Isabel (Belle) Buckingham Simpson

“Isabel (Belle) Buckingham Simpson”. n.d, WashU & Slavery, accessed February 11, 2026, https://digitalexhibits.library.wustl.edu/s/washu-slavery/item/59527

Alternate Name
Isabelle, Isabella, Belle, Bella
Description
Isabel (Belle) Buckingham Simpson, daughter of Tyson landowner Edward Buckingham and Emma Marlow, was one of two women known to have inherited land in the history of Tyson Valley. On her mother’s side, Belle was the niece of another Tyson landowner, Horace Franklin Breed, Sr.
Bio
Belle Buckingham Simpson was born in 1851 to Edward Buckingham and Emma Marlow. Belle was one of two women in the history of the Tyson Valley to inherit land, likely due to a lack of sons in the family. On her father’s side, her grandparents were Gideon Buckingham and Maria Crowley. On her mother’s side, Belle was the niece of another Tyson landowner, Horace Franklin Breed, Sr.

Belle’s husband, William Simeon Simpson, Sr., moved from Ohio to St. Louis in 1858. In 1873, he and Jacob Christopher established Christopher & Simpson Architectural Iron & Foundry Company which constructed buildings. Simpson and Buckingham married in 1876 and had many children: William Simeon Simpson Jr., Lila Simpson Frazer, Edgar Ralph Simpson, Virginia Simpson Rayburn, and Grace Mildred Simpson.

William Simpson, Sr. died in 1909. Belle died in 1922, at her residence at 5058 Waterman Blvd. in St. Louis. Both Belle and her father Edward are listed on plat maps as Tyson landowners from 1862 through 1930. This makes them unique as one of the few settler families not bought out by the David Ranken estate, allowing them to continuously own property at Tyson for much longer than many other landowners.
Birth Date
1851
Death Date
1922
Sex
Female
Child of
Edward Milldollar Buckingham
Emma Marlow
Spouse of
William Simeon Simpson, Sr.
Parent of
William Simeon Simpson, Jr., Lila Simpson Frazer, Edgar Ralph Simpson, Virginia Simpson Rayburn, Grace Mildred Simpson
Sibling of
Emma Buckingham Westerfield
Carrie Buckingham
Grace Buckingham
Enslaver
No records of relation to enslavement yet identified
Dates of Tyson Land Ownership
1878
1893
1909
1930
1878 – 1930
Bibliographic Citation
Resources:

Belle Buckingham Simpson. (1 July 2024). Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/148407193/belle_simpson.

Everett Buckingham (1858-1925): Grave Location in Omaha, NE | Rhedesium. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2024, from https://rhedesium.com/everett_buckingham-3T4m7R.

Mike. (2023, August 20). 1893: Iron Men Of Lafayette Square - Christopher And Simpson. Lafayette Square Archives. https://lafayettesquarearchives.com/1893-iron-men-of-lafayette-square-christopher-and-simpson/.

St. Louis Southwestern Railway Co. v. Simpson, 286 U.S. 346 (1932).

St. Louis Integrated Database of Enslavement | Washington University in St. Louis. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://sites.wustl.edu/enslavementstl/search/.

William S. Simpson House (1878). (2019, August 9). St. Louis History and Architecture. https://www.stlhistoryandarchitecture.com/lafayette-square/oezhczdcg9wth5pfh7c0nyv411f056.

Linked resources

Edward Milldollar Buckingham

“Isabel (Belle) Buckingham Simpson”. n.d, WashU & Slavery, accessed February 11, 2026, https://digitalexhibits.library.wustl.edu/s/washu-slavery/item/59527