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Nicholas Knapp (abt. 1606 - abt. 1670)

Nicholas Knapp aka Knap, Knop
Born about in Englandmap [uncertain]
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married before 1631 (to 16 Aug 1658) in England or Massachusetts Bay Colonymap [uncertain]
Husband of — married 9 Mar 1659 in Stamford, New Haven Colonymap
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , , , , , and
Died about at about age 64 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticutmap
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Profile last modified | Created 14 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 11,943 times.
The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.
The Puritan Great Migration.
Nicholas Knapp migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 2, p. 1135)
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Contents

Needs Biography Work

There is a lot of information below the Sources heading that needs integration or deletion.

Unknown Origin

There is no validity of any sort to the claim that John Knapp and Martha Blois were Nicholas Knapp's parents, and/or Robert Knapp & Margaret Poling either. As previously stated no supporting evidence has ever been found to establish an ancestry for Nicholas or his wives. [1]

Anderson, in Great Migration Begins, Vol II, p 1145, states that the origin of Nicholas Knapp is unknown.

The most recent investigation of William Knopp shows no evidence of Nicholas Knapp in the family, or even in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk.[2] The two differ in age by about twenty-five years, a full generation. William and Nicholas, despite residing in the same town for fifteen years, are never seen interacting in any way. Finally, the town clerks at Watertown were consistent in spelling William's name as Knopp and Nicholas's as Knapp ...[3]

Nicolas Knapp was born by about 1606 (based on estimated date of marriage).

Immigration

He emigrated in 1630, settling initially in Watertown, MA; then to Stamford by 1646.[4] Our first record of Nicholas was on 1 Mar 1630/1, when he was fined 5 pounds for selling water claiming it would cure scurvy, some of which the court later remitted.[4]

Some assume that Nicholas and his first wife, Elinor, sailed with the Winthrop Fleet. Anderson does not mention this, possibly because there is no known list of the emigrants who came in the Winthrop Fleet, only lists compiled from various sources, often using circumstantial evidence.

The old book (now online ), "Ye Historie of Ye Town of Greenwich, County of Fairfield and State of Connecticut" (by Spencer Percival Mead, pub 1911) has a few pages on the Knapps:
“Nicholas Knapp, the ancestor of the Knapp family of Greenwich and Stamford, CT and Rye, NY probably came from England in the fleet with Wintrop and Saltonstall in 1630 and first settled in Watertown, Mass. where he married Eleanor ? [prob Lockwood].
He later removed to Wethersfield, CT and finally settled in Stamford CT in 1649 where he died Sept 16, 1670.
His wife, Eleanor died at Stamford Aug 16, 1658.
He married 2nd Jan 9, 1659 to Unica, widow of Peter Brown, who had also been the widow of Clement Buxton.
His stepchildren were: Sarah and Unica Buxton.
His children by his first wife were: Jonathan, Timothy, Joshua, Caleb, Sarah, Ruth, Hannah, Moses and Lydia.”
See online source (search for Knapp, esp. p 595)[5]

Marriages

Nicholas married twice.

  • He married first by 1631 Elinor Unknown; she d. in Stamford, CT 16 Aug 1658 [TAG 10:45].[4]
  • He married second in Stamford on on "9: 1: 59" (9 Mar 1658/9) Unica (Unknown) Buxton Brown.[6] She was widow of 1) Clement Buxton and 2) Peter Brown [Gillespie Anc 61-63]. Unica apparently died by 15 Apr 1670 (not mentioned in Nicholas' will).[4] She and Nicholas had no known children together, but she had four Buxton children.[7]

Children

Children of Nicholas and Elinor:[4]

  1. Jonathan Knapp, b early Nov 1631 (calc.), d 27 Dec 1631 "aged 7 weeks" Watertown.
  2. Timothy Knapp, b 14 Dec 1632 Watertown; m by c. 1658 to Bethia ____ (said to have been Bethia Brundish).
  3. Joshua Knapp, b 5 Jan 1634/5 Watertown; m 9 June 1657 Stamford to Hannah Close [TAG 10:45]
  4. Caleb Knapp, b 20 Jan 1636/7 Watertown; m by 1661 to Hannah Smith [TAG 10:174].
  5. Sarah Knapp, b 5 Jan 1638/9 Watertown; m 6 Apr 1657 to Peter Disborough [TAG 10:112].
  6. Ruth Knapp, b 6 Jan 1640/1 Watertown; m 20 Nov 1657 Stamford to Joseph Ferris [TAG 10:112].
  7. Hannah Knapp, b 6 Mar 1642/3 Watertown.
  8. Moses Knapp, b say 1645; m by 1669 to Abigail Westcott [FOOF 1:660].
  9. Lydia Knapp, b say 1647; m 16 Jan 1666/7 Fairfield to Isaac Hall [FOOF 1:250].

Property and Positions

Nicholas and Elinor initially settled at Watertown, Massachusetts with the congregation headed by Winthrop’s associate, Sir Richard Saltonstall. Watertown was settled mainly by immigrants from Counties Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk, England. The pastor of the church at Watertown was Reverend George Phillips, from Boxted, Co Essex. The church was organized on 30 Jul 1630, with some forty men, headed by Sir Richard Saltonstall, signing the membership list. This church remained the only church for sixty-six years. Only church members could become Freeman and vote.

Nicholas was a weaver and a farmer but also worked as a Lay Physician. On 1 March 1630/1, "Nich: Knopp was fined £5 for taking upon him to cure the scurvy by a water of no worth nor value, which he sold at a very dear rate, to be imprisoned till he pay his fine, or give security for it, or else to be whipped, & shall be liable to any man's action of whom he hath received money for the said water" (1:83).[8] On 7 August 1632 "£3 of Knop's fine of £5 remitted" (1:99).[8] At the general amnesty of 6 September 1638 it was noted that part of this fine "was paid, & the rest was remitted" (1:243).[8]

Nicholas was granted thirty acres in the Great Dividend in Watertown, 25 July 1636 (p 4);[9] granted six acres in Beaverbrook Plowlands, 28 February 1636/7 (p 6);[9] granted seven acres in Remote Meadows, 26 June 1637 (p 9);[9] granted a farm of 117 acres, 10 May 1642 (p 12). In the Watertown Inventory of Grants "Nicholas Knap" held seven parcels of land: sixteen acre homestall; two acres in Pine Marsh; one acre of meadow; thirty acres of upland in Great Dividend; six acres of plowland in the Hither Plain [Beaverbrook Plowlands]; seven acres in Remote Meadows; and thirteen acres of upland beyond the Farther Plain (p 86);[9] in the Composite Inventory he held eight parcels, comprising the seven parcels of the Inventory of Grants plus the 117 acre farm (p 29).[9]

Beginning on 29 September 1645, Nicholas sold his Watertown properties, first one acre of meadow to Edward Garfield, then on 6 May 1646, "Nicholas Knapp of Watertowne" sold to Bryan Pendleton "all his land in Watertowne granted by the town as by the transcript may appear with all the housing thereupon (only one acre in Pond Meadow formerly being sold excepted) with all the privileges thereunto belonging" [10] Nicholas then set out for Stamford Connecticut spending two years in Wethersfield before reaching his destination in 1648.[citation needed]

At Stamford, Nicholas owned a small mill and 16 acres of farmland. [11]

Death and Legacy

Nicholas died in Stamford, Connecticut, between 15 April 1670 (date of his will) and 27 Apr 1670 (date of inventory), at about 65 years of age.[4]

Last Will & Testament

Will of "Nicolas Knap of Standford" was dated 15 Apr 1670[12] (no probate date) and inventoried 27 Apr 1670 [Fairfield PR 25].

  • to sons Moses, Timothy, Caleb, "Josuah."
  • to daughters Sara Disbrowe, Hanna, Lidea, Ruth and
  • to my two daughters-in-law (stepdaughters) viz: Sarah and Uneca Buxton ...

To son Moses, "my house and land in Standford with all the meadows and upland belonging unto me;" also with some moveables. Timothy was relieved of a prior debt to Nicholas. Caleb "the loom and half the gears"; to son "Josuah" the other "half of the gears." To "daughter Sarah Disbrowe the money due to me from her husband." To "daughter Hanna" one mare; to daughter "Lidea the mare that was Mr. Bishop's with the increase she hath." Ruth received 20 shillings. Step-daughters, called "my two daughters-in-law," Sarah and Uneca Buxton received clothes, a Bible, and their share of their father Clement Buxton's estate. Son Joshua was made executor. Nicholas signed with a mark.[4]

The inventory totaled £166; 13shillings; 11 1/2 d., of which the "house and lands" totalled £50. Also books valued at 6s. 6d were included. [13]

Research Notes

Nicholas Knapp Items

Unknown origin The 1912 book by Josephine Frost seems to be the first instance of Bures, St Mary, Suffolk as an origin.[14] Now disputed by Anderson, who says there is "no evidence of Nicholas Knapp ... in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk."[3]

Winthrop Fleet Bank's The Winthrop fleet of 1630 ... one of the compiled Winthrop Fleet sources, includes Nicholas Knapp and his wife, Elinor.[15] Banks also adds, "probably from Bures, St Mary, Suffolk." The source listed is "Frost Gen. p. 372,"[15] but The Frost Genealogy ... entry for Nicholas Knapp contains many obvious errors and offers no evidence.[14] Only circumstantial evidence exists, such as time of arrival and purported membership in the Watertown church.

Elinor's maiden name
Some have indicated that Elinor's maiden name was Disbrow (Disbrough). Evidence that it was Lockwood comes from the manuscript compiled by Alfred Averill Knapp on Nicholas Knapp Genealogy (1953). On page 3 of that book is the following quote from the Hartford Times, Oct 23, 1943, genealogical passage, Query A-2695: "The late Judge H. Stanley Finch, long Surrogate Judge at Stamford and a keen student of Lockwood, Finch and allied families, gave his opinion that Elinor, wife of Nicholas Knapp, was daughter of Edmund Lockwood of Combs, Suffolk, England and sister of Edmund Lockwood (1594-163 5) of Cambridge, Mass. and of Robert Lockwood (1600-1658) of Watertown, Mass. and Fairfield, Conn.[16] [17]

DNA Confirmation

Paternal relationship is Confirmed by a triangulated group consisting of
"SC" | GEDmatch A346404
"MM" | GEDmatch A885642
John Schalcosky | GEDmatch A781813
Sharing an 13.1 cM segment on Chromosome 4 from 129,303,169 - 142,198,497
ChrStartStopcM
4129,303,169142,198,49713.1

Sources

  1. ↑ Knapp, Fritz, (20 Jan 2004) "Myths or Mistakes: Knapp Families archived 10 Dec 2016.
  2. ↑ Stott, Clifford L., (1993) "William and Judith (Tue) Knopp of Watertown, Massachusetts," NEHGR AmericanAncestors.org 147:315-328.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Anderson, William Charles, (1995) "William Knopp," Featured name, The Great Migration Begins ..., Volumes I-III. NEHGS AmericanAncestors.org (Volumes I-III, Page 1145).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Anderson, William Charles, (1995) "Nicholas Knapp," Featured name, The Great Migration Begins ..., Volumes I-III. NEHGS AmericanAncestors.org (Volumes I-III, Pages 1135-37).
  5. ↑ p 595, "Ye Historie of Ye Town of Greenwich, County of Fairfield and State of Connecticut," by Spencer Percival Mead, published 1911: - https://books.google.com/books?id=gdULAAAAYAAJ&pg
  6. ↑ The American Genealogist.AmericanAncestors.org (Vol 10, Page 113).
  7. ↑ Darlene, (Archived 10 Dec 2016) "Clement Buxton." Archive.org "Darlene's Family Genealogy," (http://www.dkdonovan.com/getperson.php?personID=I09564&tree=Main#cite2) Citing Connecticut Ancestry, November 2008, Vol. 51, No. 2.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 (1853) Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay ... Vol 1. Archive.org (Vol 1, Pages 83, 99, 243).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 (1894) Watertown Records ... Watertown: Fred G. Baker Pr. Archive.org (Vol 2: Property, Pages 4, 6, 9, 29; Supplement: Births, Deaths & Marriages, Pages 3, 4, 5, 8, 11).
  10. ↑ SLR 1:71 (?SLR)
  11. ↑ One Life at a Time: A New World Family Narrative, 1630-1960 - R. Thomas Collins, Jr., Joseph S. Wood
  12. ↑ Ancestry.com $subscription link. Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line], Fairfield, Probate Records, Vol 1-5, 1648-1750, image 95. free image courtesy of ancestry.com Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data:Connecticut County, District and Probate Courts.
  13. ↑ Fairfield PR 2:55-56
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Frost, Josephine, (1912) The Frost Genealogy ... New York : F.H. Hitchcock, Archive.org (Page 372) Caution: contains obvious errors.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Banks, Charles Edward (1930) The Winthrop Fleet of 1630 ... Boston: USGenWeb Archives (Page 78).
  16. ↑ Knapp, Alfred Averill, Nicholas Knapp genealogy, published 1953. Reference page 3
  17. ↑ Higgins, Sylvia Payne, Knapp Family.

See also:

  • Jacobus, Donald Lines, (1930) History & Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield, 2 vols. AmericanAncestors.org I:250; 575; 660.
  • "Nicholas Knapp"
  • Stott, Clifford, L., (1993) "English Origins of William and Judith (Tue) Knopp of Watertown, Massachusetts." NEHGR AmericanAncestors.org (Vol 147, Pages 327-28).
  • Huntington, E. B., (1874) Stamford Registration of Births, Marriages, and Deaths ... Stamford, CT: W.W. Gilespie & Co., steam printers, Archive.org Pages 61-64.
  • Huntington, Elijah B., (April 6, 1797) Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Stamford Families. Barbara Kaye, manager, "I-M" CTGenWeb.
  • Lorraine Cook White, ed., Connecticut Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection) Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Publishing Co (1994-2002).
  • Brown, Coralynn, "Fairfield Vital Records from Barbour Collection, 1639-1850 "HINE - L " Jane Devlin's website.
  • MacKay Y-DNA Project




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Nicholas by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 6

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Sahm-97 BB Sahm
Do we have the Y DNA of the Knapp clan of New England? This could help map the locations in England to record sweep. Do we have on this site a direct male line descendant of Nicholas?

Also, do we have a direct female descendants of both Elinor Knapp and the family of Edmund Lockwood or whomever Disbrow to match the mtDNA? That would clear up the mysteries here.

posted by BB Sahm
edited by BB Sahm
H Baggott
In the early paragraphs, the claim is made that William Knopp and Nicholas Knapp are consistently spelled differently by the town recorders, yet source #8 (quoted in the bio) has Nich: Knopp as its spelling. The matter of consanguinity does not seem entirely resolved by inaccurate spelling claims.
posted by H Baggott
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
Two years later, this profile's narrative will needs major work. See section below Sources.
posted by Jillaine Smith
B-404 Anne B
Hi all, I've emailed the new person who added their gedcom information and will work with him to clean this up. So for the moment leave it.
posted by Anne B
GeneJ X
Hi Anne B.,

I have moved the lengthy section Jillaine mentioned to a free space page, Nicholas Knapp Items. In the process, realized this seems a copy-paste of authored material from an online family website or by another family researcher. See http://web.archive.org/web/20161210122734/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~knappdb/myths2.htm

Just a heads up, other parts of the biography may have been borrowed as well. --Gene

posted by GeneJ X

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