Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links in the Ancestry of Peter Knight, Blacksmith

Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links in the Ancestry of Peter Knight, Blacksmith Marilynn K. Cartwright* IEN PETER KNIGHT DIED in 1810 in Cadiz, Ohio, he left hastily drawn will designating his wife and children as his "beloved Eeares," but he failed to name them.' His descendants, however, using other sources, learned that Peter's wife was Elizabeth Fivecoat and identified all six children, the youngest of whom, George, was only three months of age at the death of his father.2 Peter's ancestry remained unknown, the family usually assuming that his origins were English, Knight being a common enough English name. A few family historians conjectured that Peter could have German roots; perhaps the Knight name had been changed from Knecht. By following known clues and putting them together with indirect primary evidence, recent research has traced the family back four generations to colonial Philadelphia and has confirmed its origins in Germany. One of the well-known problems encountered in the study of immigrant German families in colonial America is the unstable spelling of proper names. For example, Knecht/Knight has been found spelled Kneght, Night, Neight, and Niter. In the case of this family, the English name Knight occurs in civil records at an early date, even in documents in which the individual's signature is written in German script. On the other hand, the name Knecht and German spelling of given names persists in some church Wa *Editor's Note: The author received a B.A. from. Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and a master's degree from Syracuse University. A retired English teacher and reading specialist, she has been an avocational genealogist for fifteen years. This is her first publication. 101 102 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine records into the second and third generations. Variant spellings of all proper names in this study conform to the spelling as it appears in the source cited. A biography of Peter Knight's youngest son, George (18101892), published in 1881 in a history of Coshocton County, Ohio, had been generally known to family researchers.3 It states that George Knight's father, Peter, was "born and raised in the city of Philadelphia, was a blacksmith by trade, and a member of the English Protestant Church." Land records offered other helpful clues. Peter was deeded 167 acres of land in Jefferson County, Ohio (Harrison County after 1813) from Samuel Knight 21 April 1809,4 and a few days later transferred sixty-seven of those acres to Michael Fivecoat.5 That property was a quarter of a section, part of a land patent that Samuel Knight of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, had purchased from the United States government.6 Samuel sold another quarter section to Philip Knight in the same year.7 These clues in the county biography and the land transactions led to an investigation of Pennsylvania records, first in Somerset County and its parent Bedford County, and then in Philadelphia. The records of Bedford County show evidence of an extended Knight family beginning as early as 1787, when Philip Neighs, blacksmith, acquired a "piece of ground on the South side of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata and on the Southwesterly side of the great Road in the Manor of Bedford. "8 Philip and Peter Knight were listed on the militia list for Bedford in 1789.9 In the 1790 census," Nicolas Nite was head of a household of four males, aged sixteen and up, two males under sixteen, and four females, suggesting a couple with up to five sons and three daughters. Listed adjacent to Nicolas was Philip Nite, sixteen and up, and three females, probably Philip with his wife and two daughters. A 163-acre tract of land called "Friendship" in Bedford County, granted to Nicholas Knight by patent dated 28 November 1796, was sold by him to Philip Knight for £75 on 3 May 1800." By 1800, the Bedford census listed Philip Knight in a 26-45 age bracket with a female of the same age and five children fifteen and under.12 Philip's family was growing. In nearby Somerset County, which was carved from Bedford in 1795, Samuel Knight, between 26 and 45, was listed in Somerset Township. In Milford 103 Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links Township," Peter Knight headed a household with one male aged 26-45 and another male over forty-five, two females in the 26 to 45 bracket, as well as a male and female under ten14; Nicholas Knight, between 18-25, was listed with a female in the same age bracketn; and, James Knight and one female, 18-25.16 These records surely refer to members of the family of "Samuel Knight of Somerset County, Pennsylvania," who bought the section of land in Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1808, and soon after sold quartersections to Peter and Philip Knight. The assessment lists for Somerset County (1796-4834) gave further evidence of the Knight families during this period:17 Peter Knight, locksmith and blacksmith, taxed on 206 acres, Milford Twp., 1799-1804. Philip Knight, stiller and smith, taxed on 210 acres, Milford Twp., 1803-1804. James Knight, locksmith and farmer, taxed on 216-240 acres, Milford Twp., 1801-1813, and on 200 acres, Turkeyfoot Twp., 1814-1832. Nicholas Knight, taxed on 200 acres, Milford Twp., 1805. Nicholas Knight, stiller, taxed on 319 acres, Milford Twp., 1801-1826. Nicholas Knight estate, taxed on 206 acres, Milford Twp., 1826-1834. Michael Fifecoat, taxed in Turkeyfoot Twp., 1802-1804. The Fifecoat record was of particular interest because Peter Knight had married Elizabeth Fivecoat. Let it be noted that Peter and Philip Knight, and Michael Fivecoat disappeared from the records after 1804, and they all acquired land from Samuel in Ohio in 1809.18 Samuel appears in Somerset County only in the 1800 census. He registered his certificate for 640 acres of land in the Steubenville, Ohio, Land Office on 1 September 180119 These three--Philip, Peter, and Samuel---apparently moved to Ohio in the early 1800s. James and Nicholas stayed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where Nicholas died in 18242° and James died in 1834,21 both having raised large families. It was plausible to believe, although no direct evidence had been found, that all these men were brothers, probably sons of the elder a 104 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Nicholas Knight listed in the 1790 census. Nicholas may well have been the male over forty-five listed in Peter Knight's household in the 1800 census.22 This would certainly appear to be the family of blacksmiths referred to in the biography of George Knight in the Coshocton County biographical history, a notoriously faulty source of information, where this study began. Despite its flaws, however, the book provided the vital clue that Peter Knight of Ohio had been "born and raised in Philadelphia." When the search turned to Philadelphia records, many Knight families were discovered there, with stacks of records to examine and evaluate. Three documents proved to be crucial in setting up the framework of the generations so that other pieces of the puzzle could be fitted into the overall picture. These records—a will, a deed, and a cemetery transcription represent three different types of evidence that are valuable to the genealogist when taken tom gether with other more fragmentary data. First, the will of Peter Knight who died in Philadelphia in 180223 was identified as pertinent to this family because he left a bequest "to my kinsman Peter Knight, son of my nephew Nicholas Knight, near the town of Bedford in Bedford County." This language clearly links the Peter Knight who lived in Bedford and Somerset counties in 1798 (when the will was written) to this Philadelphia Knight family, and identifies Peter's father as Nicholas Knight. The Peter Knight will is rich with additional clues about the family, because he was a man of considerable means who died without issue and left various bequests to family members, a circumstance that helped to establish family relationships far beyond the obvious one to Nicholas and Peter in Bedford County. Among others, he mentioned nephews Nicholas Jones and Henry Bartleson, as well as Abner, James, and Samuel Bartieson, the latter a grandson of his sister Elizabeth. He also named a great nephew, Daniel P. Knight, grandson of his oldest brother, and left legacies to nieces Lydia Ludlam, Margaret White, Deborah Newman, Grace Wagner, Mary Menan, Elizabeth Trump, Elizabeth Hinkle, and Susannah Rittenhouse. Although female lines are invariably more confusing than male lines, all these clues helped sort through the Knight records in the Philadelphia area. The second document to shed additional light on the problem was the record of an old family graveyard in Whitemarsh Township, Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 105 Pennsylvania, long ago destroyed and plowed over, but not before historians had recorded the tombstone inscriptions that were still legible at the turn of the century.24 The Peter Knight who wrote the 1802 will had been at one time a trustee of this graveyard,24 and his father, John Nicholas Knight, was buried there. A Montgomery County historian, remembering this half-acre cemetery from his boyhood, wrote in 1922: In this graveyard, I remember well, was an old tombstone erected to the memory of John Nichols Knight, and it was an elaborate stone, with this inscription, "In memory of John Nichols Knight, died December 29, 1722, aged 40 years 10 months." This stone with the others was evidently removed and broken. I remember that on this stone was also inscribed the Scripture passage from Colossians, chapter 3, verses 3 to 10.26 The third crucial document was a 1751 deed conveying twentyfive acres of land from Simon Smith to Christopher Robbins.27 This deed gave a history of the property that had been owned by John Nicholas Knight and listed all his heirs. The farm, which originally comprised two hundred acres in Whitemarsh Township and twenty-eight acres in Plymouth Township, had been purchased by John Nicholas Knight 17 February 1710. In his will dated 28 December 1722,28 he left one-third part of the farm to his wife Margaret (deceased in 1745) 29 and two-thirds to his children, namely, Mary, Margaret, Philip, Elizabeth, Susanna, Nicholas, and Peter. This deed goes on to name the spouses of these children: Jonas Jones and Mary his wife, Henry Bartleson and Margaret his wife, Philip and Rina his wife, Bartle Bartleson and Elizabeth his wife, Patrick Menan and Susannah his wife, Nicholas Knight and Margaret his wife, and Peter Knight (writer of the 1802 will). Although Peter was not married when this deed was drawn, six months later, on 20 June 1752, he married Elizabeth Willdnson." At this point, the search for the ancestors of Peter Knight of Cadiz, Ohio, was far from complete, but his roots in Pennsylvania had been established. His father was Nicholas Knight of Bedford and Somerset counties in the late 1700s. His great-grandfather was clearly the John Nicholas Knight who died in 1722 in Philadelphia. But two knotty problems remained. First, who was Peter's grandfather—his father's father? It had to be one of the brothers of his 106 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine father's uncle, Peter Knight, who died in 1802 in Philadelphia. Luckily, Peter Knight had only two brothers: Philip, who married Rina; and Nicholas, who married Margaret. The other problem was to find Nicholas, Philip, Peter, and Samuel in the years before they settled in Bedford and Somerset counties. A search for the Nicholas Knight who married Margaret yielded a record of their marriage in September 1748.3' Nicholas appar ently lived his entire life in the Plymouth-Whitemarsh area, where he was born in 1718.32 He is believed to be the Nicholas Knight who was "attained of treason" by the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a proclamation of 21 May 1778.33 He was in a group of persons who had surrendered themselves to be tried for high treason on 28 June 1779. This Nicholas Knight appeared and was discharged by proclamation.54 On 22 April 1776, three daughters of Nicholas Knight—Deborah, Margaret, and Lydia paid £161 for a messuage on six acres adjoining the Friends' Meeting House in Plymouth.35 It was clearly stipulated in the deed that the property was for the use of their father, Nicholas Knight, to be at his own disposal during his natural life. Deborah Knight was married to Joseph Newman at Christ Church, Philadelphia, 16 March 1780s6; Margaret married Thomas White, a cordwainer in Philadelphia, 5 April 1787 at the Second Presbyterian Church"; Lydia married George Ludlam, a plumber, 31 December 1789 at Christ Church.38 All three women received substantial bequests in the Peter Knight will of 1802. Nicholas, who died at the age of sixty-nine on 7 November 1787, apparently outlived his wife." He left no will, but the final accounting with the court showed total assets of L28.10.10, half of which was owed to various people. After all the bills were paid, the balance in the estate amounted to £2.19.1.4° But significantly, no record was found to suggest that Nicholas and Margaret had a son who might have been the Nicholas Knight in Bedford in the 1790s. By process of elimination, then, Philip Knight and his wife Rina appeared likely to be the parents of Nicholas and the grandparents of Peter of Cadiz, but positive evidence was still sought. A church record in Philadelphia provided the important clue that led to an entirely new area of research. On 23 May 1758 a Nicholas Knight was married at St. Michael's Lutheran Church' in Germantown. Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 107 The original record, written in old German script, reads, "Nicholas Knecht, ein Schmidt von Lancaster mit Maria Rosina, tochter des Jacob Bayerle."4' Nicholas Knight, a blacksmith! If this were the Nicholas of Bedford, he could not be the son of Nicholas of Plymouth. The elder Nicholas was married in 1748; the younger Nicholas married Maria Rosina Bayerle in 1758, only ten years later. Hardly possible that they could be father and son! The search then turned to Lancaster County. Records were found there not only for Nicholas Knight, but for two other familiar Knight names from Somerset—Philip and Samuel, both blacksmiths. Philip's name appears in church, land, and Quarter Session records in the mid-1700s, much earlier than the others. He was an early borough land owner who operated his blacksmith shop a block-and-a-half east of the town square.42 The earliest trace of him in Lancaster can be found in the court record for 3 August 1736, when he was called as a witness to testify against Joyce and Christian Smith, who were accused of assaulting and beating John Hill. On 2 August 1737 Philip appeared again in court to give evidence against Edward Green, accused of a felony, "Stealing One Bay Gelding of the Value of Eight pounds" belonging to Edward Jolly. The jury found Green guilty, and he was fined £8 plus costs and sentenced to receive twenty-one lashes at the whipping post.° On 3 November 1757, twenty-one years later, Philip was back in Quarter Session Court with Nicholas and Samuel---two of the names found in Bedford. Three indictments were returned against Christopher Reigart for assault and battery against Philip Knight, Samuel Knight, and Nicholas Knight. Reigart pleaded "not guilty," but he later retracted his plea and was ordered to pay the costs and a fine of one shilling in each case." Church records in Lancaster provided indirect evidence that the Philip Knight in these court records was the missing link between Johann Nicolaus Knight of Plymouth-Whit marsh and his grandson, Nicholas Knight of Somerset County. The sponsors in the baptisms of two of Philip's children were the parents of Maria Rosina Bayerle, the woman Nicholas would marry in 1758. Rini, Philip's wife as named in the 1751 deed to his father's property, was probably a variant of Regina, his wife's name as it appears in the following baptismal records: 108 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Johann Jacob, b. #18 Sep. 1759, bp. 2 Dec., First Reformed Church, Lancaster Boro; sponsors: John Jacob Bayerle and Marina Rosina.45 Johann probably died in childhood. Michael, b. Jul. 1, 1744, bp. 15 Jul. 1744, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster; sponsors: Mich. Beyerle and his wife, Catharine.* Johann Jacob, b. 4 May 1748, bp. 19 Jun. 1748, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster; sponsors: John Jacob Beirle and Maria Juliana Rosina, his wife.47 There was at least one daughter in this family, Margaretha, who married a master potter, Christian Weidel, on 9 October 1752.48 A later record, which tells of her premature death on 24 October 1760 at the age of twenty-five years seven months,49 makes it possible to calculate her birth as March 1735, probably shordy before her parents arrived in Lancaster. There could have been other children born before Philip arrived in Lancaster. No record has been found for the birth of Nicholas, but it is probable that he, too, was born in an earlier unidentified location, most likely between 1730 and 1734. If so, the family was following the cutstomary naming pattern giving the eldest son the name of his paternal grandfather, in this case John Nicholas Knight who died in 1722. A series of land records establish Nicholas as a resident of Lancaster County until 1765. On 27 September 1759, he acquired a property on Queen Street in the Boro of Lancaster." In November 1759 Nicholas and Rosina got a £100 mortgage from George Graff* of Lancaster, secured by this property (32 fort frontage) "together also with two smith's bellows, two anvils, and all and singular other blacksmith's tools."" On 11 November 1763, Nicholas signed an indenture using this property and "also one Black Brindled Cow, two large Brass Kettles, one Large Black Walnut Cloth press and one Roan Mare with a Snip in the forehead," as security to Frederick Pysche, yoeman, for guaranteeing £40 bail for the appearance of Nicholas Knight "before his Majesty's Justices at Lancaster at the County Court of Common Pleas there to be held on the first Tuesday of February next to answer Philip Baker in a Plea of Trespass upon the Case &c. "52 Nicholas was indicted for assault and battery upon Philip Baker during the February Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 109 session in 1764, but the jury dropped the case for lack of evidence." The mortgage to George Graff was satisfied 22 March 1765, when Nicholas and Rosina sold the property on Queen Street "together with smith's shop and all other appurtenances" to Adam Reigart of Lancaster, Innholder.54 Church records in Lancaster note the following baptisms of children born to Nicholas Knight and his wife Rosina: Maria Elisabet Knight, b. 29 Aug. 1759, Lancaster, Pa.; bp. 2 Sep. 1759, Trinity Lutheran Church55; d. 19 Nov. 1760, Lancaster, Pa." Maria Juliana, b. 20 Dec. 1760; bp. 24 Dec. 1760, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Pa." Jacob Philip Knight, b. 10 Jan. 1763, Lancaster, Pa.; bp. 16 Jan. 1763, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Pa.; sponsors: parents and Anna Maria Beyerlin.58 The son Philip, born in 1763, is undoubtedly the neighbor of Nicholas in Bedford in 1790, by then a man with a young family. Here again, the first son was named for his paternal grandfather. Nicholas disappears from Lancaster County records after 1765 and does not resurface until the 1790 census in Bedford County. These would have been some of the most productive years of his life. His son Philip, who was born in 1763, purchased land in Bedford in 1787. Sons Peter, Samuel, Nicholas, and James, who were probably born after 1765, account for the younger males in the Nicolas Nite household in the 1790 Bedford census. The missing years between Lancaster and Bedford (1765-4790) remain a research problem. It is hoped that further investigation will explain this gap. These associations between Philip and Nicholas in the contemporary records, their occupation as blacksmiths, the time frame and localities, and even the naming patterns, all lend credence to the conclusion that Nicholas was the son of Philip and the grandson of Johann Nicolaus Knight of Philadelphia. Therefore, the many descendants of this family who have borne the name Knight must trace their roots through Philip, the only male member of his generation to have sons. 110 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine The church affiliations and the many records written in the German language certainly indicate that the family had roots in Germany, despite the misleading statement in the biography of George Knight, cited earlier, that Peter Knight of Ohio had been a member of the English Protestant Church. Although no such record has been found, it is true that his great uncle, Peter Knight of Philadelphia, who left him (Peter Knight of Ohio) the legacy in 1802, was a member of Christ Church and is buried in the churchyard there, along with seven signers of the Declaration of Independence." A search of the International Genealogical Index produced two promising entries from the Evangelical Luthern Church in Lampertheim, Starkenburg-Hessen, Germany. Microfilm records of this church book include the baptism of Johann Nicolaus Knecht on 27 February 1681, his marriage to Anna Margaretha Huelseweck on 11 August 1684, and the baptismal dates of their first three children: Maria Christina, baptized 10 December 1702; Anna Margaretha, baptized 6 November 1704; and Johann Philip, baptized 3 November 1706.60 Johann Nicolaus and his wife Margaretha must have come to America between 1706, when Philip was born, and 1710, when he purchased the farm in Whitemarsh. The marriage record for Johann Nicolaus Knecht also gives the name of his father, Philipp Knecht, who never came to America. The naming pattern in this family remained consistent through fwe generations; each eldest son was always named for his paternal grandfather, alternating the names Philip and Nicholas. With the translation of the Lampertheim records, the German roots of the Peter Knight clan of Harrison County, Ohio, have been confirmed. Much research remains to be done to complete the story of the family, but the links between four generations of obscure blacksmiths have been forged, and their German origins made certain. Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 111 Genealogical Summary: Five Generations The following summary shows the relationships in the extended family of the original immigrant, Johann Nicolaus Knecht, and identifies by asterisk those individuals who were mentioned in the will of his son, Peter Knight.61 That remarkable document, written by a man who died without issue, provided a crucial key to understanding the relationships between three generations of the Knight family. First Generation 1. Hans Philipp' Knecht, born 1644, son of Peter Knecht, was a "court councilor" in Lampertheim, Starkenburg-Hessen. He was married 5 August 1666 to Anna Charitas Wetzel. He died 6 September 1713, and his wife followed on 16 November 1718. At least six children were born to them, according to the parish records in Lampertheim, but several died as young children:" 2. 1. johannes,2 bp. 25 Aug. 1667. 3. ii. Margaretha, bp. 10 Sept. 1671. 4. iii. Johann Knecht, b. 1676; d. 4 Jul. 1678, age 11/2. 5. iv. Anna Margaretha, bp. 29 Sep. 1678; d. 3 Sep. 1689. 6. v. Johann Nicolaus, bp. 27 Feb. 1681. 7. vi. Anna Gertraud, bp. 11 Sep. 1683; d. 24 Feb. 1690. Second Generation 6. Johann Nicolaus2 Knecht (Philipp') married Anna Margaretha Huelseweck/Hilsabeck 11 October 1701 in Frankenthal, a town near Lampertheim." Her father, Hans Hilsabeck, one-time mayor of Frankenthat, and her mother, Anna Margaretha, also came to Pennsylvania and settled in Oley." Not surprisingly, no record has been found for the voyage of either family, since they came before the registration law of 1727 that required the ship's captain to register non-British arrivals. Not many years after their arrival, the 112 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine family name appears as Knight in civil records, although the Knecht spelling is found in the Lutheran church records into the second and third generations. Nicolaus died 29 December 1722 when his youngest child was only an infant. Seven children of Nkolaus and Margaretha Knecht survived into adulthood:66 8. i. Maria Christina, bp. 10 Dec. 1702 in Lampertheim. 9. ii. Anna Margaretha, bp. 6 Nov. 1704 in Lampertheim + 10. iii. Johann Philipp, bp. 3 Nov. 1706 in Lampertheim.67 + 11. iv. Elizabeth*, b. 1709, probably in Pennsylvania, but possibly on the journey to America.68 + 12. v. Susanna, b. 1716, in Whitemarsh Twp.69 + 13. vi. Nicholas, b. 1718.7° 14. vii. Peter, b. 15 Sep. 1722, 1 was a lumber and stave merchant who owned a wharf on the Delaware River with associated buildings; he bought and sold many properties in colonial Philadelphia, particularly in the Northern Liberties area. He married Elizabeth Wilkinson, daughter of Anthony Wilkinson on 20 Jun. 1752,72 They were members of Christ Church where they are both buried." She died 20 Jun. 1793; he died 27 Feb. 1802 without issue.'4 It was his will that became the crucial document in this research. . The Third Generation 8. Maria Christine Knight (Nicolaus2, Philippi) was only twenty when her father died. She married Jonas jones,75 son of Mounce Jones, whose ancestors came from Sweden in 1638 to establish the first settlement along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. Mounce Jones headed one of a dozen families who moved up the Delaware and the Schuylkill in 1701 to claim and settle a ten-thousand-acre area. In 1719, and again in 1744, Jonas Jones signed applications to erect the Swedes' tracts into a township which was called "Amity," the first township to be erected in the district which was to become Berks County.76 There are few records for Mary Knight, but many concerning her husband and their children. His will, written in Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 113 1777,77 does not mention Mary, who probably died earlier, but it does name their nine living children: 15. i. Jonas, Jr.4 16. ii. Margaret, mar. Nicholas Bunn, a surveyor. 17. iii. Mounce. 18. iv. Molly. 19. v. Susanna. 20. vi. Nicholas*, b. 1 Apr. 1736, Amity Twp., Berks Co."; d. 25 Sep. 1826, Amity Twp., in his 918t year." 21. vii. Phebe. 22. vii. Christina. 23.viii. Jonathan. 9. Anna Margarethe Knight (Nicolaus,2 Philipp') married Henry Bartleson, a farmer.8° Many records reveal the close connection between the Knight family and the Bartleson family. Both owned properties in the Plymouth-lioThitemarsh area, and both families helped with the upkeep of a family burying ground.81 Henry died in 1758, leaving a will82 that did not mention his wife, Margaret Knight, who probably had died earlier. In his will he named six children and two sons-in-law: 24. 1 Susannah*4, mar. Jacob Rittenhouse*, July 1749.83 25. ii. Mary, mar. Garret Rittenhouse.,4 Jacob and Garret Rittenhouse were brothers; sons of Peter Rittenhouse; grandsons of Garrett Rittenhouse, the miller in Germantown; and great grandsons of Wilhelm Ruttinghausen who came from Broig, Holland, and settled in Germantown in 1688. He was the first American Mennonite bishop and in 1690 established on the Wissahickon the first paper mill in America.85 26. iii. Sebas. 27. iv. Elizabeth,* mar. Peter Hinkle. *86 28. v. Henry,* b. 1743; died 14 Feb. 1804, aged 61 years.87 29. vi. Sarah. 114 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 10. Johann Philip Knight, (Nicolaus2, Philippl), who came to America with his parents in early childhood, was only sixteen when his father died. Little is known about him until he appears in Lancaster County records in 1736 when he was thirty years old, married to Regina (Rina) ,and owner of a blacksmith shop near the center of the village. His name appears in various Lancaster County land, tax, church, and Quarter Session records into the 1760s when he drops from view, but no will or death record has been located for Philip or Regina. Based upon evidence to date, the following have been identified as the children of Philip and Regina Knight, although the order of birth is uncertain, and there were probably other children in this family: + 30. 1. Nicholas," b. ca. 1730.8' 31. ii. Margaretha, born 1735, mar. Christian Weidel (Weydele) 9 Nov. 175289; d. 24 Oct. 1760, aged 25 years, 7 months." + 32. iii. Samuel, b. Ca. 1735-1742.91 33. iv. Johann Jacob, b. 18 Sept. 1739, bp. 2 Dec. 1739, First Reformed Church, Lancaster, Pa.; sponsors: John Jacob Bayerle and Maria Rosina.92 Probably died in infancy. + 34. v. Michel, b, 1 Jul. 1744, bp. 15 Jul. [1744], Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Pa.; sponsors: Mich. Beyerk and wife, Cath." 35. vi. Johann Jacob, b. 4 May 1748, baptized 19 Jun. 1748, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Pa.; sponsors: Johann Jacob Beide and Maria Juliana Rosina, his wife. Jacob is listed on the tax lists in Lancaster Co. as a "freeman" in 1769, when he was twenty-one years of age.95 Then he disappears from Lancaster records. It is plausible that he may be the Jacob Knight who appeared in 1790 with a wife and two children in Louisiana, where a widespread clan of Knights descended from one Jacob Knight96 11. Elizabeths Knight (Nicolaus2, Philipp') married Bartle Bartleson, an innkeeper, in 1728 at the First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.97 He was the brother of her sister Mary's husband, Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 115 Henry Bardeson.98 The gravestone inscriptions of Elizabeth and Bartle are preserved in the written records of the family burial ground. She lived 17094769; he lived 1697-1777." Their children as named in Bartle Bartieson's will are:lc* 36. 1. Cephas,4 b. ca. 1727, mar. Elizabeth d. 15 Sep. 1783. Buried in the family burial ground.w2 They had seven children.'" + 37. ii. Nicholas, b. ca. 1733. 38. iii. Mary, b. ca. 1735, mar. James Fax 1 Sep. 1758 at "Gloria Dei" in Philadelphiam; d. before 1777 when her father wrote his will, naming "James Fox and his children by my daughter, Mary. "105 39. iv. Margaret, b. ca. 1736 mar. David Francis 1 Nov. 1759 at "Gloria Del" in Philladelphia.1°6 They had one son, Thomas, a seaman who died in 1782.1°7 40. v. Elizabeth, b. 1740,108 d. 13 Aug. 1783, never married.'°9 41. vi. Phebe, b. Ca. 1747, mar. Joseph Bradden 29 Mar. 1770, Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pa."° 42. vii. Peter, wife and children unidentified, d. between 1769 and 1777.111 1a1 ; 43.viii. Samuel, probably never married, d. 1785 in Montgomery Co."2 In his will, Samuel names his brother Henry, his sister-in-law Jane (the widow of his brother Nicholas), and his nephew Samuel,* son of Jane, still in his minority, and Samuel's brothers, Abner,* Bartle, and James.* He does not mention a wife or children. 44. ix. Henry, mar. Jane Williame"; d. 1788.114 115; d. 1796.116 45. x. Ezra, mar. Mary 12. Susannas Knight (Nicolaus,2 Philipp') married Patrick Menan, an Irish schoolmaster, surveyor, and conveyancer. As boys, both Gen. Andrew Porter and Dr. David Rittenhouse attended the classical school operated by Patrick Menan in Whitemarsh Town*, ship.n7 Susanna died 28 October 1787, aged seventy-one; Patrick died 5 February 1791, aged eighty years; both are buried in the The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 116 family burial ground.H8 The children of Susanna and Patrick Menan are: 46. i. Margaret,4 mar. John Christopher Meier.n9 47. ii. Grace,* mar. Wagoner (Wagner).120 48. iii. John, b. 1743, died 12 Oct. 1768 at Penn's Neck, (Salem Co., N.J.) at age 25.1" 49. iv. Susanna, d. 20 Feb. 1763, only a child.'22 50. v. Mary,* unmarried in 1789 when her father's will was written.'" 51. vi. Elizabeth*, mar. Levi Trump.'" 52. vii. Sarah, unmarried, d. Dec. 12, 1796, aged 39 years.'25 13. Nicholass Knight (Nicolaus,2 Philipp') is believed to be the Nicholas Knight of Plymouth, limeburner, who was "attainted of treason" by the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a proclamation of 21 May 1778.126 He appeared and was discharged by proclamation.'" He married Margaret Warner in September 1748.128 This particular Warner family has not been identified. Nicholas apparently outlived his wife, dying at the age of sixty-nine on 7 November 1787, just ten days after the death of his sister, Susanna Menan.129 Records have been found for only three children, all daughters, sequence of birth not established: i. Deborah,4 b. 1750, probably the eldest daughter of Nicholas and Margaret Knight, mar. Joshua Newman at Christ Church, Philadelphia, 16 Mar. 1780.m° He died in 1790 at the age of 37.1" Their 18-year-old daughter Elizabeth d. 1 Sept. 1798 during the yellow fever epidemic; Deborah died three days later at the age of 48.132 A second daughter, Deborah,* born 8 Dec. 1782,'" mar. Matthew L. Bevan 13 Oct. 1804.B4 54. ii. Margaret,* b. 19 Feb. 1759,135 mar. Thomas White,* a cordwainer in Philadelphia 5 Apr, 1787.136 They had eight known children.'" 55. iii. Lydia,* mar, George Ludlam,* a plumber, at Christ Church, Philadelphia, 31 Dec. 1789.'38 53. Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 117 Fourth Generation 30, Nicholas4 Knight (Philip,3 Nicolaus,2 Philipp'}, a blacksmith in Lancaster, married Maria Rosina Bayerle on 23 May 1758.1" Rosina, born 8 December 1740, had been baptized at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster.m No record has been found for the birth of Nicholas. Regina was the daughter of Jacob and Maria Rosina Juliana Seyboldt Bayerle of Germantown who had come to America from the Unterpfaltz in 1732 with three young children."1 A series of land records establish Nicholas as a resident of Lancaster County until 1765.142 Between 1761 and 1766, when the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was erecting a new building that is still in use today, "Nick" Knight did some of the "smith work."'" In the mid-1760s, Nicholas disappears from Lancaster records. He resurfaces further west in Bedford and Somerset counties in the late 1700s, where he probably died about 1804. There were probably other daughters in this family, but the known children of Nicholas and Rosina Knight are: 56. 1. Maria. Elisabee, b. 29 Aug. 1759 in Lancaster, Pa., bp. 2 Sep. 1759 at the Trinity Lutheran Church; sponsor: Maria Juliana Beyerlinin144; d. 19 Nov. 1760; buried the following day.145 57. ii. Maria Juliana, b. 20 Dec. 1760; bp. 24 Dec. 1760, Trinity Lutheran, Lancaster, Pa."6 + 58. ii. Jacob Philip, b. 10 Jan. 1763; bp. 16 Jan. 1763, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Pa.; sponsors: parents and Anna Maria Beyerlin."7 + 59. iii. Peter,* b. between 1765 and 1771,1" place of birth unknown. 60. iv. Samuel (probable), b. between 1765 and 1774.149 Na proof has been found as to the identity of the man who was in the 1800 census in Somerset Co., Pa., aged 26-45, who purchased the land in Jefferson Co. (Harrison Co. after 1813), Ohio, parts of which he later sold to Philip and Peter Knight. He then moved to Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, about the same time Philip did. It seems most probable that he was a brother of Philip and Peter. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 118 61. v. Nicholas, b. between 1775 and 1782; a stiller, mar. Elizabeth ca. 1801 in Somerset Co., Pa.; d. 1824, Milford Twp., Somerset Co., Pa., leaving a wife and eight children.'" 62. vi. James Knight, b. after 1774; locksmith and farmer; mar. Catherine King; d. 1832, Turkeyfoot Twp. Somerset Co. Pa., leaving a wife and seven children.151 32. Samuel' Knight (Philip3, Nicolaus2, Philipp) who was taxed as a smith in Lancaster Boro in 1771152 and again in 1773,153 was so closely associated with other members of this family in the Lancaster County records that he must be considered as a probable son of Philip and Regina, although no direct proof has been found. He appears on several occasions with Philip and Nicholas in the records of the Quarter Session Court in Lancaster.154 He may be the Samuel Knight who married Christiana Shank on 13 March 1769 in Lancaster. (St. James Episcopal-License} .155 This couple had a son, Samuel, born 31 July 1773, baptized 2 September 1773 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster156 where the records of Samuel's presumed brothers were found. 34. Michael' Knight (Philips, Nicolaus2, Philipp') married Elisabeth He was taxed as a smith in Lancaster Boro in 1771 and 1773.157 In the records of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster, Michael Knecht and his wife Elisabeth had the following children baptized: 63. i. Elisabeth5, b. 29 Sep. 1770; bp. 14 Oct. [1770].158 64. ii. John Michael, b. 19 Dec. 1771; bp. 12 Jan. [177].159 65. iii. Sybilla, b. 18 Sep. 1773; bp. 11 Oct. C17731.160 + 66. iv. Daniel,* b. 9 Feb. 1776; bp.. 17 Mar. [1776];61 37. Nicholas Bartleson (Elizabeth, Nicolaus2, Philipp'), a mason by trade, married Jane May Hollan at "Gloria Del" in Philadelphia.'62 He died in 1788.163 His wife Jane died intestate 25 March 1789.1" The children of Nicholas and Jane Bardeson, not necessarily in the order of birth are: Using Indired Evidence to Forge Links 119 67, i. john,5 apparently the eldest son,165 named as an executor in his father's will, d, intestate in 1786; his wife, Mary, and David Waggoner were named administrators. 166 68. ii. Abner,* mar. Eunice Tomers 30 Oct 1785 in Philadelphian d. 18 Jul. 1806 at age 42.168 69. iii. Bartle, a storekeeper in partnership with his brother James, d. intestate, 1794; no wife or children are mentioned in the settlement.169 70. iv. James,* a cabinetmaker, mar. Catherine Kingfield (Konigrsfeldt); d. 1802,17° leaving his wife and two children under 14 years of age.'" 71. v. Samuel,* mar. Amelia Ashmead 16 Dec. 1797, Christ Church, Philadelphia'72; d. intestate, 1802.175 72. vi. Jane, a minor child in 1789 when she petitioned the court for a legal guardian after the death of both her parents and her eldest brother."4 Fifth Generation 58. Jacob Philipp Knight (Nicholas4, Philip, Nicolaus2, Philippl), presumed eldest son of Nicholas and Rosina Knight, would have been named for his maternal grandfather, Jacob Beyerle, and his paternal grandfather, Philip Knight. He was born in 1763 in Lancaster, Pa.,175 but the family probably moved elsewhere when he was still a small boy. He and his wife Phebe settled in the Bedford-Somerset area of Pennsylvania where they had several children"6 before moving to Jefferson (Harrison after 1813) Co., Ohio about 1804 or soon thereafter. There he and his brother Peter each purchased an adjoining quarter section of land from Samuel Knight in 1809.177 After the death of his brother, Peter, in 1810, Philip sold his land therem and moved to Tuscarawas Co. Ohio where he became one of the early settlers on the northeast quarter of Section 19. According to a History of Tuscarawas County, written in 1884, Philip was "a blacksmith and bell-maker, addicted to the popular vice of that day--a fondness for the cup that cheers."'" Philip died in Tuscarawas County in 1828.'8° 120 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 59. Peters Knight (Nicholas4, Philip3, Nicolaus2, Philipp;}, was probably born between 1764 and 1771, soon after the family left Lancaster County. Information about his early years remains unknown, but if the biography of his youngest son George can be believed, Peter was "born and raised in the city of Philadelphia; was a blacksmith by trade, and a member of the English Protestant Church."181 Records show that in 1789 he was old enough to be eligible for the militia in Bedford County,182 and he was at least twenty-six in the 1800 census for Somerset County.'" According to assessment records, Peter Knight, a locksmith and blacksmith, was taxed on 206 acres between 1799 and 1804.184 Peter and his wife Elizabeth had six children.185 The eldest, Michael, was born in 1804 in Ohio,186 evidently the year the family moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio. On 5 June 1810, in Jefferson (later Harrison) Co., Ohio, Peter signed a will in which he directed that his "Estate be properly and equally divided into Legacies among my beloved wife and children, Excepting fifty dollars that I ordain to the use of Scoolling all the children, that they may have learning to read the bible well, and to write." The will was probated 7 July 1810, just a month after it had been written."7 66. Daniel5 Knight (Michae14, Philip', Nicolaus2, Philippi) is believed to be the Daniel P. Knight who became a business associate of his great uncle Peter Knight (d. 1802) in Philadelphia. In Peter's will, Daniel P. Knight is identified as "the grandson of my eldest brother." Daniel, son of Michael and Elizabeth Knight, was indeed the grandson of Philip Knight, Peter's eldest brother. In the 1800 census Daniel P. Knight is in the "18 but under 26" age bracket.'" In an 1808 deed in Philadelphia, Daniel P. Knight mentions his brother Michael and his sister Elisabeth, the same names as siblings of Daniel, son of Michael.189 This data supports the theory that Daniel, son of Michael and Elisabeth, was the Daniel P. Knight who became the lumber merchant in Philadelphia. When he died on 26 September 1809, his age was given as thirty-eight in the Archivist's Registration of Deaths.19° He married, first, Mary Withy, on 2 January 1798 at Christ Church in Philadelphiam; she died 3 September 1798, aged nineteen years, and was buried at Christ Church.'92 Daniel married, second, Ann Van Sands on 29 August 1800193; she died 14 May 1808.'94 A daughter, Elizabeth, a minor, sunrived.195 Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 121 Notes L Will of Peter Knight, 1810, Jefferson Co., Ohio, Will Bk. 1:64. 2. Elizabeth Knight vs. Samuel Knight, 3 Oct 1814, Harrison Co., Ohio, judicial Record, Docket A:21; herafter cited as Knight vs. Knight Judicial Record. In this action, Peter Knight's widow, Elizabeth, demanded a satisfactory deed from Samuel Knight for the property which her husband, Peter Knight, had purchased from Samuel. Peter's six children were named as co-plaintiffs: Michael, Catharine, Margaret, Peter, Mary, and George. S. N. N. Hill, Jr., History of Coshocton County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, 1740-1881 (Newark, Ohio: A. A. Graham, 1881), 718; hereafter cited as History of Coshocton Co., Ohio. 4. Deed of Sale from Samuel Knight to Peter Knight, 30 Sep. 1809, Jefferson County, Ohio, Deed Bk. B:655. 5. Deed of Sale from Peter Knight to Michael Fivecoat, 30 Sep. 1809, Jefferson County, Ohio, Deed Bk. B:658. 6. Land patent from the United States to Samuel Knight of Somerset Co., Pa.; a full section of the Northwest Territory, 57, T10, 16, 20 Dec. 1808; recorded 23 Aug. 1811, Jefferson Co., Ohio, Deed Bk, C:422. 7. Deed of Sale from Samuel Knight to Philip Knight, 31 May 1809, Jefferson Co., Ohio, Deed Bk. B:592. 8. Land patent from the Penn family to Philip Neight, 13 Mar. 1787, Bedford Co., Pa., Deed Bk. C:83. 9. Pennsylvania Archives, 6th sec, 3:22-23, 10. Heads of Families at the First Census of the U.S. Taken in the Year 1790, Pennsylvania, 21. 11. Deed of Sale from Nicholas Knight to Philip Knight, 31 May 1800; recorded 14 Apr. 1801, Bedford Co., Pa., Deed Bk. E:511. 12. U.S. Census, 1800, Bedford and St. Clair twps., Bedford Co., Pa. (National Archives microfilm, roll no. 36:450). 13. U.S. Census, 1800, Somerset Twp., Bedford Co., Pa. (National Archives microfilm, roll no. 45:519). 14. U.S. Census, 1800, Milford Twp., Bedford Co., Pa. (National Archives microfilm, roll no. 43:523). 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Assessment Lists, Somerset Co., Pa., 1796-1817; hereafter cited as Somerset Co. Assessment Lists (microfilm no. XCtiPaiSoll, Historical Society of Pennsylvania [hereafter HSP]). 18. See notes 4, 5, and 7. 19. Certificate no. 607, for 640 acres, S7, TIO, R5, Cadiz Twp., Jefferson Co., Ohio, Steubenville Land Office; copy at the Cadiz Public Library. 20. Will of Nicholas Knight, 1824, Milford Twp., Somerset Co., Pa., Will Bk. 2:431. 122 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 2L Will of James Knight, 1832, Turkeyfoot Ts4vp., Somerset Co., Pa., Will Bk. 3:36, 44. For an account of the descendants of James Knight, see Fannie Knight Geise and Joy Smith Fitzsimmons, Knights to Remember (Private published, 1969), (National Genealogical Society Library no. 7110251969; also available from Family History Library, LDS.) 22. U.S. Census, 1800, Milford Twp., Bedford Co., Pa. (National Archives microfilm, roll no. 43:519). 23. Will of Peter Knight, 1802, no. 21, signed at Morrisville, Bucks Co., Pa., 18 Sep. 1798, proved 4 Mar. 1802, Philadelphia, Pa. Will Bk. Y:657. The final accounting amounted to $69,372.37. 24. William It Yeakle, "The Old Burial-Ground Near Erdenheim," in Bulletin of the Historical Soddy of Montgomery County 2 (Apr. 1940): 95; hereafter cited as "Old Burial-Ground." The author acknowledges the assistance of Lawrence Miner of Salt Lake City, who knew of the existence of these old cemetery records. 25. Deed of Trust, Samuel Farmer et ux to Henry Bartleson and Peter Knight in Company, 2 Sep. 1746, Philadelphia Deed Bk. H-16:557. 26. Samuel Yeakle, "Erdenheim and John George Hocker," in Historical Sketches, a Collection of Papers prepana for the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1921-1925, (Norristown, Pa.: John Hartenstine, 1935), 7:108. 27. Deed of Sale, Simon Smith to Christopher Robbins, 3 Dec. 1751, Philadelphia Deed Bk. H-5:260-63. This deed traces the history of ownership of this property from the original land patent granted by William Penn in 1701. The author was directed to this deed by Ed Addison, who has spent, years researching the deeds of present-day Montgomery County. Today the Cold Point Baptist Church sits atop the hill on the two-hundred-acre tract purchased by John Nicholas Knight in 1710. 28. Will of John Nicholas Knight, 1722, no. 274, Philadelphia Will Bk. D:358. 29. Will of Margaret Knight, 1745, no. 1, Philadelphia Will Bk. 11:1. 30. Recorch of Christ Church: Philadelphia Marriages (1709-18(X)), 4225 (Ph/2E:7, HSP). 31. Pennsylvania Vital Records, 8 vols. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983), 1:309; orig. publ. as 'Pennsylvania Marriage Licenses, 1742-1748," PMHB 39 (1915). 32. Birth year calculated from the tombstone record in "Old Burial-Ground." 33. Pennsylvania Archives, 3d ser., 10:521. 34. Ibid., 13:476. 35. Deed of Sale, James Stroud to Deborah Knight, Margaret Knight, Lydia Knight, daughters of Nicholas Knight, yeoman, Philadelphia Deed Bk., 1-45:409. M. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:148. 37. Second Presbyterian Church: Baptism, Marriages, Burials, 1745-1833, 306; hereafter cited as Second Presbyterian (Ph/9P:1, HSP). 38. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:148. 39. "Old Burial-Ground," 101. 40. Montgomery Co., Pa., Archives, Inventory no. 499. Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 123 41. Si Michael's and Zion's Lutheran Church, Germantown, Pa., Parish Register, 1:20, hereafter cited as Sc Michael's and Zion's Parish Register; translation at HSP (Ph/71.41). The original is in the Lutheran Archives, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, in the Parish Register of SL Michael's Lutheran Church, 1:229. The original, written in German script, is quite faded but legible. 42. M. Luther Heise}; 'The Borough Fathers," in Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society 46, nos. 2 and 3 (1942): 45. 4.3. Gary Hawbaker, ed., Lancaster County Quarter Session Abstrads (1729-1742), 1:51, 62. 44. Oyer and Terminer Quarter Session Docket (1756-1760), Lancaster Co., Pa., Bk. 3:34, 39. Index is at the Archives in the Lancaster Co. courthouse; original docket is at the Lancaster Co. Historical Society (no. LC352, 3/L, V. 3). 45. Donna L Irish, Pennsylvania German Marriages (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982), 241. 46. Debra D. Smith and Frederick Weiser, ed. and trans., Trinity Lutheran Church &conk Lancasta; Pa., vol. 1, 1730-1767 ( Apollo, Pa.: Closson Press, 1988), 418; hereafter cited as Tfinity Luthemn. 47. Ibid., 62. 48. Ibid., 241. 49. Ibid., 256. 50. Lancaster Co., Pa., Deed Bk. M:85-86. 51. Lancaster Co., Pa., Deed Bk. 0:518-19. 52. Lancaster Co., Pa., Deed Bk. K:60-61. 53. Oyer and Terminer Quarter Session Docket (1729-1872), Lancaster Co., Pa., Bk. 4:214. See note 44. 54. Lancaster Co., Pa., Deed Bk. M:85-86. 55. Dina)? Lutheran, 156. 56. Ibid., 260. 57. Ibid., 167. 58. Ibid., 187. 59. Christ Church Gravestone Inscriptions, 1700-1863, 2; hereafter cited as Christ Church Gravestones (microfilm no. XCh/113, HSP). 60. These German parish records of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lampertheim were translated by Trudy Schenk, Salt Lake City, Utah (microfilm no. 119560, Family History Library, LDS). 61. Will of Peter Knight, 1802, no. 21, Philadelphia Will Bk. Y:657. 62. Records of the Lampertheim Evangelical Lutheran Church; hereafter cited as Lampertheim Lutheran (microfilm no. 119560, Family History Library, LDS). 63. Ibid. 64. Will of John Hilsabeck, Philadelphia Will BL D:359 (1723, no. 278). 65. Will of John Nicholas Knight, 1722, no. 274, Philadelphia Will Bk. D:353. 66. Deed, Smith to Robbins, 260-63. See note 27. 67. Lampertheim Lutheran. 124 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 68. "Old Burial-Ground," 101. 69. Ibid., 100. 70. Ibid., 101. 71.Christ Church Gravestones, 2. 72. Records of Christ Church, PhiladeOhia, Marriages, 1709-1800, no. 4225 (Phi2E:7, HSP). For more on Peter Knight and the Wilkinson family, see Eunice Story Eaton Ullman, "The Gabriel Wilkinson Family," in Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 26, no. 2 (1969): 73. 73. Clogs:a Church Gravestones, 2. 74. Will of Peter Knight, 1802, no. 21, Philadelphia Will Bk. Y:657. 75. Deed, Smith to Robbins, 260-65. See note 27. 76. Morton L. Montgomery, History of Bevies Co., Pennnsytuania, (Philadelphia: Everts, Peck, and Richards, 1886), 64-65, 944-45. 77. Will of Jonas Jones, Betts Co. Will Bk. 2:281-82 (microfilm no. XW/Pa/Be/3, HSP). 78. Sc Gabriel s Episcopal Church Rewrds, Douglassville, Berk Co., Pa. (microfilm no. XCh/444, HSP). 79. Berk Co. Marriages and Deaths 1796-1845, abstracted from the Berke Co. Chronicle of the Times, 15 (Be/6A.2, HSP). 80. Deed, Smith to Robbins, 260-63. See note 27. 81. "Old Burial-Ground," 95-99. 82. Will of Henry Bartleson, 1758, no. 92, Philadelphia Will Bk. L:159. 83. Pennsylvania Vital Records, 1:489; orig. publ. as "Pennsylvania Marriage Licenses, 1748-1752," in Pli4.11B 32 (1908). 84. Milton Rubincam, "Peter Rittenhouse of Cresheim," in National Genealogical Society Quarterly 31, no. 2 (jun. 1943): 42-43. 85. Charles R. Roberts, "Sketches of Some Early Settlers of Montgomery County," in Bulletin of the Historical Society of Montgomery County 1, no. 3 (Oct. 1937); 126. 86. No record has been found of this marriage, but in his 1802 will, Peter Knight left a legacy "to Peter Hinkle who lives at the nine Mile Stone on the Germantown Road and to Elizabeth his Wife my niece." Peter Hinkle was buried beside his wife, Elizabeth, at St. Michael's Church in Germantown. (Edward W. Hocher, ed., Hinkle Family Notes; unpaginated TS (1930), Gen/H17, HSP.) 87. Christ Church Gravestones, 172. 88. An estimated date based upon the indirect evidence presented in this paper. 89. Dimly Lutheran, 241. 90. Ibid., 307. 91. An estimated date based upon the indirect evidence presented in this paper. 92. Pennsylvania German Marriages, 241. 93. Trinity Lutheran, 418. 94. Ibid., 62. Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 125 95. Gary T. Hawbaker and Clyde L Groff, comps., Index to the 1770 Tax Real*, vol. 5 of A New hula: Lancaster Co., Pa., &fore the Fedeml Census (Privately published, 1989); herafter cited as Hawbaker and Groff. 96. Merle Ganier, Jacob Knight of Pennsylvania and Louisiana (Family History Library microfilm no. 1033731, item 13, LDS), 97. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 9:5 98. Will of Eusebius Bartleson, Philadelphia Will BL 1:248. (1715, no. 57). Both Henry and Bartle are sons named in this mill-Henry to receive a double portion, and Bartle still a minor; therefore, it can be assumed that Henry was older than Bartle. 99. "Old Burial-Ground," 101. 100. Will of Bartle Bartleson, 1777, no. 51, Philadelphia Will Bk. R:54. 101. Administration of Cephas Bardeson, 1783, no. 115, Philadelphia Adm, Bk. 1:68. 102. "Old Burial-Ground," 101. 103. Will of Elizabeth Bartleson, 1791, no. 59, Philadelphia Will Bk. W:116. 104. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:30. 105. Will of Bartle Bartleson, 1777, no. 51, Philadelphia Will Bk. R:54. 106. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:300. 107. Will of Thomas Francis, 1782, no. 108, proved 15 May 1782, Philadelphia Will Bk. 5:106. 108. "Old Burial-Ground," 101. 109. Will of Elizabeth Bardeson, 1783, no. 260, Philadelphia Will Bk. S:341. 110. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 9:183. 111. In 1769 Peter's name was on the Noniton Tax Lists, but he must have died before his father, who left legacies to Peter's children in his will of 1777. 112. Will of Samuel Bartleson, signed 21 Dec. 1784, proved 13 May 1785, Montgomery Co., Pa. Will Bk. 1:33. 113. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 9:157. 114. Will of Henry Bartleson, 1788, Montgomery Co., Pa., Will Bk. 1:158. 115. Letters of Administration for Ezra Bartleson issued to Mary Bartleson, 4 Aug. 1796, Register of Wills No. 8236, Montgomery Co., Pa., Archives. 116. Ibid. 117. William A. Porter, "Sketch of the Life of Andrew Porter," in PMHB no. 3 (1880): 261. 118. "Old Burial-Ground," 100. 119. Will of Patrick Menan, Montgomery Co., Pa., Will Bk. 1:259. 120. Ibid. 121. "Old Burial-Ground," 101. 122. Ibid. 123. Will of Patrick Menan, Montgomery Co., Pa., Will Bk. 1:259. 126 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 124. Ibid. In his will, Patrick Menan names John, Sarah, and Susannah Trump as his grandchildren. These same children were baptized at St Thomas Episcopal Church in Montgomery Co., 21 Jun. 1789, as children of Levi and Elizabeth Trump. (Episcopal Records at the Historical Society of Montgomery Co., Pa., no. I-1-4/16.) 125. "Old Burial-Ground," 100. 126. Pennsylvania Archives, 3d set, 10:521. 12'7. Pennsylvania Archives, 6th ser., 13:476. See also, Ellwood C. Parry, jr., 'Traitors by Choice or Chance," in Bulletin of the Historical Society of Montgomery Co. 16, no. 4 (spring 1969): 267. 128. Pennsylvania Vital Recotris, 1:509. 129. "Old Burial-Ground," 101. 130. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:148. 131. Second Presbyterian, 368. 132. Ibid., 398. See also, Yellow Fever Deaths in Philadelphia, 7 93-1 797 7 98, (Philadelphia, 1914), 308 (Ph/26A:2, ESP). 133. Second Prestyterian, 61. 134. Ibid., 335. 135. White Family Record (Family folder FC/Wh, HSP). 186. Second Presbyterian, 306. 137. Ibid., 93-93, 103-104, 110, 151--32, 197-98, 203-204, 338, 403, 438, 481 and the White Family Bible (Family folder FC/Wh, HSP). 138, Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:148. 139. Sc Michael's and Zion's Palish Register, 1:20. See note 41. 140. Trinity Lutheran, 18. 141.St. Michael's and Zion's Lutheran Chun*, Germantown, Pa.: Burials, 1745-1771, 5:252. This information is given in a remarkable obituary written by the pastor upon the death of Rosina Knight's mother, Maria Rosina Juliana Seyboldt Beyerle. 142. Lancaster Co., Pa., Deed Bk. D:518-19, Bk. M:85-86, and Bk. K60-61. 148. Dr. George L Heiges, "The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, Lancaster, Pennsylvania," in Journal of the Lancaster Co. Historical Society 83, (1979): 20. 144. ninity Lutheran, 156. 145. Ibid., 307. 146. Ibid., 167. 147. Ibid., 187. 148. This estimate of Peter's birth date is based upon his eligibility for militia service in 1789 in Bedford Co., the 1880 U.S. Census records for Somerset Co., when he was 26-45, and the theory that he was born after his parents left Lancaster, ca. 1765. 149. This estimated birth date is based upon similar reasoning as in note 148. Since Samuel was not eligible for the militia in 1789, he was probably somewhat younger. Using Indirect Evidence to Forge Links 127 150. Will of Nicholas Knight, Somerset Co. Will BL 2:431. See also, Deed: Heirs of Nicholas Knight, deceased, to Jacob P. Knight, Somerset Co. Deed Bk. 17:741-43. 151. Will of James Knight, Somerset Co. Will Bk. 3:36. 152. Hawbaker and Groff. 153.Pennsylvania Arehives, 3d ser., 17:8 (1771), 17:459 (1773). 154. Oyer and Terminer Quarter Session Docket (1756-1760), Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, Bk. 3:34, 39, 73, 77, 83, and 87. See note 44. 155. St...fames Episcopal Chunk, Lancaster; Marriages (LailE. 5, HSP). 156. Pennsylvania German Church Records of Births, Baptisms, Maniages, Burials, Etc, 3 vols. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983), 1:98; hereafter cited as Pennsylvania German Chuith Records ; orig. publ. in Pennsylvania German Society Prvireedings and Addresses. 157. Hawbaker Groff. 158.Pennsylvania German Chun* Records 1:86. 159. Ibid., 92. 160. Ibid., 98. 161. Ibid., 108. 162.Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:300. 163. Will of Nicholas Bartleson, 1778, no. 102, Philadelphia Will Bk. R:101. 164. Letters of Administration for Jane Bardeson issued to Abner and Bartle Bartleson, 1789, Register of Wills no. 8440, Montgomery Co. Pa., Archives. 165. Ibid. 166. Letters of Administration for John Bardeson issued to Mary Bardeson and David Wagoner, 1786, Register of Wills no. 8437, Montgomery Co., Pa., Archives. 167. Pennsylvania Vital Records, 2:408; orig. publ. by Mrs. Harry Rogers as "Marriage Bonds in the State Library, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania," in P1141-1B 55 (1931). 168. Pennsylvania Vital Records, 3:9; orig. publ. by Francis Olcott Mien, "Earliest Records of the Burials in Phila. from the Board of Health," in PGM 1 (1898). 169. Letters of Administration for Bartle Bartleson issued to James Bartleson and Robert Knox, 1794, Register of Wills no. 8122, Montgomery Co., Pa., Archives. 170. Will of James Bartleson, 1802, Register of Wills no. 441, Montgomery Co., Pa. Archives. 171. Orphans' Court Records, 1807, no. 1869, Montgomery County, Pa. Archives. 172. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d ser., 8:15. 173. Letters of Administration for Samuel Bartleson issued to his widow Amelia, Jacob Ashmead, and Joseph Hart, 1802, Register of Wills no. 89, Montgomery Co., Pa. Archives. 1.74. Orphans' Court Records, 1789, no. 1440, Montgomery Co., Pa. Archives. 175. Tinily Lutheran, 187. 128 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 176. U.S. Census, 1800, Bedford and St. Clair twps., Bedford Co., Pa. (National Archives microfilm, roll no. 36:450). 177. Deed of Sale from Samuel Knight to Peter Knight, 21 Apr. 1809, and to Philip Knight, 27 Apr. 1809, Jefferson Co., Ohio, Deed Bk. 8:592 and Deed Bk. B:655-66. 178. Deed of Sale from Philip Knight to Philip Burger, 25 Jan. 1811, Jefferson Co., Ohio, Deed Bk. C:281. Since Philip's wife Phebe did not sign this deed, she probably died prior to 1811. 179. J. B. Mansfield et al, camps., History of Thscanswas Co., Ohio (Chicago: Warner, Beers, and Co., 1884), 663. 180. Administration Docket, Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, case no. A162, Jacob Reed, administrator. 181. History of Coshocton Co., Ohio, 718. 182. Pennsylvania Archives, 6th set 9:362. 183. U.S. Census, 1800, Milford Twp., Somerset Co., Pa. (National Archives, microfilm, roll no. 43:523). 184. Somerset Co. Assessment Lists. 185. Knight vs. Knight Judicial Record. 186. U.S. Census, 1850, Baltimore, Md., 185th Ward (National Archives microfilm, roll no. 287, p. 32). In this census, Michael was age forty-six, a blacksmith, born in Ohio. When his father's property in Ohio was sold in 1831, Michael was a resident of Baltimore. See Deed of Sale from Michael Knight to Henry Barricklow, 1831, Harrison Co., Ohio, Deed Bk. E:34. 187. Will of Peter Knight, 1810, Jefferson Co., Ohio, ill Bk. 1:64. 188. U.S. Census, 1800, Philadelphia, Pa. (National Archives microfilm, roll no. 42:67). 189. Deed of Sale from Daniel P. Knight to James Darraugh, hatter; Thomas Bradford, Junr., Attorney-at-law; and, John Bearen, printer; 22 Apr. 1808, Philadelphia Deed Bk. EF-29:713 (microfilm no. XD/Ph/Pa/165, HSP). 190. Archivist Registration of Deaths, 1803-1860, Philadelphia (microfilm no. XR/499:8, HSP). 191. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d set, 8:148. 192. Christ Church Gravestones, 498. 193. True American Commercial Advertiser; 1798-1804, 87 (ZN/Pa/144:1, HSP.) 194. Rue Atnerican Commercial Advertise; 1805-1810, 165 (ZN/Pa/14:2, NSF.) 195. Orphans' Court Records, 1811, no. 947, Philadelphia Bk. 23:514 (microfilm no. XWo/Pa/Ph/6, HSP).