Eleazer Kimberly

Eleazer Kimberly (November 17, 1639 – February 3, 1709)[1] was the sixth Secretary of the State of Connecticut.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Thomas Kimberly and Alice Atwood of England,[1] Kimberly was reportedly the first male child born in New Haven.[2] He was a schoolmaster in Wethersfield from 1661 to 1689.[3] In the 1690s, he held several positions in Glastonbury, including Commissioner and Town Clerk.[2] Kimberly served as Secretary of Connecticut from 1696 until his death in 1709.[3][4] He was "one of the best penmen of his time, as attested by the town and colony records."[2]

Kimberly was married three times and had five children.[2] He built the Kimberly Mansion in the early 18th century.[5]

Kimberly was also a minor character in the 1958 children's historical novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Eleazer Kimberly". lythgoes.net. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  2. ^ a b c d McGhan, Judith. Genealogies of Connecticut Families: From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Genealogical Publishing Com, 1983), pp. 355-356.
  3. ^ a b "Eleazer Kimberly". nefamilies.com. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  4. ^ "Secretaries of the State". ct.gov. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  5. ^ Robert C. Post (August 15, 1983). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Smith Sisters House / Kimberly Mansion (pdf). National Park Service. Smith Sisters House / Kimberly Mansion--Accompanying 3 photos, exterior, from 1973. (1.18 MB)
  6. ^ "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" Archived 2010-02-05 at the Wayback Machine. clem.mscd.edu. Retrieved 2010-12-13.