William Knight (abt. 1601 - 1656)

Born about 1601 in Binfield, Berkshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 5 Mar 1656 at about age 55 in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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William Knight migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 199) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Origin

William hailed from Binfield, Berkshire, England.^[1] He was born in about 1601.^[2]

Immigration

William was first received as an inhabitant at Salem 2 Jan 1636/7 and was allotted 10 acres and commonage.^[3]

He was in Charlestown in 1637, and was made Freeman in 1638.^[1] His Freeman status implies church membership, but according to the NEHGR, it is unknown.^[1] According to court testimony at Lynn in, William was "a deacon of a dissenting congregation in England" (Es. Court files; Es. Inst. Coll II, 102.)^[2]

Family

William married twice.

• He married by 1638, as his 1st, to Emma Unknown.^[1]
• He married by about 1640, as his 2nd, to Elizabeth (Unknown) Ballard, widow of William Ballard.^[4] Elizabeth brought three young children with her to their marriage: Hester Ballard b ca 1633, John Ballard b ca 1634, Nathaniel Ballard b ca 1636.^[4] After William's death, Elizabeth married, as her 3rd, to Allen Bread.^[4]

Children of William Knight and Emma (Unknown):^[2]

1. John Knight returned to England during the English Civil War
2. Anne/Anna Knight
3. Francis Knight
4. Johanna Knight; mar Thomas Gage of Yarmouth

Children of William Knight and Elizabeth (Unknown) Ballard:^[2]

1. Jacob Knight b c. 1641, d 1695
2. Daniel Knight
3. Elizabeth Knight mar 1) John Farrington, 2) Mark Graves
4. Mary Knight

Salem and Lynn

William was found living in Salem in 1636, and by 1638 he had removed to Lynn, Massachusetts.^[1] At Lynn, he was chosen as Constable in 1641.^[2] His occupation was variously identified as: slater, mason, husbandman,^[1] juryman, proprietor, and in Lynn, "At the court meeting of 29 June 1652 he was licensed to retail strong waters."^[2]

Court Testimony

According to the testimony of widow Martha WILLIAMS he was a mason and a deacon of a dissenting congregation in England; that he came to N.E. with one Hathorne and others for liberty of conscience, leaving estates in Eng.; that his son John ret. to Eng. in the time of the civil wars. John PORTER testified to the same (Es. Court files; Es. Inst. Coll II, 102.)^[2]

Death and Legacy

William died "5: 1m: 1655 (March 5, 1655-56) at Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts.^[2][1]

"Will dated 2 Dec. 1653, prob. 28 (4) 1655. wife Elizabeth, sons John and Francis, dau. Anne and her ch., dau. Hannah, and John and Nathaniel BALLARD. After legacies are paid to these the residue goes to the 4 ch. he had by last wife Elizabeth; eldest son Jacob to have double portion. 'Our brother Nicholas POTTER' one of the overseers.^[2][5]

The widow m. 2, Allen BREED; the dau. Joane m. Thomas GAGE of Yarmouth. receipts in 1657. John FARRINGTON and John and Nathaniel BALLARD, as sons-in-law, and Mary K., as dau. also receipted for their portions. (Es. Deeds II, 52.)" (, p. 274).^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Crandall, Ralph J., (1977) "Charlestown's Inhabitants." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: NEHGS AmericanAncestors (Vol 131, Page 128)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9} Gage, Asa K., "KNIGHT-TIMES-L: William Knight of Lynn, MA - early 1600's" Archives, Rootsweb: Caution - lacking sources - no evidence for wives' maiden names.
3. ↑ Martha O. Howes and Sidney Perley, Town Records of Salem, Massachusetts, vol. 1 (1634-159):28 (Salem: The Essex Institute, 1868), digital image at image of p. 28 at InternetArchive.org.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Anderson, Robert C., (1999) "William Ballard," Featured name. Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B. Boston: NEHGS, AmericanAncestors (Vol A-B, Pages 148-150).
5. ↑ Essex Institute Historical Collections (Salem, Massachusetts, 1859) Vol. 1, Page 49. Will of Wm. Knight, dated Dec. 2, 1652

See also:

• 1998 William Knight of Lynn from a typescript from Charles S. Tibbetts. The Essex Genealogist 18(1998):71-78. William's 1st wife is Unknown.AmericanAncestors.org (by $ubscription)
• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-C5K4 : 29 November 2018), William Knight, 5 Jan 1655; citing Death, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm .