The family of Kimball is from the county of Cumberland, England, and takes its origin from a parish of that name upon the Scottish border. Arms: Argent (Silver) a lion rampant, gules (Red) upon a chief (Sable) three crescents of gold. Crest: A lion rampant holding in the dexter paw a dagger au proper. Motto: "Fortis non ferox".
The immigrant ancestor of the Kimballs in the United States, claiming early colonial descent, was Richard Kimball, who with his family embarked at Ipswich, Suffolk, England, April 10, 1634, in the ship "Elizabeth," Captain William Andrews. His age as given on the ship's list of passengers was thirty-nine years, but he was probably older. On the same ship came Henry Kemball (as this branch spelled the name) said by Bond to have been a brother of Richard, but there seems little to support that claim. Richard Kimball settled first at Watertown, Massachusetts. He was made a freeman, May 6, 1635, and was a landed proprietor, 1637. He was by trade a wheelwright and the neighboring town of Ipswich being in need of a wright, they invited him to settle there, which he did. The town granted him a house lot, forty acres of land, and in 1639 right to pasture "two cows free." He had the right to "fell such white oaks as he hath occasion to use about his trade for the town use." In 1660 he was granted right "to fell twenty white oak trees to make weels for the townsmen their use." In 1664 he owned forty-three shares in Plumb Island. He died June 22, 1675, having previously made his will and set his earthly affairs in order. He was then over eighty years of age. He married (first) Ursula, daughter of Henry Scott, of Rattlesden Parish, Suffolk county, England. He married (second) October 23, 1661, Margaret M., daughter of Henry Dow, of Hampton, New Hampshire. Richard Kimball left an estate inventoried at seven hundred and thirty-seven pounds, which was a large sum in those days. He had previously given to his children at their marriages. He had eleven children, all by first wife. The first eight were born in Rattlesden Parish, Suffolk county, England, the ninth at Watertown, Massachusetts, the last two at Ipswich.
- Abigail, died June 17, 1658; married, in England, John Severans; she died in Salisbury, Massachusetts, mother of twelve children.
- Henry, married, about 1640, Mary, daughter of John and Mary Wyatt, a passenger on the "Elizabeth" with him in 1634; married (second) Elizabeth (Gilbert) Rayner, a widow; Henry was a resident of Watertown, Ipswich, and Wenham, Massachusetts; thirteen children.
- Elizabeth, born 1621; living in 1675.
- Richard (2), see forward.
- Mary, born 1625; married Robert Dutch, of Gloucester and Ipswich, Massachusetts; six children.
- Martha, married Joseph Fowler, born in England, 1642; killed by the Indians, May 19, 1676, near Deerfield, Massachusetts; four children.
- John, born 1631, died May 6, 1698; was a wheelwright and an extensive farmer, about 1655 married Mary Bradstreet, born in England, 1633; they came to America on the same ship in 1634; thirteen children.
- Thomas, born 1633, died May 2, 1676; was a mechanic and thrifty farmer, owning over four hundred acres of land and a large amount of personal property; on the night of May 2, 1676, at his home in Rowley, on the Boxford road, he was killed by three Indians, his wife and five children taken captive and carried forty miles into the wilderness where they were kept forty-one days when they were freed; married Mary, daughter of Thomas and Joanna Smith; nine children.
- Sarah, born 1635, died June 12, 1690; married, November 24, 1658, Edward Allen, of Ipswich.
(II) Richard (2), second son of Richard (1) and Ursula (Scott) Kimball, was born in Rattlesden, Suffolk county, England, 1623, died in Wenham, Massachusetts, May 26, 1676. He was brought to America by his parents on the ship "Elizabeth" 1634. He was of Topsfield, Massachusetts, in 1664. He is styled a wheelwright and yeoman. 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 was twice married, both wives bearing the given name Mary. The second wife was Mary Gott. Children:
- John (called Corporal), born in Ipswich, about 1650, died 1721; married (first) Sarah ————, (second) Hannah Benton, who lived to the great age of one hundred years; seven children.
- Samuel, see forward.
- Thomas, born November 12, 1657, died October 16, 1732; married Elizabeth Potter; eight children.
- Deacon Ephraim, born February 18, 1660, in Wenham, died January 16, 1731-32; married Mary, daughter of Deacon James Friend; nine children.
- Caleb, born April 9, 1665, died January 25, 1726; was a yeoman and a mason by trade; married Sarah ————; nine children.
- Christopher, was married by Cotton Mather to Sarah Jolts, of Boston; two children.
- Richard, died in infancy.
- ————. ————.
- Nathaniel, born 1676, died September 7, 1735.
(III) Ensign Samuel, second son of Richard (2) and Mary Kimball, was born about 1651, died October 3, 1716. He was ensign of the Wenham militia; surveyor in 1676; constable, 1677; selectman, 1682. He married, September 20, 1676, Mary, daughter of John and Sarah Witt, of Lynn, Massachusetts. Children, all born in Wenham, Massachusetts:
- Samuel, born August 19, 1677, died January 20, 1745; married (first) Elizabeth Fowler; (second) Abigail Foster; (third) Joanna (Burnham) Dodge, a widow; seven children.
- Sarah, born September 6, 1678; married: John Herrick, of Beverly, Massachusetts.
- Martha, died in infancy.
- Mary, born 1682;, married Elisha Dodge.
- Richard, born 1683, died in Boston, August 1, 1713; married Anne Quarles; two children.
- Jonathan, born 1686, died February 19, 1758; was captain of the militia company; deacon of the Wenham Church; town clerk, 1751-52; married Hannah Hopkins; six children.
- John, born November 13, 1687, died in Medford, Massachusetts, 1754; married Charity Dodge; six children.
- Ebenezer, see forward.
- Martha, born 1692; married John Gott.
- Thomas, born February 22, 1696, died in Exeter, New Hampshire; married Elizabeth Brown, eight children.
- Benjamin, died in childhood.
(IV) Ebenezer, eighth child of Ensign Samuel and Mary (Witt) Kimball, was born in Wenham, Massachusetts, 1690, died 1769. He. lived in Wenham and Beverly, Massachusetts, and in 1740 moved to Hopkinton, where he died. He was a yeoman and mason. He married, June 9, 1712, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Carr, of Salisbury, Massachusetts. Children:
- Elizabeth, born March 19, 1713.
- Mary.
- Dorothy.
- Ebenezer, born June, 22, 1720; married Mary Shattuck, seven children.
- Richard, see forward.
- Abigail, born April 13, 1726.
- Sarah, born April 16, 1728.
- Anna, born July 11, 1729; married James Hiscock.
- Boyce, born June 18, 1731; married Rebecca Howard; twelve children.
(V) Richard (3), second son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Carr) Kimball, was born in Wenham, Massachusetts, December 20, 1722, died in Newton, Massachusetts, March 2, 1803. He went with his father to Hopkinton where he lived until 1764, when he removed to Natick and later to Newton, Massachusetts. He married Sarah ————. Children:
- Sarah, born June 14, 1756; married Abijah Stratton, of Natick.
- Abigail, married ———— Warner.
- Mary, married Nathaniel Battle.
- Elizabeth, married Asa Adams.
- John, died in boyhood.
- Thomas, born June 6, 1767, died 1816; married Hannah Fuller; nine children.
- Libella, died young.
- Richard, born April 17, 1773, died in New Hampshire, November 13, 1845; he was a licensed Methodist preacher; married Lydia McIntyre; twelve children.
- Ebenezer, born 1775, died August 19, 1835; married (first) Lydia Greenwood; (second) Fanny Rice; eleven children.
- John, born September 12, 1778, died November 16, 1821; married Hepzibah Plagg; two children.
- Edmund, see forward.
(VI) Edmund, sixth son of Richard (3) and Sarah Kimball, was born in Natick, Massachusetts, August 15, 1780. He spent the patrimony received from his father and disappeared, leaving his wife with a large family of young children to rear and educate. This she did nobly. They all grew to men and women of good reliable character and filled creditable positions in life. He married Betsey Hammond, born in Newton, Massachusetts, September 9, 1782, died in Natick, Massachusetts, June 24, 1872. Children:
- Edmund, see forward.
- Eliza, born November 27, 1804, died January 3, 1893; married Charles Loker.
- Mary Hammond, born January 2, 1807, died December 27, 1889; married Joseph Moulton.
- Richard, born February 3, 1809, died July 1, 1884; married, October 20, 1832, Elizabeth Goodnow; one child, Joanna E.
- William Hammond, born in Newton, Massachusetts, March 6, 1812, died in Natick, November 6, 1892; married (first) Lydia Davis; (second) Mary, sister of his first wife; seven children.
- Keziah Trull, born March 20, 1815; married, May 7, 1840, Jesse Parmenter; two children, Elizabeth Augusta and Jesse William.
- Sally Hayden, born January 20, 1819, died October 23, 1873; married John Stone.
- Ann Maria H., born April 13, 1822, died February 2, 1871: married Joseph Alexander.
- Thomas Peach, born July 23, 1825, died at age of ten years.
(VII) Edmund (2), eldest child of Edmund (1) and Betsey (Hammond) Kimball, was born in Newton, Massachusetts, June 29, 1803, died in Wayland, Massachusetts, January 25, 1890. He lived and farmed in Needham and Natick, Massachusetts, for twenty-two years. He then removed to New York, where he lived in Albany and Troy, about thirty-five years, engaged in hotel keeping. He then returned to Massachusetts, settled in Cochituate, town of Farmingham, where he was engaged as a shoe manufacturer. He married, September 4, 1827, Betsey Maria, born April 27, 1803, died in Wayland, Massachusetts, February 19, 1867, daughter of Azriel Warner, of Cochituate. Children:
- James Edward, see forward.
- Elizabeth, born December 5, 1829; married, October 20, 1847, William Baxter, born in Whippany, New York, November 22, 1822, died in Jersey City, New Jersey, October 27, 1884; children:
- Jennie, born Troy, New York, August 22, 1848;
- William (2), born March 8, 1851.
- Sarah A., born May 4, 1832.
(VIII) James Edward, only son of Edmund (2) and Betsey Maria (Warner) Kimball, was born in Albany, New York, May 5, 1828, died in Troy, December 28, 1896. He was educated in the public schools and Madison, now Colgate University, Hamilton, New York. He began business life as a clerk in the firm of Bates & Griffin, where he remained until 1858. In that year he formed a partnership with J. M. Bradley, and as Kimball & Bradley successfully engaged in the wholesale flour, feed and grain trade at Troy. In 1868 John P. Wright was admitted to the firm, the firm name changing to James E. Kimball & Company. Mr. Wright retired in 1876, and the business was continued by James E. Kimball and his son, Charles P., under the firm name of James E. Kimball & Son. James E. Kimball was one of the organizers and a director of the National Bank of Troy, and a man held in the highest regard in business and social circles. He was a Republican in his latter years, formerly a Whig. He was a large-hearted charitable man, and did a great deal of good with his wealth. Among his bequests was a scholarship to Colgate University, his alma mater. He married, September 27, 1850, Susan Frances, born December 29, 1804, died February 15, 1901, daughter of Alexander and Rebecca (Bliss) Wheeler, of Troy, New York. Children:
- Charles Price, see forward.
- Mary Frances, born September 11, 1853, died young.
- Lizzie, born November 27, 1859, in Troy; married, April 23, 1878, F. A. Reynolds, a loom manufacturer of Stockport, Columbia county, New York; children:
- James A.,
- Alice Harrington,
- Charles Kimball.
- Edmund, born August 29, 1861, died in Brunswick, New York, August 25, 1894.
(IX) Charles Price, eldest son of James Edward and Susan Frances (Wheeler) Kimball, was born in Troy, July 16, 1851. He was educated in the public schools of Troy, graduating from the high school of Troy in 1868. He was taken into the business house of his father on finishing his studies, and in 1875 was admitted to a partnership. After the death of his father, he became sole owner, but continued the business as Kimball & Son. This business was originally started in Troy by Russell Sage, the noted New York banker, as the junior partner of Bates, Griffin & Sage, who were succeeded by Kimball & Bradley. Charles P. Kimball continued sole owner and manager, largely extended his lines of operation, establishing branches in other cities and towns, until February 1, 1906, when the "Kimball Flour Company" was incorporated and his responsibilities divided among the officers of the corporation. He was chosen treasurer and general manager of the company, which position he amply fills. The company continues its unvarying successful career and transacts a business of great magnitude in grain products. Mr. Kimball is also president of the Troy Knitting Company; treasurer of the Trojan Laundry Company; director in The Indian Hill Hydraulic Mining Company. He is a member of Trojan Lodge, No. 141, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Has been a member of volunteer fire department since 1871, when he joined Trojan Hook & Ladder Company. He is a Republican, but is not active in politics. He married, October 6, 1875, Matilda Tracy, daughter of Richard and Olive Edson (Richards) Everingham, of Troy. Richard Everingham was born in England, July 2, 1826, and is yet (1910) a resident of Troy. He married Olive Edson Richards, June 28, 1849, and had three daughters.
- Matilda Tracy, married Charles Price Kimball.
- Anna Frances, married, October 8, 1887, Daniel R. McChesney.
- Emma Kate, married, September 5, 1882, William Clark Geer. Olive Edson (Richards) Everingham was daughter of Thomas and Christiana (Fonda) Richards, born at Troy, New York, died at Troy. Christiana Fonda was a Van Schaick, a descendant of Captain Goosen Van Schaick.
Children of Charles Price and Matilda Tracy (Everingham) Kimball, all born in Troy, New York:
- Jessamine, born November 17, 1878; preparatory education received in the Troy schools, entered Smith College where she was graduated, class of 1901, with highest honors, and became member of the fraternal society, Alpha, of Smith College; she married Edward Elliott Draper, of Troy; have one son, Richard Elliott.
- Richard Everingham, born in Troy, February 6, 1883, died young.
- James Edward, born in Troy, July 30, 1884; his early education was obtained at Troy Academy; he prepared for college at St. Paul's School, Garden City, Long Island; entered Union College, class of 1908; is now (1910) secretary and assistant manager of the Kimball Flour Company; unmarried.