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Alternate Name
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Isabelle, Isabella, Belle, Bella
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Description
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Isabel (Belle) Buckingham Simpson (1851 – 1922), daughter of Edward Buckingham, inherited land within what is now Tyson from her father, as shown on plat maps from 1873, 1893, 1909, and 1930. Plat maps show the emergence of a subdivision development on Buckingham’s property, called South Side in 1878 and 1893, Buckinghams Sub Div (South Side) in 1909, and Buckingham in 1930. On her mother’s side, Belle was the niece of another Tyson landholder, Horace Franklin Breed, Sr.
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Bio
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Belle Buckingham Simpson was born in 1851 to Edward Buckingham and Emma Marlow. Belle’s full name was Isabel (or Isabelle/Isabella) and she appears to have gone by Belle and Bella. Belle was one of very few women in the history of the Tyson Valley to inherit land, likely due to a lack of sons in the family. She had three sisters, Emma Buckingham Westerfield, Carrie Buckingham, and Grace Buckingham. 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.
There are no records of Belle or Edward Buckingham in the St. Louis Integrated Database of Enslavement.
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.
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Birth Date
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1851
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Death Date
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1922
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Spouse of
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William Simeon Simpson, Sr.
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Parent of
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William Simeon Simpson, Jr., Lila Simpson Frazer, Edgar Ralph Simpson, Virginia Simpson Rayburn, Grace Mildred Simpson
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Sibling of
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Emma Buckingham Westerfield
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Carrie Buckingham
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Grace Buckingham
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Enslaver
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No records of relation to enslavement yet identified
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Dates of Tyson Land Ownership
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1878
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1893
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1909
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1930
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1862 – 1930
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Bibliographic Citation
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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.
