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The Kemp Family

John W. Kemp (1744-1844) and Mary Miller

Many thanks to Jeff Bagby and Richard Cottrell who have helped me collect the information on what I hope is my gg grandmother's Kemp family. Connecting Elizabeth Kemp to this line based on circumstantial evidence, not documented facts. Any proof that my Elizabeth belongs to this line would be much appreciated!
Page created 29 Aug 1999, revised 19 Feb 2001. Links checked 11/12/06.
Bold print indicates direct line; "+" means there is another generation on this page.

John W. (William?) KEMP (15 Feb 1744/45, Frederick Co, MD-16 Nov 1844, Bascom, Seneca Co, OH) m. c1768, Frederick Co, MD, Mary MILLER
John W. Kemp served in the Revolutionary War in Queen Anne's Co, MD. See notes below for possible parents of John W. Kemp
SECOND GENERATION: Children of John W. and Mary Miller KEMP
+2. David Kemp, Sr. (1 Mar 1778, Frederick Co, MD-30 Jan 1863, Galveston, Cass Co, IN) m. betw. 1807-09, Crossing Creek, Washington Co, MD, Sarah Patricia WARD (28 Feb 1792, PA-28 Feb 1862, Crossing Creek, Cass Co, IN), daughter of John WARD and Pamelia BRIDGE/Bridges
John WARD (26 Mar 1752, Morristown, NJ-5 May 1839, Cass Co, IN) m1. 15 Sep 1773, Pamelia BRIDGES; m2. Elizabeth SHIPMAN. John was a private who enlisted in NJ in 1776, Capt. Hathaway's Reg.
2. George Kemp (Frederick Co, MD-Mansfield, OH)
2. John W. Kemp, Jr.
2. Stephen Kemp
2. Israel Kemp
2. Joseph Kemp
2. Nancy Kemp m. ____ OSBORNE
2. Mary Kemp m. ____ JOHNSON
2. Elizabeth Kemp m. ___ ARNETT
2. Phillip Kemp
2. Henry Kemp (b. 1786)
2. Rebecca Kemp m. ____ GADDIS

THIRD GENERATION: Children of David and Sarah Ward KEMP
3. Joshua Kemp (b. 1808, Cross Creek Twp, Washington Co, PA) m. Sophia ___
3. William Kemp (b. 1810)
+3. David Kemp, Jr. (8 Mar 1812, Cross Creek Twp, Washington Co, PA-19 Sep 1864, Galveston, Cass Co, IN) m1. Jane HAZLETT;
m2. 28 Mar 1847, Cass Co, IN, Mariah A. ALVORD (11 Nov 1830, IN-28 Aug 1885, Cass Co, IN), daughter of James and Elizabeth B. ALVORD
+3. Thomas Kemp (2 Oct 1813, Washington Co, PA-1898) m. c1841, Seneca Co, OH, Elizabeth E. MOORE, daughter of Maurice MOORE and Hannah DAVIS
+3. John William Kemp (3 Sep 1815, Cross Creek Twp, PA-2 Jun 1886, IN) m. c1833, Seneca Co, OH, Tena Elizabeth RIDER (1816, OH-1847, Cass Co, IN)
3. Elizabeth Kemp (24 Jul 1816, OH-2 Dec 1891, Decatur, Adams Co, IN) m. 10 May 1836, OH, Joseph ROOP (10 Jul 1808, Union Twp, Huntingdon Co, PA-18 Jul 1876, St. Mary's Twp, Adams Co, IN), son of Fredrick ROOP and Elizabeth ABBOTT
+3. Martin/Marion Kemp (b. c1818, PA) m. c1840, Catherine ____ (b. c1825, OH)
3. Mary Kemp (b. 1820, OH)
+3. Daniel Kemp (c1821, OH-10 Sep 1895, Galveston, Cass Co, IN) m. 5 Apr 1847, Cass Co, IN, Sarah BELL (1830, MO-aft. 1868)
3. Phillip Kemp (b. 1826, OH) m. Samantha ____ (b. 1832); one known son: Jeb Kemp (b. 1850)
3. George Kemp (1829-1863, Indiana Infantry, during Civil War)
3. Jackson Kemp (b. 1832)

FOURTH GENERATION
Child of David and Mariah Alvord KEMP
4. George W. Kemp (b. 1854)

Children of Thomas and Elizabeth Moore KEMP
4. William Kemp, an attorney in IN
4. Maurice Kemp, a carpenter and teacher in Beria, OH
4. George Kemp, a farmer and teacher in WI
4. David J. Kemp, a merchant in Young America, IN
4. Hannah S. Kemp, a school teacher
4. John L. Kemp, a farmer and teacher in Seneca Co, OH
4. Finley L. Kemp
4. Emily J. Kemp
4. Frank Theodore Kemp

Children of John William and T. Elizabeth Rider KEMP
4. Sarah Ann Kemp (b. 1834, Seneca Co, OH) m. 16 Jun 1859, Cass Co, IN, Lewis W. THOMAS
4. David Kemp (b. c1836)
4. John William Kemp, Jr. (b. 1838, Seneca Co, OH) m. Jun 1865, Cass Co, IN, Sarah SLAGLE
4. Alexander Kemp (b. c1839, Seneca Co, OH)
4. Eliza J. Kemp (b. c1841, Cass Co, IN)
4. Daniel Kempf (b. 1843, IN)
4. William Marion Kemp (15 Oct 1847, Cass Co, IN-16 Sep 1896, Wanette, Pottawatomie Co, OK) m. 15 Feb 1872, Perry Co, IN, Sara Jane HARP (1 May 1856, Perry Co, IN-14 Oct 1926, Pueblo Co, CO)

Children of Martin and Catherine KEMP
4. Sarah Anna Kemp (b. c1841, IN)
4. Julia Ann Kemp (b. c1843, IN)
4. Christina Kemp (b. c1845, IN)
4. Andrew Kemp (b. c1846, IN)
4. Cecelia Kemp (b. c1849, IN)

Children of Daniel and Sarah Bell KEMP
4. Mary W. Kemp (b. 1848, Cass Co, IN)
4. James D. Kemp (b. 1849)
4. William M. Kemap (b. 1862)
4. Charles E. Kemp (b. 1863, Cass Co, IN)
4. Franklin Kemp (b. 1865, Cass Co, IN)
4. Ella May Kemp (b. 1868, Cass Co, IN)

Circumstantial evidence that Elizabeth Kemp Roop/Rupe is the daughter of David and Sarah Ward Kemp:
a. birthdate: David's daughter listed as b. about 1817; EKR's birthdate is 24 Jul 1816.
b. place of birth: David's daughter listed as born in PA or OH, but the family moved to Seneca Co, OH about 1815, so EKR's birthplace of OH would be correct.
c. proximity: Joseph left Huntingdon Co, PA in 1835, married EKR in 1836 in OH, and bought 40 acres of land in Seneca Co, OH in 1837. The land was within five miles of David and Sarah Kemp's farm, in Venice Twp. Joseph had siblings (sister Elizabeth m. Wm. LINGAFELTER, brother Amos m. Rachel CRONINGNOR, brother Jacob m. Nancy LEWIS) who lived in Seneca Co, OH, in 1834. In the 1830 census of Seneca Co, list Jacob RUPE and David KEMP are next door to each other in Venice Twp.
d. religion: David and Sarah Ward Kemp were members of the United Brethren Church. EKR's obit stated, "Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Freeman of the United Brethren Church." Her husband's obit stated that he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for 40 years.
e. migration pattern: David and Sarah left PA for Seneca Co, OH, then Cass Co, IN; Joseph Roop's family moved from Seneca Co, to Van Wert Co, OH to Adams Co, IN. It is almost a straight line from Seneca through Adams to Cass Co, IN.

What's Missing
David Kemp's will has not been located in Cass Co, IN.
Marriage records: the marriage records of Seneca Co in 1836 were lost in a fire.
EKR's parents are not listed in her obit or Adam's Co, IN death index.
HELP!!

Finding the parents of John W. Kemp is another area that needs more research. Jeff Bagby, working with Jamie "Kay" Kemp Taylor of the Kemp Family Association, presents several theories as to the parents of John W. Kemp from his extensive Kemp research.

Kemps who have been ruled out.
1. John Kemp of the 1764 Will. Son, John, indicated that he was a small child when his father died and would have been too young to be our John W. Kemp.
2. John Kemp of Frederick Co. VA was a Quaker. He was born 8/28/1742 in Overwharton, Stafford Co. VA., and he died 9/3/1807 in Frederick Co. VA. He was a member of the Hopewell Friends Church and the son of William Kemp. William was a the son of John and Mary (Ball) Kemp of Talbot Co. MD and came from England. They had a son named John who moved to Stark Co. OH by 1820 and Richland Co. by 1830. He had a son named William Madison Kemp who was born in 1836 and by the time of the Civil War was living in Kokomo IN. "Interesting, but purely coincidental."
3. Henry and Sarah Kemp, had a son William, born 6/15/1740 and christened 9/14/1740 in the St. Luke's Episcopal or Anglican Church. However, records indicate that this John Kemp migrated into Wake Co. NC and a large English Kemp line descends from him. Jeff has not found any other John Kemps in this family in the same time period.

Possibilities for the father of our John W. Kemp
1. Baldwin Kemp or William Kemp (both of English descent) are possibilities because no information on their families could be found, but census records do not show any other John Kemps in Queen Anne's Co, MD in 1790.
2. Frederick Kemp. Not mentioned in Frederick's Will, but John Kemp had migrated prior to the Will and it is possible that the family lost touch with him. Many times Will's only named the family members who were still living in the same area and could actually inherit property. Kay Kemp Taylor says, "It is still possible that John W. Kemp was not a part of this family at all, because it is also common for researchers to attach someone to a family that has already been researched well when there isn't enough documentation to justify it," but she does not rule out Frederick as the possible father of our John W. Kemp
The data on these four generations comes from "The Kemp Chronicles" Book 2 by Debra Kemp Sotzing and Sally Kemp Higgins.
Frederick Van Der Kaempff's son, Christian Kaempff, may have been the father of Johann Conrad Kaempff (b. 1685, St. Gallens Canton, Switzerland) m. Anna Maria FUERBACH in 1713, Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany. Johann Conrad and Anna Maria Fuerbach KAEMPFF's son, Frederick Kemp (c1724, Untergimpern-1804) m. Regina SHOUP in 1744 and had a son named John William Kemp.
Also John Henry Kemp and Peter Kemp. John Henry Kemp had son,
George W. Kemp (23 Jul 1786, MD-3 Nov 1874, Shelby Co, OH) m. Mary Ann ___ (1794-1878, Shelby Co, OH), children: Lucinda, John, Samuel, Eliza J., Henry, Emanuel and Silas.
3. Adam Kemp arrived in Philadelphia from Rotterdam sometime around 1740. He is believed to be of Moravian-German descent. He moved some after arriving to Hampstead, MD. This town was in Frederick Co. at that time, but today is in Carroll Co. MD. (This is also the same area as the John Kemp of the 1764 Will, who is also believed to be German). Later he moved to Graceham in Frederick Co. with several other Moravian Germans. Adam Kemp had a son named John who was born in Frederick Co. MD on 1/12/1750. There is very little known about this John, but Adam's father was Johann Wilhelm Kaempfe of Germany. Adam also had a son named Peter. It was this Peter who had a son named Jonathan in 1797, and it was Jonathan who was listed on a Land Deed Patent in Seneca Co. OH. According to Kay there has not been much research on Adam's descendants but one thing that is known is that members of this one family went by surnames of Kaempf, Kempf, Kemp, Camp, Kump, and Kumpf, yet all of them were part of the same family.
4. Apparently there were other Kemp families in this area at this time and there are records of a couple of different John Kemps, but no really good documentation on what family they are from. So, our John W. Kemp may not be the son of Adam Kemp, he may be from a third family that we know very little about.

My Favorite Web Sites

Kemp Family Association
Combined Family Histories (has Kemp)
Kemp's of New England
Pearce Roop Connections - our gedcom
Back to the home page

Email: mpearce@charter.net