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.