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 4th 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 1st
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 4th 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
