John Knight Sr. (abt. 1736 - abt. 1811)

Born about 1736 in Goochland County, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Katherine Frances (Wood) Knight — married before 1759 in Amherst County, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died about 1811 at about age 75 in Henry County, Kentucky, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ken Spratlin [send private message]

Biography

John was born about 1736. He passed away about 1811. He lived in Amherst County, Virginia for a portion of his life.

1791 – VA Amherst – Admin – Tithes List - William Knight JR, 1 ** John Knight, 1 (both paid on Apr 4) ** John M. Knight, 1 ** William M. Knight, 1 (both paid on May 9) ** William Knight SR, 1 ** Augustine Knight, 1 (both paid on 6 June) (Number of tithables in HH).

1791 – Jun 6 – VA Amherst – Mar – Betsy Knight to Gerard Hotchkiss / Jared Hotchkiss.   Note: The full record found at the FHL named William Knight as security for the marriage. In the 1791 tax year, William Knight, Sr. paid his taxes on 6 June which suggests that William Knight, Sr. went to town to pay taxes on the day his daughter, Elizabeth, married Jared Hotchkiss.

1791 – Dec 9 – VA Amherst – Admin - William Knight, AC, to Saml. Meredith, one horse and saddle; stock; crop etc. Wits.: Jas. McCaul; Sally Meredith; Sarah Meredith (sic). Actual document, extracted by Wanda Tucker, reads: Know all men by these presents that William Knight of the County of Amherst for and in consideration of twenty pounds lawful money of Virginia to me in hand paid at and before the sealing and delivery thereof by Samuel Meredith, Esquire, of the same county the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge have bargained and sold and by these presents do bargain and sell into the said Saml. Meredith the following stock of goods (Viz.) one horse and a mans saddle two sows and one boar and five shoats all marked with a half crop in the right ear and a hole and upper keel(?) in the left lale (?) my crop of corn and fodder now growing and all my household furniture and implements one Table Two chest two chairs one Iron pot and Tea Kettle Two flat Irons one dish and three Pewter plates one flax and one cotton wheel one plow and two hilling hoes one ax a hand saw and a drawing knife &c. now remaining and being in my possession. To have and to hold all and singular the said stock and goods household stuff and implements of household and every of them by these presents bargained and sold unto the said Samuel Meredith his Exess admrs and assigns for ever. And I the said William Knight for myself my Exss admrs and assigns all and singular the goods unto the said Samuel Meredith his Exess admrs and assigns against me the said William Knight my Exess admrs and assigns and against and every other persons and persons whatsoever shall and will warrant and forever defend by these presents of which goods I the said William Knight have put the said Samuel Meredith in full possession by delivering to him one pewter plate &c. at the sealing hereof. In witness hereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this ninth day of December one thousand Seven hundred and ninety one William Knight (seal) Sealed and acknowledged in the presence of James McCaul, Sally Meredith, Sarah Meredith.

At a court for Amherst County the sixteenth day of July 1792 this bill of sale was acknowledged in open court by William Knight to be his act and ordered to be recorded. Test WS Crawford Clk. (Amherst County, Virginia, Deed Book G, p. 148) Note: That is to say, William Knight sold everything he owned to Samuel Meredith in December 1791. Wanda Tucker speculates: “In 1791, William Knight, Sr. appears on the lists for the last time. In 1792, the year after he married Elizabeth Knight, Jared Hotchkiss appears, with two tithes listed. When Elizabeth married, her father sold all of his goods and moved in with his new son-in-law. … Jared Hotchkiss shows two tithes on the Amherst lists until 1796. In 1797, he appears on the list for the last time, with one tithe. William Knight has died. …According to his Revolutionary War pension application dated 12 Sept 1832, Jared and Elizabeth/Betsey Knight left Amherst County for Washington County, Tennessee, where they lived for about two years. They then moved on to Roane County, Tennessee, where they remained for the rest of their lives. ” Jared and Betsy Knight had several children, including Hezekiah born 1798. Jared was quite a bit older than Elizabeth. He was christened in New Haven Connecticut in 1761. ("Connecticut BirthFSs and Christenings, 1649-1906," database, FamilySearch).

1796 – Nov 7 – VA Amherst – Admin - Paul Wood of Amherst County, William Knight of Amherst County, and Francis Wood of Bedford County to James Marr, 200 acres on Porrage Creek, bordering John Knight and Wilcox's fence. Property of John Wood, deceased. (Amherst County Deed Book H, page 247).

1798 – VA Amherst – Admin – Tithes List - William Knight, 1 ** John Knight, 1 ** Austin Knight / Augustine Knight, 1, ** George Knight, 1. (Number of tithables in HH).

Research Notes

Conflated

This profile appears to be conflating William Knight Sr. (abt.1730-1791) and John Knight Sr. (abt.1736-abt.1811), both sons of John Knight Sr. (abt.1710-bef.1772). John Sr. names both of them in his Will, executed 7 September 1771.

Vital Statistics

Birth
Some unsourced sites give birth as 8 Mar 1738 (unclear whether that is old style or new style date, but most likely old style) in Goochland, Virginia and instead Married to Mary Carter. Perhaps the Amherst County location and the Katherine Frances Wood marriage/children belong to a different John Knight conflated here?

• Family Data Collection - Births; Ancestry Record 5769 #2604785; Name: John Knight; Father: Woodson John; Mother: Elizabe; Birth Date: 1748; City: Surry; State: VA; Country: USA.

Possible Sources

• Dinwiddie, James. 7 May 1783. Sept. 1783. Will. Wit: John and William Knight.^[1]
• 1810 United States Federal Census; Ancestry Record 7613 #678351; Name: John Knight; Home in 1810 (City, County, State): Lunenburg, Lunenburg, Virginia; Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 4; Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1; Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 1; Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1; Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 2; Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44: 1; Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over: 1; Numbers of Slaves: 18; Number of Household Members Under 16: 7; Number of Household Members Over 25: 3; Number of Household Members: 31.
• South Carolina, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1641-1965; Ancestry Record 7840 #279656; Name: John Knight; Spouse: Mary; Marriage Date: 1675-1858; Source: South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol 5, # 3 (Appears to be 1977 Summer issue).

Sources

1. ↑ p16.

See also:

• "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (29 January 2020), John Night in entry for George Night, 1799.
• "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (29 January 2020), John Knight in entry for John Swanson, 1800.
• Binns Genealogy Virginia Amherst 1790 Personal Taxes; Quote: March 30; Knight, John; Whites over 16: 2; Horses: 5. (No other Knights on the page.)
• Virginia, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1607-1890; Ancestry Record 3578 #32443588; Name: John Knight; State: VA; County: Amherst County; Township: No Township Listed; Year: 1783; Record Type: Tax list; Page: 048; Database: VA Early Census Index.
• American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Ancestry Record 3599 #3647180 and Ancestry Record 3599 #3647182; Name: John Knight; Birth Date: 1740; Birthplace: Virginia,; Volume: 98; Page number: 72; Biographical Info: lt. and Officer; Reference: Historical reg. Of Virginians in the Rev., soldiers, sailors and marines, 1775-1783. Ed. By John H. Gwathmey. Richmond, Va. 1938. (13, 872p.): 451. Gwathmey, John Hastings, Historical Register of Virginians in the revolution, soldiers, sailors, marines, 1775-1783 (Dietz Press, Richmond, Virginia, 1938) Page: 451: Image
• Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940; Ancestry Record 60214 #226830; Name: Mary Knight; Gender: Female; Marriage Date: 28 Jan 1800; Marriage Place: Amherst County, Virginia; Father: John Knight; Mother: Caty Knight; Spouse: John Swanson; FHL Film Number: 30273; Reference ID: 140.