On
Christmas Eve Day 1854 Keziah (Bennett) Kimber wrote to her daughter and
son-in-law, Sarah (Kimber) and William Mackney, in Troy, Pennsylvania.
Keziah
began her letter thankful to the Lord that she was well with so many sick and
dying around her. As I read it, I sensed Great Grandmother’s worries and fears.
3rd
Great Grandaunt Julie Ann’s failing health was weighing on her mind. I must
warn you—Great Grandmother Keziah vividly described her daughter’s symptoms.
Aunt Julie Ann was 34 years old and the wife of Erastus Elston at this date.
She was a mother to five children ranging in age from 11 years to 10 months
Kimber
maiden Grandaunt Abigail cared for her sister Julie Ann. Great Grandmother
tells Sarah that Abby had a very bad spell earlier in the month. This must have
prompted Keziah to go to Julie Ann’s home and found Abigail’s health improved.
Grandmother
Keziah was pleased to get a letter from her daughter Catherine (married to John
T. Welda). Catherine told her mother that she had just visited with her sister
Mary (Kimber) Congleton. (Mark Congleton was Mary’s husband.) The Welda’s and
Congleton’s lived in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania at this time.
Keziah
grieved for her grandson William Emet who died Dec. 1, 1854. Willie Emet was
Jane (Kimber) and Moses Seely’s baby boy just 10 months old. The baby’s 3-year-old
sister, Bell, thought Willie Emet was sleeping and he would wake up to play
with her. Poor Bell.
While
it’s true Keziah’s words showed her sorrow, they also showed the love she felt
for her family.
Letter
8
Sunday
morning, December the 24th, 1854
To
William and Sarah
My
children the Lord heath given me helth once
more
to wright a few lines to you to let you
know
how we ar a gitting a long and blessed be
his
name while so menney sicken and dying
a
round
us i feal thanful to him for his goodness
towards
us in the first place i wil tell you
that
i was up to july anns last Lords day and i
found
her very ill O i tell you i dont now as
she
is anny better but she is stil going down as
fast
as she can but the doctor sade her
simims
is
better but O Sarah you dont now how poor
her
arms are theay theat are just noyhin
theay
are so poor and her face looks like death
the rest of them are wel but Abbe she is a
going
down fast she has had a verry bad
spell
the
5 day of this month theay thought she
could
not liv no time that scart July ann
and
that
made her worse so the doctor did not
kow
how
to switch her then she sade she felt a good
ead
better when i was up thear abbe was
better
so
she took care of the baby and july ann a gane
but she is verry week when she goes up them
steps
she has to set rite down or lay down but
she
wont leve july ann for she sed july a could
not
due with out theay could get somboddy
else
to
take care of for to fix her somthing to eat
thear
was one weak that she could not keap
nothen
down nether vittles or drink as soon
as
she wood take it down it wood tearn rite up a
gane the
doctor sade he never saw such an
ulcer
in anny ones throt as july hed in hern
the
doctor was a triing to make her mouth score
and
she complaned of her throut he thought
it
was
in the stuf he had given her to make her
mouth
sore it run on a day or three and she
wanted
him to look in her throut and he was
scared
he sed he had never seen such throut
it
was jest as black and a grate hole in it he
took
his proge and thar was no feeling in it
a
toll he
took his silver hook and pulled out
grate
chunks of ded flest after chunk ol ded and
black but
when i was up thear it was a good
eal
better begun to have feeling in it she
hed
to wean her babe for she had no milk for it
o how Charley grone sence she wened him and
he
is
a good chile now o Sarah i have hed a
letter
from Cathern I started one the same
day
i started yours i started them the 20 of
november
and i receved hers the ___of december
and
i receved yours the 19 of decernber and was
much
plesed to git one for i begun to git
quitoneasey
a bout you for i thought you was
sick
so that you could not rite to me but was
glad
to hear that you was as well as you was (end
of
first page)
Cathern
sade theay was oll well there Markes
folks
and them so far and mary was thear the day
before
she got mi letter and theay sade theay
was
a coming out hear as soon as theay could get
started i
have looked for them but theay hant
com
yet o Sarah you sed i did not right
how
Lucretia
was she was well when i was thear
she
had jest took the plaster of the week before
i
went thear she sade it was sowm now o Sarah
i
suppose you have heard that little william
emet
is ded and burred he dide the first
day
of
december and was burred the 3 day on Lords
day
but o how it did storm that day thay
sent
for
me the 2 day i did not come hom un till
wednesday
poor Jane her heart was almost borke
he looks as if he was asleep poor bell
thought,
he was a slep she sade Bubbe would
wake
up and play with her a gane on the floor
they
told her that he was ded she sed no he
is
a
slep they had the fuenerl to the
meeting
hous
in senter vill and i took her a long to the
burring
ground to let her se whear he was lade
but
o how she did cry and holler you shant
put
bubby
thar we told her that was her Bubby
hoom
now
and when she and her paw dide that would be
lade
thear two and she must not cry so no more
Jane
asked her a tusday morning whear bubbe was
she sade he was gon home you no whear he is
he
dide with dropsey in the hed poor little
felow
he suffered but he looked natcherl yet
he
looked as if he was a sleping he was
burred
by
the side of your baby they lay side by side
January
the 4
Sarah
i begun this letter the day before
christmas
and i had got it part don when caleb
came
over for your father and me to go over and
take
dinner with them co we went then i
thought
i would finish it that weak but every
time
i got it some one wood come in and stop me
and
so it has lade un till now i will try
to
finish
it yesterday the new babtist meeting
hous
was dedicated Caleb and lucinda and i
went
over to hear it, and Mr Selotes grinnell
preeched
from psalms the 90-6 and thes ar the
words
strength and beauty are in his
sanctuary
what a serrnon we had i wish you could hed
it
elder grinnell preched thear a gane last
night
i would like to stade and heard it but we
could
not stay mrs grimley told me that she
had
a letter form you las weak and you was oll
well
then the meeting hous was crowed so
full
that
thay could not git seats theay had to
stand
for it was crowded from one end to the
other.
Not
signed--but written by Kezia Bennet Kimber
to
her daughter Sarah.
NOTE: Caleb and Lucinda mentioned above are
Caleb and Lucinda Jones. Caleb’s deceased 1st wife was a Susan, the
eldest Kimber daughter.
Vincent van Goph’s Weeping
Woman
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
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 8 of 31.
It was many years ago when I visited Edna and
learned of the letters. Edna has since passed away. I believe Edna told me a
couple from Illinois visited the Minisink Town Hall and brought the original
Kimber letters. The Kimber descendant allowed Edna to photocopy the letters in
his/her presence. Edna worked quickly. In those days copy machines were slow
and the quality left much to be desired. Edna spent many hours studying and
transcribing the letters as the ‘old time’ handwriting was especially difficult
to read.
To read earlier Kimber Letters click on the
label 'Kimber Letters' at the bottom of this post.
