Hi Keith,
sounds like an interesting challenge, and the books sound like great reading.
I was lucky to attach to a family line, Overend, not quite a one name study, but he does have his own website for all to contact.
This family are back to William Overend, b.c. 1560. who married Agnes Robertshaye in 1586 Kildwick, Yorkshire. based on his charts I do match in, but I am still working my own way back to prove it to myself.

The name changes over the years could be interesting, My simpson's appear to drop the 'p' in the earlier years. So perhaps someone was Sim's son, or son of Sim, ahhh but who was Sim??

Yeah, I know getting a little nutty here.
Good luck with it all.
Margaret