Samuel Kimmel of Butler Co., Iowa

Looking for His Parents

What is Known About "George Samuel" Kimmel

The full name "George Samuel" comes from a report compiled by Eva Jones, now deceased, who learned about it from her mother Blanche Dutton Kimmel.  All records so far refer to him as "Samuel."

From the James & Mary Jane Bullis family Bible: Samuel was born 12/11/1813 in Jefferson Co., Ohio and died 4/15/1881.  His wife Jane Tracy was born 1/17/1814 and died 9/10/1868.

From his obituary:  ".....Samuel Kimmel died Friday Apr. 15th, 1881 of inflamation of the lungs at age 68.....born in Holms County, Ohio, in 1813.....in 1855 with his wife and family he came to Iowa....."

From "Gravestone Records of Butler Co., Iowa," (Graves Registration WPA Project):  Kimmel, Betsy d. 1900 a.79, Jane d. 1868 a.54, Samuel 1813-1881.

From census records:

1840 census -- Prairie Township, Holmes Co., Ohio

    Sam Kimmel family; 1 male age 20-29, 1 female age 20-29, 1 female age 0-4

    Also:

    Nathaniel Kimel in Knox Tp.--males 0-4,5-9,30-39 & females 0-4,0-4,0-4,30-39

    John Kimel in Salt Cr. Tp.--males 10-15,20-29,40-49 & females 5-9,10-14,15-19,30-39

    Abram Kimel in Salt Cr. Tp.--male 20-29 & females 15-20,60-69

    Several Fry families in Salt Cr. Tp. & several Hochstetler families in Walnut Cr. Tp.

1850 census -- McDonald Township, Hardin Co., Ohio

    Samuel Kimmell, age 35, born Ohio; and Jane 35 PA, Susan 9 OH, Zusticus 7 OH,

    George W. 5 OH, Mary 3 OH, Maria 1 OH.

1860 census -- Ripley Township, Butler Co., Iowa

    Samuel Kimmel, age 46, born Ohio, occ: farmer; and Jane 45 PA, Zacheus 17 OH,

    Geo.W. 16 OH, Mary J. 15 OH, Maria 12 OH, John 9 OH, Ida L. 1 IA; plus two others

1870 census -- Ripley Township, Butler Co., Iowa

    Samuel Kimmell, age 56, born Ohio, occ: farmer; and Betsey 50 NY, John 19 OH,

    Ida 11 IA, Beach 8 IA; and one other

 

Holmes County, Ohio Early Tax Lists

Walter, George and Hiram Kimble appear in Killbuck Township as early as 1826 and are of an unrelated Kimble family; the Killbuck Township Kimbles are not listed here.

1832

Walnutcreek Tp. -- Kimble Samuel lot 15, New Carlisle  (his first appearance in tax lists)

1833-1836 unavailable

1837

Walnutcreek Tp. -- Kimble Henry lots 1-4,6,30 New Carlisle

Walnutcreek Tp. -- Kimble Samuel lot 15 New Carlisle

Walnutcreek Tp. -- several Hochstetler families

Prairie Tp. -- no Kimmels; John Cisne Jr. & James Cisne

1838

Walnut Creek Tp. -- Kimble Henry lot 1-4,6,30 New Carlisle

Walnut Creek Tp. -- Kimble Samuel lot 15

Walnut Creek Tp. -- several Hochstetler families

 

Holmes Co., Ohio Marriages

4/3/1845 Catharine Kimmel to Eli M. Fry, by J. B. Koch, J. P.

3/18/1838 Easter Kimmel to David Hochstetler, by Elias Hochstetler, J. P.

1/3/1839 Samuel Kimmel to Jane Tracy, by John Armor, J. P.

5/20/1847 William Kimmel to Eliza Fry (Holmes Co., OH per John Kimmel family Bible)

Note:  Weirick Kimmel listed in Raber's "Marriage Records Holmes Co., Ohio 1825-1865

    is an error.  Weirick was the man's last name.

The Andrew Kimmel Family

Andrew (Johann Andreas) Kimmel had a large number of children born in Westmoreland and Indiana Counties, PA to two wives:  John 1792, Peter 1794, Jacob 1796, Magdalena 1797, Philip 1798, David 1800, Margaretha 1801, Andrew 1803, George 1805, Elisabeth 1807 and Esther 1810 by his first wife Elizabeth Palmer; and  Daniel 1812, Abraham 1815, Henry 1817 and possibly Catharine c1824 by second wife Elizabeth Spoon.  Andrew moved to Ohio with his second wife, oldest son John and the youngest children.  He died in Holmes County 12/27/1836. Andrew's children Esther (Easter), Samuel and Catharine were married in Holmes County as was John's son William.  John, Abraham (Abram) and Henry appeared in census and tax records in Walnut Creek and Salt Creek Townships.

 

Conjecture

Samuel appears to have some tie to the Andrew Kimmel family.  He probably isn't Andrew's son.  Andrew's children were all born in Pennsylvania and all documents place Samuel's birth in Ohio.  The 1820 census only allows for three sons born in the 1810's and that is covered with Daniel, Abraham and Henry.  So it is most likely Samuel was born to a brother of Andrew.

Of Andrew's brothers Christian Frederick, George, Daniel and John, the only one who isn't on record being in Pennsylvania at the time of Samuel's birth in 1813 is George.  His known children Jacob 1794, Peter 1808 and Susanna 1810 appear in baptism records in Westmoreland County.  Also, George appears in the 1810 census in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County.  After that he disappears.  Did he go to Ohio?  And was this Samuel's father?

So far I haven't found evidence of a George Kimmel in Ohio in 1813 (when Samuel was born).  He is not in publications for Holmes County & Jefferson County, Ohio that are in the library in Fort Wayne.

Research Yet to Be Done for This Conjecture

Locate the records of the purchase and sales of the lots in New Carlisle, Ohio

Find if the 1833-1836 tax lists unavailable on microfilm still do exist.

Review tax lists after 1838.

Research Fry, Hochstetler and Tracy families.

Henry Kimmel Family

Henry and Maria Rosina (Geeting) Kimmel of Somerset County, PA.  Their entries in the 1820 and 1830 censuses show a male that would have been born in 1811-1815.  They moved to Richland County, Ohio where Henry Kimmel appears in the 1832-1838 tax records (I did not review past 1838) and is apparently the Henry in the 1840 census there and possibly purchased land there in 1843.  They later moved to Jackson County, Illinois and are in the 1850 census there.  All but this oldest male are accounted for in Illinois.

It happens that Henry's brother Benjamin Kimmel was assigned Henry Geeting land in trust for Margaret Ferner in Holmes County from 1833to 1862, about the same time Henry had settled in Richland County.  Benjamin Kimmel and Henry Geeting both stayed in Brothers Valley, Somerset Co., PA and Henry Kimmel was in Ohio.  Consider the possibility that Henry Kimmel's oldest son (who, if it was Samuel, would have turned twenty in 1833) might have maintained the Ferner property (his uncle Benjamin's trust) and lived nearby.  The Geeting/Kimmel/Ferner property (Tp.18 Ra.14 Sec.24) would have been along the eastern edge of Ripley Township and Samuel Kimmel is in the 1840 census in neighboring Prairie Township.

Problems with this conjecture are:

Other Considerations

Reportedly the Hites family lived in Jefferson County, Ohio from which some members moved to Section 15 of Rose Township, Stark (now Carroll) County in 1825 and some members moved to Holmes County, Ohio.  About 1839 several Hites families moved to Hardin County, Ohio.  In the 1850 census Samuel Kimmel is living among three Hites families in Hardin County.  In 1855 Samuel's family moved with the Hiteses to Butler County, Iowa.  (This from the research of Rose Wintz of Clarion, Iowa.)

There was a John Kimmel (John Hugh Kimmel) who purchased property in section 15 of Rose Township, Stark County in 1815 and 1816.  He is poorly documented, but the 1820 census suggests two sons were born between 1810 and 1815.  One known son, John, was born March 13, 1813, just barely allowing for there to be another son born later the same year.  (Samuel was born December 11, 1813.)

A Conrad Kimmel moved into nearby Sandy Township about the same time, then to Rose Township.  But his sons are accounted for.  One son Abraham was born November 9, 1813, and his birth date would not allow for another son born on Samuel's birth date.