Keziah Writes the Family in Troy, PA, Kimber Letter 16

Yikes! Great Grandmother Keziah (Bennett) Kimber vividly describes her injured finger. I hope she doesn’t make you queasy.

About four months earlier, she injured her hand and hadn’t recovered the use of her forefinger. Keziah tried to cure it herself but eventually had to call for the Doctor. The Doctor said he couldn’t do anything to help. Great Gran was getting out her little knife for surgery. It’s a good thing Aunt Hannah heard about this and came right away. She mixed up a healing recipe that was just the remedy Grandmother Keziah needed.

Some family news was discussed. Keziah’s granddaughter, Emily Decker, was going to work for Erastus Elston caring for his home and children. Erastus was the widower of Julie Ann Kimber who’s appeared many times in earlier letters. Emily’s parents, Phebe (Kimber) and John Decker were moving to a new home.

Keziah welcomed two grandbabies in January. Charity, my 3^rd Great Grandmother, gave birth to a baby boy, George Emmet Clark, Jan. 25, 1856. Charity’s husband, Bill Clark, got a mention in today’s letter too. Jane (Kimber) and Moses Seely’s daughter, Sarah Alice, was born January 16^{th in} Pennsylvania.

Keziah and Benjamin Kimber were living in Vernon, Sussex Co., New Jersey when she wrote the family. Great Grandfather Benjamin made up his mind he wasn’t staying there. Grandfather must have been working for his son-in-law, Caleb Jones, in Vernon.

Helpful Hint: Try reading Keziah’s letter out loud. Much of her spelling is phonetic. Sorry, no punctuation.

Letter 16

February 17, 1856 Vernon ton ship

Dear Children

i once more will take a pen in mi cripled hand

to try to right, a few lines to you lo let you

know how i am now     i am well except mi hand and

that is a gitting better but i have lost the use

of my fore finger that it is stiff and strait

i cant bend it and thear is a running hole in it

yet whear the bones is begining to crumble and

com out in pussee    but o you dont know what i

have suffered with it   no toung cant tell    it

will be 4 month the 24 of this month sence it

begun to swell    it begun to swell in the midle

joint of mi fore finger    Moses was hear on

Sunday and a Monday i chearnes and don my work

and a tuesday i washed and lade my close on the

gras and a wednesday morning it rained so i

thought i would peal some sweet apples and

punken and stue them and make sum pies and

before i could git them pealled my finger heart

me so that i could not bend it and the next weak

it made me sick and it turned all black and Abbe

was to erastes and i did not no what to due    and

a Satterday phebe decker came hear and she staid

with me 4 days and can everything she could due

but my hand grue worse and worse and i sent for

abbe and she came home    theay polested it with

everything we could think of but nothen dident

due no good so i sent for the doctor and he sade

he could not due anney thing for it then it was

ternned black on the back that i could cut it

with mi little nife    then aunt hanner   ______

heard of it and she came rite down    fetch a

root she colled it morteforcation root and she

pounded it and mixt it with swet milk and put

that on it    that was the furst thing that dun

it anney good a tall   than it began to gaether

and brake    thear has bin 14 hools in it   sum of

them on the back of mi hand and in side the

cords roted of and come out of mi finger and in

side of my hand thear is 2 small hools in it now

that runs some   Sarah i thank you for your

pills    i thought thay don me good    the other i

did not git to wash it with but i feal to thank

you for the direction you sent me    i hope you

will excuse mi poor riting for i hef to rite

with my thum and little finger    i dont now as

you can rad it a toll but i thought i wood try

it    for i could not git anny rote    i have tried

abbe and john and benjamin to rite a leter for

me but i could not git anney rote so i thought i

wood try it mi self but it hearts my hand so to

rite    you must al take this letter for each one

Sarah and Jane and mary and willum and moses and

my little bell    abbe is up to erastus elstons

now    i must inform you that Charity has got

another boy    it is about 3 weaks old now and

emeley decker is to work for erastus now and

john and phebe is a going to liv in doctor

new_ hous and tak the doctor cows and gives a

hundred weat of butter to a cow and bill clark

hes hiered the tarakin stan in denten    erastes

was down a friday and abbe went home with him

and is a comming home to day    Sarah i heard you

was gitting real smart and i feal to rejoyed to

hear it    o Jane i understand you have got a

nother deauter and you must name it for your

sister abbe    weare all well at present and

hoping that these fue lines will find you all

enjoying the sam blessing    o how i due want to

see you aII    o gurls i for got to sent them

dride currence to you by moses when he was out

hear only long enof for me to git dinner and eat

then he was rite of    i hed about 4 quarts of

cerrents and 10 of elder berres dride for you

and i could not help it    o mary i was so much

disapinted in not seeing you last foll    i hant

felt contented sence but mary if we never meat a

gane in the flesh i hop we shel meat whear

parting wil be no more.   so fare the well my

child for this time    o gerls you must rite as

soon as you can to me to let me now how you oll

are and if you rite you must rite so i can git

in in 2 week or other wise you nedent rit un

till you hear from me a gane and if you rite

pleas derect your letter to unionvill for the

cornner post offes is gon down    your father

wont sta hear no longer    he told caleb to rent

it out    he has don so    thear oll well

lucinda was hear a friday    we was ol thear a

wensday and took dinner with them    benjamin was

hear a thrusday nite    jahn taler from black

de_____ is a comming to hear to liv    so no more

at present but, remane your effectenite mother un

till death pearts us    so fare the well my

children dear for this time to one and oll of my

children a farewell kiss due for this time i

must bid you ol good by for this tim

a farewell kiss

Keziah Kimber

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 treasure them and am grateful to the late Edna Raymond for giving me transcriptions.

It’s Good to See you, Grandma Mollie

After writing about 2^nd Great Grandmother Mollie Brown in March of last year, I closed my post saying “P. S. Dear Family and Friends, I would love to see a photo of Mollie. Please share photos and stories!”

I got my wish early one September morning thanks to Kelly Zuber. Kelly shared this picture of Great Grandmother Mollie and Grandfather John Will White in her Zuber family tree online at Ancestry.com.

Great Grandma Mollie and Grandfather lived to celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary November 14, 1932.

Here’s a repeat of my March 2015 blog post.

The Brown’s Welcomed a July Baby, 1854, Augusta Co., VA

James Alexander Brown and Mary A. Zimmerman (aka Carpenter) welcomed a summer baby July 27, 1854. Mary Agnes Brown was born in Augusta County, Virginia at Lyndhurst (south of Waynesboro).

2^nd Great Grandmother Mary Agnes, known as Mollie, grew up in the South River District in a home that had belonged to her Zimmerman Grandfather. During the Civil War Mollie’s father died Sept. 27, 1864, when she was just ten years old. I don’t believe her father served with the Union or Confederate Army. After the father had died, Mollie’s mother and two younger brothers remained on the Zimmerman place.

Mollie married John William White near Waynesboro, Virginia Nov. 14, 1872. By June 25, 1880, Mollie and John William were living in the Middle River District along with three children—Clara Louise, James William, and Arthur Stuart White. My Great Grandmother, Ella Virginia, was their fourth child born Oct. 10, 1881, followed by Olive Leora, Bernard Brown and Ernest Boyd White.

The White family was back in the South River District by 1900. Clara Louise had married Adolphus Marion Brown by this date. James William married Sally Wilkes Dec. 21, 1898 in Bedford County.  Although Arthur Stuart hadn’t yet married, he wasn’t living with his parents. Only the younger children remained at home.

Ella Virginia married James Clyde Clemmer June 7, 1905. Jan. 2, 1908 Arthur Stuart married Nettie Florence Sheltman in Buena Vista City, Virginia. Bernard Brown married a lady named Grace Alexander in 1911. Olive Leora was the next child to wed marrying Walter W. Sandy January 8, 1914. Ernest Boyd didn’t marry until after his parents’ death. His first wife was Mable Mahler. When Mable passed, he married her sister, Margaret.

In their later years, John William and Mollie White made their home in Staunton. Mollie died Nov. 24, 1932. The Staunton News-Leader published her obituary Saturday morning, November 26, 1932.

Transcript of obituary:

   Mrs. Mary Agnes White died early Thursday morning at her home on Straith street, after an illness of one day.

   She was born July 27, 1854, near Lyndhurst, a daughter of James and Mary Carpenter Brown, and spent practically all of her life in Augusta county.  Five years ago she moved to Staunton.

   Mrs. White is survived by her husband, J. W. White; four sons, J. W., Jr., Princeton, W. Va.; A. S., Whitehorn, Va.; B. B. and E. D., Staunton; two daughters, Mrs. Clara L. Brown, Princeton, W. Va.; Mrs. Ella V. Clemmer, Middletown, N.Y.; a brother, I. S. Brown, Abilene Tex.; forty-one grandchildren, and twenty-four great grandchildren.

   When a girl she joined Bethlehem Lutheran church, near Stuarts Draft.

   The funeral will be held from the home of Hamrick & Co. at eleven o 'clock this morning, conducted by the Rev. Dr. C.M. Teufel, of Christ Lutheran church.

   Burial will be in Bethlehem cemetery.

You might like these posts. Just click on the title below.

Matrilineal Monday: MARY ANN BROWN and Others, Plaintiffs Vs. MARY A. WHITE and Others, Defendants, Chancery Cause, Augusta Co., VA

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: 2nd Great Grandparents John Wm. and Mary Ann White

 

JOHN WILL WHITE, Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY: John Will White's Death Certificate

“Court doth adjudge order and decree…”

Augusta County, Virginia Chancery Cause 015-1819-003:

Augustine Argenbright & wife, etc. vs. Peter Hanger, etc.

Plaintiffs

     Augustine Argenbright, executor and husband of Barbara Hanger, daughter

     George Baylor, Bernhard Lowman and Molly Hanger,

          executors and executrix of Frederick Hanger Jr., deceased son

     George Hanger, son

     Martin Hanger, son

     Jacob Friedly and wife Hannah Hanger, daughter

Defendants

     Peter Hanger, son

     Charles Hanger, son

     Charles Shaver, perhaps counsel

     John Hanger, son

     John Wise and wife Catherine Hanger, daughter

     Peter Eagle and wife Ann Eliza Hanger, daughter

     George Eagle and wife Mary Eliza, daughter

     Warner Peters and wife Eve (Hanger) Joseph, daughter

     Betsy (Hanger) Thomas, daughter

Chancery cause 1819-003 began with 5^th Great Grandfather Frederick Hanger and the distribution of his estate. Grandfather planned well for his family and wanted to leave his children cash legacies. That is except for sons Peter and Charles who inherited their father’s lands. These two sons were to pay their sibling’s legacies per a prearranged schedule stated in Great Grandfather’s will. Peter bought Charles’ land leaving him with the obligation to his brothers and sisters.

4^th Great Granduncle Peter couldn’t or wouldn’t pay; thus the Chancery Court Cause. The suit dragged on for six years. You can read my earlier posts by clicking on the links at the end of this post.

Finally, in December 1818 the Staunton District Superior Chancery Court ruled Peter Hanger needed to fulfill his father’s wishes and pay the legacies. The District Marshall was instructed to sell his lands at public auction if necessary to raise cash.

Uncle Peter didn’t attend the December court session. His counsel represented him and “prayed for an appeal” in the Court of Appeals since the final decree was “adverse to his interests”. The Judge granted permission to take the suit to the Appeals Court.

Remember Peter wasn’t present when the final decree was pronounced. When filing an appeal, a security bond needed to be readied by the next court date of February 1, 1819. Uncle Peter didn’t know this and missed the deadline.

After realizing his error, Peter Hanger appeared before Judge John Brown of the Staunton Superior Court of Chancery explaining his ignorance of the bond requirement May 19, 1819. He filed a petition asking the Judge for more time hoping to get an appeal. The Judge allowed an extension, but it did Uncle no good. Although Peter made partial payments to several of his siblings, too much remained to be paid and Uncle’s lands would be auctioned off to cover the debt.

George Eskridge, Marshall of the Staunton Chancery Court, sold the Hanger land Sept. 20, 1819, to the highest bidders--Adam Grove and William Kerr. They paid $2,100 for the land. Interestingly, Peter Hanger’s wife, Susanna, was the daughter of Windle Grove and sister of Adam Grove. Susanna’s sister married a Kerr. It sounds as though Susanna’s family came to their rescue.

Martin Hanger’s Receipt for $229.29 dated Sept. 25, 1819

Image 52, Augusta County, Virginia Chancery Cause 015-1819-003: Augustine Argenbright & wife, etc. vs. Peter Hanger, etc.

By 1830 Peter, Susanna and their children left Augusta County, Virginia heading to Ross County, Ohio where Charles Hanger was living. After visiting his brother, he moved his family to Harrison, Champaign County, Ohio.

Earlier Posts

What you want and What you get

Sheriffs Served Summons and Subpoena

Great Grandmother Eve Answers the Plaintiffs

Peter Hanger Answers the Plaintiffs Bill of Complaint and Fires Back

Master Commissioner William Clarke Assigned to Hanger Chancery Cause, Augusta Co., VA

To view the 1819-003 Chancery Cause ‘Augustine Argenbright & wife, etc.

vs. Peter Hanger, etc.’ on the Library of Virginia website click here

Master Commissioner William Clarke Assigned to Hanger Chancery Cause, Augusta Co., VA

The Hanger family chancery cause chronicle continues in today’s blog post. The Plaintiffs’ bill of complaint was acknowledged in Staunton Superior Court of Chancery. Two of the Defendants answered the bill. Now the court officials have ordered Master Commissioner William Clarke to judge the case.

You’ll remember 5^th Great Grandfather Frederick Hanger died in Augusta County, Virginia during the summer of 1799. Frederick’s last will and testament let the family how he wanted his estate distributed. See What you want and What you get.

Great Grandmother Eve Answers the Plaintiffs in June 1816. Peter Hanger Answers the Plaintiffs Bill of Complaint and Fires Back a few weeks later.

Eighteen months passed; then the Staunton Superior Court of Chancery assigned this cause to Master Commissioner William Clarke on Dec. 15, 1817. It was Commissioner Clarke’s duty to settle the accounts and report to the Court. On Feb. 9, 1818, he invited any interested parties to meet at his office on Monday, May 11, 1818.

Image 64, 1819-003 Augusta Co., VA Chancery Cause

The Plaintiffs Augustine Argenbright, Barnhard Lowman (executor Frederick Hanger Jr.), Molly Hanger (widow and executrix Frederick Hanger Jr.), Martin Hanger along with the Defendants Peter Hanger and wife Susanna attended the meeting.

Commissioner Clarke determined what should have happened according to Great Grandfather Frederick Hanger’s will.

Great Grandfather wanted sons Peter and Charles Hanger to pay their siblings 600 Pounds. Whether Peter and Charles were to get a share of the 600 Pounds was not yet decided. (They inherited the title to their father’s lands.) Commissioner Clarke prepared his tabulations including and excluding them. He calculated the siblings’ share should the 600 Pounds be split among all 13 children (including Peter and Charles) amounting to 46 Pounds, 3 Shillings and ¾ Pence each. If the 600 Pounds was divided by 11 siblings (excluding Peter and Charles), each legacy equaled 54 Pounds, 10 Shillings and 10 ¾ Pence and accrued interest.

Since nobody knew the exact date of Great Grandfather Frederick’s death, Commissioner Clarke used the will’s probate date, July 22, 1799, to set the annual payment due dates.

The youngest of the Hanger heirs, Catherine and husband John Wise would get the first annual payment July 22, 1800 followed by:

Peter Hanger July 22, 1801

Charles Hanger July 22, 1802

Betsey (Hanger) Thomas and husband Jacob Thomas July 22, 1803

Hannah (Hanger) and spouse Jacob Fridley July 22, 1804

Ann Eliza (Hanger) and husband Peter Eagle July 22, 1805

Martin Hanger July 22, 1806

Eve (Hanger) Joseph and 2^nd husband Warner Peters July 22, 1807

John Hanger July 22, 1808

George Hanger July 22, 1809

Mary Eliza (Hanger) and spouse George Eagle July 22, 1810

Barbara (Hanger) and husband Augustine Argenbright July 22, 1811

Frederick Hanger, Jr. July 22, 1812

Peter was just 23 and Charles 25 years old when their father passed. The chancery cause ‘Augustine Argenbright & wife and others vs Peter Hanger, etc.’ wasn’t initiated by the Plaintiffs until 1813—14 years after Frederick Hanger’s death. I suspect Peter and Charles just didn’t have the cash to pay the brothers and sisters legacies. Perhaps the older Hanger siblings wanted to give the younger boys’ time to make good.

Next time the final decree ruling handed down. …

To view the 1819-003 Chancery Cause ‘Augustine Argenbright & wife, etc.

vs. Peter Hanger, etc.’ on the Library of Virginia website click here.