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Name: KITCHEN, Charles

image of individual

Nationality: British

First Date: 1895

Profession: Employed by Messrs Smith Mackenzie. Coffee planter

Area: Probably the first to grow coffee in EA

Book Reference: Gillett, Austin, Sorrenson, North, Curtis, Nicholls

General Information:

Sorrenson - C. Kitchen, who intended to establish a coffee plantation for Smith, Mackenzie & Co. was unable to purchase a sufficient area from the Kikuyu at Dagoretti and had to go as far afield as Donyo Sabuk, 30 miles north of Nairobi, to obtain enough land.
North - 'Sgt. Kitchen', Former Sgt. in British army & coffee planter in Ceylon; arr. EA 1895; visiting Taveta 13-1-1896; signed 4 month agreement with A. Brown of Smith Mackenzie & Co. to look after coffee plantation at Misimbi, Kikuyu and was at Kikuyu 3-3-1896, 14-7-1896; Transport contracting in Nandi area 1898; Listed as member of Mombasa Club 1899
Curtis - p. 37 - Life at Fort Smith - '....... [1894 letter from Francis Hall to his father]] .. Martin and his wife came up and stayed here about 12 days. I gave them my quarters and we had a very jolly time. She is Portuguese but very nice; and plays, and sings in several languages, and as old Dugmore (in charge of the troops) has the American organ (that I brought out for him) up here, we had some musical evenings, Russell on the 1st whistle, Lane banjo and Mrs M. on the organ, while I occasionally had to warble as my share, and another fellow here, Trefusis, plays the autoharp very well.
By-the-bye I shall be mentioning names you don't know, so I must tell you that two Mombasa firms have agents up here, living about 1000 yards from the Fort. Trefusis, a very good sort who has travelled the world, is one, and a man named Walsh with his wife for the other. Then we have one coffee planter, Kitchen, and Dr. Wallace's party just coming. Mr Wallace (brother) and his wife arrived about 10 days ago and Dr Boedecker and wife, and a Mr McQueen and wife are to arrive tomorrow. We shall then have 10 Europeans resident in Kikuyu.
Nicholls - Smith Mackenzie had a store at Mumias by 1896, and their agent G.W. Lewis formed the Mirimbi Coffee Syndicate in Kikuyuland, under the management of Charles Kitchin.
Austin - Mentions a C. Kitchen as a settler at Fort Smith in 1897.
North - arr. EA 1895; Kikuyu 14/7/1896; Fort Smith 1897; Smith, Mackenzie & Co. manager at Zanzibar April 1897.

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