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5th great-granduncle

Moses Simpson

Also known as: Moses Simson

Standard profile
Profile evidence
Established profile
Last reviewed
11 July 2026

A Mispillion Hundred landholder, son and executor of William Simpson, whose widow, five children, and difficult-to-divide estate are documented in probate, land, and Orphans’ Court records.

Life Story

Moses Simpson, also recorded as Moses Simson, was probably born between about 1728 and 1732 in Kent County, Delaware. He was a son of William Simpson of Mispillion Hundred and William’s wife Urcilla. William’s will, dated 13 November 1757, called Moses his “well beloved Son,” appointed Moses and Urcilla as executors, and gave Urcilla life use of the home plantation before it passed to Moses after “his Mothers Death.”1

Moses first appears clearly in the surviving Mispillion Hundred levy sequence in 1753, near John Simson and the older William Simson.2 He was listed again in 1754.3 These records place him as an adult taxable man by the early 1750s, but they do not provide an exact age.

William’s estate arrangements placed Moses at the centre of the later household. Unlike John Simpson, who had received a separate tract from William in 1749, Moses lived with William on the home plantation and was to inherit it after Urcilla’s death. When William died late in 1757, Moses and Urcilla took responsibility for completing the estate. They rendered an account in 1760,4 and on 29 May 1760 they completed a conveyance of 110 acres that William had contracted to sell during his lifetime.5

Moses married a woman named Mary, but no record reviewed for this family provides her maiden name or the date and place of the marriage. Their household was established in Mispillion Hundred, where Moses held land and where their children were born.

Moses died unexpectedly young, sometime before 13 June 1765. On that date, Mary Simpson and Joseph Parsons entered an administration bond for his estate, showing that he had died without a will.6 His personal property was inventoried four days later, on 17 June.7 Later court records consistently described him as having died intestate while seized of land in Mispillion Hundred.

By August 1766, Mary had married Thomas Shockley. The estate account was presented by Mary and Thomas Shockley with Joseph Parsons, and it included a payment to Ursilla Simpson, who was probably Moses’s mother.8 Mary retained her dower interest in Moses’s land after remarriage.

Because Moses died while his children were young, the surviving record of his family comes largely from guardianship and land proceedings. In 1770, Thomas Shipley, acting as guardian for Benjamin Simpson, described Benjamin as Moses’s eldest son and stated that Moses had died leaving a widow, land, and several children.9

The land could not be divided easily. A return made in 1771 concluded that Moses’s property would not admit division among the heirs without prejudice to the whole.10 A 1777 plat and valuation described 200 acres in Mispillion Hundred and set out the widow’s one-third interest.11 The long delay was not unusual where several minor heirs shared an indivisible farm, but it meant that Moses’s estate remained before the Orphans’ Court for years after his death.

The clearest identification of Moses’s children appears in a petition filed by Benjamin Simpson on 1 March 1784. Benjamin called himself the eldest son of Moses and identified the other children as Thomas, Mary, Richard, and Ruth, wife of Ezekiel Riggs.12 These proceedings establish five children of Moses and Mary: Benjamin, Thomas, Mary, Richard, and Ruth.

A petition by Thomas Simpson in 1785 continued the effort to settle the inheritance. It described the tract as “said to contain” 372 acres, a figure that conflicts with the 200 acres shown in the 1777 plat and in other court treatment of the property.13 The discrepancy may reflect the inclusion of more than one tract, an imprecise estimate, or changing descriptions of the estate, but the supplied records do not resolve it.

Later deeds described land formerly belonging to Moses as part of tracts called Oak Hall and Mount Pleasant. In 1794, a deed involving Ezekiel and Ruth Riggs, Robert Simpson, and the former Moses Simpson land also referred to Mary Shockley’s dower right as Moses’s lawful widow.14 Robert Simpson acquired interests in the property through Moses’s heirs, but the surviving records identify him as purchaser, grantee, or assignee—not as one of Moses’s children. He was probably Moses’s nephew, the son of John Simpson.

Moses’s adult life was comparatively short, but the records place him securely within the Simpson family and the Mispillion Hundred landholding community. He lived with his parents on William’s home plantation, helped settle his father’s estate, married Mary, and left five children. His early death turned the family land into a prolonged legal problem, preserving an unusually detailed record of his widow, heirs, and property for a man who died before the first federal census.

Research Notes

Birth Estimate

No birth or baptismal record has been located for Moses. He was not identified in the earlier levy lists reviewed for this family, including a faint 1744 list and a damaged 1748 list, but he appeared separately by 1753 and 1754.23 If his first clear separate tax appearance roughly corresponded with reaching taxable adulthood, a birth between about 1728 and 1732 is reasonable. It remains an estimate.

Urcilla as Mother

William Simpson’s will gave his wife Urcilla a life interest in the plantation and directed that it pass to Moses after “his Mothers Death.”1 In context, the phrase directly supports Urcilla as Moses’s mother. She was living in 1760 when she acted with Moses as William’s executor,5 and she was probably still living in 1766 when Moses’s estate account recorded a payment to Ursilla Simpson.8

John and Moses as Probable Half-Brothers

John and Moses were both documented sons of William Simpson, but they were probably half-brothers. John was already an adult taxable man by 1733, while Moses’s first clear separate levy appearances occurred about twenty years later. William Jr. also appeared as an adult by 1735, whereas Moses and William’s three daughters belonged to the later household centred on Urcilla.

Urcilla could theoretically have been the mother of both the older sons and the later children. That reconstruction, however, would require a very long maternal fertility window with relatively few documented surviving children across the interval. The age gap, William’s two-stage property arrangements, the express identification of Urcilla as Moses’s mother, and the apparent youth of the daughters in 1757 more naturally support an earlier maternal family for John and William Jr. and a later family with Urcilla. No surviving record directly states that the brothers had different mothers, so the relationship should remain qualified as probable.

Wife and Remarriage

Moses’s wife is directly identified only as Mary. Her maiden name and marriage details remain unknown. She administered Moses’s estate in 1765 and had married Thomas Shockley by August 1766.68 The 1794 deed confirms that Mary Shockley held dower because she had been Moses’s lawful wife.14

Children

The simplified family display in the supplied WikiTree material listed only Benjamin and Thomas, but the Orphans’ Court evidence establishes five children. Benjamin’s 1784 petition identifies Thomas, Mary, Richard, Ruth wife of Ezekiel Riggs, and Benjamin himself as the issue of Moses.12 The website family group should follow the court record.

Land Acreage

The estate’s acreage is inconsistent across the later proceedings. The 1777 plat and valuation described 200 acres and allowed for the widow’s third,11 while Thomas Simpson’s 1785 petition described the tract as “said to contain” 372 acres.13 The wording “said to contain” warns against treating 372 acres as a surveyed measurement. The public profile should preserve the conflict rather than choose one figure without a land reconstruction.

Robert Simpson and the Former Moses Simpson Land

Robert Simpson later acquired interests in land formerly belonging to Moses, but he should not be included among Moses’s children. The 1784 petition identifies Moses’s full issue, and Robert is absent.12 The land records treat Robert as a purchaser, grantee, or assignee. Correlated with John Simpson’s will, he was probably Moses’s nephew.

Y-DNA Evidence

Y-DNA testing independently corroborates the documented paternal structure of the family. Lee Simpson, a documented direct male-line descendant of Moses, and Davis Simpson, a documented direct male-line descendant of John, match at FamilyTreeDNA and share haplogroup R-FGC39762.15

The result does not independently prove each intermediate parent-child link. Its strength lies in agreement with two separately documented male-line pedigrees descending through different sons of William Simpson. It supports the conclusion that the John and Moses branches share the same biological Simpson paternal line.

Evidence Timeline

  1. Mispillion levy

    Moses appeared as a separate taxable man in Mispillion Hundred.

  2. Mispillion levy

    He appeared again in the levy sequence.

  3. Named in William's will

    William identified Moses as his son and co-executor and left him the home plantation after Urcilla's death.

  4. William's estate account

    Moses and Urcilla rendered the account as executors.

  5. Executor deed

    Moses and Urcilla completed a land sale begun by William.

  6. Death

    Moses died intestate; Mary Simpson and Joseph Parsons then entered the administration bond.

  7. Children identified

    Benjamin's Orphans' Court petition named all five children of Moses and Mary.

Family Group Sheet

Parents
  • William Simpson - documented father; Urcilla is identified as Moses's mother
  • Urcilla Simpson - also recorded as Ursley
Spouse / family connection
Mary Simpson, who married Thomas Shockley by August 1766; her maiden name is unidentified
Children and direct-line notes
  • Benjamin Simpson - eldest son
  • Thomas Simpson
  • Mary Simpson
  • Richard Simpson
  • Ruth Simpson - wife of Ezekiel Riggs

Places in Moses Simpson's Life

This marker represents Mispillion Hundred as a broad historical jurisdiction, not Moses's exact home, parcel, or estate boundary.

Documentary Base

Sources

probate file

[1] 1757 William Simpson Probate File

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Kent County probate file of William Simpson, will dated 13 November 1757, proved 10 December 1757; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRM-493W-8?view=explore : accessed 22 May 2026), images 348-354 of 812; RG3545.000, Roll 200, "Simpson, John to Sipple, Garrett, Jr."; Image Group Number 104426529.

Access: FamilySearch digital images, accessed 22 May 2026.

Supports:
  • William Simpson made his will on 13 November 1757 and it was proved on 10 December 1757.
  • The will names wife Urcilla, son Moses, and daughters Joan, Elizabeth, and Jemima.
  • The probate file establishes the death window, estate structure, executors, and household inheritance plan.

tax-list

[2] Mispillion Hundred levy list, 1753 — John and Moses Simson

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, Levy Court Commissioners, "Tax Lists," 1753, Mispillion Hundred, entries for John Simson and Moses Simson; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3J-PQVL-3 : accessed 22 May 2026), image 405 of 940; Image Group Number 007834262.

Access: FamilySearch digital images; accessed 22 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Places John and Moses Simson in Mispillion Hundred in 1753.
  • Supports continued residence by John and an adult tax appearance for Moses.
  • Contributes to the estimated age difference between John and Moses but does not provide exact birth years.

tax-list

[3] Mispillion Hundred levy list, 1754 — Moses Simson

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Delaware Levy Court Commissioners, Kent County, Tax Lists, Mispillion Hundred, 1754; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3J-PQVS-6?view=explore : accessed 24 May 2026), image 410 of 940; Image Group Number 007834262.

Access: FamilySearch digital images; accessed 24 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Places Moses Simson in Mispillion Hundred in 1754.
  • Supports the estimated late-1720s or early-1730s birth range when correlated with the tax-list sequence.
  • Does not directly state Moses's age.

probate-account

[4] Estate account of William Simpson rendered by Moses and Urcilla, 1760

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Kent County Register of Wills, probate file of William Simpson, estate account dated 26 February 1760; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRM-493W-8?view=explore : accessed 22 May 2026), image 351 of 812; citing RG3545.000, Roll 200, "Simpson, John to Sipple, Garrett, Jr."; Image Group Number 104426529.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 22 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Shows Moses and Urcilla acting as executors of William Simpson's estate.
  • Documents Moses's active role in settling his father's probate business.

deed

[5] Executor deed from Ursley and Moses Simpson, 1760

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, deed records, v. Q1-R1, deed from Ursley Simpson and Moses Simpson, executors of William Simpson, to John Hall and John Williams, 29 May 1760; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSGD-53P5-1?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 29 of 588; Image Group Number 008217884.

Access: FamilySearch digital images; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Shows Moses and his mother Urcilla/Ursley completing a land sale begun by William before his death.
  • Places Moses in the administration of family land and estate obligations in 1760.
  • The tract abutted land of John Simpson, providing family and neighbourhood context.

probate

[6] Administration bond for the estate of Moses Simpson, 1765

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Kent County Register of Wills, probate file of Moses Simpson, administration bond, 13 June 1765; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRM-49MT-6?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 90 of 812; Image Group Number 104426529.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Establishes that Moses died before 13 June 1765.
  • Names Mary Simpson and Joseph Parsons as administrators.
  • Supports Mary as Moses's widow when correlated with the later estate account and dower deed.
  • Shows that Moses died intestate.

probate-inventory

[7] Inventory of the estate of Moses Simpson, 1765

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Kent County Register of Wills, probate file of Moses Simpson, inventory dated 17 June 1765; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRM-49MT-9?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 88 of 812; Image Group Number 104426529.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Documents the inventory of Moses's personal estate four days after the administration bond.
  • Supports the probate chronology following his death.
  • The supplied summary does not include a full item transcription, so the profile does not infer detailed occupation or wealth from it.

probate-account

[8] Estate account of Moses Simpson, 1766

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Kent County Register of Wills, probate file of Moses Simpson, estate account, 27 August 1766; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRM-499X-G?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 94 of 812; Image Group Number 104426529.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Shows that Moses's widow Mary had married Thomas Shockley by August 1766.
  • Shows Thomas Shockley acting with Mary and Joseph Parsons in the administration.
  • Records a payment to Ursilla Simpson, supporting that she was probably still living.

orphans-court

[9] Guardian petition for Benjamin Simpson, eldest son of Moses, 1770

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, Orphans' Court, Guardian Accounts, petition of Thomas Shipley, guardian for Benjamin Simpson, eldest son of Moses Simpson, 29 August 1770; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95D-KZ9T?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 213 of 774; Image Group Number 007652937.

Access: FamilySearch digital images; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Directly identifies Benjamin Simpson as the eldest son of Moses Simpson.
  • States that Moses died leaving land, a widow, and several children.
  • Shows that Benjamin was still under guardianship in 1770.

orphans-court

[10] Return on the proposed division of Moses Simpson's land, 1771

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, Orphans' Court Records, Box 391443, "Simpson, Alexander - Sinex, Gilbert M., Sr.," return on order to view and divide the lands and tenements of Moses Simpson, deceased, 22 February 1771; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9D3-MSXD?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 464 of 754; Delaware Public Archives, Dover; Image Group Number 100048954.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • States that Moses's land could not be divided among the heirs without prejudice to the whole.
  • Explains why settlement of the real estate continued for many years.

orphans-court-land-record

[11] Plat and valuation of the lands of Moses Simpson, 1777

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, Orphans' Court Records, Box 391443, "Simpson, Alexander - Sinex, Gilbert M., Sr.," return and plat of the lands and tenements of Moses Simpson, deceased, 26 August 1777, pursuant to Orphans' Court order of 28 February 1777; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89D3-MSZH?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 467 of 754; Delaware Public Archives, Dover; Image Group Number 100048954.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Describes and values 200 acres of land belonging to the estate of Moses Simpson.
  • Recognizes the widow's one-third interest.
  • Conflicts with the 372-acre estimate in Thomas Simpson's 1785 petition.

orphans-court

[12] Benjamin Simpson petition identifying the children of Moses Simpson, 1784

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, Orphans' Court Records, Box 391443, "Simpson, Alexander - Sinex, Gilbert M., Sr.," petition of Benjamin Simpson, eldest son of Moses Simpson, 1 March 1784; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99D3-MD7Q?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 476 of 754; Delaware Public Archives, Dover; Image Group Number 100048954.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Directly identifies Benjamin as Moses's eldest son.
  • Identifies Moses's other children as Thomas, Mary, Richard, and Ruth, wife of Ezekiel Riggs.
  • Establishes the complete five-child family group used by the website profile.
  • Shows that Moses died intestate while seized of land in Mispillion Hundred.

orphans-court

[13] Thomas Simpson petition concerning the land of Moses Simpson, 1785

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, Orphans' Court Records, Box 391443, "Simpson, Alexander - Sinex, Gilbert M., Sr.," petition of Thomas Simpson, son of Moses Simpson, 26 August 1785; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99D3-MD72?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 470 of 754; Delaware Public Archives, Dover; Image Group Number 100048954.

Access: FamilySearch digital images of Delaware Public Archives records; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Directly identifies Thomas Simpson as a son of Moses.
  • Describes the inherited tract as 'said to contain' 372 acres.
  • Provides conflicting acreage that should not override the 1777 surveyed 200-acre figure without further land reconstruction.

deed

[14] Deed involving the heirs and former land of Moses Simpson, 1794

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Kent County, Delaware, deed records, v. E2-F2, deed involving Ezekiel Riggs and Ruth his wife, Robert Simpson, and land formerly of Moses Simpson, 12 December 1794; "Kent, Delaware, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3J-G9F4-D?view=explore : accessed 25 May 2026), image 127 of 620; Image Group Number 007834260.

Access: FamilySearch digital images; accessed 25 May 2026.

Supports:
  • Connects Ruth, wife of Ezekiel Riggs, with transactions involving the former land of Moses Simpson.
  • Refers to Mary Shockley's dower right as the lawful widow of Moses Simpson.
  • Shows Robert Simpson acquiring or holding interests in the former Moses land.
  • Does not identify Robert as Moses's child; the Orphans' Court record gives the complete child list.

dna-evidence

[15] Y-DNA comparison of the John and Moses Simpson branches

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: FamilyTreeDNA, Y-DNA Matches and Big Y results for kit B24208, match to kit 436237; reviewed May 2026. Davis Simpson and Lee Simpson are documented direct male-line descendants of William Simpson of Mispillion Hundred through different sons, John Simpson and Moses Simpson. The testers match with six Big Y STR differences and both belong to haplogroup R-FGC39762.

Access: FamilyTreeDNA account results and supplied DNA-confirmation information reviewed May 2026.

Supports:
  • Independently corroborates that the documented John and Moses branches share the same biological Simpson paternal line.
  • Supports the broader paternal-line reconstruction back to William Simpson.
  • Does not independently prove every documentary parent-child link in either lineage.
  • Tester names and kit numbers are included because they were supplied for this public genealogical analysis.