Simpson household, including grandchildren Robert, Elnora, Jean, Merideth, Marybeth, and Constance Lutz; "Saskatchewan, Canada records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C395-G99W-Z?view=explore : accessed 28 May 2026), image 12 of 1065 and following image; citing Library and Archives Canada, Image Group Number 105519963.

Access: FamilySearch digital images, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • All six Lutz grandchildren were living in Thomas and Emma Simpson's Saskatchewan household in 1926.
  • The census supports the family-care account following Verva's death.

census

1931 Thomas Simpson Canada Census

Contemporary record

Citation: 1931 Census of Canada, Saskatchewan, Kindersley electoral district, Pleasant Valley municipality, enumeration sub-district 66, p. 10, lines 1-5, Thomas Simpson household; "Kindersley No. 290, Saskatchewan, Canada records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHJ-PQ5Q-354?view=explore : accessed 28 May 2026), image 7 of 13; citing Library and Archives Canada, Image Group Number 113474419.

Access: FamilySearch digital image, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Thomas and Emma were enumerated in Saskatchewan in 1931.
  • Mary and Meredith, interpreted as Lutz grandchildren, were still living in the household.

burial index

1932 Emma Cora Simpson Burial Index

Strong support

Citation: "Saskatchewan, Canada, Burial Index, 1802-2011," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8841/records/208360 : accessed 28 May 2026), entry for Emma Cora Simpson, death year 1932, burial city Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; citing The Saskatchewan Burial Index, Saskatchewan Genealogical Society, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Access: Ancestry database entry, accessed 28 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Emma Cora Simpson died in 1932.
  • Her burial city was Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
  • The record supports Thomas's later status as a widower.