Doubts and Great Grandfather Samuel Kimber

Kimber family researchers will tell you my 5^th Great Grandfather Samuel Kimber was the youngest child of George Kimber and Sara Westfall born September 11, 1762.

The baptisms of Samuel’s siblings took place at the Dutch Reformed Church in Deerpark, Orange County, New York. (See my blog post “George and Sara’s Children Baptised Dutch Reformed Church, Deerpark, NY”.)

            Petrus, baptized August 5, 1750 (died young)

            Sarah, baptized March 11, 1753

            Margriet, baptized Feb. 16, 1755

            Petrus, baptized August 26, 1759

           

No baptismal record exists for Samuel or any other proof linking him to his father. Thus doubts about his lineage nag me from time to time.

That is until I studied a land record dated September 17, 1817 when Great Grandfather Samuel mortgaged 90 and 24/100 acres to David and Mary Cook, all residents of Minisink, Orange County, New York. This must have been when Samuel Kimber decided to leave Orange County and move to Darke County, Ohio with his son Peter. (See blog post “Dear Son and Nephew”)

The land described in the indenture sounded familiar--especially the section about the land formerly being part of Sussex County, New Jersey:

   “For all that certain lot or parcel of Land lying and being Situate in the above mentioned, town county and state it being formerly in the County of Sussex and Eastern division of New Jersey on the west side of the Wallkill Bounded by Joseph Bartons and Elijah Inmans lands, Beginning at a red oak tree standing on a point of land by the Wallkill called Parmar’s point from thence running north seventy five degrees east six chains and fifty links, Thence north seventeen degrees east eleven chains, Thence north twenty two degrees West nine chains, thence north ten degrees east seven chains and fifty links thence forty seven degrees West, twenty one chains, thence south twenty seven degrees West six chains, thence south fifty degrees, West six chains, thence south fifty five degrees east thirty six chains to the Beginning Containing ninety acres and twenty four hundredths of an acre Strict Measure”

  [Excerpt, Orange County, New York Land Records, Mortgage Book O, pages 82-84]

A De ja vue moment! This would date back to the New York and New Jersey line war. 6^th Great Grandfather George Kimber acquired two tracts of land in Sussex County per a deed granted by the New Jersey Proprietors December 13, 1762. At various times during the border war, George’s land was claimed by both states.

You’ll find a photocopy of George Kimber’s Indenture below. (Sorry, I know it’s hard to read.) Although the descriptions are not verbatim, I think you’ll agree this is the same 90 and 24/100 acre tract.

The deed passed from father to son so Samuel could legally mortgage the land 55 years later.

George Kimber’s Deed Dec. 13, 1762

Presented to the Town of Minisink

From Robert H. Clark’s papers

By Margaret W. Myers

March 1984