Archibald Simpson - my maternal great grandfather
One of my 8 great grandparents
Archibald Simpson is my maternal grandfather’s father. He was born on 9 October 1871 in Backhill of Lethenty which is near Tullynessle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It’s a very small place inland from Aberdeen.
His parents were Alexander Simpson and Mary Malcolm. The third of four sons (Alexander 1867, William 1869, Archibald 1871 and James 1873) his father gave his occupation as a ‘crofter’ on Archibald’s birth registration in 1871 and the census that year said he had 16 acres of land. There was also an older half brother named George (he emigrated to Massachusetts, USA) born in 1857 to Alexander and an unknown mother.
Early life
I found a school admission record on Ancestry for him and his older brother Alexander for Keig School on 10 Jun 1878.
By the 1881 census he is living with his maternal aunt Isabella Birss and her husband Andrew and their daughter Isabella in Mireside, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire and attending school. Andrew Birss was a shoemaker who taught Archibald his trade. They are still living in the same location in 1891.
In 1901 Archibald has moved to Laurencekirk and is boarding with James Duncan (not sure if there is any family connection) and working as a postman.
Family info
One of my mother’s cousins had a letter from my grandfather David describing his father’s Archibald’s life. [some of this may not be 100% correct and I’ve added my comments to this between [ ] marks].
“His father was a dry stone waller (dry stane dyker in Scotland) and the family lived in a small settlement in Deeside called Finzean, pronounced Fingen. It is in a lovely valley and about 40 minutes from Aberdeen. It must have been a fine place to live, but unfortunately, when the boys were still very young, their mother died. [Mary died of typhoid fever in 1874 aged just 32 leaving Alexander with four young children, one a baby only just over a year old]
Because their father had to move about with his work, he couldn't look after the boys. He took the boys on a long walk over the hills to Auchenblae in the Mearns. There they were brought up by a relative, I think probably their father's sister. [ Archibald went to his mother’s sister Isabella Birss, his brother Alexander to their maternal grandparents William and Barbara Malcolm however James and William remained with their father]
On leaving school Grandad became a postman in Laurencekirk.
This is where he must have met Granny. She was Margaret Japp, the daughter of a Laurencekirk farmer.
I know she had a couple of brothers and I remember going with my Dad (Fred) to visit Auntie Jessie, Granny's sister in Montrose. She had a nice house there and a lady's maid but was unmarried.”
Married life
Archibald married Margaret Japp on 4 Sep 1903 in Laurencekirk.
“Once Granny and Grandad were married, they moved into Westview on Blackiemuir Avenue, Laurencekirk, and Grandad ran his own shoe shop.” [later helped by his youngest son Fred]
They had 4 sons:
Archibald Simpson born 4 Jul 1905
David Japp Simpson born 11 Mar 1906
Alexander Simpson born in 12 May 1909
Frederick Simpson born 18 Jun 1913
By the 1911 census Archibald is working as a bootmaker
In 1921 he is running his own shoe shop and living in Blackiemuir Avenue, Laurencekirk.
“I think Granny's family must have helped them financially. Grandad continued going to the shop until he was about 90.”
One of my second cousins sent me a lovely photo of a family picnic in Scotland sometime in the late 1940s showing Archibald, Margaret, their sons and their grandchildren, most sadly no longer with us.
Death and Burial
Archibald died aged of heart disease aged 92 on 20 May 1964 in Laurencekirk. He is buried in Laurencekirk next to his wife Margaret who predeceased him.
Nice work, Emma. I do not know if this is relevant but it's a nice photo to add local color at least.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1303413