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

Benjamin Doty’s Inventory and Administration Papers, Wantage, New Jersey, 1802

Good news Doty family and friends. A few days ago I located copies online of 5^th Great Grandfather Benjamin Doty’s inventory and administration papers originally filed at Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey.

Samuel Vanfleet and William Elston prepared an inventory Nov. 15, 1802. Judging from the date they appraised his belongings, Benjamin Doty most likely died in October or November.

Benjamin Doty’s Inventory dated November 15, 1802

Great Grandfather had plenty of hay in the barn and stack to feed his horses, cows, young cattle, hogs and sheep. Wheat, rye, flax, potatoes, corn, buckwheat, beans, oats and flaxseed were grown on the Doty farm. Benjamin’s possessions were deemed to be worth $670.15 by the appraisers.

Benjamin’s widow, Mary, and son, Isaac, accepted the inventory in court a few days later on November 18, 1802. Since Great Grandfather Benjamin hadn’t written a will, the widow and my 4^th Great Grandfather Isaac requested they be appointed Administratrix and Administrator. 4^th Great Grand Uncles John Doty and Nathan Everett vouched for Mary and Isaac’s abilities to manage Benjamin’s estate.

It was a treat to see 4^th Great Grandfather’s Isaac’s signature along with his brother John. Nathan Everett was a brother-in-law, the husband of their sister Mary. 5^th Great Grandmother Mary couldn’t write her name and signed with her mark.

Administration Bond

Benjamin Doty Estate

‘Division of the Real Estate of Benjamin Doty, Deceased, County of Sussex, New Jersey, August 1812’ posted March 24, 2016 discusses what became of Benjamin’s lands in the years after his death

Source:  Ancestry.com, New Jersey Wills & Probate Records, 1739-1991, Record of Wills, 1753-1900; 1s - 5948s; Author: New Jersey. Surrogate's Court (Sussex County); Probate Place: Sussex, New Jersey, File 967S.

Note: The Sussex County, NY Surrogate Court doesn’t have the probate papers for Benjamin Doty. I was told by the staff I would find them at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton.

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

Overseers of the Poor Bind John Joseph to Jacob Yost

I confess I’ve neglected 3^rd Great Grandfather John Joseph on this blog. I published six items for John’s father, 4^th Great Grandfather Daniel Joseph, which you can view here.

2^nd Great Grandfather William Wilson Joseph, John’s son, was featured in blog post William Wilson Joseph and Eliza Jane Spitler of Augusta Co., VA and includes a photograph of my 2^nd Great Grandparents.

John was born August 4, 1787 in Virginia to Daniel Joseph and Eva Margaretha Hanger. His family included an older sibling, Eve born 1785, younger sister Margaret and little brother Daniel. 

His parents had ties to Augusta and Rockingham Counties while John was a boy so it’s hard to say where he was raised. When he was about 9 or 10 years old, his father died in Rockingham County. A few years later on January 5, 1799, John’s mother married Warner Peters.

Today I’m sharing an apprenticeship I found in the Rockingham County, Virginia Minute Book 5, pages 175-176.

Tuesday, At a Court Held for the County of Rockingham On the 17^th day of January 1804

Ordered that the Overseers of the poor bind John Joseph orphan of Daniel Joseph dec’d to Jacob Yost to learn the trade of a House Joiner he agreeing to take him for three years & a half from the first of August last

Grandfather’s apprenticeship with Jacob Yost began in August 1803. This would have been close to John’s 16th birthday—a good time to plan his future. I have no reason to believe John was not well cared for by his mother and step-father. This makes me wonder if 4^th Great Grandmother Eve voluntarily arranged the apprenticeship with the Overseers of the Poor so John could learn a craft.

I’m certain the agreement was beneficial for both. Jacob Yost gained a young strong willing worker and Grandfather learned skills that would insure his livelihood. Jacob Yost taught him well as John worked in the carpentry and woodworking trade his entire life.

 

Excerpt from Rockingham Co. Minute Book 5, page 175