Samuel Kitchin and wife Elizabeth Johnson. Their children were Viola Louella Kitchin, Raymond Kitchin and Alena Kitchin
Our portion of the Kitchin family began with John Kitchin, born in England in 1619. His son, Robert Kitchin, sailed to Virginia on July 8, 1635. From Virginia the family moved northward in the early 1700s, coming to the vicinity of New Hope, Pennsylvania about 1702. The first to come to New Jersey was Ely Kitchin, about 1840. An Isaac Collins Bible, printed in Trenton in 1790, was displayed at early Kitchin family reunions and was the source of much family information. The Bible was purchased and owned by William Kitchin of Solebury who, prior to his death, entered much of the data himself.
Kitchin family reunions were held annually, usually on Memorial Day. After a break of several years, they were restarted and were held during the month of August on the Everitt farm in Ringoes, New Jersey. Due to lack of enthusiasm, we haven't had a reunion in several years. The Kitchin information, like the other genealogy information given on these pages, is given in the simplest language and terms possible as it is for the use of the children in the family. I hope to spark their interest!!
John Kitchin was born 1619 in England. His son, Robert, was born in Virginia in 1643. Robert's son was named William and he was born in Virginia in 1675. William had a son, also named William, who decided to travel to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. William Kitchin was a large man of over three hundred pounds. There are various stories about his arrival in Bucks County and his friendship with John Wells, who owned the ferry from Bucks County (Solebury Township) across the Delaware River to Lambertville, New Jersey. Some folks think that the woman William married, whose name was Rebecca Norton, was John Wells' niece. We don't know. William and Rebecca had several children including William born June 15, 1721. William married Sarah Crook on December 28, 1743. This is the William who bought the Bible. After Sarah died, William married Sarah Ely in 1753. He bought land from her family. The Kitchins attended the Solebury Quaker Meeting. The beautiful building is still standing as you can see in the above photo. The cemetery, located across the road from the meetinghouse, is the final resting place for many of our Kitchin ancestors. It's a gorgeous place to visit and the stones are fascinating - even if they aren't of your ancestors.
Our branch of the family is descended from Ely Kitchin who was born August 15, 1815 in Bedminsterville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was descended from all the folks listed above this way: John-Robert-William-William-William-John-Ely. Ely Kitchin studied medicine with his Uncle Ely Kitchin but after Dr. Kitchin died the younger Ely returned to farming. He married Mary Wilson Holcombe on March 4, 1846 in Lambertville NJ. They had many children:
Jonathan, b July 2, 1848, d 1938.
buried Rosemont
Mary Catherine, b September 18,
1850 in Stockton NJ, d 1942 buried Hopewell
Asher John Wolverton, b October
25, 1853, d 1934 in Newark, buried Hopewell
Elizabeth Ann, b February 29,
1856, d 1931, buried Hopewell
Samuel Lilly, b June 29, 1858,
d 1926, buried Sandy Ridge
Willie Etta, b May 28, 1860,
d December 11, 1860, buried Sandy Ridge
Alvaretta, b July 15, 1861, d
July 19, 1861, buried Sandy Ridge
Louella, b March 5, 1863
Sallie, b March 1, 1865
Edwin F, b July 3, 1866
Samuel Kitchin was my greatgrandfather. He married Elizabeth B Johnson, the daughter of Hart Johnson and Anna Hope. Their children included Viola Louella Kitchin, who married Edgar Moore and became my grandmother! Their other children were Raymond Kitchin and Alena Kitchin.
The descendants of the original
Kitchins are many and now come in a variety of religions and surnames!
Some of the names included in our family are:
Higgins
Schanck
Philhower
Vreeland
Hullfish
McCandless
O'Loughlin
Singer
Doeltz
Smith
Ege
Greaser
Stoop
Reeder
Green
Petty
Hoek
Tracey
Russell
Don't worry if your last name
isn't on the list - there are so many we just can't name them all!
You might want to try the following
links for more information about Bucks County and Pennsylvania.
I hope you're interested enough
to start your own genealogy project.