USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > The history of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, V. IV > Part 106
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His large ambitions directed him to private enter- prise, and in 1891, in association with his brother, Col- onel Frank W. Tillinghast, and Mr. Stiles, he organ- ized the firm of Tillinghast & Stiles, dealers in cotton yarn and commission merchants. At the time of Mr. Tillinghast's death, October 13, 1919, the officials of this concern, which had developed into a leading enter- prise in its line in Rhode Island, were: Colonel Frank W. Tillinghast, president, George E. Tillinghast, vice- president, and J. P. Eddy, treasurer. He was a business man of high attributes, guided by strict conceptions of mercantile ethics, and throughout a busy life held the unvarying esteem of his associates. He was a Repub- lican party sympathizer, confining his public and polit- ical activity to his vote and influence in favor of just causes and desirable officials. At one time he was deeply interested in military matters and held the rank of lieutenant in the United Train Artillery. Through- out the World War he supported all of the works of the government and relief organizations, and was de- voted in his patriotism. He was a member of the West Side Club, and fraternized with What Cheer Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Providence Lodge, No. 14, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
George E. Tillinghast married (first) in 1882, Belle G. Hoxie, of Westerly, R. I. There were four chil- dren born of this marriage: William F., who died in infancy ; G. Ralph, deputy sheriff of Providence county, who married Mabel H. Ramage, of East Providence ; Sybil M., the wife of Paul C. Lyall, and resides in Providence; William B., who served as a private in Battery B, One Hundred and Third Regiment of Field Artillery, United States Army, and now a resident of Providence. The mother of these children died in 1896, and Mr. Tillinghast married (second) in 1900, Alice Patstone, of Providence, a daughter of William Patstone. She died in 1910.
PHILIP S. KNAUER, one of the best known and most successful attorneys of Providence, and a man who exerts considerable influence in the general life of this community, is a native of Warwick, Penn,, and a son of Daniel and Mary (Hart) Knauer, and a grand- son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Neeley) Knauer. The Knauer family settled in Chester county, Penn., shortly after the coming of William Penn to that region, and for many generations its members have been active in the development of that part of the State.
Philip S. Knauer was born August 3, 1870, and passed his childhood at his native town of Warwick, where he attended the public schools and was graduated from the high school there. He then entered the West- chester Normal School, where he took a scientific course and was graduated with the class of 1891. For two years Mr. Knauer then followed the profession of teaching in the schools of Swathmore, Penn. In 1893 he entered Swathmore College, and while there won the Hicks Prize for debating and oratory, and was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. He grad- uated from that institution, as president of his class, in 1896, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Being an expert mathematician, Mr. Knauer secured a position in the engineering department of the United States Government, and his work in this direction brought him to Providence. He remained in the employ of the Government some three years, but in the meantime took up the study of the law, having determined to make that his profession in life. After leaving the employment of the Government, Mr. Knauer entered the law office of John W. Hogan to continue his stud- ies, which he pursued to such good purpose that in 1901 he was admitted to the Rhode Island bar. He be- came at once associated in practice with his old em- ployer, Mr. Hogan, and this association continued most successfully until the year 1914. In that year Mr. Hogan died and the large practice developed was as- sumed entirely by Mr. Knauer, who conducted it alone until 1919. In the month of January in that year, he as- sociated with him Henry E. Fowler, under the firm name of Knauer & Fowler. Mr. Knauer has been ad- mitted to practice in all the State and Federal courts, and much important litigation is handled by him here. In politics he is a Republican, but has very little time to devote to public life as the demands made upon his time and energy by his professional activities pre- clude the possibility of his attending to anything else. Mr. Knauer is a member of the Metacomet Golf Club
1
CBACKS
Philip A. Kraven
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and the Point Judith Country Club, and finds the recre- ation which he needs in these two pastimes.
Philip S. Knauer was united in marriage, January 8, 1908, with Helen J. Hurley, a daughter of John and Mary Hurley, old and highly respected residents of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Knauer are the parents of five children, as follows: Philip S., Jr., Paul, Lucy H., Barbara R., and Virginia H.
HORACE ARNOLD KIMBALL-The name of Kimball is of ancient English origin, and is found with great frequency in the County of Suffolk, where it is of great antiquity. The name appears in early records under the following orthographies: Kembould, Kem- bolis, Kemboulde, Kemball, and Kimball, the two latter forms being used to the present day.
Arms-Argent, a lion rampant, gules, upon a chief sable, three crescents or.
Crest-A lion rampant holding in the dexter paw a dagger all proper.
The American families of the name of Kimball were established in the early part of the seventeenth century in the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut by two brothers, Richard and Henry Kimball. These fam- ilies have been prominently identified with life and affairs in New England for a period of more than two and one-half centuries. The Rhode Island family of the name, herein to be considered, is an offshoot of the ancient Massachusetts Kimballs, and has numbered among its members men who have left their mark on the industries and public life of the State, among them the late Horace Arnold Kimball, one of the most prom- inent business men in New England up to the time of his death, on September 1, 1911.
(I) Richard Kimball, progenitor and immigrant an- cestor of the family, was a native of the parish of Rattlesden, County Suffolk, England. He emigrated to New England with his family in 1634, arriving at the port of Boston in the. good ship "Elizabeth," and going thence to the settlement of Watertown, Mass. He later became one of the first citizens of the place, and took an active part in public affairs in the colony. He was made a freeman in 1635, and in 1636-37 became a proprietor. Shortly afterward, however, he removed to the new settlement of Ipswich, where he became prominent in community life. Richard Kimball was a skilled mechanic and a wheelwright by trade, and found ample work in the early colony, removing to Ipswich in response to a demand of the colonists there for an able wheelwright.
Richard Kimball married (first) Ursula Scott, of Rattlesden, England, daughter of Henry Scott; she accompanied him to America, where she died. He mar- ried (second) October 23, 1661, Mrs. Margaret Dow, of Hampton, N. H., who died March 1, 1676. He died June 22, 1675. Children of Richard and Ursula (Scott) Kimball: Abigail, Henry, Elizabeth, Richard, Mary, Martha, John, mentioned below; Thomas, Sarah; children of second wife: Benjamin, Caleb.
(II) John Kimball, son of Richard and Ursula (Scott) Kimball, was born in England, in the year 1631, and accompanied his parents to New England in his early childhood. He learned the trade of wheelwright,
which he followed in Ipswich, where he also conducted extensive farming operations. He was a well known and honored citizen, and united with the church at Ipswich, March 8, 1673.
John Kimball married, about 1655, Mary Bradstreet, who was born in England in 1633, and came to Amer- ica with her parents in 1634 in the same ship with the Kimballs. He died May 6, 1698, at Ipswich. Children : Jolin, Mary, Sarah, Hannah, Rebecca, Richard, Eliza- beth, Abigail, John (2), Benjamin, Moses, Aaron, Jo- seph, mentioned below.
(IJI) Joseph Kimball, son of John and Mary (Brad- street) Kimball, was born in Ipswich, Mass., January 2.1, 1675. He received from his father on April 29, 1696, a deed to the southern end of the family home- stead, and there he followed the occupation of farm- ing until his death in 1761. His will was proved De- cember 14, 1761. Joseph Kimball married Sarah -
and they were the parents of nine children. His son Daniel was executor of his estate, and he hequeathed to his daughters Mercy and Eunice Skillon, and grand- daughter Mary, daughter of his son, Stephen Kimball. Children, all born in Ipswich: Sarah, born July 19, 1700; Joseph, born April 12, 1702; Philemon, mentioned below; Eunice, born about 1706; Mercy, born 1708; Daniel, born Nov. II. 1711; Stephen, born Dec. 27, 1713; Joshua, born Dec. 18, 1715: Dean, born Sept. 8, 1717.
(IV) Philemon Kimball, son of Joseph and Sarah Kimball, was born at Ipswich, Mass., and died at Marblehead, Mass., whither he removed later in life, and where he owned a large farm. He married, March 3. 1734-35, Katherine Lowen, and their children, born at Ipswich, were as follows: John, baptized April 6, 1735; Asa, mentioned below; Sarah, baptized May 6, 1739; John, baptized June 20, 1742; Eunice, baptized January 18, 1746.
(V) Asa Kimball, son of Philemon and Katherine (Lowen) Kimball, was born in 1737, and baptized in Ipswich, Mass., March 27, of the same year. After the Revolutionary War. Asa Kimball removed to the town of Barton, Vt .. and there became one of the most prominent citizens of the place, holding a number of important town offices, and later taking a prominent part in State affairs. He also served on various town committees. During the Revolution, Asa Kimball served as major of the Second Rhode Island Regi- ment of Militia, and in 1871 was promoted to the office of lieutenant-colonel in the same military body. He represented the town of Barton in the Vermont State Legislature in 1780. At the close of the Revolution, in recognition of his services, he was granted large tracts of government land, which he deeded to his sons and sons-in-law under the condition that they settle on it. He married, January 14, 1762, Hannah Sweet, who died February 3, 1797, in Barton, Vt. Their chil- dren, born at Glocester, R. I., were: Amherst, men- tioned below; John, born Feb. II, 1764; Anne, born Nov. 15, 1765; Asa, born March 27, 1767; Prudence, born Aug. 27, 1768; Paul Tew, born Feb. 16, 1771; Philemon, born Aug. 30, 1772; Peyton R., born July 7, 1774; Stephen, born Aug. 9, 1776; Sarah, born April 30, 1778; lived at Barton, Vt .; Lucina, born Jan. 9,
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND
1779; George Washington, born March 13, 1784, resided at Barton, Vt.
(V1) Amherst Kimball, son of Asa and Hannah (Sweet) Kimball, was born at Glocester, R. I., Septem- ber 20, 1762. He spent his entire life in Glocester, where he was the owner of considerable landed property, and where his extensive business interests were located. He accumulated what was considered in his day a sub- stantial fortune. He married Jerusha Hoyt, a woman of exceptional education and great piety. She was a member of the Universalist church. Amherst Kimball died at Glocester, R. 1., in January, 1834. The children of Amherst and Jerusha (Hoyt) Kimball were: Jer- usha, born Nov. 5, 1787; Asa, born April 7, 1791; Pru- dence, born Aug. 20, 1792; Sally, born Feb. 16, 1795; Clarissa, born Jan. 17, 1797; Fidelia, born June 15, 1799; Amherst, born Aug. 9, 1801; Ruth, born March 31, 1803; Horace, mentioned below; James Madison, born July 8, 1809.
(VII) Horace Kimball, son of Amherst and Jerusha (Hoyt) Kimball, was born at Chepachet, R. I., Novem- ber 22, 18c6. He became one of the leading business men of the town, and for more than forty years con- ducted an establishment at Chepachet. He held the post of postmaster for many years, and for twenty years was president of the Franklin Bank of Chepachet. Horace Kimball was one of the substantially wealthy citizens of the town, and took an active part in its in- terests. He married, July 12, 1828, Ann Phyllis Ar- nold, a descendant of one of the most ancient of Rhode Island's Colonial families. They were the parents of the following children: Edward Horace, born Jan. 8, 1830; Clarissa Arnold, born Dec. 26, 1830; Helen Adolphe, born Aug. 6, 1832, died Feb. 12, 1836; Anna, born May 20, 1835, died Feb. 17, 1837; Horace Arnold, mentioned below; Asa, born Dec. 15, 1841, died May 20, 1842; Hannah Frances, born Nov. 24, 1843, married William C. Gregory, of Cincinnati, Ohio, where she died; Charles, born Sept. 25, 1845, resides in Provi- dence.
(VIII) Horace Arnold Kimball, son of Horace and Ann Phyllis (Arnold) Kimball, was born at Chepachet, R. I., November 1, 1837. He received his early educa- tion in the public schools of the village in which he was born, and at Warren, R. I., a neighboring town. He later attended the Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass., and the Thetford Academy in Vermont.
Shortly after completing his education he entered the business world as cashier of the Franklin Bank at Chepachet, to which position he was elected at the age of twenty years. For several years he retained this position, rendering valuable service to the bank, and becoming thoroughly familiarized with finance, finally retiring to enter the manufacturing field in an inde- pendent business venture. He formed a partnership with Warren O. Arnold, of Chepachet, for the pur- pose of manufacturing woolen goods, and continued in this business until 1867, when he disposed of his in- terest in the mill to Mr. Arnold and F. R. White & Company. In the period following, Mr. Kimball be- came identified with several of the large manufactur- ing enterprises of Rhode Island, and New England. and became the owner of several mills. After retiring from
the first enterprise in which he had been interested, he purchased the Lafayette Reynolds Mill at Pascoag, R. I., which he operated until its destruction by fire in 1882. He also had a controlling interest in the John Chase Mill at Pascoag, and in other mills at South Coventry, Conn., and Hampden, Mass. He bought and operated the Manton Mill in Providence until the for- mation of the American Woolen Company, of which he was one of the founders. The Manton Mill, with many others all over the country, became part of the gigantic combination of woolen interests which later became known as the Woolen Trust. Mr. Kimball was owner of the Clicquot Company of Millis, Mass., which manufactures the famous "Clicquot Club" ginger ale and similar products; he was president of this com- pany. He was also owner of the Rubdry Towel Com- pany of Providence. For a period of about forty years, Mr. Kimball occupied a position of prominence and influence in the manufacturing world of New Eng- land, and was regarded as one of the ablest business men of the State of Rhode Island. His interests were very large and scattered, and he remained in business life, actively conducting his affairs until the time of his death. He died at Belgrade Lakes, Me., September I, 191 I.
Mr. Kimball was active in other phases of life in Providence. He was a member of the Democratic party, and at one time served as State Senator, being elected to office on the Democratic ticket. He was the nominee of the party for Governor of Rhode Island in 1880-81-82. In 1900 he was appointed one of the commissioners on the State House. Mr. Kim- ball was a charter member of the Pomham, and also belonged to the West Side Club, and the Rhode Island Historical Society. He attended the Central Congre- gational Church of Providence.
Horace Arnold Kimball married, October 17, 1877, Sarah Ella Merewether, danghter of Thomas and Sarah Jane (Hicks) Merewether. Mrs. Kimball sur- vives her husband, and resides at No. 142 Angell street, Providence, R. I. Mrs. Kimball is a member of the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Dames; of the In- dependence Chapter, Daughters of the American Revo- lution ; and of the Rhode Island Women's Club. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Arnold Kimball are: Bessie Merewether, born Feb. 24, 1879. died March 8, 1889; Horace Earle, mentioned below; Edith Phyllis, mentioned below.
(IX) Horace Earle Kimball, son of Horace Arnold and Sarah Ella (Merewether) Kimball, was born at Providence, R. I., March 17, 1881. He received his preliminary education in private schools, and attended Brown University, immediately thereafter entering business life in association with his father. At the death of the older man, he succeeded to his place in the Clicquot Company. He is treasurer of the W. & K. Mills, at Nasonville, R. I., and treasurer of the Warren Dye Works. He resides with his mother in Providence.
(IX) Edith Phyllis Kimball, daughter of Horace Arnold and Sarah Ella (Merewether) Kimball, was born in Providence, R. I., June 18, 1885. She received her education at the Lincoln School of Providence,
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BIOGRAPHICAL
and at Mrs. Hazen's School at Pelham Manor, N. Y .; she married, November 18, 1914, Chester Dunning Johnstone, of Henderson, Ky .; they live in Providence.
(The Merewether Line).
The ancient surname of Merewether, one of the oldest of pure English cognomens, owes its origin to a nick- name, "merry weather," and means a happy, genial, sunshiny fellow. It is a colloquial expression, of course; Fairwether is used in exactly the same sense, and is still existing as a surname. One of the earliest records of the use of the name as a surname is found in one of the "Coventry Mysteries," where mention is made of:
Bontyng the Brewster, and Sybyly Slynge, Megge Mery-Wedyr, and Sabine Sprynge.
*Arms-Or, three martlets sable, on a chief azure a sun in splendour, proper for Mereweather.
Crest-An arm in armour embowed, in hand a sword argent, hilt and pommel or, entwined with a serpent vert.
Motto-Vi et consilio.
In the Hundred Rolls, a register of the year 1273, we find the names of Andrew Mureweder, of County Oxford, and Thomas Murweder, of Cambridge county, both very prominent men of their day. In an old volume of "Issues of the Exchequer" the name of Henry Muriweder occurs: he lived at London, and became a prominent merchant.
The name is found in several forms to-day, of which Mereweather is most popular, at least in the United States, although the name is seldom found. In Eng- land, Merryweather and Meryweather are the most common forms, and Merewether is also found there and in this country.
Representatives, though few, have played a great part in the development of the United States; in earlier days in the Virginia colony, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky, and the West, and in the latter days along the Atlantic seaboard.
Many of the Mereweathers of England and the greater number of American representatives are de- scended from Nicholas Mereweather, of England and Wales, through his five sons: Nicholas, Francis, David, William, and Thomas, the first three of whom came to America.
(I) Nicholas Mereweather, or Meriwether, as the name was at that time spelled, was born is Wales at an unknown date, and when a young man removed to England, which he afterward made his home, and where he died, December 19, 1678. A tradition handed down through generations of the Virginia branch of the family, for three hundred years, claims that he held a large land grant in the colony of Virginia, given by Charles II. of England in payment of a money loan, and there are on record in the Virginia Land Registry office, between the years 1652-64, patents to the extent of 5,250 acres of rich land in Westmoreland county to Nicholas Meriwether. From the date, this must be the grant referred to, and undoubtedly it was the posses- sion of Nicholas Meriwether, of England, though it is improbable that he ever came to this country. He
was the father of five sons: Nicholas, Francis, David, William and Thomas. Nicholas, Francis and David came to America and settled in the Virginia colony, leaving long lines of ancestors throughout the South- ern and Southwestern States. These three brothers took possession of and developed their father's great estate in this colony, and in the course of time added other large tracts to the original. One of the ex- Governors of the State of Virginia has written of this family as follows:
The first Meriwethers were peculiar in person, man- ners and habits. They were rather low and stout in stature. Their heads were very round; their com- plexion dark, and their eyes bright hazel. They were very industrious * ever ready to serve the sick, and those who needed their assistance. They were simple in their dress and manners, frank in tem- per, and social in their Intercourse.
The original Meriwether stock must have been struck out from some singular conjunction. Thelr long intermixture with other families has not yet de- prived them of their uniqueness. None ever looked at or talked to a Meriwether but he (saw or) heard something which made him look or listen again. They were slow in forming their opinions, and obstinate in adhering to them. They were very knowing, but their investigations were minute and accurate, rather than speculative and profound.
Nicholas (2) Meriwether married Elizabeth, daugh- ter of David Crawford, of New Kent county. Va., and most of the American Meriwethers are descended from him. He had the following children: 1. William, married and had sons: John, Thomas, Richard; daugh- ters: Jane, Sarah and Mary. 2. David, married and had Nicholas, Francis, James and William. 3. Jane, be- came the wife of Colonel Robert Lewis, of Revolution- ary fame, and from them descended most of the Lewises of East Virginia, Georgia and Kentucky. 4. Another daughter, married a Johnson, from whom de- scended Chapman Johnson, the greatest of all. Virginia lawyers. The Kentucky branches were mostly founded by a great-granddaughter of Nicholas (1) Meriwether, or Nicholas, the Welshman, as he was often termed. who married Major John N. Hughes, of Louisville, Ky. A grandson of Nicholas (1) Meriwether, Colonel James Meriwether, the son of David Meriwether, mar- ried Judith Burnley, and from them descended General David Meriwether, of Georgia, a member of Congress, a commissioner of the United States to hold treaties with the Indians, and a holder of many other high offices. His son James was a United States Congress- man and a commissioner to treat with the Creek Indians. Another son of David, Francis, emigrated to South Carolina and left descendants. Nicholas, another son of David, became the grandfather of George Vaughn, who was a member of the Convention of Vir- ginia in 1776. David, son of David, served throughout the Revolution with distinction; first, as militiaman in what was called the "Silk-Stocking Company of Richmond," and afterward as captain in the Virginia Continental Line. He was associated and formed a warm friendship with the gallant Colonel William Washington. Descendants of David Meriwether have been judges of the Superior Court, members of Con- gress, members of the Legislature, and have produced a Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Mildred Thornton Meriwether, the widow of Nicho- las Meriwether, the third generation in Virginia, mar- rier Dr. Thomas Walker, believed to have been the
*This is a modification of the coat-of-arms granted to Richard Mereweather in the sixteenth century for "Wisdom in Battle."
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND
first discoverer of Kentucky, in 1750. He was active in military affairs, and was with General Washington at General Braddock's defeat in 1755. He was ap- pointed one of the Committee of Safety in 1775, follow- ing the outbreak of trouble with England, and was repeatedly a member of the General Assembly. A daughter of Nicholas (3) Meriwether married John Syme, the son of Colonel Syme, and a half-brother of Patrick Henry.
Information on the English branches is difficult to gather, and somewhat meagre. William and Thomas Meriwether, sons of Nicholas (1) Meriwether, re- mained in England after their brothers had come to America. The line with which we are chiefly con- cerned descends through Thomas.
(II) Thomas Meriwether, son of Nicholas (1) Meri- wether, was born in England. He married and had children, among them a son William, who is mentioned below.
(III) William Merewether, the son of Thomas Meriwether, was born in England, May 21, 1780. It is assumed that he was left an orphan when still a young boy, as we find him in his early days living with an uncle, Mr. Bush. When still a young man, con- sumed with a great ambition to see the world, he ran away from home, and taking passage on a vessel bound for this country reached American shores and made his way to Providence, R. I. Here he married, July 4, 1803, Betsy Gilmore, who was born June 25, 1782, and died February 23, 1846, at the age of sixty- three years. She was the daughter of Nathiel and Eliza (Crompton) Gilmore. William and Betsy (Gil- more) Merewether became the parents of several chil- dren, among which was Thomas, mentioned below. William Merewether died at Providence, R. I., May 28, 1856, at the age of seventy-six years.
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