James A. Simpson

James A. Simpson (1816 - 1890) (son of Peter and Jane Hood Simpson) (married Julia A. Longyear 1826 - 1899), age 12 when his father died and often known as Jimmy A., learned the tanning trade from his brother-in-law, Robert Humphrey, a tanner from 1835 to 1845 at Big Indian, NY. After he learned the tanning trade and having made enough money at age twenty, he returned to Dalkeith, Scotland where he was born to pursue money owed his father' estate.  At age 21 he arrived back in the United states on June 22, 1838 aboard the ship Peruvian, having sailed from Liverpool, England.  In undated document it appears that he was trying to recover a sum of 318 Pounds, 1 shilling & sixpence from the proceeds of his father's estate. It was about a 23 year process to recover the money owed as there is a letter of introduction dated April 10, 1861 to his Scotland attorney, John Murray, Esq. for John Russell of Kingston who travel to Edinburgh to finally settle matters.

On Sept 23, 1843 Levi Newkirk and Jimmy A. formed a partnership for the purpose of operating a tannery. Moore & Ellis previously began this tannery in 1836. The Mexican War of 1846 was a powerful impetus for the tanning industry and he initially purchased 1,183 acres of land from William Kerr on May 1, 1846. On April 7, 1849 they contracted to buy 1,800 acres from Eugene A. Livingston of Red Hook, NY comprised of lots 3, 4, & 6 in Great Lot 8 of the Hardenburgh Patent to insure a supply of hemlock bark. This sale was completed on May 1st, 1851. Again in October 3, 1849 they entered into another contract for 1060 acres of additional land: Lots 6 & 7 in Great Lot 7, and the western portions of lots 2 & 3 in Great Lot 8. This purchase was completed on October 20, 1858. He also purchased 105 acres from Orlando Newton on May 8, 1858. These purchases would give Jimmy A. 6,279 acres of hemlock forest. The tannery partnership continued until June 20, 1851 at which time Jimmy A. bought out his partner. The tannery, one of seven operating in the Town of Shandaken, consumed about 5,000 cords of hemlock bark a year at peak operation. During this time, most of the hides used to make leather and the finished leather were bought and sold to dealers located in the "Swamp" of lower Manhattan not far from the Brooklyn Bridge. Profits obtained in the tannery business were from the "gain". This was from the fact that the finished leather weighted more that the original hide. The heaver the final product, the more profit. An examination of a surviving tannery account book shows that he also did oak tanning, a more rare process for making leather.

He continued to operate the Phoenix Tannery buying hemlock rights to additional land until it closed on July 1, 1870. At various times, he had about 20,000 acres of land under lease for hemlock bark and owned over 6,000 acres of land outright as noted above. New tanning processes and a lack of hemlock bark brought an end to tanning in the Catskills. As the hemlock was exhausted he also sold land and from an account of lands owned in his tannery book, he had 2,289 acres left on October 20, 1870. The Phoenix Tannery was one of the last to close. The lands that he owned primarily consisted of most of Timithyburg Mountain (Mt. Tremper) and Wittenberg Mountain. After the tannery closed, he attempted to build a hotel on the Wittenberg land, but after drawing lumber to the 50 acre site, the plan was abandoned. Yet an old hike journal for the Wittenberg trail showed he climbed up in October of 1878.

Jimmy A. was more than just a tanner. He was Town of Shandaken Supervisor in 1852 and a charter trustee of the Reformed Dutch Church of Shandaken in 1853. In 1861 he contributed $1,500 towards the bounty paid by Ulster County and the Town of Shandaken to raise 33 recruits for the civil war. Later in 1863 he was a member of the committee to raise a $25 local bounty for volunteers for the Union Army.  Beginning about 1861 he also operated the Phoenix general store located across from his tannery on the north side of the Esopus and near his homestead. From page 370 of Clearwater's History of Ulster County: "Simpson was a man of much originality." He cured himself of consumption (TB), a disease that had taken the life of his father and brother, by breathing the vapors of the tanbark solution in the tannery. Numerous documents relating the business activities of Jimmy A. continue to exist in the possession of Jay H. Simpson, his great-grandson. View his obituary as published in the Phoenicia Herald January 25, 1890.

He and his wife Julia Longyear Simpson lived in the homestead below which was across from his tannery. Sadly, it was demolished c1964 with the realignment of NY RT 28.