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| Nellie (Annal) Simpson (1899-1962) (my 1st cousin 2x removed) Photo credit: Private collection of Graydon Douglas Simpson (son of Nellie Annal) |
- honour the life events of my ancestors
- revisit my previous research on them,
- check for any new information online (i.e. on ancestry and Family Search)
- update any of my previous blog posts if new information was found
- share these #OTD memes on social media like my Facebook page (to share with family) and on twitter (to share with other genealogists).
Nellie (Annal) Simpson (1899-1962)
I had written a little bit about Nellie previously in my blog post 52 Ancestors No.31 Meeting Distant Cousins from the Annal-Hess Clan . In that blog post I described how two distant cousin genealogists, Vicky Hess and Kim Simpson, were the reason that my Annal-Hess clan research was so far advanced. They had done ALL the work! I am sincerely grateful to both of them.
I had written previously about Nellie's father James Annal (1873-1921) as well in my blog post 52 Ancestors #36: Fire Chief and Ice Dealer James Annal . I was surprised that James had died so young (47 years of age) being described as "hale and hearty" and a "powerful, vigorous man" and James had worked as an "Ice Man" and Firefighter. Sadly, he did not live long enough to see his three grandsons born (the children of Nellie and Graydon Simpson.).
As a birthday tribute to the Nellie Lillian Annal who was born on this day, April 2 in the year 1899, here are three things you probably did NOT know about her.
Fact No. 1: Nellie had two sisters who died before their second birthday
How sad that Nellie grew up as an only child and how sad that her two sisters did not even live long enough to see their second birthdays. It must have been hard on Nellie's parents as well.
I love the poems that appear on Bessie and Rena's headstones and I am assuming that they were probably written by their mother (?). Both girls, Bessie and Rena, are buried at the Riverview Cemetery in Wallaceburg, Ontario.
I located a death certificate for Bessie and learned that she died from "gastro intestinal" according to the physician in attendance.
Fact No. 2: Nellie had three sons
All three of Nellie's sons married and lived in Michigan and Nellie lived to see the arrival of six grandchildren.
Fact No. 3: Nellie Lillian (Annal) Simpson was a quilter and "sewed for Britain".
I located a Detroit Free Press clipping dated March 9, 1941 (Page 43) that shows women "sewing for Britain" and one of them is Mrs. Graydon Simpson - Nellie!
I am so grateful to Kim Simpson for sending me photographs of a quilt made by Nellie from her private collection.
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| Nellie Lillian Annal was the daughter of James and Mary (Wright) Annal |
I had written previously about Nellie's father James Annal (1873-1921) as well in my blog post 52 Ancestors #36: Fire Chief and Ice Dealer James Annal . I was surprised that James had died so young (47 years of age) being described as "hale and hearty" and a "powerful, vigorous man" and James had worked as an "Ice Man" and Firefighter. Sadly, he did not live long enough to see his three grandsons born (the children of Nellie and Graydon Simpson.).
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| Pictures of Nellie with her parents James and Maggie Annal Photo credit: Private collection of Graydon Douglas Simpson (son of Nellie Annal) |
Three Things To Know About Nellie
As a birthday tribute to the Nellie Lillian Annal who was born on this day, April 2 in the year 1899, here are three things you probably did NOT know about her.
Fact No. 1: Nellie had two sisters who died before their second birthday
How sad that Nellie grew up as an only child and how sad that her two sisters did not even live long enough to see their second birthdays. It must have been hard on Nellie's parents as well.
I love the poems that appear on Bessie and Rena's headstones and I am assuming that they were probably written by their mother (?). Both girls, Bessie and Rena, are buried at the Riverview Cemetery in Wallaceburg, Ontario.
I located a death certificate for Bessie and learned that she died from "gastro intestinal" according to the physician in attendance.
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| Nellie's sister Bessie Irene died at 1 year 6 months and 13 days old |
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| Nellie's sister Rena May died at 8 months 11 days old. |
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| Nellie with her three sons (left to right): Russell Lee, Graydon Douglas, and James Willard (c. 1930s) Photo credit: Private collection of Graydon Douglas Simpson (son of Nellie Annal) |
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| Composite of wedding announcements for the three Simpson brothers (taken from the Detroit Free Press archives). |
Fact No. 3: Nellie Lillian (Annal) Simpson was a quilter and "sewed for Britain".
I located a Detroit Free Press clipping dated March 9, 1941 (Page 43) that shows women "sewing for Britain" and one of them is Mrs. Graydon Simpson - Nellie!
Comfort Quilts
"Of all the services that women provided for wartime relief, perhaps the making of quilts represented the most intimate expression of comfort and care for those suffering the horrors of war. Women all over Canada gathered to sew quilts for bombed-out families in Britain......"(Source: http://halifaxwomenshistory.ca/canadian-comfort-quilts/)
I am so grateful to Kim Simpson for sending me photographs of a quilt made by Nellie from her private collection.
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| Nellie's Quilt Photo credit: Private collection of Douglas and Kim Simpson |
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| Nellie's Quilt (close up) Photo credit: Private collection of Douglas and Kim Simpson |
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| Nellie's Quilt (detail) Photo credit: Private collection of Douglas and Kim Simpson |
Nellie Lillian (Annal) Simpson Died in 1962
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| Death Notice: Detroit Free Press (6 Jun 1962): Simpson, Nellie l. |
Nellie died in 1962 and is buried in Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens in Novi, Michigan alongside her husband Graydon who died sixteen years later (1978). There are no pictures available online of their headstone.
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| Death Notice: Detroit Free Press (18 Jan 1978): Simpson, Graydon |
Links to War Time Sewing Clubs
- The women's sewing circles that helped Britain win the war http://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/651255/Women-sewing-circles-helped-Britain-win-WW2-war-UK
- Knitting for Victory http://elinorflorence.com/blog/wartime-knitting
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