Edward Buckingham died in 1885, and William Simpson Sr. died in 1909. Belle died in 1922, at her residence at 5058 Waterman Blvd, St. Louis. Both Belle and Edward are listed as landowners from 1862 through 1930. This makes them unique as one of the few European 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 known records of Belle or Edward Buckingham enslaving people. .

Isabel buckingham simpson and edward Milldollar buckingham

Edward Buckingham was born in 1814. His middle name is listed with a variety of spellings, such as Miledoller, Milldollar, and Milledolas. He married Emma Marlow in 1845, and their daughter Belle Buckingham was born in 1851. Belle’s full name was Isabel (or Isabelle/Isabella) and she appears to have gone by Belle and Bella. Belle was one of two women in the history of 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, she was cousins with another Tyson landowner, Horace Franklin Breed Jr..

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.