Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Kimball, Thomas DeKay July 23, 1868 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Nan Wheaton wheaton1624@yahoo.com May 18, 2017, 10:27 pm Portland Advertiser - Tuesday, July 28, 1868 On Thursday last, between (eight and nine o'clock P.M., Thomas DeKay Kimball, aged 61 years and 6 months, lacking one day. OBITUARY The deceased was born in Vernon, Sussex County New Jersey, Jan. 24, 1807. Here he grew up to manhood. Having been bred to the business of tanner & currier, he moved to the city of New York in 1831, soon after his first marriage, where he remained nearly seven years. In 1837 he removed to Middlebury, Elkhart Co., Indiana, where he was engaged in farming 28 years. Here he grew up with the country, secured a fair property, and took a good position in society. Here he brought up a family of five children, four sons and a daughter, and buried two wives. - His large farm was one noted for its fresh and beautiful look, and for the home house and abundant barn room secured to it. A few old friends in this vicinity remember it well, and are not ignorant of the attractions of the old homestead. But German emigrants came flocking into the place, and crowding out the English speaking people. Their numbers and persistency in efforts to occupy the entire settlement, at last persuaded our friend to sell his property, and remove to someplace more congenial. He was the more willing to do this since three of his children had found homes in other states, and a fourth had died a prisoner of war in a military prison at Charleston S.C. The sad death of this son was probably the thing that decided him to give up the old farm. It took hold of him as nothing else ever did, and he never recovered from the shock it gave him. He was a younger son, healthy and hopeful, in whom were many promises centered, and the father seemed to hold the farm only in trust for him. This son was in prison a full year before he died, nothing could be done for him by his friends, and it was crushing to have him thus die largely for want of proper food, clothing and care. The father never recovered from it. He followed his daughter, the wife of C.J. Warren, to our village, two years ago last November, and secured for his home the pleasant property across the street North of the Baptist Church and Parsonage. Once settled here without business, he must buy a 200 acre farm, four miles West of the village, and undertake the task of bringing it into good condition. Into this work he entered with characteristic energy, and pushed ahead in it with imprudent perseverance, until he broke down under the exertion, and never recovered his wonted health and spirits. Disease took firm hold upon him and prevented any rally of his broken constitution. For two years he was ailing, sometimes better and sometimes worse. The last winter he was comfortable most of the time, but as warm weather came, he steadily declined. In May he could no longer get out to church; the first of June he could just attend to his few home duties; by the middle of the month he had to take to his room, and through the late hot weeks, all that could be done was done to make him comfortable and help nature throw off disease. But all was in vain. He died in peace that Thursday evening and was buried in our cemetery last Sabbath afternoon. Mr. Kimball was a member of the Congregational Church of Portland, and sustained a fair christian character, we believe, for some 35 years. - He was a man of intelligence and observation. His social qualities were good, and especially among old friends and at home was he attractive and cheerful. Last summer he had turns of melancholy, caused by ill health, but during his last severe sickness, he was uniformly calm, cheerful and satisfied. He desired to live, but was willing to die. He leaves a wife, three sons and a daughter, besides two sisters, one of whom has recently secured a home on our village.- He had plans for the improvement of his village property, and contemplated erecting a residence or two upon his lots fronting on Bridge St. The widow, we understand, intends to remain in her present home and gather into it a sister band to make it social and home-like again. This home, the farm four miles West of the village, and ten acres of land, on the West side of Grand River, within the village plot, are all the landed property left by the deceased. This and other possessions were disposed of by will, satisfactorily to all concerned. In the death of Mr. Kimball, our community has sustained a real loss. He was thoroughly interested in our village, and had health permitted, would have shown himself more active in its welfare. Additional Comments: Age: 61 Portland cemetery EMD #184 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/k/kimball6217gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb