Seth kinman biography

SethKinman

Son of James Kinman and Eleanor (Bower) Kinman

[sibling(s) unknown]

Husband of Anna Maria (Sharpless) Kinman — married 14 Jan 1840 [location unknown]

Father of James Kinman, Carlin Sharpless Kinman, Austin Kinman, Ellen Elizabeth (Kinman) Barker and Roderick Christopher Carson Kinman

Problems/Questions

Profile last modified | Created 24 Aug 2016

This page has been accessed 1,996 times.

Biography

Seth was born on 29 September 1815, Uniontown, Pennsylvania (now Allenwood in Union County, at that time, it was part of Lycoming County). He was the only known son of James Kinman and Eleanor Bower. The 1820 and 1830 Census shows them with only one child (a son the age of Seth). ^[1][2]

Two different newspaper sources say that Seth had lived in Rush Township in Northumberland County: Danville Intelligencer newspaper (Danville, Pennsylvania) 14 July 1905, Page 4; and in a obituary, Northumberland County Democrat newspaper (Sunbury, Pennsylvania) 09 March 1888, Page 1.

The family appears in the 1830 Census of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, but they apparently moved to Illinois soon after the census was taken. Seth spent almost ten years working in his father's mill in Illinois, sawing lumber and grinding grain. After his father's death in 1839, Seth sold the mill and tried his hand at farming for a while.

He married his cousin, Anna Maria Sharpless, about 1840 and they had five children together. He operated the Eagle Hotel in Pekin, illinois, in 1848. He apparently claimed that he went west during the Gold Rush of 1849, but if so, not for long, because he was in Tazewell County, Illinois, during the 1850 Census (and getting his wife pregnant with their youngest child).

Seth Kinman was an early settler and hunter in Humboldt County, California (based at Fort Humboldt). He was a famous chair maker and a nationally recognized celebrity. He was known for his hunting prowess and his brutality toward bears and Indians. Kinman claimed to have shot 50 elk in a single month and a total of over 800 grizzly bears in his lifetime. He was also a hotel keeper, saloon keeper, and a musician who performed for President Lincoln on a fiddle made from the skull of a mule.

He was a stereotypical mountain man dressed in buckskins, travelling on the U.S. east coast, selling "cartes de visites" (of himself and of his famous chairs). The chairs were made from elkhorns and grizzly bear skins and were given to U.S. Presidents (James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Rutherford Hayes).

In January 1860 he was apparently involved in the rescue of numerous people on the ship "Northerner" which was shipwrecked off the coast of California. ?id=FiOrJ47gno8C&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=Northerner+ship+disaster&source=bl&ots=syCO9VG18d&sig=ACfU3U34_WAEIBvpx76SdcN1-ENKurNv8w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj45o7556ToAhVYK80KHcczAMwQ6AEwCHoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=Northerner%20ship%20disaster&f=false

And early in February 1860 he reportedly received the following letter: San Francisco, Cal. Feb. 2, 1860. Seth Kinman, Esq., Humboldt County, Cal., Dear Sir: We have heard of your noble work at the wreck of the Northerner, of the kindness of your good mother and family to our crew. We can never forget the debt of gratitude we owe you ; we hope we may soon see you here to thank you in person. You shall always have a passage on any of our steamers at your disposal, and we hope you will come down. May Heaven bless you and yours, and watch over a life so fearlessly risked to save others. Faithfully and respectfully, FORBES & BABCOCK, Agents.

The February 18, 1869 issue of Russian River Flag in the "Official list of Patents on the Pacific Coast, for the week ending Jan. 12th" includes: Seth KINMAN Eureka - Improvement in Potato DIGGER" (Source: ?action=detail&id=7870)

In early 1886, Kinman was preparing to send chairs to President Grover Cleveland and former presidential candidate General Winfield Scott Hancock.

He was apparently back in Pekin, Illinois, during 1887, because the Pekin city directory (1887-1888) says that "action to be commenced against Seth Kinman and others for violation of the city ordinances in selling spirituous liquors" (apparently without the proper permit or license).

He passed away in 1888 from medical complications after he shot himself in the leg.^[3]

Children

1. James Kinman (b. 09 February 1842, Tazewell County, Illinois; d. 02 December 1852, Tazewell County, Illinois).

2. Carlin Sharpless Kinman (b. 10 March 1846, Tazewell Co., Illinois; d. 18 January 1932, Humboldt Co., California); married 14 May 1890, Humboldt Co., California, to Mrs. Margaret Jane (Rowley) Chapman (b. 27 August 1863, Iowa; d. 13 March 1944, Humboldt Co., California), daughter James W. Rowley and Jane E. Billings. Carlin also had 3 step-daughters (from his wife's first marriage).

3. Austin Kinman (b. 27 December 1847, Tazewell Co., Illinois; d. 04 December 1852, Tazewell Co., Illinois).

4. Ellen E. Kinman (b. 28 October 1849, Tazewell Co., Illinois; d. 28 March 1872, Humboldt Co., California); married 18 April 1868 to Charles S. Barker. They apparently had one child who died in infancy (and Ellen apparently died from childbirth).

5. Roderick Christopher Carson Kinman (b. 12 March 1851, Tazewell Co., Illinois; d. 18 January 1929, California).

Elkhorn Chair of 1864

Seth Kinman's presentation of an elkhorn chair to President Abraham Lincoln on 26 November 1864 was recorded by artist Alfred Waud, which is the only known picture of Lincoln accepting a gift: #/media/File:

Elkhorn Chair of 1874(76)

Seth Kinman completed that elkhorn chair in 1874 and it was presented to Governor Rutherford Hayes of Ohio in September 1876. A picture is online here:

Bear Chair of 1877

Most of the chairs that Seth Kinman presented to Presidents are well documented. Less well known is his bear chair of 1877 which was ultimately presented to Vice President William Wheeler. There is an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 03 February 1877, Page 7, which says that Seth Kinman had been working on the bear chair for months for the "Centennial President", but didn't know who to send the chair to and that Kinman was "anxiously awaiting the count of the electoral vote." The article also mentions the 1877 "Compromise Bill" which ultimately awarded the disputed Presidency to Rutherford Hayes. Perhaps the chair was presented to the Vice President instead because Seth Kinman had already presented an elkhorn chair to Hayes (when he was Governor of Ohio in 1876). ?terms=Kinman

Sources

1. ↑Census 1850 Tazewell Co., Illinois 887: 1850 Census
2. ↑Census 1860 Humbolt Co., California 142
3. ↑Monumental Inscription, Find A Grave Memorial# 11762346, The findagrave entry gives his dod as 12 Feb. This has been referenced into wikipedia but given as 24 Feb, which date has been copied into wikidata. Either date may be correct.

• 1830 Census (Lycoming County, Pennsylvania): 1830 Census

See Also:

Connections to Kings: Seth is 21 degrees from Martin King, 18 degrees from Barbara Ann King, 14 degrees from George King, 17 degrees from Philip King, 22 degrees from Truby King, 16 degrees from Louis XIV de France, 16 degrees from King Charles III Mountbatten-Windsor, 17 degrees from Amos Owens, 19 degrees from Gabrielle Roy, 19 degrees from Richard Seddon, 25 degrees from Pometacom Wampanoag and 32 degrees from Charlemagne Carolingian on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.