Charles Kimber Sr.

I, Charles Kimber Sr., was born in the Parish of Bucklebury, Berkshire, England, on August 31, 1818.

On August 2, 1841, at the age of twenty-two, I was married to Caroline Sellwood in the church at Thatcham by Daniel W. Goddard, a minister.

The first child born unto us was in Thatcham on November 24, 1841. We called his name Edward.

The second child born to us was in Bucklebury on January 11, 1843 and we called her name Eliza Ann and this child died on March 6, 1856. She was buried in the church cemetery at Hermitage Parish of Homestead Norris, Berkshire.

The third child born to us was in Bucklebury on August 8, 1844 and we called her Hannah. She married William Eatwell and remained in England, where she died on December 16, 1920.

The fourth child born to us was in Bucklebury on June 20, 1847 and we called her name Fannie and she died at Newbury, Berkshire on October 25, 1876 and was buried in the church yard at Newbury.

The fifth child born to us was in Bucklebury on January 23, 1851 and we called his name Charles.

The sixth child born to us was in Hamstead, on July 20, 1854 and we called his name William James.

The seventh child born to us was in Hamstead on January 6, 1856 and we called her name Elizabeth Ann.

Edward, Charles Jr, William, Elizabeth, Charles Sr & Caroline Kimber

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

It is an established fact that Charles had a brother John. It has been confirmed that he, Charles, was a common laborer while in England, as he told his children of working with his father in the wood and selling it.

He was baptized into the Cold Ash Branch of the Latter-Day-Saint Church on April 4, 1845, by John Legg and ordained a Priest on October 3, 1847 at the same place.

On June 20, 1868, Charles Kimber, and his wife, Caroline, sons, William James and Charles Jr., 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 toFort Benton, which is about 700 miles west from Omaha. They arrived there on August 25.

Their granddaughter, Ellen, then four years old, died at Fort Benton and was buried there. They rested there for several days and then 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 made their home 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. Their food consisted of potatoes, flour, and beet molasses.

Elizabeth Kimber Cook & Charles Kimber Sr

In the spring of 1877 the Kimber family came to Grouse Creek and settled on the Kimber Ranch, which had been located the previous spring by Charles and William.

This was virgin country and offered unlimited opportunities for people to establish homes. They made adobes and built a two-room house. Here he and his sons farmed together for a while.

Charles Kimber Sr. was ordained Bishop of the Grouse Creek Ward on September 15, 1880. He served in this capacity for fifteen years and even though he lived twelve miles from the church house and had to travel by team or horseback, he was always at his post. Everyone who knew him loved him.

Their home was run in an orderly fashion and was always kept neat and clean. Caroline always had currant buns for the grandchildren when they came to visit. She always wore a lace cap.

Charles was a heavyset man with broad shoulders and slightly bent. He was about five feet eight inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He had a brown beard and medium brown hair, which was thinning in his later years.

At one time when going home from church in a spring wagon, Charles and Caroline were riding in the back seat, the wagon hit a chuck hole. The seat fell off, tipping them out of the wagon. Charles was hurt in the neck or shoulder and ever after he carried his head on one side.

Caroline spent all her life living at the Kimber Ranch, but after her death Charles moved up to Grouse Creek and lived with his daughter, Elizabeth Ann Cook, where he died on November 26, 1900 and was buried at Grouse Creek at the side of his wife, who had died on July 23, 1899.