The name, variously written Kilborn, Kilbon, Kilburn, Kilbourn and Kilbourne, appears in American records from earliest to the present time. It has been the patronymic of artists, soldiers, divines and leaders, as well as workers in every line of endeavor. Many of its representatives have been content to pursue quiety their several vocations and have not sought any part in public notice. Most of them have shown evidence of ability and culture, though living in comparative obscurity.

(I) Thomas Kilbourn, progenitor of this family in America, was baptized May 8, 1578, and was warden of the church at Wood Ditton, Cambridgeshire, England, in 1632. His wife's name was Frances, and they had a large family of children born in the parish of Wood Ditton, eight of the children settled in New England. Their second son and third child, George, probably preceded them to America and settled first in Roxbury and about 1640 in Rowley, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He came with his wife and younger children to New England in the ship "Increase" in 1635, having embarked at London, England, April 15, 1635. He settled in Wethersfield, Conn. Colony, and died in that town before 1639, and his widow in 1650. The ship's register describes the Kilbourns on the "Increase" as: "Thomas, aged fifty-five; Frances, fifty; Margaret, twenty-three; Lydia, twenty-two; Maria, sixteen; Frances twelve."
Of these children, Margaret was baptized in the church at Wood Ditoon, 1611(?); married Richard Law, of Wethersfield, who served the New Haven Colony as representative in the general court, as magistrate, and as commissioner, and after the union of the Hartford and New Haven colonies as the Connecticut Colony he held the same offices for many years. He was the pioneer settler of Stamford, Conn.
The other children were:
Thomas, George, Elizabeth, Lydia, Mary, Frances, and John, who is known in the history of Connecticut as Sergeant John Kilbourn.

(II) John Kilburn, youngest son of Thomas and Frances Kilbourn, was baptized Sept. 29, 1624, at Wood Ditton, England, and embarked for America with his parents and sisters on board the ship "Increase," Robert Lea, master, April 15, 1635. He was then ten years old and spent the remainder of his life in Wethersfield, where his family settled and where he was a useful and prominet citizen. His name appears on the Wethersfield records for the first time Sept. 24, 1647, when he was appointed collector of the tax rates. He appears as a landholder May 20, 1649, and March 8, 1654, he was appointed a member of the committee to run the boundary line between Wethersfield and Middletown. Three years later he was chosen on a new committee for the same line, together with Thomas Wright. He was appointed April 2, 1655, "to run ye line betwixt Hartford and Wethersfield upon ye second day of next week." In May, 1657, he was confirmed by the general court "to be seargent at Wethersfield," and from then on he was designated by that title from the town records. He took his seat for the first time as a member of the general court in 1660 as representative from Wethersfield, and was a member of seven stated and special sessions during the most interesting period of the colonial history.
In May, 1661, an address was presented to the general court for consideration by the committee previously appointed for that purpose, and this was approved. The committee was appointed to draw a petition to His Majesty, and to "compile and methodize the address as they shall judge most convenient providing ye substance be still attended and retained." The petition and address were approved. Governor Winthrop was appointed agent of the colony to present it to the King, and five hundred pounds were set aside for the furtherance of the object contemplated. These measures resulted in procuring the famous charter of 1662. During all this time John Kilburn was an active member of the legislature, and at the main session of 1662 he was appointed by that body a member of the colonial grand jury, an office which he continued to hold during the organization of the counties in May, 1666. He was often a grand juror of Hartford county, and also of particular courts and courts of magistrates. In May, 1677, he was on the "jury of life and death" at Hartford.
He was conspicuous in town affairs and held the offices of clerk, lister and constable, and was selectman for eleven years between 1657 and 1681, inclusive. He also served on many important committees, and in October, 1675, in the midst of the war with King Philip, he petitioned the coucil of war to be relieved from the office of sergeant, which he had held eighteen years, and it was ordered that if Major Talcott should procure a suitable person in his place, he should be released.
He was a believer of righteousness and peace, and died April 9, 1703, in his seventy-ninth year.
He married (first) in 1650, Naomi (family name unrecorded), who died Oct. 1, 1659, leaving children:
John (mentioned below), Thomas and Naomi.
He married (second) Sarah, daughter of John Bronson, of Farmington.
Children:
Ebenezer, Sarah, George, Mary, Joseph and Abraham.

(III) John (2), eldest child of John (1) and Naomi Kilburn, was born Feb. 15, 1651, in Wethersfield, where he died Nov. 26, 1711. Soon after his marriage he settled on the east side of the Great river, in what was then called Naubuck, now Glastonbury, and was admitted freeman Oct. 13, 1681. His name appears frequently in the list of town affairs of Wethersfield and Glastonbury. He was fence viewer for the latter district in 1685 and 1689, and was on the petition made in 1690 for its erection as a separate town. This was granted the next year, and in 1693 and 1708 he was selectman, and in 1696 and 1705 was constable; was lister of the town of Wethersfield, and in 1710 of Glastonbury. He was a grand juror of Hartford county in 1695-1700-1703, and at other times, and gave a parcel of land for a parsonage Oct. 22, 1692.
He married (first) March 4, 1673, Susannah, daughter of William Hills, born about 1651, died Oct., 1701. He married (second) May 12, 1702, Elizabeth, daughter of John Mitchell, of Hartford, who died June 8, 1718.
Children:
Susannah, John (mentioned below), Ebenezer, Jonathan, Benjamin, David and Abraham.

(IV) John (3), eldest son of John (2) and Susannah (Hills) Kilburn, was born Oct. 30, 1677, in Glastonburg; the date of his death is not known. It was probably before 1738, as on Sept. 5, that year, his widow married Thomas Horton, of Springfield.
He was chosen a surveyor of Glastonbury in 1710.
He married (first) Jan. 25, 1699, Sarah Kimberley, who died Dec. 25, 1713. He subsequently removed to Springfield, Mass., where he married (second), Sept., 1720, Mercy Day, of that town.
Children of first wife:
Samuel, John (mentioned below), Sarah and Benjamin.
Children of second wife:
Rachel, David and Mary.

(V) Captain John (4), second son of John (3) and Sarah (Kimberley) Kilburn, was born in 1704, probably in Glastonbury, and died April 8, 1789, in Walpole, New Hampshire. He was residing in Springfield in 1725, and in 1737 sold lands in Middletown, soon after settling in Northfield, Mass. He removed still farther up the river in 1749, becoming the first settler of Walpole. The territory had been previously granted by Governor Wentworth to others, and there was a dispute over title, but Captain Kilburn's claim by priority of settlement was ulitmately confirmed. Soon after the old French war he removed to Springfield, Vermont, but later returned to Walpole and died there.
He was selectman of that town six times between 1755 and 1762, inclusive, beside serving as highway surveyor, assessor, sealer of leather, and collector of school rates, and was often appointed on important committees. In 1760 he was one of the committee who settled the Rev. Jonathan Leavitt as pastor of the church, and in 1776 to take care of materials for completing the meeting house. In 1771 he was appointed to look after schools, and in 1777 member of the revolutionary committee of inspection and correspondence. In 1778 he was on a committee to procure materials for finishing the meeting house, in 1781 of a committee on roads, and in 1782 to raise money for the Continental soldiers. In 1785 he was a member of the committee to propose to the town a place to settle a new meeting house, and in 1786 to consider the expediency of voting a part of Walpole to form a part of the town of Charlestown.

He was very kind to the Indians, who were treacherous, and he showed much bravery in fighting them. Is is said of him that he had all in his character to make a successful warrior. He was a man of ready foresight, and most intrepid character. The defense of Kilburn's garrison, Aug. 17, 1755, is one of the most heroic in any warfare, and has been repeatedly described in history. With his son, John and John Peak and son, he successfully defended his home against an attack of more than two hundred Indians. Their leader, who had been befriended by Kilburn, was killed by a shot from the garrison very early in the struggle, and after continuing the attack all day the Indians withdrew and did not again molest Kilburn. It was afterwards said by a member of the tribe that they considered the death of their leader a judgment for his attack upon his previous friend and benefactor. After this event the village of Walpole remained unmolested, although hostilities continued until 1763.

He married (first) Oct. 26, 1732, Mehitable, daugther of Andrew M. Bacon. She died about April, 1737; he married (second) Hannah Fox, of Glatonbury, who died Jan. 1, 1807, aged eighty years.
Children:
Mary, Mehitable and John (mentioned below).

(VI) Captain John (5), son of Captain John (4) and Mehitable (Bacon) Kilburn, was born April 1, 1736, in Middletown, Conn., and removed with his father to Walpole, New Hampshire. His name is signed to the charter covenant there Jan. 7, 1767, and he was church treasurer ten years later. He served as constable, grand juror and justice of the peace, and was appointed a committee to order "the districts for the schools intown" in 1777. He served on a committee to build a bridge in 1779 and to repair Cold river bridge ten years later. He resided in Walpole until the winter of 1793, when he removed to Shrewsbury, Vermont, at which place he died July 20, 1819.
He married, March 10, 1762, Content, daughter of Rev. Ezra Carpenter, of Swanzy, New Hampshire, born 1740, died Oct. 22, 1813.
Children:
Theodosia, John, Ezra C., Elijah, Elizabeth, and Esther (mentioned below).

(VII) Esther, youngest child of Captain John (5) and Content (Carpenter) Kilburn, was born Oct. 12, 1788, in Walpole, New Hampshire, and married, Feb. 21, 1804, Daniel Robinson, of Shrewsbury, Vermont. (see Robinson V), and died Feb. 2, 1828, in Massena, New York.

SECOND ENTRY:

Erastus Kilburn, the first of the name of whom we have information, was a farmer by occupation, a Methodist in religion and a Democrat in politics. He married Marie Tinney.
Children:
George, Benjamin, Hannah, Susan, William Edmond, mentioned below.

(II) William Edmond, son of Erastus and Marie (Tinney) Kilburn, was born in Fowler, St. Lawrence county, N.Y., Nov. 9, 1843. He acquired a practical education in the schools of his native town, and his active years have been devoted to farming, in which occupation he was highly successful.
He is a Republican in politics, and was chosen by that party to act in the capacity of supervisor of the town of Montague, holding the office two terms, his services proving satisfactory to all concerned.
He married, at Fowler, N.Y., Dec. 22, 1874, Amelia Bowen, born in Ontario, Canada, April 15, 1852, daughter of Samuel and Clarissa Maranda Bowen.
Children:
Nora, born June 14, 1876, died March, 1882.
William Edmond Jr., mentioned below.
Dora, born March 31, 1883, died Nov. 11, 1894.
Fred, Jan. 30, 1885.
Earl, April 16, 1890.

(III) William Edmond Kilburn Jr., son of William Edmond and Amelia (Bowen) Kilburn, was born in Fowler, St. Lawrence county, N.Y., Sept. 9, 1879. He attended the common schools and Lowville Academy, graduating from the teachers' training class of 1899. He taught in the district schools from 1896 to 1903 in Lewis and Jefferson counties, except during the years 1898-99 and 1901-02, during which time he was connected with the academy.
From 1903 to Nov. 1, 1907, he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits, deriving therefrom a lucrative livlihood and at the latter date established a general store at New Boston, which he has conducted ever since, meeting with well-merited success.
He is one of the prominent, influential men of the section, and has been chosen to fill offices of trust and responsibility, serving as supervisor of Montague during the years 1904-05, and at the present time (1910) as justice of the peace of the town of Pinckney, the duties of which he performs in an eminently creditable manner.
He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Kilburn married, at Watson, Feb. 20, 1906, Maude Peckham, born in Watson, Nov. 24, 1883, daughter of Fred W. and Evelyn (Farr) Peckham, who are the parents of one other daughter, Nellie (Peckham) Pearson.
Children of Mr. & Mrs. Kilburn:
Evelyn Amelia, born Nov. 21, 1906.
Helen Marie, Dec. 27, 1907.
A son, Aug. 22, 1910.
[Transcriber's note: This material was published in 1910, so any subsequent children this couple may have had are not listed].

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