Story: Thomas Kimpton (19th c.)

From Ian Kimpton, added to this site 20 Dec 2002

Kimpton Family Notes

Thomas Kimpton was a farmer and a grain merchant in Lytlington, Cambrideshire (near Roystead), England. He had 6 sons and 3 daughters. Five of the sons migrated to Australia.

The eldest of the six brothers, Charles Augustus, arrived sometime between 1848 and 1852. There is no record of where he disembarked. Charles was a labourer in Melbourne. The baptismal registry at St Mark's Church of England, Fitzroy, shows Charles and his wife Maria had four children between April 1855 and September 1860. Charles died in Melbourne in on 31 August 1900 aged 72. Maria died in January 1909.

The second eldest brother, Thomas Robinson arrived in Adelaide on 14 June 1850. He had a store at the gold diggings in Eaglehawk for 5 months in 1852. He married Ann Eleanor Anderson on 3 July 1862 and they had 14 children. On 4 May 1874 they had a son baptised at St Mark's, Fitzroy. His name was William Stephen in memory of his brother William's first son from his second marriage who died on 1 February 1867 aged 16 months.

William Stephen and Edward Kimpton arrived at Yarra wharf, Melbourne, on 16 November 1853 sailing on the Melpomene (378 tons). William was 21 and Edward 19.

William married Margaret Mason on 4 April 1855. Their first child was born on 31 August 1856, Charles Augustus, named after William's eldest brother. The second child Margaret Lucy was born on 14 February 1858. Her mother died 3 days after giving birth, aged 26. The daughter survived only 12 days after her birth. William Stephen's second wife was Margaret Mason's 19 year old sister, Isabella. They were married in Fitzroy on 13 August 1859. Children from William's second marriage also buried with Margaret and Margaret Lucy are Anne Eleanor (died 7/9/1862, aged 2 years 5 weeks) and William Stephen (died 1/2/1867, aged 2 years). Isabella and William had 7 daughters and 3 sons. William founded a flour mill in 1875. Isabella died in November 1925 aged 86, and William died on 18 November 1926 aged 96.

Edward bought a farm at Laanecoorie and farmed for 12 years until around 1866. On 13 July 1859 he married Jane Edwards who had emigrated with her family from Monmouthshire, Wales. Her family was also farming in the Laanecoorie district. See also their story.

The fifth Kimpton to arrive was Henry, the youngest of Thomas's six sons. He left England at the end of 1854 in the New Great Britain, arriving in Melbourne in February 1855. He was 16. He became a farmer and died in July 1888 aged 49. Henry shares a grave with Charles Augustus and Maria in the Melbourne General Cemetery.

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