Watkins Family

Watkins of Delaware & Ohio
(Robert & Rachel; James & Sara;
James & Nancy; Kimmel & Priscilla)

This page is dedicated to the ancestors and descendants of
Kimmel Kyper Watkins and Priscilla Jeanette (Tillie) Richardson

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K.K. and Priscilla Watkins (center) and family, late 1930's

K.K. & Tillie's 50^th Anniversary, July 1934. Back row: Ronald, Leslie, Ross, Earl, Opal Watkins Mason, Orra (holding Roger), Dorr, Vivian Mason, Lowell; middle row: Rachel, Jeannette, Fern, Junice, Kimmel, Tillie, Florence, Opal (holding Meredyth), Hazel Mason, Lnora Mason; front row: Dick, Don, Luella, Alice June Mason, Homer, Gloria, Joan, Hal, Herbert (These include all of K.K. & Tillie’s children, daughters-in-law and living grandchildren. Three were deceased and one (Dwight) was born later.)

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Background

K.K. Watkins is descended from Robert and Rachel Holliday Watkins. Several of their sons, including K.K.’s grandfather James, first came into Ohio from Delaware about 1794. K.K.’s father (James' son) was also named James. He married Nancy Kimmel in 1841.

K.K., born in 1859, was the second youngest of ten children. The family moved from Lorain County to Fulton County in the northwestern part of the state in 1863 when he was four.

In 1884 he married Priscilla (Tillie) Richardson (1863-1946) who was born and raised in Swancreek Township, southeast of Delta. She was a descendant of the pioneer Blake and Richardson families, who had been in the Fulton County area since the 1830's.

K.K. and Priscilla lived nearly all their married life as a farm family in Fulton County, except for four years they spent in Illinois.

Watkins Biography and History

K.K. and Priscilla Watkins

(The following was taken from the "History of Fulton County," written around 1920.)

"The parents of K.K., James H. and Nancy (Kimmel) Watkins located in Swan Creek Township, Fulton County, about 1863. They cleared a farm, and a few years later, bought a timber tract in York Township.

"About 1888 K.K. Watkins and family spent four years in Kane County, IL. Here he worked as a broom maker, as well as working on farms.

"When he returned to Fulton county, he rented land from 1892 till 1910, when he bought sixty acres where he has since lived. Mr. Watkins is a republican, and he is a justice of the peace. He has been school director and township trustee. He belongs to Berry Grange at Ai."

(We believe the property mentioned is land now crossed by the Ohio Turnpike, at County Road 5-2. The old house still stands, but is in poor condition. The barn was still in use by the present owner, until about 1995. At that time it was moved to a location about a half mile away. During the move, it collapsed. A power line to serve a new steel plant was built across this property at that time. The old milk house is in good condition and is used for storage.)

(The following is the introduction to a Watkins genealogy dated 1935:)

"Wells Watkins, the oldest living member of this family, at the age of 80 years, dictated from memory on June 28th, 1898, the early part of this record. The later parts, including the dates, were furnished by Kimmel K. Watkins, a nephew of Wells Watkins and son of James H. Watkins (b. 1820). Wells Watkins said that his grandparents (Robert & Rachel) were of pure English stock, that they lived in the state of Delaware, and that they both died in the year 1788; had five children, four boys and one girl. These orphans were bound out, as was the custom in those days, among different families. The four boys emigrated to northwestern Ohio, shortly after the campaign of General 'Mad' Anthony Wayne against the Indians, in 1794."

(A 1996 correction by Dick Estel):

Documentary evidence shows that Rachel survived Robert, and remarried. Because women could not control property nor be the legal guardians of their children, a guardian, (presumably the new spouse) was appointed. See also the family group page for Robert & Rachel which shows more accurate information about their children.

Click here for a more detailed history of the Watkins Family from the 1700s forward.

The Kimmel Family

(The following information is taken from an extensive genealogy. Most of this first part was written by H.K. Stoner, M.D., Berlin, Somerset County, PA, in 1937.)

"Kimmel - an ancient family of Frankfort on the Main, Member of the Guild, one member sat in Parliament 1701."

In support of the statement that the Kimmel family is an ancient one, I have a list of some 40 Kimmels beginning with Dilmanus Kimmel, 1408; and Michael Kimmel, 1425, who were students at Erfurt and lived at Neukirchen. Included in the list is Johann (John) Michael Kimmel, 1662 to 1734, "Stammvater des Amerikaner Stamms" (father of the American family). He was a man of fine education, and a colonel in the service of the Kingdom of Poland, which included what is now Germany.

He had four sons and one daughter, as follows:

Johann Philip Kimmel born 1695, died 1777 York Co PA

Johann Valentine Kimmel b July 31, 1701, died Dec 27, 1768, Ephrata PA

Johann Conrad Kimmel b April 22, 1703, died ? in Germany

Johann Jacob Kimmel born October 14, 1705, died November 25, 1784, Ephrata PA

Elizabeth Kimmel born July 8, 1708, died November 13, 1764, in Germany

Valentine married Anna Marie Baltzer and had six children; Jacob married Maria Barbara Heinrich and had four children. These two families came to America in 1751, landing at Philadelphia. Jacob went to Ephrata in Lancaster County, PA; Valentine bought a farm on Red Run, a branch of Bermudian Creek, in York County, PA.

Philip remained in Germany and married Anna Elizabeth Voltz. She and some of their children died during an epidemic. Philip sent his son Michael (1736 to 1818) to America to see what had become of his brothers. When Michael reported back, Philip decided to go to America with his six sons (Philip, Nicholaus, Jacob, Michael, George and Anthony). They landed at Alexandria VA in the spring of 1755. They found that General Edward Braddock and Colonel George Washington were concentrating an army there to make an effort to drive the French out of Fort Duquesne. Colonel John Dunbar, with a wagon train carrying supplies for this army, left Alexandria April 18, 1755, and arrived at Frederick MD May 1.

(One source says Philip came to America with wife and sons. Maybe he married again and the second wife came to America?)

For convenience and safety Philip and his sons followed this army as far as Newmarket, or Frederick, and from there went north to where Valentine lived in York County PA. They later bought Valentine’s farm and lived there till the sons were married. The father Philip died in 1777 and was reportedly buried behind the barn.

The younger Phillip (1724 to 1796) had nine children, of which the Watkins ancestor is Michael (born York Co PA 1760, died Somerset Co PA 1819). He lived on a farm southwest of the Great Road (Forbes Road, or Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Pike). His will, made April 1819, was recorded November 4, 1831. It specified that, in exchange for the farm, son Jacob (1795 to 1872, also a Watkins ancestor), was to keep his parents the remainder of their days. The farm was on Higgins run or a branch of it, and was sold by Jacob Kimmel to Jacob Koontz.

Jacob is the first of the Kimmels reported in Ohio. He married Elizabeth Maurer (their daughter Nancy married James H. Watkins). After Elizabeth’s death (1832), Jacob remarried and moved to Ohio, first to Wayne County, near Wooster, then about 1845 to Seneca County, about four miles east of Fostoria. The name of his second wife is not recorded, and there were no children. Jacob died July 6, 1872 in Tiffin OH.

I have compiled records of the families of five of the sons who came to America with Philip, and am working on the family of Philip (1724-1796). He married Anna Christina Henn and moved to Somerset County, PA about 1762. He purchased a large tract of land, which he later sold. The property is still in the hands of his descendants. Besides farming, he had two stills and made whiskey, as did many other farmers, since there were no roads over which to take their grain to market.

The early part of this record was obtained by my brother, N.S. Good, some 30 years ago from P.Y. Kimmel, a traveling freight agent for the Pennsylvania Company, who was gathering information for his father. The father at the time was a very old man, and had been working on a record of the Kimmel family for many years. In connection with part of this record, I have brought up to date the record of my grandfather, Jacob M. Kimmel. I am greatly indebted to all who furnished information, especially to my two brothers, J.W. Good and N.S. Good; also my two faithful cousins, Kimmel K. Watkins and Harvey A. Starn, who furnished the records of the Watkins and Starn families.

He was Resident Judge in Gimbshein in Rheinhessen. He lived in the Pfalz Valley, Bavaria, where his children were all born. (The notes say 3 sons and 2 daughters, but list 4 and 1 as in our records.) His first wife was Anna Souter, the widow of John Oswals of Gimbsheim. Three of his sons emigrated to America and settled in various parts of PA and MD. He married as his second wife on May 24, 1732, Anna Elizabeth, the widow of Hartman Heinrich of Gimbsheim.

My grandfather’s name was Michael Kimmel. He lived in Somerset County PA. He lived six miles from the county seat, and died in 1819. He lived there before my father was born. He had a brother Abraham and Solomon and others. My grandfather had a cousin George Kimmel. He lived in Somerset County. His descendants live in LaGrange County, IN.

I knew of my father’s cousins of different families. He had some living in Westmoreland County PA. My father had a sister Eve. She married a Mr. Spangler. My father was born in PA, in Somerset County, in 1795. In 1832 he moved to Wayne County OH, and in 1845 he moved to Seneca County OH, and died there on July 6, 1872.

My grandmother’s maiden name was Mary Baker and she married Michael Maurer. My mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Maurer. She married Jacob M. Kimmel, my father. My maiden name was Nancy Kimmel. I married James H. Watkins. My grandparents lived and died in Somerset County PA, near Stoyestown., in the year 1830 (?). My mother died in the year 1831 and all were buried in the Friedens Cemetery near Stoyestown.

The Blake Family

The earliest known ancestor was a "Captain" Blake, whose wife was named Elizabeth. He was from Malden, Surrey, England. They had a son, John Blake, born about 1652. Captain Blake died when his son was small, and his widow married George Durant in 1660. The family then migrated to America in 1661.

John Blake married Sarah Hall, a daughter of Richard Hall, in Malden, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. In 1673 this couple moved to Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut. They had nine children. John Blake died November 11, 1690. After his death his widow, Sarah, married Edward Turner Junior.

John and Sarah's first son, John Blake, Junior, married Elizabeth Johnson and they had a son, Joseph Blake. Joseph first married Esther Bacon, and after her death married Rebecca Dowd. Joseph and Rebecca had three sons, born in Waterbury, CN. Joseph was in the French and Indian War, and later served as a lieutenant in the American Revolution.

Their son Freelove Blake was born August 11, 1751 at Waterbury. He served in the Revolutionary War, from Litchfield CN (this is the ancestor who qualifies our family for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution).

At the end of the war, Freelove moved to Spencertown in eastern New York. He died there in 1815. His wife, Louisa Spencer, died in September, 1816. Freelove was a man of culture with a love of history, and named his children according to famous men: Richard, Henry, Homer, Hector, Seneca and Elias.

Richard Blake was born in Onondaga, New York, February 15, 1781. He married Camilla Eddy August 24, 1803. They were the parents of ten children.

Richard Blake came to Fulton County in 1852 from Oberlain Township, Erie County, Ohio, where they had lived for twenty years. Richard's daughter Saphronia had married Palmer Lewis and they preceded Richard to Fulton County about 1848 and settled on Section 21 in Swan Creek Township. When Richard, Camilla and several children arrived in Fulton County, they settled next to the Lewis family. The land records for Richard Blake can be found on page 151, Vol 1, Swan Creek Twp.

The oldest son of Richard and Camilla was Seneca Blake, born October 8, 1804. Seneca married Hannah Braily November 27, 1828. Their children were Harriet (b 1829 in NY), Charles (b 1831), and Laura (b 8/20/1835). Harriet married Silas Emmet Osterhout, who was married at least three times without bothering to divorce between wives. Laura married George Richardson December 22, 1858. Charles Blake married Eliza Jane Richardson, a sister of George, June 25, 1856. Seneca died January 7, 1886; Hannah died December 23, 189?.

Laura and George were married near Delta, OH and had seven children:

Hannah Eliza Richardson b September 21, 1859; m Clarence Arnold December 29, 1880; d in Delta OH February 24, 1935;

Alice Minerva Richardson b September 6, 1861; m George Fairchild December 18, 1878

Priscilla Jeannette (Tillie) Richardson b June 4, 1863; m Kimmel K. Watkins July 16, 1884; d March 21, 1946 in Metamora, Fulton County

Harry Burr Richardson b January 12, 1866; m Cora Celestia Sargent March 9, 1887; d September 29, 1931 in Toledo OH

Joel Seneca Richardson b December 1, 1867; d 1902 in Fulton County (never married)

Jesse Garwood Richardson b February 15, 1872; m Louisa Rychner February 15, 1899; d November 18, 1953 in Pinkney, Michigan

Laura Ellen Richardson b July 12, 1874; m Ben C Fowler Jr May 30, 1894; d March 6, 1953 at Walcott, Indiana.

We have seen a descendent listing that shows that "Captain" Blake was descended from William the Conqueror. However, there is no documentation, and we make no claim to its accuracy.

SOURCES: Genealogical Report on the Blake Family; local history compilation in the Delta Atlas; compiled by Hazel Estel, 11th generation descendent of Captain Blake (great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great granddaughter).

April 28, 1992

The Eddy Family

WILLIAM EDDYE, born at Bristol, England and died at Cranbrooke, Co. Kent, England, November 23, 1616; married at Cranbrooke, (1) Mary Fosten; daughter of John and Ellen (Munn) Fosten. Mary died in July 1611 and William married (2) February 22, 1613/14 at Cranbrooke, Sarah Taylor, a widow. She died before Feb. 5, 1639/40 when her will was proved.

William was born probably between 1558 and 1564 and died in 1616. His years of life were almost the same as those of Shakespeare, who was born 1564 and died 1616. William Eddye matriculated as sizar at Trinity Hall, at the University of Cambridge, and there received the degree of B.A. in 1583. (A sizar is one who performs certain duties as part payment of his expenses at a school or college.) William then went to Thurston, a small parish at Co Suffolk, near Bury St. Edmunds, not far from Cambridge. He occupied the position of curate from 1583 - 1586. During the time he matriculated at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge and in 1586 received the degree of Master of Arts.

He was invited to be assistant Vicar of Cranbrooke in 1586. There he met Mary Fosten and in November of 1587, they married. Mary Fosten was the daughter of John and Ellen (Munn) Fosten who were married January 1, 1562. William was inducted into the real and actual possession of the Vicarage of the Church of the parish of Cranbrooke on the twelfth of January in the Year 1591.

SAMUEL EDDY (William) Baptized May 15, 1608, at Cranbrooke, Co., Kent, England (church registration; died November 12 1689 at Swansea, Mass. (Plymouth church records Vol 1, pg. 262); married Eliazbeth Savery who died May 24, 1689, in her 82^nd year in Swansea MA (Plymouth Church records, Vol.1, pg. 265)

Samuel came to New England with his brother John Eddy on the "Handmaid" leaving the port of London on August 10, 1630, arriving at Plymouth Harbor on the 29^th of October, 1630 (old style), after a very stormy twelve weeks at sea.

"As two of the passengers (of the Handmaid) rated as gentlemen desired to settle at Boston, Standish took them there, but the Bay people refused to receive them because they had no testimony (letters)." Both the Eddys returned with Standish to Plymouth and Samuel remained there. John later returned to Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Samuel and Elizabeth were residents of Plymouth all their lives. Samuel worked as a tailor.

Twice Elizabeth Eddy was summoned to appear before the Court of Plymouth. It is recorded that on Oct. 7, 1651, "Wee further present Elizabeth Eddy, Sen'r of the towne of Plymouth for laboring, that is to say, for wringing and hanging out clothes on The Lord's day, in time of publicke Exercise." She was fined ten shillings but this fine was remitted. (Court records, Vol II, p.73)

Again on May 1, 1660, it is recorded that "Elizabeth Eddy was summoned to this court, and appeared to make answare for traveling on the Lord's day from Plymouth in Boston; and was affirmed that shee was necessesitated to goe on that day, in regard that Mistris Saffin was very weake and sent for her, with an earnest desire to see her, in her weakness with some other pleases of like nature. The court considering some cercomstances in her answare, although they saw not sufficient excuse for her act therein, saw cause to admonish her and soe shee was discharged of the Court" (Court Orders, Vol. III, p. 186)

Samuel and Elizabeth almost certainly lie in the Eddye Cemetery in Swansea Village.

The lineage from Samuel and Elizabeth to the Watkins family is as follows:

Samuel & Elizabeth
Zachariah Eddy & Alice Paddock
John Eddy & Hopestill Butterworth
Charles Eddy & Susanna Hill
Asa Eddy & Ann Evarts
Asa Eddy & Thankful Root
Camilla Eddy & Richard Blake
Seneca Blake & Hannah Brailey
Laura Blake & George Richardson
Priscilla Richardson & Kimmel Watkins

Newsletters (Adobe Acrobat Reader required for PDF versions. Click here for free download): 

Watkins News 14 July 2001 forward (Internet version; not Acrobat)
Watkins News 13 April 2000
Watkins News 12 February 1999
Watkins News 11
Watkins News 10
Watkins News 5 January 1994    PDF    JPG-1    JPG-2    JPG-3
Watkins News 4 September 1992    PDF   JPG-1   JPG-2   JPG-3
Watkins News 3 Spring 1992   JPG-1   JPG-2   JPG-3
Watkins News 2 1991  PDF   JPG-1    JPG-2
Watkins News 1 Fall 1990  PDF  JPG-1   JPG-2

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Watkins Reunion in Bryan OH 2004

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