Friday, August 24, 2007

Homer Simpson's Ancestors

The Genealogy Insider blog had a post titled "Family Tree Magazine, Simpsonized" today, featuring a web site that "Simpsonizes" your face, dresses you up, and makes you look like a cartoon character. I know that Diane, Allison, Kathy and Grace of the Family Tree Magazine staff are much prettier than their Simpsonized faces (assuming the faces in the magazine are fairly current). I tried to Simpsonize myself but the site couldn't deal well with a beard, no mustache, and side-fringe hair (too many options).

What really caught my eye was the Simpson Family Tree that appears at http://www.geocities.com/thesimpsonsites/images/famtree2.jpg. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to research this and make pictures - Simpsonized?

But wait - I can't find these folks in the census records and online databases. I looked for Homer Simpson in the Ancestry databases, but there were no fathers named Abraham - he must have been born in a state not in the databases.

What I do know is that Homer's father WAS Abraham Simpson, so I started there. I assumed that Abe was probably born in the 1920's (he's in his 80's now, I think), and in the 1930 census there were 4 Abraham Simpson's born in the 1920's. None of them had a father named Oliver or a mother named Penelope, so there is their first error. So who could be Abe's parents? I chose to follow the first one - the Abraham L. Simpson born ca 1921 in Iowa, Doniphan County, Kansas, because his father's middle name might be Oliver..

After several hours of census and WorldConnect research, I had a 4 generation family tree for Abraham Simpson as follows:

1. Abraham L. Simpson, born 1921 in Iowa, Doniphan County, Kansas.

2. James O. Simpson, born Apr 1881 in Iowa, Doniphan County, Kansas, married about 1911 in Doniphan County, Kansas.
3. Bertha Guy, born February 1895 in Iowa, Doniphan County, Kansas.

4. Henry J. Simpson, born Apr 1855 in Ohio, married 17 December 1876 in Doniphan County, Kansas
5. Minerva J. Hedrick, born Sep 1860 in Doniphan County, Kansas.
6. David Guy, born Mar 1869 in Holt County, Missouri, married about 1895 probably in Doniphan County, Kansas
7. Sarah E. Trowbridge, born Aug 1879 in Doniphan County, Kansas.

8. James Simpson, born July 1810 in Adams County, Pennsylvania, died after 1900 in Doniphan County, Kansas, married about 1846 probably in Ohio
9. Nancy/Anna Hahn, born October 1817 in Ohio, died after 1900 in Doniphan County, Kansas
10. William Hedrick, born about 1825 in Maryland, married before 1847 probably in Ohio
11. Anna --?--, born about 1822 in Ohio, died before 1870, probably in Doniphan County, Kansas.
12. John Richmond Guy, born 19 November 1839 in Russell County, Virginia, died 31 August 1916 in Doniphan County, Kansas, married before 1873 probably in Doniphan County, Kansas
13. Mary Ann Brownlee, born 21 July 1846 in Lewis County, Kentucky, died 24 February 1930 in Buchanan County, Missouri
14. Safford W. Trowbridge, born 1845 in Franklin County, New York
15. Ella --?--, born about 1850 in Kentucky.

I could have included the children's names, and I have about half of the next generation too. But I stopped when I realized ... this was a fictional family tree!

I did not check other resources for these families - someone may have extended them further, or have better information. Note: All relationships in the above ahnentafel are not verified by primary records - use at your own risk!

Oh well. This is an example of Censuswhacking and Datawhacking - pick someone at random and create a pedigree just to see what happens. By the way, read the very rare names on the right hand side of the above link - a fantastic collection of names.

Wouldn't it be great if a descendant of Abraham L. Simpson of Kansas Googled his name and found this family tree already started for him? Or if Abraham L. Simpson had a son named Homer.

I guess I didn't have enough useful things to do (I procrastinated today - I could have transcribed some RI probate records - bad boy!). But I had fun afternoon and evening -- that's what counts, right?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Homer Simpson was born in the State of Denial...I think that is West of Omaha somewhere near the Las Vegas strip, but don't quote me! His Parents of course were born in the happy State of Confusion...which is near New York City and Bart was not born...he came here from Mars with an idea to take over the Earthlings TV and I think he successed. His other goal of course was Cash collection...which he accomplished with merchandise and renting out his sister for weddings. Now if the rest of us could have such success with our family trees this world would be a much nicer place