Richard Kimball Jr. (abt. 1623 - 1676)

Born about 1623 in Rattlesden, Suffolk, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 20 May 1676 at about age 53 in Wenham, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Richard Kimball Jr. immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

Much of the following is from History of the Kimball Family (1897).^[1]

(II) Richard (2), second son of Richard (1) and Ursula (Scott) Kimball, was born probably in Rattlesden, Suffolk county, England, about 1623.^[2][3]

He was brought to America by his parents on the ship "Elizabeth" in 1634.

He removed to Wenham, between the years 1652 and 1656, being the first Kimball to settle in that town. He was a large land owner and prominent in the town. He settled in the western part of the town, near Ladd's hill. He appears to have been the largest taxpayer among the early settlers, and his descendants have generally been in comfortable circumstances. He was a large landholder, as is shown by numerous transactions recorded in Salem, Massachusetts.

8 November 1657, he subscribed £3 as minister's rate, to be paid one half in wheat and one half in Indian corn. The next year he was chosen selectman, in which office he continued with the exception of three years, till 1674.

1658: Several depositions of his are on file in the court records of Salem. In September, 1658, he says: "That his Uncle Thomas Scott of Ipswich challenged the upland down to the marsh and his son after him while I lived on Goodman Shatswell's farm for seven years."

4 Dec. 1660, he was on the committee to see about building the new meeting-house. The matter was deferred until 21 Aug. 1663, when the committee having at last agreed to build, he was one of the committee to join with the selectmen to put out the contract. 28, 12mo (Feb.) 1663,' tis agreed yt there then shall be 200 Akers of land of ye best of our comon Leased to foure men for 1000 years: viz. to Abner Ordway, Thomas Searles, John Edwards & Richard Kemball Jr. They yielding and paying to the town severlly for every fifty akers 5s. for the first year & ten the second yere and 15s the third yere and 20s the fourth yere 30s the fifth yere. & 40s the sixth yere & so to pay yerely viz. 40s per yere during the above term. Also all the abouve rent is to be paid yerely for the use of the ministry among us.

1661: grand juror of Wenham.

1664: of Topsfield, Massachusetts

1665; On 6 July 1665, he sold to his brother Caleb, for £30, his house with one acre of land about it and six acres in the common field, all included in the bounds of Ipswich.

His first wife died 2 Sep 1672.

He was also one of a committee to perfect the line between Bass River and Wenham, and 18, 5 mo 1673, was on a commit-tee to establish rates for the cost of building the meeting house, which was voted to be '18 ft. square 18 ft. Stud, to be added to Roberts house.'

He is styled a wheelwright and yeoman.

Family

He was twice married, both wives bearing the given name Mary. There is some conjecture as to the identity of the first Mary. One source states she was Mary Cooley;^{[citation needed]} Torrey lists her as "Mary Smith?", the daughter of John. It is probable, however, that the second was Mary Gott; Torrey lists her as "Mary (Morris) (Mansfield) w John (sister of Thomas)." Other sources indicate Mary Gott was his first, not second, wife; others that she was widow of Charles Gott. No one seems to agree which Mary was which.

He had eight children that were alive at the time of his death, as is shown by an agreement made between them and his widow. Their names are not given in the agreement. History of the Kimball Family lists his children as (all of the last two must have been by his first wife):

1. John, b Ipswich abt 1650; d 1721 (named oldest son in Richard's probate)
2. Samuel, b abt 1651 Ipswich; d 3 Oct 1716 (named in Richard's probate)
3. Thomas, b Nov 12, 1657; d Oct 16, 1732 (named in Richard's probate)
4. Ephraim, b Feb 18, 1660 in Wenham; d Jan 16, 17311/2
5. Caleb, b Apr 9, 1665; d Jan 25,1725/6 Wenham
6. Christopher, b.___; d. ___
7. Richard, b July 1671; d Oct 8, 1672 (Note: Richard's first wife died 2 Sep 1672; therefore this was her last child)
8. ---- This was probably Elizabeth (see below)
9. Nathaniel, b 1676; d Sep 7, 1735

In 1937, the case was made for Elizabeth, wife of Robert Cue, as daughter of Richard Kimball:^[4]

"Elizabeth Cue, widow and Relict of Robert Cue, Late of Wenham, deceased, sold to John Trask, secundus, land in Salem 3 Dec. 1702. Wit: Caleb Kimball, Eliza Cue, Jun., Samuel Balch. Thomas Kimball, Senr of Wenham, an overseer of ye last will & testament of Robert Cue of Whenham, "did consent & agree to & with his Sister Eliza Cue," 5 jan. 102, and on 11 Aug. 1703, she receipted for full payment on the land [citing Essex Co., Deeds 18:30].

"Elizabeth Cue was a "sister" of Thomas Kimball. She could not be a sister to Thomas's wife for she was also named Elizabeth and her surname being Potter, she was not a sister to Robert Cue. No child of Cue's married a child of Thomas Kimball's, hence the only way Elizabeth, wife of Robert Cue, could have been "sister" to Thomas Kimball was by being a blood sister and hence a daughter of Richard(2) Kimball."

Death

Richard died in Wenham, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on 20 May 1676.^[5]

Probate

Richard estate was probated in 1676. The amount of his estate was £986.1 6s.6d. Items in the inventory included:

• Item the dwelling house & 132 acres of land and 17 acres of medow belonging to it. £370.
• About 200 acres of land in Rowley Village.
• Due from Daniel Gott for rent £3. per year during the natural life of Mary the wife of the late Richard Kimball of Wenham. [How was Daniel Gott related to Richard's second wife, Mary Gott?]
• Due from the contry for wages and other debts £2. 16s.00.

Samuel Kemball and Thomas Kemball sons of the deceased have power of administration granted, and gave oath to the truth of the inventory 27, 9 mo (Nov.) 1676.

Due from his father's executors £35. 10s. [From a document on file at Salem, Massachusetts]:

"Whereas Samuel and thomas kemball sons of Richard kemball of Wenham Late desesed have power of administration granted them by the court at Salem they together with Mary Kemball their mother-in-law [step-mother?] having left it to this court to proportion the estat between them and to order what the widdow mary Kemball late wife of the said Richard Kemball desessed, shall have ordered as followeth, there being £800. estat the widdow shall have what she brought with her, which is the £19.16s and the £18.15s. mentioned in the Inventory and alsoe the three pounds per yere mentioned in the said inventory and also she shall be alowed three pounds per yer during her naturall life payed out of the estat aforesaid by the children of her said husband and also while she remaineth a widdoe and dwelt with them the said children are to keep ther mother a cow and four sheep and one swine winter and summer. she to solt her swin at her owne cost, with the roome in the house which she lives in, this to be in full satisfaction for her thirds out of the estat of her sayd husband, and the £800. abov said to be divided equally between the eight children of the deceased Richard Kemball, onely to John the eldest son a dubble portion; only the other six children are to alow out of ther part of the estat for all the troble in paying the debts & and the land to stand ( ) for the formance of the same. yn court held at ypswich the 26 of sept 1676. Attest Robert Lord Cler.

From the circumstance that he had wages due from the country, as is stated in the inventory, it is probable that he had been engaged in the war with the Indians, and was probably with his nephew, Caleb Kimball, at the time the latter was killed at Bloody Brook.

Richard was one of Major Denison's subscribers in 1648.

Abstract of Grandfather Henry Scott's Will

An abstract of the will of Henry Skott, citing Bury Wills Book, Pearle, L. 117^[6]

Henry Skott of Rattlesden, Suffolk, yeoman, 24 September 1623, proved 10 January 1624. To my wife Martha the house wherein I dwell &c. during term of her natural life; after that to my son Roger Skott and his heirs forever. To Abigail Kemball my grandchild forty shillings at her age of one and twenty years. To my grandchild Henry Kemball twenty shillings at age of one and twenty and the same sum each to grandchildren Elizabeth and Richard Kemball at same age. To son Thomas Skott five pounds within one year after my decease. To Mr. Peter Devereux, minister of Rattlesden, ten shillings. Wife Martha to be executrix.

Sources

1. ↑ Leonard Allison Morrison and Stephen Paschall Sharples, History of the Kimball family in America, from 1634 to 1897 ..., 2 vols. in 1 (Boston : Damrell & Upham, 1897), 32 (father's death), 33 (father's child list), 37-39 (Richard^2 Kimball); digital images, Hathi Trust, catalog entry reports, "A supplement is published in "The Kimball family news," not further observed.
2. ↑ Leonard Allison Morrison and Stephen Paschall Sharples, History of the Kimball family in America, from 1634 to 1897 ..., 2 vols. in 1 (Boston : Damrell & Upham, 1897), 33 (father's child list), 37-39 (Richard^2 Kimball); digital images, Hathi Trust.
3. ↑ Cuyler Reynolds, Hudson-Mohawk genealogical and family memoirs ..., 3 vols. (New York : Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1911), 2:612; digital images, Hathi Trust.
4. ↑ "Robert Cue of Salem, Beverly, Wenham, Mass.," in The American Genealogist, 14 (1937-38):153
5. ↑ FamilySearch, "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L979-95FM : 22 October 2020), Essex > Wenham > Births, marriages, deaths 1654-1810 > image 74 of 277, Richard Kimball Senr; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston. Note that the year given in this record is 167* because the page in the original was torn; however, his probate file confirms that it was 1676.
6. ↑ John Ward Dean, ed., The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 52 (1898):248 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1898), image of p. 248 at InternetArchive.org.

See also:

• Stearns, Ezra S., Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire</i> (Lewis Publishing Company, 1908) Page 1
• "Abstracts From Essex County, Mass., Probate Records", The Genealogical Quarterly Magazine (Eban Putnam, Salem, Mass., 1900) Vol. 1, Page 125
• "Essex County, MA: Early Probate Records, 1635-1681" Record Display https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/essex-county-ma-early-probate-records-1635-1681/RecordDisplay/?volumeId=33913&pageName=72&rId=891371495. Accessed 19 May. 2022.
• "Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881" American Ancestors https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/essex-county-ma-probate-file-papers-1638-1881/RecordDisplay/?volumeId=13769&pageName=15724%3A1&rId=245462834. Accessed 19 May. 2022.