New Lime for Sale, Just Burned, Minisink, New York

NEW LIME.—Just burned, a Kiln of New Lime, of excellent quality, at his residence, one mile east of Gardners Ville, and three miles south of Ridgebury.

                                                                        B. B.  & Wm. P. Clark

   Minisink, February 25^th, 1841.                                                    35 tf.

   N. B.  The subscriber intends to keep lime constantly on hand, and will deliver it any reasonable distance at the shortest notice.

3^rd Great Grandfather William Parkinson Clark and his brother, Benjamin B. Clark, operated a lime kiln business in Minisink, Orange County, New York. I learned from an article by Amy Leiser, Executive Director of the Monroe County, PA Historical Society, how physically demanding it was to produce lime. For more details, please see Amy’s research History of Lime Kilns in Monroe County on the Monroe County Historical Society web page.

Benjamin B. Clark was the older brother by five years. When The Independent Republican printed this advertisement, Benjamin was about 35 years old. He had married Sarah Lain, a daughter of William Lain, Jr. and Deborah Alger, and was the father of 4 children.

My Grandfather William P. Clark had been married to Charity Kimber close to10 years. Five of their 14 children were born by 1841.

 Advertisement published in

The Independent Republican, Goshen, NY

March 26, 1841, edition

I can’t say how long Benjamin and William ran the lime kiln but guess it lasted until 1844/1845. They mortgaged their lands quite a few times perhaps to cover business expenses.

The brothers mortgaged three acres of land as early as Dec. 1, 1840, to a neighbor, Isaac A. Von Bomel, for $196. Orange County, NY Mortgage Book 45, page 562 records an Indenture between Benjamin B. & Sally Clark, William P. & Charity Clark and Isaac A. Van Bomel all of Minisink. Although Benjamin and Sally didn’t sign the agreement, William and Charity put their mark [X] on it. They paid the mortgage June 30, 1842.

Later that month on December 22^nd, Benjamin B. and Sally mortgaged their Minisink land (19 acres and 8 square rods) to Theodore B. Denton for $400. The next day, December 23^rd, they became indebted to Anna Marie, Samuel F. and John Gardner for $160 with the same 19 acres and 8 square rods as collateral. Both indentures were satisfied July 1848.

The brothers mortgaged the 3 acres a second time in October 1841 for $72.80 again to neighbor Isaac Van Bomel. This agreement was due Dec. 1, 1842, but there’s no sign it was paid.

Another neighbor, Richard A. Elmer, held a $600 mortgage in Benjamin’s name against the 3 acres associated with William and Benjamin’s 19 acres and 8 rods June 29, 1842.

That same day Richard A. Elmer helped William and Charity purchase a lot (52 acres and 30 rods) in Minisink that formerly belonged to the State of New York. The Great Grandparents were supposed to pay Mr. Elmer $200 by April 1843, but later records show the mortgage payment wasn’t satisfied.

Sally and Benjamin negotiated several more mortgage deals; the last one dated Nov. 28, 1845, with Richard A. Elmer. No official record exists as to what became of William and Charity’s three acres in Minisink; or what happened to the lime kiln.

The 1850 federal census finds William and the family living in Candor, Tioga County, New York; Benjamin remained in Orange County. Both were working farmers. William would return to Orange County within a few years. Benjamin didn’t fare as well dying young Nov. 25, 1851.

You might like to see my earlier William P. Clark posts:

      3rd Great Grandfather William P. Clark

      Today Marks 3rd Great-Grandpa's 203rd Birthday Anniversary

My Most Affectionate Love to my Dear Mother and Father, Kimber Letter 17

Dear Family and Friends,

Today I’m taking a different approach in my presentation of Kimber Letter 17. I’m delighted that the Kimber ladies received schooling and could write.  BUT in many instances, they used phonetic spelling, ‘hit and miss’ capitalization with little punctuation making their letters challenging to read.

I worry my 4^th Great Grandmother and Aunts’ voices won’t be heard, and that would be a shame. So I prepared a video reading Jane Eliza Seely’s letter to you. Just click below on the You Tube video following my letter highlights. I’ve also included a transcript should you prefer that.

Sincerely,

Barb

Jane Eliza Seely writes her parents from Troy, Bradford County, Pennsylvania May 25, 1856.

It’s so apparent she misses her parents back home in Minisink, New York when reading Kimber Letter 17. Jane was the youngest child of Keziah (Bennett) and Benjamin Kimber. She married Moses Seely in 1848, and they recently moved to Troy, Pennsylvania.

Sarah Bethia, a sister, also resided in Troy with her husband, William Mackney. According to Jane’s news, Sarah and William moved into a house they built. Jane and Moses hoped to build a house in the fall.

Catherine, another Kimber sister, and husband John Welda might visit in the summer. Abigail must have been skilled with a needle and thread as Jane wished her sister would sew for her.

Happenings of the Seely children, Sarah Alice, Willy Emit and Isabel, are mentioned.  

Erastus Elston, the widower of Julia Ann Kimber, has married again. When Julia died in 1855, she was the mother of five young children. Jane hopes the new wife will be a good mother to her sister’s children.

Transcripts provided by the late Edna Raymond, Town of Minisink Historian

  

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.