Pleasant Moore

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elijah married Jane Simpson. Jane (daughter of William Simpson and Martha Orr) was born in 1790 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; died about 1840 in Union County, North Carolina. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Cemetery: William Simpson Family Cemetery, Goose Creek, Union County, NC
• Military Service: Revolutionary War

Notes:

William Simpson Married Martha Orr in North Ireland, 1770, had 3 children; John, Elizabeth, and James. When James was nursing, shortly before the Revolutionary War, they immigrated to America, Landing in Charleston SC and made there way up through SC to NC, and settled in Mecklenburg County, on the headwaters of 4 mile creek and South Crooked Creek, on what is now known as the Old Concord Road about 2 miles NW from Indian Trail in 1773. In 1778 he was granted 150 acres on the headwaters of 4 mile and N Crooked Creek. He resided here until 1785, when he sold that land, and bought land down Crooked Creek near Simpson Grave Yard. All lived there, until adulthood, except William, who died at age 10, When the Revolutionary War broke out, William enlisted for military service. He was at the battle at Camden when Gen Gates was defeated on Aug 16 1780. His name is on the monument at the Old Court House in Monroe, North Carolina.

"William Simpson Family" by Ney McNeely, The Waxhaw Enterprise, 1911; reprinted in The Monroe Enquirer, "Our Heritage", Sept. 22, 1960.

Of the pioneers who settled in this section of our country, no part of the world furnished so many as Ireland, and the grudge that Ireland had against England sharpened the fighting spirit of the American colonists in the War of the Revolution. It is said that none of the Irish pioneers in America were ever Tories, and that every one able to bear arms gladly enlisted and bravely fought for the American cause. Some time prior to the Revolution there lived in the north of Ireland a youth named William Simpson, whose heart was imbued with the love of liberty and the spirit of adventure. He loved, became engaged to and married a girl named Martha Orr, and with his young wife came to America. In the year 1773 he settled on Four Mile Creek, in Mecklenburg County, and built him a little home. His soul soon became fired with the spirit of the Revolution and when the war came he enlisted anxiously and fought bravely until the conflict terminated in its glorious conclusion. This William Simpson was the progenitor of the entire Simpson family in Union (county of North Carolina). ***** In 1778 William Simpson entered 150 acres of land on the head waters of Four Mile Creek. In 1785 he bought lands from James and Margaret Orr near where South and North Crooked Creek merge.

From: AaronGFett@aol.com To: NCROWAN-L@rootsweb.com Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 14:19:48 EST Subject: [NCRowan] "Scots-Irish in the Carolinas" by Billy Kennedy pub. 1997 page 58-60 ........ The Ballymoney congregation agreed they must leave their homeland (Ireland) if life was to be made humanly bearable, and with other Covenanters (Presbyterians) they left for Charleston in South Carolina in five ships......autumn of 1772

This letter appeared in the Belfast News December 22, 1772 and was Written by the passengers of the James and Mary

"from Charles-town, Oct. 21, 1772 To Mr. James M'Vickar, Merchant in Larne

Sir, These will inform you, that we arrived here all well and in good spirits the 18th instant (five children excpeted who died in the passage) after a pleasant and agreeable passage of seven weeks and one day. -Pleasant with respect to weather, and agreeable with regard to the concord and harmony that subsisted among us all: and, to confirm what we have heard you assert, before we left Ireland, we must say, that we had more than a sufficiency of all kinds of provisions, and good in their kind: and to speak of Captain Workman, as he justly deserves, we must say with the greatest truth (and likewise with the thanks and gratitude to him) that he treated us all with the greatest tenderness and humanity: and seemed even desirous of obliging any one, whom it might be in his power to serve. If you think proper, we would be desirous you should cause these things to be inserted in the public News Letter, being sensible they will afford our friends and acquaintances great satisfaction; and we hope they may be of some use to you and Captain Workman, if you resolve to trade anymore in the passenger way. Now, in confirmation of these thngs, we subscribe ourselves as follows:

We are Sir, your most humble servants, Rev. Robert McCLINTOCK, John Peddan, Joseph Lowery, Timothy McCLINTOCK, Nathan Brown, Samuel Kerr, James Peddan, Alex. Brown, John Brown, Thomas Madill, Wm. Simpson, John McCLINTOCK, John Dicky, James Hood, John Montgomery, John Snoddy, John Caldwell, Robert Hadden, Wm. Boyd, Robt. Machesney, Wm. Eashler, Charles Miller, John Rickey, Charles Dunlop, Thos. MAKEE, James Stinson, Wm. Anderson, John Thompason, Hugh Loggan, Peter Willey, David Thompson, Hugh Mansoad, Robt. Wilson, Robt. ROSS, John Parker, James Young, Robt. Neile. p.s. We had sermons every Sabbath, which was great satisfaction to us. We omitted to let you know, that the Mate, Mr. Boal, as also the common hands, behaved with great care and benevolence toward us."



Military Service:
A soldier of the Continental Line in the Battle of Camden 1780 and until 1783.

William married Martha Orr about 1769 in Ireland. Martha (daughter of Orr and Unknown) was born about 1752 in Ireland; died on 16 Nov 1832 in Union County, North Carolina. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Cemetery: William Simpson Family Cemetery, Goose Creek, Union County, NC

Notes:

The Orr family first settled in the area of Goose Creek Township in what is now northwest Union County. Some descendants attended Philadelphia Presbyterian Church in Mint Hill, Mecklenburg County, NC. Other later descendants attended Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church north of Charlotte. Many descendants of this family were soldiers, policemen and firemen