Individual Details
Ambrose Dudley Kemper
(Abt, 1808 - Aft April, 1883)
1850 Lincoln County, Missouri census: Ambrose KEMPER, 42, laborer, born in Virginia, was living with his mother, Roseann KEMPER and others.
1860 Lincoln County, Missouri census, Hurricane Township, New Hope Post Office, Dwelling/Family #1260/1137, taken 31 July 1860, page 164: A. D. KEMPER, 52, m, Farmer, $1770 real estate, $5329 personal estate, Va.
1860 Lincoln County, Missouri slaves census: A. D. Kemper is shown owing the following slaves: 35 year old mulatto female; 12 year old mulatto female; 10 year old mulatto female; 5 year old mulatto male; 4 year old mulatto female; 2 year old mulatto male.
(NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: I have not been able to located Ambrose Dudley Kemper in the 1870 census. Possibly he was overlooked by the census taker.)
1880 Lincoln County, Missouri census, Elsberry, Hurricane Township, page 263A, Dwelling/Family #259/259, taken14 June 1880: Dudley KEMPER, white, male, 63, Farming, Va, Va, Va; Martha REDMAN, mulatto, female, 50, servant, widow, housekeeper, Va, Va, Va; John H. REDMAN, mulatto, m, 20, Laborer, Mo, Va, Va; Elizabeth REDMAN, mulatto, f, 19, servant, Mo, Va, Va; Manda REDMAN, mulatto, f, 17, servant, Mo, Va, Va; Elberthe REDMAN, mu, f, 15, servant, Mo, Va, Va. (NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: Martha is show as "widowed". Was she married to a Redman or Redmond, who died. Were these children really Ambrose Dudley's children?)
"... my said son Ambrose D. Kemper ..." (Will Book A-B (1825-1855), Lincoln County Missouri, will of Martin Kemper.)
"Alexander Dudley Kemper... Unmarried. Lived with his parents until their death. After the death of his mother an old slave, "Aunt Martha", kept house for him. He is buried in the family cemetery on his father's place." (Abstract from page 10) (NOTE FROM JUDIA TERRY: In THE KEMPER BOOK, 1957 by Clarence Cannon, pages 9 and 18, show Alexander Dudley Kemper (1808-1888\1900) as a son of Martin Kemper. It appears from the will Martin Kemper, that his son was Ambrose D. Kemper. Therefore, information from these two names have been combined.) Further family notes in the handwriting of Roy Kemper, "he made a trip to Elsberry in the 1950s and interviewed a lot of relatives then, perhaps these notes are from that time" (Judia Terry, 1995) ... "Dudley Kemper never married, but lived with a group of negro slaves. He had three children, John, Lizy, and Mandy, by a negro woman, (a common law wife). Mandy married a Blair, (a negro) and lived in Elsberry for a time and probably does today. French Kemper and Dudley (brothers) lived four miles apart, but hardly ever visited because Dudley lived with a negro. Nelson Watts and Dudley Kemper lived together. Nelson Watts, a great uncle of "Uncle Will" Watts. Nelson Watts is buried in the middle of 6th St. in Elsberry. For years, after the street was opened, there was a brick wall built around it, but it is gone now."
(UPDATE: A descendant of French Kemper and one of Ambrose Dudley Kemper (through a descendant of his son John) have had Y-Chromosome DNA testing done, with a 100% match. This does prove John was a son of Ambrose. It does not prove the other children were his by blood. The probability is that they were, but no proof is available. We are in contact with descendants of Amanda and Bertha. DNA testing will tell if these lines are also descendants of Ambrose.)
1860 Lincoln County, Missouri census, Hurricane Township, New Hope Post Office, Dwelling/Family #1260/1137, taken 31 July 1860, page 164: A. D. KEMPER, 52, m, Farmer, $1770 real estate, $5329 personal estate, Va.
1860 Lincoln County, Missouri slaves census: A. D. Kemper is shown owing the following slaves: 35 year old mulatto female; 12 year old mulatto female; 10 year old mulatto female; 5 year old mulatto male; 4 year old mulatto female; 2 year old mulatto male.
(NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: I have not been able to located Ambrose Dudley Kemper in the 1870 census. Possibly he was overlooked by the census taker.)
1880 Lincoln County, Missouri census, Elsberry, Hurricane Township, page 263A, Dwelling/Family #259/259, taken14 June 1880: Dudley KEMPER, white, male, 63, Farming, Va, Va, Va; Martha REDMAN, mulatto, female, 50, servant, widow, housekeeper, Va, Va, Va; John H. REDMAN, mulatto, m, 20, Laborer, Mo, Va, Va; Elizabeth REDMAN, mulatto, f, 19, servant, Mo, Va, Va; Manda REDMAN, mulatto, f, 17, servant, Mo, Va, Va; Elberthe REDMAN, mu, f, 15, servant, Mo, Va, Va. (NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: Martha is show as "widowed". Was she married to a Redman or Redmond, who died. Were these children really Ambrose Dudley's children?)
"... my said son Ambrose D. Kemper ..." (Will Book A-B (1825-1855), Lincoln County Missouri, will of Martin Kemper.)
"Alexander Dudley Kemper... Unmarried. Lived with his parents until their death. After the death of his mother an old slave, "Aunt Martha", kept house for him. He is buried in the family cemetery on his father's place." (Abstract from page 10) (NOTE FROM JUDIA TERRY: In THE KEMPER BOOK, 1957 by Clarence Cannon, pages 9 and 18, show Alexander Dudley Kemper (1808-1888\1900) as a son of Martin Kemper. It appears from the will Martin Kemper, that his son was Ambrose D. Kemper. Therefore, information from these two names have been combined.) Further family notes in the handwriting of Roy Kemper, "he made a trip to Elsberry in the 1950s and interviewed a lot of relatives then, perhaps these notes are from that time" (Judia Terry, 1995) ... "Dudley Kemper never married, but lived with a group of negro slaves. He had three children, John, Lizy, and Mandy, by a negro woman, (a common law wife). Mandy married a Blair, (a negro) and lived in Elsberry for a time and probably does today. French Kemper and Dudley (brothers) lived four miles apart, but hardly ever visited because Dudley lived with a negro. Nelson Watts and Dudley Kemper lived together. Nelson Watts, a great uncle of "Uncle Will" Watts. Nelson Watts is buried in the middle of 6th St. in Elsberry. For years, after the street was opened, there was a brick wall built around it, but it is gone now."
(UPDATE: A descendant of French Kemper and one of Ambrose Dudley Kemper (through a descendant of his son John) have had Y-Chromosome DNA testing done, with a 100% match. This does prove John was a son of Ambrose. It does not prove the other children were his by blood. The probability is that they were, but no proof is available. We are in contact with descendants of Amanda and Bertha. DNA testing will tell if these lines are also descendants of Ambrose.)
Events
| Birth | Abt, 1808 | Virginia | |||
| Death | Aft April, 1883 | Lincoln County, Missouri | |||
| Marriage | Martha A. Redman | ||||
| Burial | Kemper Cemetery, near New Hope, Lincoln County, Missouri |
Families
| Spouse | Martha A. Redman (1828 - 1920) |
| Child | Redman (1848 - 1900) |
| Child | Jane Redman (1850 - 1907) |
| Child | Kemper ( - 1900) |
| Child | Samuel "Sam" Redman (1855 - ) |
| Child | Redman (1856 - 1900) |
| Child | John H. Kemper (1858 - 1941) |
| Child | Elizabeth M. "Lizzy" Kemper (1861 - 1914) |
| Child | Amanda "Mandy" "Manda" Frances Kemper (1864 - 1943) |
| Child | Bertha "Elberthe" Redman (1865 - 1889) |
| Child | Redman ( - 1920) |
| Father | Martin Kemper (1778 - 1848) |
| Mother | Rosanna Kemper (1780 - 1854) |
| Sibling | Matilda Kemper (1800 - 1873) |
| Sibling | French Fleury Kemper (1801 - 1884) |
| Sibling | Mary "Polly" Kemper (1804 - 1890) |
| Sibling | Emily Kemper (1806 - 1876) |
| Sibling | Catherine Kemper (1810 - 1832) |
| Sibling | Nancy "Frances" Kemper (1814 - 1903) |
| Sibling | Octavius Kemper (1820 - 1863) |