Wednesday, December 5, 1906
“JOHN SIMPSON DEAD
“Many readers of The Sentinel and many old timers of the county will learn with sadness of the death of John Simpson, colored, which occurred last night at his home in the Woden neighborhood, ten miles southeast of Nacogdoches, where he had lived for many years. He was totally blind during the last thirty years of his life, but he managed to make a kind of a living. He was about eighty-five years of age and his mother is still living in this county at the age of one hundred and five years. She is known as old aunt Polly Crawford. She will probably attend the funeral.
“John Simpson had a remarkable experience in his long life and was a man of note in the prime of life. In the first place he was always a democrat and stood firm when it was dangerous to life during the trying time of carpet bag rule; when the dirtiest kind of republicans held ruinous rule in our county. He thus incurred the hatred of his own race; and he was often assailed and assaulted by them.
“He had many personal scraps and battles, some of them very dangerous and formidable, but he never flinches or feared, and his giant form and courage made him a foe that was unconquerable.
“He went with his young master Lieutenant A. I. Simpson into the Confederate army in Capt. Wm. Clark’s Company G., 8th Texas Infantry, which left this town January 1, 1862, and he stuck to it faithfully till the end of the war, proving always true and faithful in many trying emergencies. On two occasions he was captured and imprisoned by the federals, but he escaped and resumed his relation to his owner and his own army, and once, he brought with him two fine mules that belonged to the enemy and turned them over to our army. His Captain Wm. Clark, was promoted to Colonel, and his owner became Captain of the Company. These officers and all this company never forgot old John’s heroic devotion. He has outlived most of his comrades, and friends. Peace to his ashes and honor to his memory, all the more because his color was black.” [funeral home records, John Simpson, died 5 December 1906]
8th Texas Infantry http://texansinthecivilwar.com/8th_Infantry/8th_infantry.html