Jesse "Jake" Knowles 1842 - 1919

Jesse was born August 14th, 1842 at Owensville, Gibson County, Indiana.  He was the son of Ephraim Knowles and Cynthia Kimball.  His maternal grandfather, Jesse Kimball, was one of the pioneers of Gibson County.

Jesse was a Civil War Veteran who fought for the North.  At the age of 19, he enlisted in Company A of the 58th Indiana Volunteer Infantry at Princeton, Indiana on Oct. 9th, 1861  His military records describe him as 5’-10½” tall, dark complexion, dark brown eyes, and dark hair and listed his occupation prior to military service as a farmer.

According to the Regimental History of the 58th Indiana Infantry, Jessie’s military history was as follows:

This regiment was organized at Princeton in Oct., 1861, was mustered in Dec. 17, and left the state for Louisville, where it was assigned to Wood's division of Buell's army and marched through central Kentucky, stopping at Bardstown, Lebanon, Spring Garden and Bowling Green.

It was at Nashville during March and left for Pittsburg landing Apr. 1, reaching the field of Shiloh on the second day. It was engaged in the siege of Corinth, moved into northern Alabama, then to Nashville, thence reached Louisville Oct. 1, and joined in the pursuit of Bragg's army.

In December it marched for Murfreesboro, charged the enemy at Lavergne on the 27th and in the three days' battle at Stone's River it lost 18 killed 87 wounded and 5 missing.

Jessie was wounded at the Battle of Stone River, Tenn. Dec. 31st, 1862.  He sustained gunshot wounds in the right arm near the wrist and in the left leg.  He spent 3 months in various military hospitals, first at Nashville, Tennessee, then at Louisville, Kentucky, and finally at New Albany, Indiana before being discharged for wounds on April 7th, 1863.

After his discharged he took up residence in Gibson, Indiana.  On September 14th, 1865, he was married to Mary Black.  They were married at the home of Harvey Westfall in Wabash County, Illinois.  Mary was born March 6th, 1849 in Mr. Carmel, Wabash County, Illinois. 

While living in Indiana, Mary gave birth to two infants:

Unnamed infant, born September 24, 1866– died young Quincy Edgar Knowles, born in 1867– died young

About 1868 the Knowles family moved to Illinois, where two additional children were born:

          William Schuyler Knowles, born Aug. 5th, 1869 in Keensburg, Illinois – died c. 1948 Rosezella Knowles about 1871 – died young

In the 1870’s census, the family is living in Coffee, Wabash County, Illinois.  No children were listed on the census.  Mary’s sister, Sienda was living with the family.  Jesse is listed as having real estate assets worth $ 3,000 and $ 900 of personal assets.

About 1872, the family came to Colorado by covered wagon.  They passed through what is now downtown Denver, where they considered setting, but, finally decided to push on a little further before buying their property.  They settled in Spring Valley, in Douglas County.  A search of the General Land office records shows Jesse Knowles acquired 40 acres in Section 26, Township 10 south, Range 66 West, in Douglas County.  The post office where they had to travel to get their mail was in Greenland.  The community is now known as Divide, and aside from the old one room school house which is still standing and the little cemetery, about all that is left are a few scattered farms. 

The last four children born after the family moved to Spring Valley, Colorado were:

John Lowery Knowles, born Dec. 30, 1873 – died Jul. 31st, 1900 of a brain tumor Gussie Maranda Knowles, born March 30, 1878 – died Dec. 12th, 1918 of influenza Bertha Knowles, born Jun. 13th, 1880 – died Jan. 1st, 1966, old age Cynthia Knowles, born May 8, 1883 – died Mar. 23rd, 1963

In the 1880 census, the family is living in Douglas County, Colorado.  The family of five now includes John and Gussie as well as Schuyler.  Sienda, now Mrs. Thomas McGuire, is listed in the previous dwelling.  In the 1885 Colorado state census, the family included two additional children, Bertha & Cynthia.  The McGuire family is listed on the same page.

Jesse applied for a Civil War pension for the gunshot wound to his right forearm.  He was granted a pension of $ 6 per month starting on April 2nd, 1888.  He amended his claim to include a gunshot wound to his left leg.  His adjusted pension of $ 8 a month was granted beginning Feb. 16th, 1889.  Additional increases were granted as follows:

          March 1907    $ 12 / mo.     Increase due to being over the age of 62

          May 1912      $ 16 / mo.     Increase due ?

          August 1912   $ 20 / mo.     Increase due to reaching 70 years of age  

          August 1917   $ 24 / mo.     Increase due to reaching 75 years of age

Even though Jesse was disabled, he was still an entrepreneur.  He was engaged in farming his land.  He added a sawmill and supplied lumber to residents of Spring Valley.  In 1894, he and Newton Alderman opened the Spring Valley cheese factory.  In 1902 he joined J.W. Higby as part owner of the Higby Mercantile company located in Monument, Colorado.

In 1902 he was appointed Justice of the Peace for precinct 2.  He is credited as helping to “save the Spring Valley school from the ravages of fire and through whose efforts the organ was procured for the school, contributed much to this Spring Valley settlement.”

The family made their home in Spring Valley until 1905 when they moved to Orchard Park in Canon City.  There, Jesse owned one of the most successful fruit and vegetable ranches in the area.  Jesse was a member of GAR Greenwood Post 10, Canon City (Grand Army of the Republic).  

They lived in a large stone house which was the only house of more than one story in Orchard Park.  Both met their deaths in this home, Jessie died on Feb. 27th, 1919 of pneumonia and Mary died on Sept. 25th, 1915 of stomach cancer.  They were buried in Lakeside Cemetery in Canon City.

Jesse was described as “a man of large stature stern appearing, but having a weakness for co-signing almost anyone's note and it was his wife who was always expected to house and feed the traveling preachers who often stopped by their little community in Colorado.”

Thomas Sleeper - Immigrant ancestor

Thomas Sleeper, was born in England about 1616. He was an early immigrant to New England sometime before 1640.  After sailing from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Thomas probably spent a bit of time in the Boston area before settling in Hampton. 


Thomas was a weaver, a trade he learned in England. There weavers were members of an important craft guild. Woolen goods made up two-thirds of England's exports, and cloth became the basis of England's wealth.  Apprentices had to be approved by the guild; their apprenticeship was for seven years. Most weavers built their own looms. 

After immigrating to New England, weavers would work their trade until they had the means to buy land.In New England, it was much easier to earn money by farming, than by weaving. Their primary occupation became farming; weaving was secondary. A weaver might weave in the off-season or have an apprentice or employee work the loom. Thomas after acquiring land near Hampton, became primarily a farmer. 


Like other New Englanders of his day, Thomas was a Puritan, a reformer. He probably left England because he was persecuted in England for his religious beliefs. New Englanders were required to attend Church weekly.  Each frontier settlement had its own autonomous church. Each church hired its own pastor and ran its own affairs.  Church members would meet periodically to decide matters for the local church, each member had equal vote.

The Congregational Church of Hampton,
founded in 1638 by Rev. Stephen Bachiler
and his followers.

The Hampton Congregational church is said to be the oldest in New Hampshire—it was organized by a group of parishioners prior to settling Hampton in 1638. They were led by Oxford University graduate Reverend Stephen Bachiler. It is unknown whether Thomas knew his fellow Hampton residents before settling in Hampton. 

Town records show that Thomas Sleeper received a land grant in 1640, which was probably a town home lot perhaps as large as 10 acres. In 1646 he was listed among the freemen who received shares of the Common, having received 1 share. His first home was near the current day Jesse Lamprey place off Winnacunnet Road. 

In 1657 Thomas bought house and land in Haverhill, Massachusetts (20 miles south of Hampton). If he moved there, it wasn't for long; he sold the land in October that same year which required his wife Joannah's consenting. 

In 20 June, 1660, Thomas bought land in Hampton from Nathaniel Bachiler. His land is on what is now known as Shaw's hill, on the road to Little River in the easterly part of town. From him and his descendants that part of town became known as "Sleepertown," later corrupted to "Sleepytown."  His land had a natural spring on it.

After settling on this property, Thomas must have grazed his livestock on his own land. The inventory of the Shares in the Cow Common  taken on March 23, 1663, shows Thomas had sold his original share to Henry Dow, and a second share that he had acquired from William Moulton to John Brown.

In 1658, Rev. Seaborn Cotton was ordained as an minister of the Hampton Congregational church. There are no surviving records of the church kept before this time.  Cotton's descendants transcribed his surviving papers;  Goodwife Sleeper was among those he had ministered.

Rev. Seaborn Cotton left a list of all members in full communion as of the 18th of September, 1671, it included Thomas Sleeper among the males and Goodwife Sleeper among the females. At the church meeting in 1664, the voters decided two males would to sit in the gallery with the children to maintain order, Thomas Sleeper and John Redman were selected to alternate with John Brown and William Fifield.

Although the inhabitants of Hampton suffered less than other New England towns, they lived in constant fear of Indian attacks. In November 1675, there was a plot to burn Thomas Sleeper's frontier home. The story goes that an Indian was seen passing from the barn, towards the house, with fire in his right hand.  Someone from the house shot at him and he immediately fell. The Sleepers feared an ambush and stayed put in the house.  In the morning there was no trace of a dead Indian, only the remains of the fire. 


In 1677, Thomas Sleeper was among 4 chosen to serve on the grand jury for the upcoming year.  In 1680 Thomas Sleeper's name was on the list of Hampton voters; these voters were required to have previously taken the Oath of Allegiance. 

March 2nd, 1683 Thomas Sleeper along with a number of other Hampton residents signed a petition requested that the head tax be eliminated for citizens over the age of 70. "being past our labor and work... willing our estates should pay their proportion to all public charges, but we humbly crave our heads may be spared, since our hands can do so little for them." 

Thomas died in July 30, 1696. He was probably buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, although there is no stone. After his death, his family removed to the newly incorporated town of Kingston. 

According to Clarence A. Torry, in his New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Thomas was married to Joanna Lee? date unknown.  According to Charles Henry Pope, in The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660, his first wife was named Jemina, and his second wife Joannah. Many researchers have stated Thomas' first wife was named Elizabeth.  I won't speculate on if he had a first wife or what her name was.

But it is certain that he had a wife named Joanna. She is famous for having testified against Goody” Eunice Cole in her first witchcraft trial. “Goody” Eunice Cole is Hampton's most famous resident; the only woman in New Hampshire tried for witchcraft. For years, the people of Hampton gossiped about their neighbor, Goody Cole. On at least three occasions, her neighbors brought her to court claiming Goody’ Cole of "Familiarity With the Devil".  During the 1656 trial Thomas's wife, Joanna Sleeper aged 33 testified about two incidences that she witnessed.

The first was about a cat that afflicted Goodman Wedgewood hours after he had been visited by Goody Cole. On 4 September 1656 she testified she saw cat torture Goodman Wedgewood in his sickbed on the same evening that Goodwife Cole had been there earlier in the day. 

On October 1656, Goodwife Moulton and Goodwife Sleeper testified that they had been
talking about Goodwife Cole when they heard mysterious scraping noises outside the window but when they checked there was nothing outside the house to would have caused the noise.

Joanna died in Kingston on February 5, 1703 at the age of 80 years. She was buried in Hampton near her husband. 

Thomas Sleeper's children were: 

• Elizabeth b. 1646 in Hampton (m. 1-Abraham Perkins, 2-Alexander Denham, 3-Richard Smith)
• Mary b. 1647 in Hampton, (m. Gershom Elkins)
• Ruth b. 1650 in Hampton (m. Aretas Leavitt)
• John b. 1652 in Hampton (m. Hannah Shaw)
• Noemi, b. 1655 (m. Timothy Blake)
• Moses b. 1656 in Haverhill, 
• Aaron b. Feb. 1661 in Hampton (m. Elizabeth Shaw)
• Luther b. 1668.

Sleeper stone at Founder's Park

Hampton Founders Memorial park

Hampton has a small triangular-shaped park dedicated to the Founders and early families of Hampton.  At the center of the park is a huge 12-ton boulder with a plaque is dedicated to "a little band of pioneers under the leadership of Rev. Stephen Bachilder."

43 Smaller stones representing the early families of Hampton are planted around the perimeter of the Park. This is the Sleeper family stone.

My relationship

Thomas Sleeper 1616-1696                                9G-grandfather

Aaron Sleeper 1660-1732                                   8G-grandmother

Elizabeth Sleeper [Young] 1683-1745                  7G-grandmother

Daniel Young 1710-1750                                    6G-grandfather

Hannah Young [Roberts] 1740-1815                   5G-grandmother

John Roberts 1776-1851                                    4G-grandfather

Margery Roberts [Donegan] 1811-1848              3G-grandmother

Rhoda M Donegan 1840-1920                            2G-grandmother

Frank Wilbur McDowell 1877-1960                      Great-grandfather

Bertha McDowell [Reppel] 1906-1963                 Grandmother

Roger Shaw - 10th great grandfather

Roger Shaw (1600-1661)

10th great grandfather

British Origins

Gawsworth Church

Most researchers speculate that Roger Shaw, was the son of Ralph Shaw, was born on 26 Aug 1594 and baptized Sep 1, 1594 at St Peter Upon Cornhill in London, England. On December 31, Dec 1618, a Roger Shaw married Anne Smyth  at St. Mary Somerset in London, England. But is this our Roger Shaw?  

Research by Edgar J. Shaw published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, states our Roger Shaw was born in Cheshire, England near the village of Congleton around 1600.  Baptismal records for four of his children were found in the parish records of Gawsworth, Cheshire, namely Margaret (1626); Mary (1629); Ann (1632) and Joseph (1635). 

Gawsworth is a 3 1/2 hour drive by car north of London.

Cambridge, MA

Harvard/Cambridge 1836

Cambridge is situated on the north bank of the Charles River, opposite Boston. It was called Newetowne until 1638 when it was renamed  for Cambridge, England. Newtowne was laid out in an orderly grid of streets (a first for New England). Each family owned a house lot in the village, planting fields outside, and a share in the common land. Boston was eight long miles and a ferry ride away. 

Soon, Newtowne had a meetinghouse, a school, and a marketplace. In 1636, the Newe College (now Harvard) was founded to train young men for the ministry and positions of leadership within the godly community.

Sometime between 1635 and 1638) the Shaw family migrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  The first record in New England was the birth of his daughter Ester in 1638. His second son Benjamin was born in 1641. His daughter Mary died in Cambridge in 1639, but another daughter who they named Mary was born in 1645. 

The Shaw family settled in Cambridge. Roger bought a house, garden and 1 ½ acres of land in Cambridge from John Knight on 21 September 1639. He bought or obtained additional acreage so that when he was made a Freeman (1639), he owned more than 200 acres of land and had build a house on the south side of Arrow street. He must have joined the Church as it was a prerequisite for becoming a Freeman. Being a Freeman gave him the right to vote in local elections.

Roger became active in service to his town. In 1639 he served on a Jury. He served as the town clerk in 1640. He served as a selectman in 1641, 1642, 1643, 1645. Selectman were elected in town meetings to administer local government.

The Puritan fathers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony did not countenance opposing views; their colony was s a theocracy that brooked no dissent, religious or political.Although they left Europe in order to obtain religious freedom they did not tolerate any other form of religion. Many dissenters left the Massachusetts Bay Colony for Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  Perhaps Roger had become disenchanted with his new community for her soon left for New Hampshire.

Hampton, NH

image courtesy of Hampton Historical Society

Hampton was first called Plantation of Winnacunnet, Indian name for "pleasant pines". Long before the British arrived in 1638, Native Americans, had fished in the river and planted corn and beans in the rich meadow lands. Winnacunnet was  chartered by the General Court of Massachusetts on October 14,1638. 

In 1639 Rev. Stephen Bachiler arrived in Winnacunnet with a  group of settlers, and begin building the settlement. Due to some indiscretions, Bachiler was forced to leave the town, however, he is credited to have renamed to town Hampton. One fun fact, Hampton was the only town in New Hampshire to bring women to trial for witchcraft.

In 1640 Roger purchased land and a house in Hampton from John Crosse Sr. In 1648, Roger sold his holdings in Cambridge and moved the family to Hampton. He settled on the land he had purchased from Crosse. It is believed the Roger received an additional grant of land from the town. (The house was enlarged and improved by his son Benjamin and grandson Edward and was used as a garrison. It was torn down in the 1850's.)

In it unknown when Roger's wife Ann died and if in Cambridge or in Hampton, but in 1650, when seats in the new meeting house were being assigned, a seat was set aside for an unnamed wife suggesting Ann was no longer living. 

In Hampton, Roger again was in active in service to his town. He served as Representative to the General Court from 1651 - 1653. He was elected as a Selectman in 1649 and 1654. In 1651 he was appointed as "Commissioner for Trying Small Cases"; and in 1658 to a committee to review highways. He was made Constable for Hampton Oct. 1654.

About 1657 the town chose a committee consisting of Roger Shaw, Robert Page and Thomas Marston "to attend to the business of accommodating the minister both with housing and land his dwelling to be repaired at the towns expense."

Sometime in late 1653, Roger married Susanna Stoddard Tilton widow of William Tilton.

On February 8, 1654, the couple sold William Tilton’s land in Lynn including 2 acres and a house purchased from John Wing, three acres on Sagamore Hill, four acres of marsh, and a 12 acres planting lot. Poor Susanna died the following year and Roger never married again.

The money from the sale of William Tilton’s land went to his step children. In Apr. 1660 Roger gave 15 acres in Hampton and 5 acres of salt marsh to her son Samuel Tilton. According to Rogers probate, he had promised Samuel Tilton, her eldest son, £30 at age 21 and Samuel acknowledged receipt of the funds. He promised £10 to her youngest son Daniel Tilton which Roger’s executor, Joseph Shaw, paid to Daniel’s guardian, Samuel Tilton. 

Roger passed away on May 29, 1661 in Hampton at age 76, leaving two sons Joseph and Benjamin, and four daughters. In his will dated August 25, 1660, codicil dated March 20, 1661, probated in 1661, left bequests to sons Joseph and Benjamin, daughters Margaret Ward , Ann Fogg, Hester, and Mary; step-sons Abraham and Daniel Tilton.

 

Children

1.    Margaret baptized at Gawsworth July 4, 1626; married Thomas Ward by 1651. 

2.    Mary baptized at Gawsworth November 8, 1629; died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 26, 1639/40. 

3.    Ann baptized at Gawsworth April 22, 1632; died Dec. 9, 1663, at Hampton; married Samuel Fogg of Hampton December 22, 1652. 

4.    Joseph baptized at Gawsworth, Nov. 12, 1635; died at Hampton Nov. 8, 1720; married Elizabeth Partridge Jan. 26, 1661/2. 

5.    Esther born at Cambridge, Massachusetts in June, 1638; living in August, 1660, when she was named in her father's will. 

6.    Benjamin born in Cambridge July, 1641; died at Hampton December 31, 1717; married Esther Richardson on May 25, 1663

7.    Mary Shaw born in Cambridge Sept. 29, 1645; married Thomas Parker by January, 1668/9. 

Hampton Founders Memorial park

Hampton has a small triangular-shaped park dedicated to the Founders and early families of Hampton.  At the center of the park is a huge 12-ton boulder with a plaque is dedicated to "a little band of pioneers under the leadership of Rev. Stephen Bachilder,".

43 Smaller stones representing the early families of Hampton are planted around the perimeter of the Park. This is the Shaw family stone.

My relationship

Roger Shaw 1594-1661                                      10G-grandfather

Joseph Shaw 1635-1720                                     9G-grandfather

Elizabeth Shaw [Sleeper] 1664-1708                  8G-grandmother

Elizabeth Sleeper 1683-1745                              7G-grandmother

Daniel Young 1710-1750                                     6G-grandfather

Hannah Young [Roberts] 1740-1815                   5G-grandmother

John Roberts 1776-1851                                     4G-grandfather

Margery Roberts [Donegan] 1811-1848              3G-grandmother

Rhoda M Donegan 1840-1920                             2G-grandmother

Frank Wilbur McDowell 1877-1960                      Great-grandfather

Bertha McDowell [Reppel] 1906-1963                 Grandmother

Richard Kimball (1595-1675)

Richard Kimball — Colonial Wheelwright

     b. 1595,  England 

     d. June 22, 1675 in Ipswich.

     m. 1) Ursula Scott c. 1613

          2) Margaret Cole Dow 23 Oct 1661

Life In England

Little is known about Richard Kimball's life in England.  Richard was born in England around 1595. There is controversy regarding his parentage and where he was born. It’s likely that his parents were Richard and Elizabeth Kimball or Lawford, Essex, but there is also speculation that they were Henry Kimball and Joann Eisely. Whoever his parents were, many in the Kimball Family around Rattlesden were craftsmen such as wheelwrights, and this is the trade that Richard chose to follow.

We also know that he was a Puritan. In April 1634, Richard and his family were one of nine Puritan families that boarded the ship Elizabeth at the port of Ipswich, England bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  

According to Wikipedia, Rattlesden like much of East Anglia, was a hotbed of Puritan sentiment. Puritans had been calling for changes to the Church of England since the 1580s. 

These reformers questioned the status quo of the State church in the middle of the struggle of a rising capitalist middle class against the absolutist state. Many well-to-do Puritans and many thousands more left their English homes not to establish a land of religious freedom, but to practice their own religion without persecution.

Spouse Ursula Scott

Around 1613, Richard married Ursula Scott, daughter of Henry and Martha Whatlock Scott of Rattlesden, a small village in Suffolk. Although no record has been found of the marriage, there is a proof of the marriage and offspring in other documents. 

According to parish records, Ursuley, daughter of Henry and Martha Scoote of Rattlesden, was baptized 14 Feb 1597 at the church of St. Nicholas, Rattlesden.

Historically The Scott family descended from a long line of leatherworkers.  

In his will dated 24 Sep. 1623, Ursula's father, Henry Skott of Rattlesden, yeoman (middle class farmer/land owner) named the following heirs:

• His wife Martha [Whatlock]
• Sons, Roger & Thomas Skott 
• Grandchildren: Abigale, Henrie, Elizabeth, and Richard Kemball

Church of St Nicholas in Rattlesden, courtesy of Wikimedia

Ursula's mother, Martha Whatlock, was the daughter of Thomas and Joan Whatlock.  She was baptized in Rattlesden on 18 July 1568. Her father Thomas was a "Knacker" one who rendered dead farm animals into useful byproducts including glue, bone meal, leather, and tallow.

In his will dated dated 17 May 1607 - Ursula's grandfather, Thomas Whatlock of Rattlesden, knacker named the following heirs: 

• His wife Joan Wahtlock
• Daughter Martha & her husband Henry Scott
• Grandchildren Thomas, Roger, and Ursula
• Sons Roger and Robert

Migration

In 1628, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established at Salem and in Boston in 1630. Founded by the Puritans, most of the new settlers were prosperous middle-class families; they were highly literate and skilled. They were willing to leave stable economic lives behind in England for an uncertain future in a land where they could worship as they wished.

Marcus Lee Hansen in The Atlantic Migration 1607-1860 wrote: "The Company had no trouble in finding congregational groups willing to go...  The ballad, Summons to New England, was sung on the streets... incredible numbers’ sold their lands; and debtors attempted to get away under the pretext of religion..."

The Kimball family must have caught the New England fever, for they were willing to sell up and leave for the great unknown facing a very difficult voyage to get there. After the decision was made, the first step was to secure a ship.  They made arrangements with William Andrewes, Master of a vessel known as the Elizabeth which was docked in Ipswich harbor.

Also docked in Ipswich was the ship called the Francis, commanded by Master John Cutter. The two captains were planning to sail in tandem to New England. Their ships were well provisioned for a lengthy uncertain voyage.

Word of their intended departure got out, and on February 4, 1634 Henry Dade wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury that the ships intend to sail for New England around March 10th and he suggests they were debtors or religious dissidents. A warrant to stay the departure of the two Ipswich vessels was issued within the week; a few days later, similar steps were taken for the detention of ten other ships lying in the Thames near London; all bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

On the first day of March the stay was lifted with the following conditions:

• Masters were required to enter a bond of One Hundred Pounds
• Passenger using profanity/ taking the Lord's name in vane be severely punished
• Prayers from the Book of Common Prayer be said daily morning & evening
• Only passengers swearing the oath of allegiance be allowed to board
• Upon return to England, the masters certify the names of all passengers

Finally, on April 10, 1634, the ships set sail; the Francis, commanded by Master John Cutter carried 84 passengers and the Elizabeth with 101 passengers, Master William Andrewes at her helm.

In addition to the passengers, the vessel carried farm animals, casks of water and all food for the crossing. The families were responsible for preparing their own meals in metal braziers. All washings were done using salt water to preserve the precious drinking water. Plying the vast Atlantic without further incident they arrived in Boston in July.

On Nov. 1634, John Cutting and William Andrews requested their bonds be returned after presenting the certified list of the passengers, those who took the oath (adults) and those who didn't.

The names and ages of those who took the oath of allegiance.

• Thomas Skott 40

• Elizabeth Skott 40 Wife

• Henery Kemball 44

• Susan Kemball 35 Wife

• Richard Kemball 39

• Vsula Kemball Wife (no age given)

• Martha Scott 60

The names and ages of those who didn't take the oath.

Richard Kemball---------------

• Henry Kemball 15

• Richard Kemball 11

• Mary Kemball 9

• Martha Kemball 5

• John Kemball 3

• Thomas Kemball 1

• John Lauericke 15

Tho. Scott  --------------- Richard's brother-in-law

• Elizabeth Scott 9

• Abigail Scott 7

• Thomas Scott 6

• Isaac Mixer 4

Hen. Kemball ------------- thought to be Richard's brother

• Elizabeth Kemball 4

• Susan Kemball 1yr 6mo.

• Richard Cutting 11 

Thurston Raynor

• Elizabeth Kemball 13 

First Residence - Watertown 

After a short stay in Boston, Richard, Henry and Thomas Scott settled their families in Watertown. Watertown (now a suburb of Boston) was one of the first Massachusetts Bay Colony settlements organized in 1630, the same year as Boston.

Richard obtained a six acre town lot on the Cambridge line, now in the city of Cambridge. Richard was made a Freeman (voter) on May 6, 1635.  This implies that Richard had joined the First Church of Watertown as it was a prerequisite.

He obtained addition lands. According to town records, in 1636, 108 townsmen shared in a division of lands at Beaver brook  "lotted out by the Freemen to all the Townsmen then inhabiting". Listed in the 108 names were Richard and Henry Kemball. He was allocated land in six land divisions, accruing quite a bit of acreage.

Move to Ipswich 

In 1633 a group a settlers led by John Winthop, planted a coastal settlement on the banks of the Ipswich River.  The town of Ipswich grew up along the the banks of the Ipswich River which flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Ipswich Bay, a sheltered harbor.

Ipswich was settled in 1633 and has more “First Period” houses (1625-1725) than any other community in America. The Historic Ipswich site has a page honoring Richard and Ursula which displays photos of 6 homes which  were owned by descendants of Richard and Ursula. 

The early residents of Ipswich were farmers, fishermen, shipbuilders, and traders. By the end of 1634, there were at least 110 male settlers. Over the next seven another 200 male immigrants arrived.

John Winthrop, an early settler of Ipswich began recruiting settlers for his new settlement.  Ipswich was in need of a Wheelwright.  They offered Richard a house lot at the west end of town, and on Feb. 23, 1637, Ipswich granted him 40 acres of upland, north of the river, and in 1639 was granted the right to pasture 2 cows free.

In 1637 Richard and his family moved north to the coastal town of Ipswich, MA. His oldest son Henry remained in Watertown. His brother Henry remained in Watertown as well where he died in 1648. Ursula's brother Thomas Scott also relocated from Cambridge to Ipswich.

Richard was a wheelwright by trade, a craftsman who made wooden wheels for wagons and carriages. Wheelwrights also built or repaired carts, wheelbarrows and wagons. Wheelwrights possessed great knowledge of the properties of timber.  It was a craft passed down from father to son; master to apprentice.  

Like many of the early settlers, Richard was an artisan; his livelihood did not depend solely on agriculture. But even artisans, would have to supplement their income by growing corn, keeping cattle, chickens, and the obligatory pig or two. 

The wheelwright had to obtain his supply of timber, oak obtained locally during late spring and early summer, and ash, beech and elm during the winter. The Timber would remain uncut until winter, when it would be cut and then left to season for another five or six years before finally reaching the work bench.

His services as wheelwright were appreciated by his townspeople, for he was permitted in January, 1649, "to fell such White Oaks as he hath occasion to use about his trade for the town use." He was granted additional rights to fell oak trees in 1660 and 1666.

Richard involved himself in his new community. He held many positions and his name was recorded on multiple land records. 

Footbridge circa 1900. Photo by Arthur Wesley Dow

In 1641 Richard Kimball was one of the Commoners of Ipswich. He was appointed a selectman in 1645. In 1664, he was noted as one of the proprietors of Plum Island, owner of 43 shares.

On October 22, 1647 the town of Ipswich paid him two Pounds for killing two foxes. In 1653 he assign to a committee of three to survey fences in the common fields.

Ipswich riverfront c. 1906

In December 1648, he contributed three shillings (his annual proportion) for the service of their military leader, Major David Dennison.

In September, 1652, he was one of the appraisers of the estate of John Cross. When his brother-in-law, Thomas Scott, died Feb. 1654 he was joint executor with Edmund Bridges.

Family Life 

On Saturday's as required by the General Court, Richard would have mustered with the local militia with his personal weapon, a musket and gun powder.  

On Sunday's Church attendance was mandatory. Those that missed church regularly were subject to a fine. The sermon became a means of addressing town problems or concerns. 

Every family member that was able helped with the chores. Fields needed to be cleared of rocks and trees. Houses were small and cold in the winter with little privacy. Bathrooms were of course outside. Cooking was done over an open fire. Typical meals included wild game, peas, corn and squash during the growing season. Winter was especially difficult with the colonists having to survive on what they grew in the previous summer.

Richard was literate. The Puritans placed a special emphasis on reading scripture, and their commitment to literacy led to the establishment of the first printing press in English America in 1636. Following his death Richard's books were valued at 6 shillings.

In addition to their children born in England, Ursula gave birth to 3 children in New England.  Around 1635, while living in Watertown, Ursula gave birth to a son named Caleb. After moving to Ipswich, Ursula gave birth to Benjamin around 1637 and Sarah around 1639.  Little else is known about Ursula. 

Court Records 

There are a number of court records of Richard and his family. I'm choosing to only give the most fun one. In September, 1649 the Essex Court admonished a group of young people including son-in-law Joseph Fowler [Martha’s husband], sons John and Thomas Kimball and nephew Thomas Scott for going into the woods at night with their wives and friends with liquor "shouting and singing".

In the early 1650's, Richard Kimball and Richard Shatswell engaged in a prolonged feud suing each other for slander, debt, and trespassing.

A Death and a Marriage 

It is believed that Ursula died around 1659 when she was around 62 years old. There is no record of her death, but it would have been before Oct. 23, 1661 when Richard married a second to Margaret Cole Dow, widow of Henry Dow. He would have been about 67.

Memorial at St Nicholas Churchyard in Rattlesden

Richard must have felt the weight of his age; he wrote his will March 5, 1675. Richard died June 22, 1675 in Ipswich. Margaret died the succeeding spring, March 1, 1676. The couple were together 14 years; they had no children.  

Richard Kimball was well to do; the inventory of his estate, which was taken July 12, 1675, and returned to court Sept. 28, 1675, amounted to £737 3s. 6d.

Children of Richard & Ursula 

The Kimballs were more fortunate than most who lived in the 17th century, as they had eleven known children who all lived to adulthood.  Sources credit the couple with two additional children who died young (Alexander, born in 1614, and Ursula, born in 1619). All but the youngest three children were born in England.

Henry 
     b. 1615 Rattlesden, England; baptized 12, Aug, 1615 in Rattlesden
     d. 3 May 1676 Wenham, MA
     m. 1) Mary Riddlesdale and 2) Elizabeth Black [Gilbert Rayner] 

     baptized 12 August 1615, Rattlesden

     estate inventory was taken 16 June 1676     

Abigail [Severans]
     b. c. 1617 Rattlesden, England 
     d. June 17, 1658 in Salisbury, Mass. 
     m. John Severans; probably married in England as she
         did not immigrate on the same ship with her family

     baptized 5 November 1617, Hitcham, Suffolk, England

Elizabeth 
     b. c. 1621  Rattlesden, England 
     d. after 5 March 1674/75 when she was mentioned in her father’s will. 
     m. If she married, the name of her husband hasn’t been found

Richard
     b. c. 1623,  Rattlesden, England 
     d. May 26, 1676, in Wenham, Mass.
     m. 1) Mary ? possibly Cooley 2) Mary Morris Mansfield

Mary [Dutch]
     b. c. 1625  Rattlesden, England
     d. 12 Jul 1686, Ipswich, Massachusetts
     m. Robert Dutch (born 1625) c1646.

Martha [Fowler Rogers]
     b. c. 1629  Rattlesden, England
     m. 1) Joseph Fowler (1622-1676); who was killed by Indians; 2) Ezekiel Rogers

     d. 16 May 1677, Ipswich, Massachusetts; 

John    -- this is my line
     b. c. 1631  Rattlesden, England
     d. 6 May 1698 Ipswich, Essex County, MA 
     m. Mary Bradstreet (1633-1690)- immigrated on the same ship 

Thomas 
     b. 1631  c. Rattlesden, England
     d. 2 May 1676, Rowley (now Bradford), Essex, Mass.in an Indian attack;  
     m. Mary Smith

Caleb

     b. c. 1635 Watertown, MA
     d.  before 23 September 1682, when his estate inventory was taken, Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts
     m. Ann Hazeltine 7 November 1660, Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts.

Benjamin
     b. 12 May 1637 Ipswich, MA
     d.  9 April 1688
     m. Mercy Hazeltine, 16 Apr 1661, Salisbury, Massachusetts

Sarah [Allen] 
     b. c. 1639  Ipswich, MA
     d.  12 June 1696 Suffield, CT
     m. Edward Allen,24 Nov 1658, Ipswich, Mass.

His Will - Ipswich Deeds, vol. IV, p.12

The last will and Testament of Richard Kimball senr of Ipswich in Essex in new England who although weake in body yet of prfect memory doe dispose of my lands & estate in maner & form as followeth.

To my Loveinge wife my will is that she shall dwell in my house and have the Improvement of my ground and meadow belonging thereto with the use and increase of my whole stock of cattle, one whole yeare after my decease, and then at the years end, the forty pound due to her acording to contract at marriage to be payd her and that hous-hold stuff she brought with her. And to have liberty to live in the parlor end of the house, the roome we now lodge in: and liberty for her necessary vse of some part of sellar: also the liberty of
one cow in the pasture, the executors to provide winter meate for the same, and to have a quarter part of the fruit of the orchard, and firewood as long as she lives ther., And if she desire to remove to her owne house, then to be sett in it with what she have by my executors and to be alowed forty shillings yearly as long as shee lives. 

And to my Eldest son Henry, my will is to give him three score and ten pounds to bee payd Twenty pounds, a year & half after my decease, & the remaining part in the two years following after that.

To my son Richard I give fforty pounds.

To my son John I give twenty pounds.

To my son Thomas I give Twenty five pounds to bee payd two years and
a halfe after my decease, and to his children I give seaven pounds
to be devided equally among them and paid as they come of age or at
day of marriage. provided if any dye before then their share to be
distributed equally amongst the rest.

And to my son Benjamin, besides the two oxen, allready received I
give the sum of twenty five pounds, ten pound to be payd a yeare and
halfe after my decease. The rest the two years ffollowing, also to
his children I give five pounds, equally to be devyded, and payd, as
they come of age, or at day of marriage, in case any dye before,
that part to be equally divided to the rest.

And to my son Caleb I give that peace of land knowne by the name of
Tings lott, and all my land att Wattells neck with my marsh at the
hundreds knowne by the name of Wiatts marsh, and all my working
tools exsept two axes, all to be delivered present after my discease
also I give fourteene pounds to his seaven children equally to be
devided, to be payd as they come of age or at Day of manage and if
any dye before, that part to be equally devided amongst the rest.

To my son-in-law John Severns, I give ten pounds to be pay'd two
yeares & a halfe after my decease. 

And to my Daughter Elizabeth, I give thirty pounds, ten pound to be payd, a year & halfe after my decease, and the other two parts, the two following years after that.

To my Daughter Mary I give ten pounds, five pound to be payd a year
& halfe after my decease, the other five pound the year after that.

To my daughter Sarah I give forty pound, five pound to be payd the
yeare & halfe after my decease and the rest five pound a yeare till
it be all payd, also to her children I give seaven pounds ten
shilhngs to be payed to them as they come of age or at day of
marriage, if any dye before, that part to be equally devyded to the
rest. And to my daughter Sarah above sd; I also give the bed I lye on with
the furniture after one years use of it by my wife.

To my wives children viz. Thomas, Jerimiah, and Mary. [step children]
To Thomas and Mary I give forty shillings apeece to be payd a yeare
& halfe after my decease, and to Jerimiah I give fifteene pounds to
be payd at the age of one & twenty. I give also eight pounds to the
two Eldest daughters of Gyes Gowes (that he had by his first wife)
to be payd and equally devided to them at the age of sixteene, if
either of them dye before then the whole to be given to that that
remaines.

I also give four pounds to my couzen Haniell Bossworth, 

And doe ordaine & apoynt my two sons above sd. Richard and John Kimball 
to be my lawfull and sole executors. And my Couzen Haniell Bosworth
above sayd to be my overseer that this my last will and Testament be
duely and truly performed And thus I conclude with setting too my hand and seale the fifth of march 1674-5. Richard Kemball & a mark and a seale.

My Relationship to Richard Kimball

Me             - Margaret Gates Sasser

Mother         - Bertha Melaine Reppel [Gates Corrao]

grandmother    - Bertha McDowell [Reppel] 1906-1963

G-grandmother  - Bertha Knowles [McDowell] 1880-1966

2G-grandfather - Jesse "Jake" Knowles 1842-1919

3G-grandmother - Cynthia Kimball [Knowles] 1809-1865

4G-grandfather - Jesse Kimball Pvt. 1760-1857

5G-grandfather - John Kimball 1731-1809

6G-grandfather - Isaac Kimball 1705-1745

7G-grandfather - John Kimball 1667-1761

8G-grandfather - John Kimball 1631-1698

9G-grandfather - Richard Kimball Sr. 1595-1675