Charles Franklin Kimball
New Hampshire Resources, Attractions and Its People
By Hobart Pillsbury, 1927, Biographical Volume, p 212 - 213
The Kimball family in America was largely instrumental in
the achievement of what is today the most powerful nation on the face of the
globe. The early American ancestors of this family were of the hardy,
God-fearing pioneer type, and with the knowledge that theirs was a conquest of
justice, feared neither man nor the handicaps of adverse circumstances.
The surname of Kimball is of English origin, and appears in that country under
the various spelling of Kymbolde, Kembold, Kembould, Kembolde, and Kemball.
The late Charles Franklin Kimball, of Salem, New Hampshire,
himself a capable farmer, keen business man, devout churchman, and a power in
the political affairs of his State, no doubt received, through heredity, many of
those extraordinary qualities that were responsible, in a large degree, for the
important part which was his in the history of Salem and the community.
Charles Franklin Kimball was of the eighth generation removed from Richard
Kimball, the common American ancestor of practically all of the families of the
name in America.
(I) Richard Kimball, on
April 10, 1634, embarked with the members of his family at Ipswich, County of
Suffolk, England, in the good ship "Elizabeth," bound for the shores of America,
landing in due time at Boston, Massachusetts, from which place Richard departed
for Watertown, Massachusetts, then a new settlement, where he became most
influential. A wheelwright by calling, he was subsequently invited to
remove to Ipswich, which settlement required a master of that craft in their
midst, and in the latter place was spent the latter years of his life, where,
too, he was most prominent. He had a brother, Henry, who had many
descendants in the State of New Hampshire. Richard married (first) Ursula
Scott, who was the daughter of Henry Scott, of Rattlesden, Suffolk County,
England, by whom were born all of his eleven children. He married (second)
Margaret Dow, widow of Henry Dow, resident of Hampton, New Hampshire, by whom
there was no issue.
Children: 1. Abigail, born
in Rattlesden, Suffolk County, England; married, in England, John Severans, and
with him came to America; she died at Salisbury, Massachusetts, June 17, 1658;
John Severans died at the same place on April 9, 1682. John and Abigail
(Kimball) Severans had twelve children: their youngest child, Elizabeth
Severans, married, in 1686, Samuel Eastman of Salisbury, Massachusetts; her
granddaughter, Abigail Eastman, born July 10, 1737, daughter of Thomas and
Abigail (French) Eastman, married Ebenezer Webster, and was the mother of Daniel
Webster, the famous statesman. 2. Henry.
3. Elizabeth 4. Richard 5.
Mary, born in Rattlesden, England, in 1625;
married Robert Dutch, of Gloucester and Ipswich, Massachusetts. 6.
Martha, born in Rattlesden, England, in August,
1629; married Joseph Fowler, born in England in 1622, and was killed by the
Indians May 19, 1676, near Deerfield, Massachusetts. 7.
John, born in Rattlesden, England, in 1631, and
died on May 6, 1698. 8. Thomas, born in
1633, and died on May 5, 1676. 9. Sarah,
born at Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, died on June 12, 1690; married, on
November 24, 1658, Edward Allen, of Ipswich, Massachusetts. 10.
Benjamin, of whom further. 11.
Caleb, born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1639,
and died in 1682.
(II) Benjamin, tenth child and fifth son of
Richard
Kimball, was born in 1637, which was coincident with the time during which his
father, Richard, removed from the settlement at Watertown to the village of
Ipswich, Massachusetts; Benjamin died on June 11, 1695. He is believed to
have resided in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the year 1659, engaged in his trade as
carpenter. It is known that Benjamin became identified with Salisbury,
Massachusetts, in the year 1622 or prior to same, and was residing in Rowley,
Massachusetts, on May 12, 1663, at which time he purchased lands that are now
within the corporate limits of the present town of Bradford. He became
overseer of the community, through selection for that post at a meeting, the
first of its kind, which was called to order on February 20, 1668, and is on
record as having continued in that town on March 16, 1670, and on March 15,
1674. He purchased several tracts of land on November 23, 1667, one of
which had formerly belonged to his brother, Thomas Kimball, who had been slain
by an Indian on May 3, 1676. Benjamin was a wheelwright and farmer, and
was, for his generation, exceedingly well-to-do. A cornet of house troops,
he bore the rank of "Cornet" Kimball. He, with his brother, Richard,
served as soldiers in 1683 and 1684, under Captain Appleton.
Benjamin
Kimball married, in April, 1661, at Salisbury, Mercy, daughter of Robert and Ann Hazeltine, who was born on the "sixteenth day, eighth month, 1642," and who died
on January 5, 1708; she was one of the first women, among sixteen, received into
the first church in Bradford, in which town the gravestones of
Benjamin and
Mercy (Hazeltine) Kimball may still be deciphered. Children:
Anna; Mercy;
Richard; Elizabeth;
David; Jonathan;
Robert, of whom further;
Abraham; Samuel;
Ebenezer; and Abigail.
(III) Robert Kimball, seventh child and fourth son of
Benjamin and Mercy (Hazeltine) Kimball, was a native of Bradford, where he was
born on March 6, 1676; he died on February 24, 1744.
Robert Kimball is
recorded as having purchased, on March 3, 1703, land which was then the property
of his father-in-law, Philip Atwood, but which had been the holding of a Boston
blacksmith named Henry Kemble. Robert Kimball married Susanna Atwood,
daughter of Philip and Sarah Atwood, who resided at Malden; she was born in "Maulden,"
on February 1, 1686. Both Robert and his wife, Susanna, are buried in the
old Bradford Cemetery. Their children, all of whom were born at Bradford,
are as follows; Susanna;
Rachel; Philip;
Sarah; Ebenezer;
Joseph; Abigail;
Oliver, of whom further; and
Solomon.
(IV) Oliver Kimball, who was the eighth child and
fourth son of Robert and Susanna (Atwood) Kimball, was born on May 24, 1724, at
Bradford, and passed away in the town of Salem, New Hampshire, on June 23, 1806.
He resided for some time in the town of his birth, but subsequently became a
resident of Salem. Oliver Kimball was a man of affluence. He was
married, in March, 1745, to Mary Ober, who was born on May 23, 1725, and died on
June 23, 1806. The following were their children, all of whom were born in
the town of Salem, New Hampshire: Oliver, of whom further; Mary; Susanna
(died young); Elizabeth; Susie; Mehitable; Abigail;
John; and Sarah.
(V) Oliver Kimball Jr.
was the eldest child of Oliver and Mary (Ober) Kimball, and was born in Salem on December 5, 1745, and
there died on April 20, 1821. He gave an excellent account of himself as a
soldier in the War of the Revolution, and was in the midst of the battle at
Bunker Hill, on August 1, 1775. When the Salem town meeting adjourned on
August 22 of the latter year, Oliver Kimball, jr., was elected ensign. He
was a member of Captain Woodbury's company on October 15, 1775 and was of the
same company in 1776. In 1793, he was a member of the Board of Selectmen
at Salem, where the balance of his life was passed. Oliver married Mary
Allen, a native of Salem, where she was born on March 17, 1751, and who died on
February 6, 1846, in the ninety-fifth year of her age. Children:
Susannah, Molly (died young); Joseph; and
Molly.
(VI) Joseph Kimball, the third child and only son of
Oliver and Mary (Allen) Kimball, was born at Salem, on December 25, 1786,
and died on April 28, 1867, at the age of eighty years and four months, three
days. He assumed the charge of the homestead, and engaged in the vocation
of farming. Joseph Kimball married, on February 2, 1815, Rebecca Hazeltine,
who was born on August 5, 1792, and died on January 29, 1854, who was a daughter
of Asa Hazeltine, a resident of Auburn. Children: Harriet, Rebecca,
Charles, Washington, and Joseph Allen Kimball.
(VII) Charles Kimball was the third child and eldest
son of Joseph and Rebecca (Hazeltine) Kimball to attain maturity. He was
born at Salem on April 18, 1822, lived in his earlier years on the family
homestead and was educated in the common schools. In later life he engaged
principally in farming, gardening and lumber operations. he also operated,
for a period of four years, a store, which was located at Salem depot. He
was a prominent leader in the Democratic party, and served as selectman for
three years, having been chairman of the board of the body during his entire
tenure in office. He was also town treasurer for two terms, and a member
of the State Legislature from Salem. Charles Kimball married, on August 1,
1844, Celinda Jane Hazeltine, born in Salem on July 31, 1825, a daughter of
Silas and Lydia (Hall) Hazeltine, her father having been a native of Manchester
and her mother of Salem. Charles and Celinda Jane (Hazeltine) Kimball were
members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Children: Aroline
Francena; Charles Franklin, of whome further; and Nellie E. Aroline F.
Kimball was married to Walter G. Woodbury, of Salem; Nellie E. Kimball
maintained her residence at Salem. Three other children, whose names do
not appear, did not attain maturity.
(VIII) Charles Franklin Kimball, second child and
only son of Charles and Celinda J. (Hazeltine) Kimball, was born in Salem, New
Hampshire, on March 15, 1853. he was a student in the public schools of
the community, and broadened the scope of his studies by courses at Tilton
Seminary and Pinkerton Academy. He was actively engaged upon the homestead
farm from 1870 until 1873, and in the following year, 1874, became clerk in a
store acquired by his father at Salem depot, and also was retained therein as
clerk and assistant postmaster, continuing in these capacities until 1878.
In the latter year he again engaged upon the family farm, where for a number of
years he specialized in the raising of produce for the vegetable markets of
Manchester, it being noteworthy that under his direction the farm attained a
remarkably high state of cultivation; fifty acres of land yielded annually one
hundred tons of hay, and his first crop of corn netted thirteen hundred bushels,
which was ground on the premises by a windmill which he built for the purpose.
In 1903, he caused to be erected a vast barn and storehouse, and followed this
enterprise, in 1904, by construction of an elevator with a capacity of 12,000
bushels. The elevator was occupied upon its completion in 1905, and
thereafter its builder engaged in the grain business upon a large scale, his
son, Charles Allen Kimball, becoming a partner in the resultant firm of C. F.
Kimball & Son. On in June 10, 1905, Charles Franklin Kimball sold, for the
sum of $30,000, the old Kimball homestead upon which for five generations the
family had resided; this proper later became a portion of the Salem Race Track
upon which enterprise was made a development expenditure of $600,000.
A Republican in political affiliation, Mr. Kimball served
the community as tax collector in 1874, as a member of the School Board for
several years, having been the member of the committee that erected a new
schoolhouse during that period. Also, he acted in the capacity of chairman
of the board of the committee which negotiated the purchase of the Salem town
waterworks, was a member of the Water Board for a period of one year, and during
that time served as chairman of the committee empowered to dispose of the town
farm. He rendered most excellent service as road commissioner and
treasurer, and in 1896 and 1897 was a representative from Salem to the State
Legislature. A staunch member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he served
from 1877 as superintendent of the Sunday school and for many years acted in the
capacity of treasurer for the Pleasant Street Church. He was a most
popular member of fraternal organizations, having been one of the stewards and a
member of the board of trustees of the Royal Arcanum, and a member of Enterprise
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He passed away on April 1, 1925.
On September 3, 1874, Charles Franklin Kimball was married
to Martha Ella Copp, a native of Windham, where she was born on September 3,
1855, daughter of Millet G. and Rowena (Wentworth) Copp, and to this union was
born one child, a son, Charles Allen Kimball, who, like his father and
illustrious ancestors, has attained an important place among the people of Salem
and the State, as a churchman, business executive and farmer, a State
legislator, and through various noteworthy participation in the public service.
The Kimball family in America was largely instrumental in
the achievement of what is today the most powerful nation on the face of the
globe. The early American ancestors of this family were of the hardy,
God-fearing pioneer type, and with the knowledge that theirs was a conquest of
justice, feared neither man nor the handicaps of adverse circumstances.
The surname of Kimball is of English origin, and appears in that country under
the various spelling of Kymbolde, Kembold, Kembould, Kembolde, and Kemball.