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. They’ve been saved and shared among us
for over 150 years. I treasure them and am grateful to the late Edna Raymond
for giving me transcriptions.
Today’s
letter was written by 4th Great Grandmother Keziah (Bennett) Kimber
to her daughter Jane Eliza and husband Moses Seely. Although this letter is not
dated, I know it must have been penned between April 23rd and July
25th 1855. Jane and Moses Seely recently moved their family to
Bradford County, Pennsylvania leaving their home in Minisink, New York.
In earlier letters family members expected 3rd Great Grand Aunt Julie
Ann’s passing. Her time came March 30, 1855.
She was only 34 years old leaving a husband, Erastus Elston, and five
young children—Corcelia Elizabeth, Samuel Floyd, Warren Wickham, Albert and
Charles.
“O dear
children I must inform you that death has entered our family
circle
once more”
Keziah
devoted much of her letter speaking of her great grandchild’s time with her
before he died. Phebe Jane (Clark) Doty, Keziah’s granddaughter, brought her
sick son Ephern to stay with Keziah and Benjamin Kimber April 11, 1855. Great
Grand Aunt Abbie helped care for him too. Little Ephern rallied but passed
April 23rd.
Jeremiah
‘Ephren’ Doty (age 2 years, 9 months) was buried in Loree Cemetery, Minisink,
New York. He rests besides Alice Sematha Mackney (2 months, 5 days) and William Emmet Seely (age
9 months, 21 days).
Keziah
mentioned my 3rd Great Grandparents’ (William P. Clark and Charity
Kimber) grief when they lost their first grandchild.
Transcription
Letter 10
My
Beloved children:
I
once more thru the mercies of Gods' goodness
and
blessings in sparing of me life until the
present
now and by his will, I will try to
inform
you of our welfare, at the present we are
about
as usual in health, that is we are well,
and
hope these lines will find you all wel and
enjoying
the comforts of Gods blessing. O my
children,
ever pray that I may be kept under his
protecting
care while he is prolonging my days
on
earth. Jane I received your letter the
23rd
of
April and was very glad to hear from you all
and
that you are all well but Sarah O to think
that
she is sick and I cant come to see her. O
it
makes the tears to fall but I hope and pray
that
when I hear from there again that she may
be
better. Do write to me as soon as you
get
this
to let me know how you all are for it does
me
so much good to read your letters seeing I
cant
see you but O how glad I would be to see
you
all once more if it could be so but I dont
ever
expect to You must give my little Susan
a
kiss
for me and tell her it is from her grandmaw
Kimber
O how I do want to see the little lamb.
O dear children I must inform you that death
has
entered our family circle once more and took
from
my arms a little great grand son and a
lovely
little boy was he and he was laid beside
"Little
Emet". There lays three little
graves
side
by side all dear to me. Pheobe Jane
fetched
little "Ephern Doty" to live with me.
She
fetched him here the 11th of April to stay
with
me as long as we could keep him. He was
not
very [well] when he came and the 14th he was
very
sick then he got better so a Monday he
played
some and he got better so he ran and
played
all the week until Saturday about 2 o
clock
he began to cough a hoarse cough and Abbie
said,
"mother he has the croup". we
went and
soaked
his little feet and put drafs on we
done
all we could and he grew worse until night.
I did not think he would live until morning.
In
the morning Benjamin went after Phebe to
Erastus
and I felt afraid he would not live
until
she got here and that night Phebe and
Mrs.
Scofield and John Jones and myself sat up
we
thought he would not live until morning but
he
lived until about 11 o clock Monday when the
breath
left him. He died and went home to his
Father,
who said "Let little children come to me
and
forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of
Heaven".
Yes he is gone from my arms to dwell
with
Christ O what a sweet babe he was it
was
paw and maw and Aunt Abbe. He slept
with
Abbe
two nights and the rest of the time with
me.
O the sweet little dear, how I did miss
my
babe
for he loved me so well, I could not be out
of
his sight, He would say "where is
my maw"
“will
you give me some bread and milk", I
went
and
got him some about 10 o clock then when I was
getting
dinner he said "will you give me some
more
bread and milk". I told him
"yes I
would”,
he ate a hearty dinner and fed the cat
and
played so pretty and laughed so hearty.
I
sat
and laughed to see him play so pretty, that
was
a Saturday noon and Monday noon he was a
corpse
and a Tuesday he was burried. Mr.
Grimley
preached the funeral from the 39th
psalms
2nd verse. "I was dumb, I opened
not my
mouth,
because I didst it". Jane you
wanted me
to
write wether we had got black hats or not,
Abbie
has got one, I have not yet. I have
spoke
for
one but have not got it yet. Abbie has
got
a
plain black lawn and a black gingham dress and
I
have got three black dresses and a black veil.
The
veil cost me 10 shillings. Abbie has
got
her
a black crepe collar, it cost her six
shillings.
Erastus told me that he talked of
coming
out to see you after haying and see how
he
likes it out there. Jane you wanted me
writ
you
whether Erastus took it hard or if the
children
realized their mothers death. As for
Erastus,
he seemed to take it very hard the day
that
she was buried. I have not seen them
since
but
Erastus and Cecelia, they both came down to
the
funeral when babe was buried and when mr
Grimley
spoke about Julia Ann dying and being
gone
from us for ever from our family some
one
said
that Cerseley bursted out a crying and took
it
very hard. Poor sis how nice she did
act tha
day
she looked so solom and when the corps
was
shown
Erastus carne and took Cerceley by the hand
and
led her out to see the corps. O how
nice it
did
look, Erastus went to the grave with us.
Calebs
team took your father and me [and] Pheobe
Jane
to the grave poor Pheobe how hard she
did
take
it what a pretty corpse he was, looked
so
pleasant,
just as if he had fallen asleep. O
the
little dear They have laid the baby
darling
in
the cold and narrow bed, there within the
silent
coffin, sweetly rests thy infant head,
there
the night winds and the zephers sing their
soothing
Iulaby.
O
how hard Wiliam and the girls and Charity did
take
it O my children how much comfort you must
take
in going to church and I hope you will
remember
me in your prayers. Well I must bring
my
letter to a close for it is a getting tea
time,
so I must bid you all good by for this
time.
So fare the well, do write soon to let
me
know
how you all are now.
To
Moses and Jane Eliza Seely
From
Benjamin and Keziah and Abbe Kimber
SOURCE: Edna Raymond, a past Town of Minisink
historian, gave me typed transcripts of the letters exchanged between the
Kimber sisters and their parents. This letter is #10 of 31.
To read earlier Kimber Letters click on the
label 'Kimber Letters' at the bottom of this post.
