George W. Simpson was born in 1833, in Southbridge, Mass., being one of the family of Pearley and Hannah (Harwood) Simpson. The father was a merchant, and died in 1867. The mother still lives at the old homestead at the age of eighty-seven years. Our subject was reared at home and received a common school education, and attended an academy one term. He left his parents at the age of twenty-two and went to Warren County, Ill., and engaged at merchandising there till August, 1862, when he came to Fort Donelson and sold goods under military permit. He then pursued merchandising at Clarksville two years. From 1866 till 1876 he served in the internal revenue department. Thence he went to Benton County and sold merchandise till 1884, when he came to Erin and was connected with the Arlington Lime Company. He also held an interest in the Stewart Manufacturing Company from February, 1883, till March 1, 1886. He was married in 1867 to Gertie Bradley, who bore him a daughter, Carrie H., and died in 1868. In June, 1876, he was united in marriage to Margaretha Rauscher. This marriage was blessed in the birth of a son, George M.  In November, 1878, this wife died of yellow fever. His last marriage, in January, 1883, was to Miss E. F. Thompson, of Wilson County, Tenn., the result of this union being two children, one of whom is living, Lillian G. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches, respectively. He is a firm Republican in politics, and a valued man of Houston County.

Transcribed by Susan Knight Gore

Source: Goodspeed, Weston A, and John Wooldridge. History of Tennessee from the Earliest Time to the Present: Together with an Historical and a Biographical Sketch of Montgomery, Robertson, Humphreys, Stewart, Dickson, Cheatham and Houston Counties. Nashville: Goodspeed Pub. Co, 1886.