John Knapp (abt. 1536 - 1604)

Born about 1536 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Martha (Blois) Knapp — married 1579 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England

Descendants

Died 2 May 1604 at about age 68 in Suffolk, England

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Magna Carta Project WikiTree [send private message], Jamie Swindells [send private message], Paul Stephen Hughes [send private message], and Bob Fields [send private message]

Magna Carta Surety Baron Descendant (see text). Join: Magna Carta Project Discuss: magna_carta

Please see the Research Notes for discussion of disputed biographical facts.

Biography

John Knapp (name also recorded as Knappe and Knopp) was the second son of that name born to Robert Knapp and Margaret Poley.^[1][2][3] He is referred to as "John the younger" to distinguish him from the earlier son, who has the epithet "John the elder".^[1][2] John's birth date is uncertain. His father had property in Suffolk,^[3] and he was probably born there.

He was named as a legatee in the 1552 will of his grandmother, Gelyan Aldham, and in the 1563 will of his father, Robert Knapp.^[1][2]

He was a merchant at St. Peters, Ipswich, Suffolk.^[1][2] He was

• Bailiff of Ipswich in 1596-7^[4] and 1601^[1][2]
• Justice of Ipswich in 1598-9^[1][2][5]

John married Martha Blosse^[1][2] (also called Blois, Bloyse, and other variant spellings). They had four sons and eight daughters.^[1][2] The eleven children named by Richardson are listed below.

• John (first child of this name),^[1][2] died young^[3]
• John (second child of this name), Gentleman^[1][2][3]
• Thomas^[1][2][3]
• Martha, married James Palmer,^[3] Tobias Blosse, and Arthur Jenney^[1][2]
• Mary, married to John Randes^[1][2][3]
• Elizabeth, married Thomas Woodgate and Richard Holmsted^[1][2][3]
• Anne, married Newman Rookes^[1][2]
• Margaret, married John Baron^[1][2][3]
• Judith, married William Hubbard (Hobart) before 1612.^[1][2][3] Emigrated to New England.^[1][2]
• Dorcas, married Rev. Robert Stansbye^[1][2]
• Phebe,^[1][2] died unmarried^[3]

John died on 2 May 1604 and was buried in St. Peters, Ipswich, Suffolk, England.^[1][2] His wife Martha survived him; on April 1605 she was granted an annuity of 6 pounds by William Bloyse the younger, gentleman of Ipswich, in right of her dower.^[1][2]

Research Notes

Disputed Biographical Details

Many contradictory details have been published about this man's life, both on the Internet and in print. Contradictory and confusing information is due in large part to the presence of multiple families of the same (or similar) name in England, including several individuals who emigrated to New England. It is not an easy task to determine which records belong to any particular person. This profile relies to the extent possible on the most recent scholarship, including Magna Carta Ancestry and Royal Ancestry by Douglas Richardson.

Some websites have a birth year of 1560, and his death date is listed in various places as 27 Nov 1592 and 21 Apr 1627. Some sources identify him as a resident of Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, but he is not recorded there.^[6] Some sources list his death location as Connard Parva, Suffolk, England instead of Ipswich.

John is sometimes assumed to have been the father of Nicholas Knapp, immigrant to Watertown, Massachusetts, and Stamford, Connecticut. However, Robert C. Anderson in his Great Migration series, cautions that "The most recent investigation of William Knopp shows no evidence of Nicholas Knapp in the family, or even in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk [NEHGR 147:327-28]."^[7] We do not know immigrant Nicholas Knapp's origin.

John has previously been shown as father of Stephen Knapp. No good source has been found for this and Stephen has been detached as his son.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21} Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), Vol. II, p. 507, KNAPP 14
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), Vol. III, p. 352, HUBBARD 17
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10} Walter C Metcalfe (ed.). The Visitations of Suffolk, William Pollard, 1882, p. 149, Internet Archive
4. ↑ Nathaniel Bacon (ed. William H Richardson). The Annalls of Ipswiche, 1884, p. 386, Internet Archive
5. ↑ Nathaniel Bacon, The Annalls of Ipswiche, pp. 391, and 397
6. ↑ Clifford L. Stott, "English Origins of William and Judith (Tue) Knopp of Watertown, Massachusetts" in the New England Historical and Genealogical Record, vol. 147, 1993, pages 318-328
7. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volume II, G-O. (Boston: NEHGS, 1995). Online at AmericanAncestors.org page 1145: William Knopp.

See also:

• Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2013. See also WikiTree's source page for ‘’Royal Ancestry’’.
• Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City: the author, 2011. See also WikiTree's source page for "Magna Carta Ancestry".
• Visitation of Suffolk 1612, William Pollard, 1882, p. 149, Knapp, of Stoke juxta Ipswich; see also p. 114, Blosse
• Stott, Clifford, L., (1993) "English Origins of William and Judith (Tue) Knopp of Watertown, Massachusetts", NEHGR, Vol. 147, 1993, pp. 327-328, AmericanAncestors.org
• Hart, Craig. A Genealogy Of The Wives Of The American Presidents And Their First Two Generations of Descent, McFarland, 2004, page 167 (Ancestry of Jane Pierce)
• Boddy, Maurice G. "Knapp", The Boddy Family website

Acknowledgments

Magna Carta Project

This profile was edited for the Magna Carta Project by Michael Cayley in September 2020 and approved 5 Oct 2020 by Thiessen-117.

John Knapp appears in Magna Carta Ancestry in a Richardson-documented trail from Gateway Ancestor Judith Knapp to Magna Carta Surety Baron Saher de Quincy (vol. II, pages 504-508 KNAPP). The trail was developed for the Magna Carta Project by Michael Cayley and was badged 6 Oct 2020. The trail is outlined in the Magna Carta Trails section, below.

See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".

Magna Carta Trails

Badged Richardson-documented trail to Quincy (MCA II:504-508 KNAPP):

Gateway Ancestor Judith Knapp (badged Oct 2020)

1. Judith was the daughter of John Knapp (badged Oct 2020)

2. John was the son of Margaret Poley (badged Oct 2020)

3. Margaret was the daughter of Edmund Poley (badged Oct 2020)

4. Edmund was the son of Constance Geddyng (badged Oct 2020)

5. Constance was the daughter of William Geddyng (badged Oct 2020)

6. William was the son of Thomas Geddyng (badged Oct 2020)

7. Thomas was the son of Mirabel Aspale (badged Oct 2020)

8. Mirabel was the daughter of John de Aspale (badged Oct 2020)

9. John was the son of Mirabel Wake (badged Oct 2020)

10. Mirabel was the daughter of Hugh Wake (badged Oct 2020)

11. Hugh was the son of Hawise de Quincy (badged/100% 5-star)

12. Hawise was the daughter of Robert de Quincy (badged Oct 2020)

13. Robert was the son of Magna Carta Surety Saher de Quincy