Kimber Letter 13: I have dried you both some currants if you will come and get them

The Kimber Letters are writings exchanged between the Kimber sisters and their mother, Keziah (Bennett) Kimber. The letters found their way to the sister’s descendants. I’m grateful to the late Edna Raymond for giving me transcriptions.

Today I’ll tell you the highlights of 4^th Great Grandmother Keziah’s letter to her daughters, Jane Seely and Sarah Mackney, in Troy, Pennsylvania.

She was thinking of her grandchildren when she penned this letter. Mary was the 1^st to get a gentle reminder to write Grandma. No doubt this was Mary Holly who lived with Aunt Sarah and Uncle William Mackney. While not a blood relative, its clear Great Grandmother thought of  Mary as a granddaughter.

John, Julie and Benjamin Jones, children of Aunt Susan Kimber and Caleb Jones, are mentioned in Keziah’s letter. Aunt Susan died in 1847 and Caleb remarried a lady named Lucinda. Caleb and Lucinda remained close to the Kimber family. As a matter of fact, 4th Great Grandfather Benjamin Kimber worked for Caleb during the summer months earning $39 and 5 shillings.

Susan Isabel, Aunt Jane and Moses Seely’s daughter, received an encouraging message from Keziah.

In earlier correspondence Granddaughter Emily Decker speculated that her cousin Phebe Jane (Clark) Doty might marry their Uncle by marriage, Erastus Elston. Erastus was the widower of their Aunt Julia Ann Kimber. Great Grandmother Keziah says it wasn’t so! Phebe Jane was a widow herself and helped care for the Elston children along with Aunt Abby. Emily was the daughter of Aunt Phebe L. Kimber and John Decker. My 3rd Great Grandparents Charity Kimber and William P. Clark were Phebe Jane (Clark) Doty’s parents.

Aunt Abby, the only unmarried daughter at home, might be the subject of these words:

  

   “Jane you wanted to know about Mr. B.  Yes, he comes yet but I ges the match grose very slow  tant redey for firing yet  I will write to you oll when it gits ready to put fire to it if I should live to see it”

Aunt Abby didn’t marry Mr. B. or anybody else.

Minisink, New York was home to my 4^th Great Grandparents. It was where they were born, married and raised their children. As I read Keziah’s writings, I recognized the seriousness of Grandmother’s words when she asked her children if there was a place for them in Troy. Life must have gotten tough for them in Minisink. Keziah and Benjamin were also getting older--Grandmother was 62 years old and Grandfather 64 years of age. Perhaps they needed a helping hand. The Kimber story will continue ....

Transcription:

Letter 13.

26th August 1855

Dear Children

it is through the mercy of God that I have been

spared to talk to you through the use of a pen

and ink and seeing I cant see you to comfort me

in old age    o my children while i right the

ters fill mine eyes but I feel as if soon my

sorrows whold have an end to meet my dear

children whear parting will bee no more and now

I must say to you that we ar oll well at presen

and hoping these fue lines may find you oll in

joying the same blessing    i receved you kind

letter the 2 day of august and was verry much

plesed to hear form you oll    but mary whear was

mary theat she has forgot her grandmother    mary

you right to John and Juley but I never see none

from you    Jane youn must tell Susan isabell

that her grandma is verry much plesed to think

that she is lerning so fast and shel look for

that letter one of these days when she can rite

   o how i due want to see her    o my little

children I feel so lonsom without seeing anney

of my children    phebe i have not seen nor herd

from her since i was to your hous in december

Jane you wanted to know a bout Mr. B    yes he

comes yet but I ges the match grose very slow

tant redey for firing yet     I will right to you

oll when it gits redey to put fire to it if i

live to see it    our old cow com in the 10 of

August but the calf was a cripel a gane jest as

it was last year    he was a going to sell her to

the rale rod folks but he hed to kill the calf

and now i dont now if he can or not becos she

had no calf with her    theay ben to look at her

but did not take her yet and nether we can sell

her or not    i dont know    our potatoes is verry

good    we have a nice buch of them if theay dont

rot    i have dried you both som currents if you

will com and git them    I hope you will com out

this fall for we shalI look for to see you oll

and as for erastus coming out this fall i dont

no about it    if he coms he will be out the

furst of next month    father hes got his hay

he hes worked for caleb    it comes to 39 dollars

and 5 shilling this summer    he hes hed such

offul bile on his seet    in haying he could not

work nor set but he hed to lay a bed    he could

not ware his pants    he had to war a petticot

when he was up for a week or nore    but he is

well now a gane    fore weeks ago to day I went

to meeting to hear Mr. Grinley and last Sabath i

went to Mr ones to hear Mr timalow preach    I

dont now as you can read this letter for my hed

eaks and my hand trembles so that i cant half

right and spilt my ink on my paper and blotted

it so bad (end of first side of letter)

and now i will go on with my letter a gane

Caleb family came    in stopt me for i cant rite

when theay was oll a talking so i quit    now it

is 28 day of _______     i will tell you father

sold hys cow to day for 28 dollars to ________

_______   abbe talks of ging to see phebe the 8 of

september if nothen happen    Sarah you that

emely decker sade that thear was talk of phebe

Jane becoming a mother to Juley anna children

but it tant so and further that he wanted her to

com out west with him that not so nether    he

asked her if he went out west to liv if she wold

go and keap hous for him thear and she told him

no she wood not    he sade he wanted her and

abbe both to go with him if he went so he asked

abby if she would go if he went    she told him

she went whear father and mother went    if theay

would go she wold too    phebe jane sas she cant

stay only till the furst of october and i dont

no what he will due but I fele as if the Lord

wold provide for them poor little mother less

children     erastes apeared to think oll of his

children    abby sase that phebe jane dos well

thear     erastes came down the 10 of July and abby

went home with him and stade 2 weeks then he

fetch her home and if she comes out west abby has

promised to go and stay with phebe and the

children while he is gone    but dont say to him

what i have rote to you    now my children i am a

going to ask you a question and i want, you to

answear me jest as you feel a bout it    that is

whether thear is anney place out thear for us or

not and whether you would like to hav us thear

or not    or whether we can due anney better

thear now    i want you to rite to me what, your

thoughts and felings is about it    now rite and

speak plane if you think i wold be anny disgrace

to anney of you    say so plane    spek as you fel

about it    thear shel be no hardnes with mee a

bout it    now i want you oll to com and see us as

soon as you can and right what time you will com

   i hers this after noon that erastes thought of

not comming out thear    he hes given it up now

for som cos    i now not what    i have not seen

him mi self   benjamin jons seen him to

unionvill and he told him he thought he should

not go out now    i must draw to a close for it

is a gitting tee time    now mary a few words to

you    your grandma has not forgotten you    if

you have her mary    i dont blame you for

forgitting such a poor old unworthy woman as i

am    when you are doing so well thar     Sarah and

Jane and mary and bell    my lov to you shell

never end   so fare well me childern    oll for

this time

Keziah Kimber--letter to her children.

‘Grandmother’ painted by

Albert Anker (1831-1910)

Courtesy