Caroline Sellwood Kimber was born in the Shire of Bucklebury, Berkshire, England, on March 23, 1816.

On August 2, 1841 she married Charles Kimber Sr. in the church at Thatcham by Daniel W. Goddard, a minister. She was twenty-four years of age.

Their first child, Edward, was born on November 24, 1841 in Thatcham. The second child was Eliza Ann, born onJanuary 11, 1843 in Bucklebury. She died on March 6, 1856 and was buried in the church cemetery at Hermitage Parish of Homestead Norris, Berkshire. The third child, Hannah was born on August 8, 1844 at Bucklebury. She married William Eatwell and remained in England, where she died on December 16, 1920. Fannie was the fourth child born in Bucklebury on June 20, 1847. She died at Newbury, Berkshire on October 25, 1876 and was buried in the church yard at Newbury. The fifth child, Charles, was born on January 23, 1851 in Bucklebury. William James, the sixth child, was born on July 20, 1854 in Hamstead. Elizabeth Ann was born on January 6, 1856 in Hamstead. She was the seventh child.

William & Caroline Sellwood

Charles Kimber Sr. and Caroline adopted the baby daughter of their daughter, Hannah. Her name was Ellen and she was born on January 5, 1864 at Hamstead Norris.

Caroline was a short chunky woman with black snappy eyes and a round face. Her hair was brown and done up in the back almost always, held together by a neat little round cap with a bow on the back or top. Her body was not fat but well shaped. Her shoulders sloped a little but were not really narrow. She had little busts and not much stomach. Her hips were chunky, which gave her body a pretty well formed shape. She was very much a little old woman with plain gingham clothes and gingham apron. She had very little schooling, could read, but did not write very well. She had an English brogue to her language.

Kimber Family – Back Row: William, Charles Jr., Edward Front Row: Elizabeth, Charles, Caroline

On June 20, 1868, Charles’ and Caroline’s sons, Charles and William, and daughter, Elizabeth Ann and granddaughter, Ellen, left England on the packet ship Emerald Isle, sailing from Liverpool with 876 saints aboard, under the direction of Hans Jensen Hals.

They had quite an unpleasant journey as the engine for purifying salt water broke and they had to return to Ireland for repairs, which took several days. They were six weeks on the ocean and there was much sickness with thirty-seven deaths at sea and others died in the hospital in New York.

They arrived at New York harbor on August 11 and landed on August 14. The family traveled on the Union Pacific Railroad to Council Bluffs and from there in cattle cars to Fort Benton, which is about 700 miles west from Omaha. They arrived there on August 25, 1868.

Ellen, then four years old, died at Fort Benton and was buried there. They continued their trip by mule team to Salt Lake City, arriving on September 25, 1868. They stayed in Salt Lake for two days then went on to Tooele, Utah, where they made their home for about eight years.

They lived with William Sellwood, a brother of Caroline, for a short time and then moved into a one-room house, where they spent their first winter in America.

In the spring of 1877 they moved to Grouse Creek and settled on the Kimber Ranch, which had been located the previous spring by Charles and William. The Kimber women were the first women to enter the Valley.

The house consisted of four rooms, each one about 12 x 14 feet. One was made of pine logs from the canyon and the others were made of mud dobbies. The house had a dirt roof and plain boards on the floor.

Caroline was a housewife. She never milked a cow or drove the team on the wagon. She never worked in the hay or grain field,however, she did pick currants and gooseberries when they were ready in the little garden east of the house. She made delicious gooseberry pies.

She lived a very quiet life and spent all of it on the Kimber Ranch after leaving Tooele, Utah. She had a lame, sore leg, which was injured in a fall while she was young. This bothered her some and she wore a bandage on her leg.

Caroline died as she lived, not sick very long. She died on July 23, 1899 and was buried in the cemetery at Grouse Creek.