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Portrait and biographical album of Newayco (sp) County, Mich.
containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and
representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and
biographies of all the governors of Michigan and of the presidents
of the United States: also containing a complete history of the county,
from its earliest settlement to the present time.

Published by Chapman Bros., Chicago, IL, 1884

Transcribed and submitted by Joyce Pearson
May 10, 2011

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KIMBELL, William
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William Kimbell, Sheriff of Newaygo County, resident at Newaygo, was born
in Bedford, Cuyahoga Co., O., April 8, 1837. He is a son of William and
Amanda (Westbrook) Kimbell, and was reared on a farm, obtaining his
education at winter terms of school. From the age of 15 years he was
variously engaged until he settled in Newaygo in 1853.

In 1843 his parents transferred their family to Kalamazoo Co., Mich., where
his father was a farmer. On coming to Newaygo, Mr. Kimbell interested
himself in the pursuit which in some of its varied branches was that of
nearly all men in active life in this portion of Michigan, namely,
lumbering. Soon afterward he began taking contracts, engaging first with
the Newaygo Lumber Company and successively with Kelly, Wood & Co., of
Chicago, and Lyman T. Kinney, of Grand Rapids. He commonly employed a
working force of about 50 men.

In 1864 Mr. Kimbell was drafted and assigned to Co. A, 13th Reg’t. Mich.
Vol. Inf.  He served nine months and participated in the battle of
Bentonville, besides doing duty in a number of skirmishes. On receiving his
discharge he returned to Newaygo and resumed lumbering. He continued his
operations in that pursuit until February, 1881, when he rented the White
Cloud House at White Cloud. The hotel was under his management until
December, 1881, when he was elected to his present official position and
transferred his residence to Newaygo.

Mr. Kimbell was married in Newaygo, Sept. 3, 1856, to Sarah B., daughter of
John and Matilda Hathley, a native of Canada, born April 12, 1839. Of eight
children born to them six are living: Ida J., Alice M., Ruey, Sarah, Jessie
and Eddie. Martha A., eldest daughter, and Edward are deceased.

Mr. Kimbell came to Newaygo in its pioneer days and has been a witness to
its varied steps of progress. Two or three shanties constituted its
municipality and the adjacent woods were the delight of hunters and
trappers. Mr. Kimbell was one to whom the abundance of wild game was a
great source of satisfaction, and his exploits as one of the Nimrods of
this region are full of interest. Deer and bears abounded, and one of Mr.
K’s accounts records the slaughter, on one occasion, of four of the latter
in the evening after supper!

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