Cover of Bible photographed by Carol Kimball Stahl
At the Reunion of the Kimball Family Association (KFA) held in August 2023, a Kimball family Bible from the 1800s was reunited with direct descendants of the people whose births, marriages, and deaths had been carefully recorded on its pages. Over 150 years after John H. Kimball (1827-1917) began memorializing his family, the Bible was returned to the hands of his great-granddaughter and great-great-grandson.
In February 2023, I was contacted by an astute member of the KFA who had seen a posting on Facebook from someone offering a Kimball family Bible to anyone who wanted it. Member Dorothy Greene contacted me to determine if the KFA would want it. As a genealogist with the KFA, I replied, “Of course!” Dorothy then arranged for Jane Wescomb, the gracious donor, to mail the Bible directly to me. Apparently, Jane had found the item in a box of books she had recently purchased and realized that the Bible needed a good home. When the Bible arrived, I found the carefully packed, leather-bound study Bible to have been well-kept—it would have been a treasure for any family. I eagerly opened the Bible to discover its genealogical secrets!
Family Bibles and Genealogy
In many cases, family Bibles are not merely cherished family heirlooms—they serve as repositories of family history. These Bibles often contain records of births, marriages, and deaths, meticulously documented by successive generations. They are recognized as valid proof of identity and lineage and can be used to establish the age of a person. Births not recorded in other official paperwork are accepted retroactively with Bible entries in official contexts, such as when applying for Social Security numbers.
The Kimball Family Record
Signature of John H. Kimball, photographed by Kimball Lewis
The front page shows that the Bible belonged to John H. Kimball and was acquired on April 23, 1870. Whether it was a present or purchased for himself, we’ll never know for sure, but it was obviously a cherished item.
John carefully added the births and deaths of his parents, who had died a decade earlier, as an initial entry. His father, also named John Kimball, was born 1 January 1771. His mother Sarah Nay was born 7 December 1792.
Family Record page, photographed by Kimball Lewis
Subsequent entries record John H. Kimball, his 1853 marriage to Mary E. Moulton, and their children: John (1854-1916, m. Margaret C. Donovan), Sarah Lizzie (1857-1925, m. George Henry Gooch), Mary Adelaide (1859-1945, m. Harry Mylinn Rohrer), Carrie Frances (1862-1951, m. James Wheeler Bartholomew), and George Porter (1865-1948, m. Emma A. Hilliard). More recent entries include a few of their great-great grandchildren, with births as late as the 1950s.
Updating the Kimball Family Tree
In addition to finding a proper home for the Kimball Bible, we wanted to record the valuable information from the Bible in the private KFA tree on Ancestry.com. This tree was built specifically for KFA members and includes some unique features. Individuals who are direct descendants of the 1634 immigrant Richard Kimball are given their generational numbers—for example, John H. Kimball is shown as “John H. – 7 Kimball,” indicating that he is in the 7th generation descended from the original Richard Kimball. Additionally, the identification numbers assigned to each person in the genealogy volumes published by the KFA are included.
Before starting data entry, I realized that I needed to make copies of the pages where family members were recorded. Doing so would allow me to return the Bible to its box and avoid future stress on the spine. Living in Raleigh, North Carolina, I learned that the scanning equipment at the State Library of North Carolina is free to use and was designed to safely scan books without putting unnecessary strain on the spine or binding.
With the Bible safely boxed and scanned pages in hand, I began entering information into the KFA tree. I found that father John Kimball6 (1771-1849) is listed as KFA#440, with lineage from the original Richard given as Robert5 KFA#190, Caleb4 KFA#73, Caleb3 KFA#24, Richard2 KFA#4, Richard. His son, the Bible’s owner, is more completely shown as John Henry Kimball7 (1827-1917) and designated KFA#981a.
John Henry Kimball as listed on the Kimball family tree on Ancestry.com
Locating the Descendants
After reviewing a number of census records, it became apparent that many generations of Kimballs had lived in a specific house in Exeter, New Hampshire, and that other descendants had remained in the same general area. My original plan was to write an article about the Bible for the KFA newsletter, asking if any of our members were affiliated with the Exeter family. I shared my proposal and some of the names with members of the KFA Board of Directors. Serendipitously, Richard C. Kimball, one of our Board Members and former president of the KFA, had strong ties to Exeter!
The line that resulted in discovery of the great-granddaughter and great-great-grandson followed John Henry Kimball’s son George Porter Kimball8 who married Emma A. Hilliard. Their daughter Elizabeth Hilliard Kimball9 married Walter Pennell and had two daughters: Martha Moulton Pennell10 and Elizabeth Kimball Pennell10. Elizabeth married Calvin Arthur Lewis and had a son, Kimball Arthur Lewis11.
Richard C. Kimball and Kimball A. Lewis, photographed by Lisa Kimball Sands
A number of phone calls later, Richard announced that he had found Martha Moulton Pennell and Elizabeth Kimball Pennell Lewis still residing in New Hampshire! He arranged for Martha Pennell, along with her nephew and Elizabeth’s son, Kimball Arthur Lewis, to attend the 2023 KFA Reunion. The joyful reunion of these descendants with their family Bible was quite touching.
Martha and Kimball also shared stories of their time at the home in Exeter and how this Bible had been an integral part of their lives. Both expressed their great appreciation for the return of their family Bible. And, no, they did not know how the Bible had left the family!
Martha Pennell addressing the KFA, photographed by Anne K. Falk
Learning More
Bible spine photographed by Carol Kimball Stahl
Kimball Lewis recently reached out to Richard to express his appreciation again and to provide extra information about the extraordinary Bible.
He shared that he already had in his possession a Bible given to Sarah Lizzie Kimball8 (1857-1925) in 1891. She is the sister of his great-grandfather George Porter Kimball8. His daily readings of the Bible now are done variously among a modern version, the 1891 Bible, and the 1870 Bible owned by John H. Kimball, which is known as a “Hitchcock Bible.”
Apparently, the Hitchcock Bible was quite a significant work created by Rev. Roswell D. Hitchcock in 1869. His version of the Bible is unique in that the verses are arranged by theme, rather than in their traditional books, making it easier to study the Bible’s teaching on specific subjects. This method of organization was groundbreaking at the time.
Bible’s title page, photographed by Kimball Lewis
In his email to Richard, Kimball Lewis wrote:
“At times, I'm moved when reading the Word of God from the exact same book as my relatives from 150 years ago -- I feel a connection to them even though we are generations apart. I know they would approve.
“I decided that I wanted to wrap up this email with a Biblical passage on the value of family. So, I opened the Kimball Family Hitchcock Bible, turned to the section on family, and found this appropriate one for all of us and the KFA.
"Psalm 133:1: 'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!'"
Page from Bible containing Psalm 133:1, photographed by Kimball Lewis
Stories from the Archives: Family Bible Records
This video showcases more examples of family Bible records kept in the American Ancestors archives. Watch Now