John Holly Knapp (aft. 1791 - 1837)

Born after 30 May 1791 in Goshen, Orange, New York, United States

Descendants

Died 4 Jan 1837 before age 45 in Fort Madison, Lee, Wisconsin, United States

Biography

John was born after 1789. John Knapp ... He passed away in 1837.^[1]

son of Jabez Knapp and Hannah Holly

Children: - Almeda Ann Knapp (1813-1906) m Joseph A Douglas - William Dewitt Knapp (1815-1895) m1 Deborah Ketcham, m2 Hettie L Parmelee - Elizabeth Seely Knapp (1817-1858) m Henry End - Jonas Seely Knapp (1821-1912) m Mary Stewart - John Holly Knapp (1825-1888) m Caroline Marie Field, m2 Valeria Adams

As a young man he learned the saddle-makers trade. During the War of 1812 he served as lieutenant in Capt F Tuthill's company of New York militia from September 8 to December 12, 1814.

On January 21, 1813 he was united in marriage with Harriet Seely of Orange County NY where the Seely family has been prominent for over a hundred years. About the year 1818 they moved to Elmira, living first in Southport, as that portion of the town on the south side of the river was called, soon however, moving across the river to Newtown, which is the main part of Elmira. Here he engaged in merchandising. He built a gristmill on Seely Creek near Bulkhead in 1820; he was one of the directors of the bridge company, incorporated for the purpose of building the first bridge across the Chemung River at what is now Lake Street. He was Brigadier General of the New York militia, and was familiarly known as General Knapp. He joined Union Lodge No 30 (now 95), Free and Accepted Masons, being initiated January 27, 1823. Passed and Raised April 25, 1823. He joined Elmira Chapter No 40 R.A.M, taking M.M. and P.M. January 1825, M.E.M. and R.A.M. December 21, 1825, his signature to the by-laws appearing on the latter date. He was largely in interested in Blossburg coal and iron properties and was one of the persons named in an act of the New York legislature, April 9, 1823, organizing The Tioga Coal and Iron Mining Manufacturing Company. He moved to Blossburg about the year 1825 and managed the coal mining of the company until cheated out of his interest by a man whom he had supposed ot be his friend. At Blossburg he built a large hotel and a store, both of which he conducted until he left for the West in the fall of 1830. He went via Penn Yan and Buffalo to the Mississippi River, and down that stream to New Orleans, where he spent two winters as manager of a large saddle manufactory, he being an expert saddle-maker. Returning up the river in the spring of 1832 he went as far north as the boats then ran, probably to Fort Snelling. When passing the site of Old Fort Madison, which has been built in 1808 and destroyed in 1813, he was much pleased with the location, which has often been described as the most beautiful on the rivet. Not having seen another site that pleased him so well he made inquiry of the steamboat captain, who knew most everyone and everything along the rive, and ascertained that Augustus Horton, who was then living on the large island a few miles down the river, had made some sort of a claim to the land where the old fort had stood; this claim he bought of Horton in 1832. He took part in the Black Hawk War and was at Rock Island when the treaty was made. In the fall of 1832 he erected the first building in the new Fort Madison, locating it on the bank of the Mississippi River just below where Morrison's Plow Works now stand. This building he utilized for an Indian Supply Store until he sold it to Judge Cutler. He was the first permanent settler in the new Fort Madison. He spent the winter of 1832 with his cousin, Nathaniel Knapp, a hotel keeper in Quincy, Illinois. He returned to Fort Madison early the next spring, accompanied by Nathaniel Knapp and family who also settled there. Peter Williams, J Horton, Augusuts Horton, Richard Chaney, Aaron White and Zack Hawkins also came in 1833. In 1835 General Knapp built a residence, utilizing one of the five stone chimneys of the old fort, as the chimney for his house of hewed logs. The old well of the fort was still there and only needed to be cleaned out, and has been in use ever since. During the time that elapsed before he sent for his family he had with him, as cook, William Smoot, who had accompanied him from New Orleans. He also built a new store in front of the fort site, not far from his house and here as formerly he had a nice trade with the Sauk and Fox Indians, Black Hawk being a frequent customer, and Keokuk and occasional one; the latter was the principal chief, having been advanced or promoted when Black Hawk was deposed. Gen Knapp's family arrived in Fort Madison October 9, 1835; they drover overland from Blossburg PA making a quick trip in only six weeks. In 1835-36 the General built a large hotel near his residence. It was Fort Madison's first frame house, and could accommodate about fifty guests with rooms. The assembly room on the second floor, about twenty by fort feet in size, being the most commodious room in town, was used for the first district court room and for meets of the Board of Supervisors. The hotel was called the Madison House and was also the first hotel built there; another was built about the same time by Nathaniel Knapp and by him named the Washington House. Both hotels prospered as travel soon became heavy. As many as one hundred teams sometimes stood in line on the Illinois shore waiting to cross on the flatboard ferry. This was very slow work, as only two teams could cross at one time; consequently they had often to wait more than a day before crossing. The General also built a stable to hold twenty-four horses and then a lean-to addition for twelve more, and this was often full of teams of immigrants. He also built the first gristmill (run by horsepower) which was the only mill there until 1845. In June 1835, General Knapp, assisted by Nathaniel Knapp, laid out the town of Fort Madison. There being some question as to the title of the land the government relocated the town in 1840 on the same lot lines and the titles to lots then came direct from the United States. During these early years, the First Dragoons were stationed at Montrose, Iowa a few miles down the river and the officers were frequent visitors to Gen Knapp, among them being General Parrot, General Brown and Lieut Robert E Lee. They admired General Knapp's sword and after his death , Mrs Knapp sold it to one of the officers, not realizing how her sons would like to have kept it. One of them tried to repurchase if from the officer but was not able to do so. Among the frequent visitors were Black Hawk and his son Nasheakusk, who was then about the age of Jonas and John Knapp and liked to come and play with them. Black Hawks liked to talk with the General but did not often condescend to talk with the boys. Occasionally, however, he would take notice of them and tell them of the arts of hunting game and stories of the chase and of war. He was not above coming around to the back door to ask for food. On January 2, 1837, a "Reception and New Year's Ball" was given for Gen Knapp at the Assembly Room in the Madison House. During these festivities he caught a cold and died two days later of quinsy. He grave marked by a monument is in the southeast corner of the cemetery at Fort Madison, he being the first person buried there. After his death, the hotel was conducted for some time by his son-in-law, Joseph S Douglass, when he died of typhoid fever.

Sources

Sources: - Wisconsin magazine of history, Volume 2 by State Historical Society of Wisconsin (1917) - Story of Lee County, Iowa, Volume 1 edited by Nelson Commins Roberts, Samuel W. Moorhead (1914) -Annals of Iowa, Volume 3; Volume 10 edited by Samuel Storrs Howe, Theodore Stutton Parvin, Frederick Lloyd, Sanford W. Huff, Charles Aldrich, Edgar Rubey Harlan

1. ↑ A source for this information is needed.

Find A Grave Memorial# 54388896