Kimball, Caleb

KIMBALL

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 9/22/2019 at 14:00:07

Caleb Kimball

(From the 1891 Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, p.368)

CALEB KIMBALL, of section 3, Garner Township, came to this county in 1852, and has since made it his home. He was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, March 20, 1838, son of Caleb KIMBALL of Marblehead, Massachusetts, who served in the Revolutionary war, and later he and his son, Thomas Kimball, both served in the War of 1812. The subject's mother was Margaret (RICHIE) KIMBALL, a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and of German descent. The parents were married in Loudoun county, and afterward settled in Greene county, Pennsylvania.

When Caleb was 12 years of age, his mother died, leaving 8 children, 2 sons and 6 daughters, of whom Caleb was the fifth, his only brother dying at the age of two years. In 1846 the father moved from Pennsylvania to Dubuque, Iowa, which was then a Territory, and Dubuque could not boast of a brick house, most of the residences being log cabins. He remained here three years, and then engaged at the carpenter's trade near where Dyersville now stands, the country being new and wild and containing no railroads. He soon sold his land to Judge James Dyer, to found a colony for people from Somersetshire, England. He then removed to Delaware County, where he lived until his death.

Caleb, our subject, worked on the farm in his youth, and in the fall of 1852, in company with Lemuel BARRETT and family, he started on a journey to California, but decided to spend the winter in camp near Council Bluffs. He afterward changed his mind and bought some Mormon claims near this place, and became a resident of this county. He bought land in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, in 1861; but this was never improved, and was sold in 1866 when he bought 80 acres of Haleman & Rauhn, N.P. Dodge acting as agent; this was first improved by Isaac Cooper. Mr. Kimball has lived on this farm for 24 years and has made many improvements; it is located 8 miles east of the City of Council Bluffs. He works at the carpenter's trade most of the time, having received his first lesson in that trade in his youth, taught him by his father. He is a thorough mechanic, as all his work in Harrison, Monona and this county will show.

Mr. KIMBALL was married December 12, 1856 to Miss Frances NIXON, of Council Bluffs, daughter of William and Eliza (Collins) Nixon. Both were natives of Fayette County, Pennsylvania and came here in 1853, where they resided until their death. Mr. and Mrs. Kimball have 11 children, namely: John W., residing at Neola, Iowa; Eliza, wife of T.J. NUSUM of Harrison County, near Woodbine; Margaret, wife of J.E. JEFFERYS, residing in Washington Township; Moses N., at Sacramento, California, in real estate and load business; Ella, wife of John Dial, of Garner Township; Minnie, the widow of Martin Lee, residing in the same township; Fanny, at home; Caleb, Thomas J., Mary C., and Hugh L. They have lost three children by death: Benjamin F., the seventh child at age two years; George, at two years of age; and Grace, also at two years of age.

Mr. Kimball's son, Moses N., has received a good education, first in Pottawattamie County, then in California, and lastly at the Bainbridge Business College, Stockton, California.

The great loss of Mr. Kimball's life was in the death of his beloved wife, who died August 27, 1883.