Samuel Knox (abt. 1716 - 1789)

Born about 1716 in The North of Ireland [uncertain]

Husband of Sarah (Hunt) Knox — married 21 Sep 1742 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 30 Jan 1789 at about age 73 in Ashford, Windham, Connecticut, United States

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Biography

Birth

Among the descendants of Samuel Knox and his brother Archibald it is said that they were born in Scotland. While that may be true, it is much more likely they were actually born in the North of Ireland, probably Ulster, but of Scottish descent – descendants of Scots who had settled in Ulster in the 1600's. In 1718 over 300 of these Ulster Scots signed a petition addressed to the Governor of New England stating their intention to immigrate to New England if they were given sufficient encouragement. Since the Ulster Scots were staunch protestants, mainly Presbyterians, the governor urged them to come. And that they did, in five ships, in the summer of 1718. It is worth noting that four of the signatories to the 1718 petition were named Knox – two Roberts, a James and a John. But there are no passenger lists and signing a petition does not mean they actually came. And there is no proof any of these Knox men have any connection to Samuel and Archibald. However, the 1718 migration and other ships that followed brought many families with children and it's highly likely Samuel and Archibald were on one of these ships.

While Samuel's origin is yet to be discovered,we do know that he was born about 1716 based on his gravestone inscription which reads that he was 73 years old at the time he passed away in 1789.

Marriage

Samuel married Sarah Hunt Perrin on September 21, 1742 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts Bay. Both are said to be of Rehoboth.

Church Membership

The membership records of the Newman Congregational Church of East Providence, Rhode Island has an entry dated March 11, 1743 which states that "Samuel Nox was dismissed to Ashford". This record shows that the family was making plans to leave Rehoboth for Ashford, Connecticut Colony but probably did not do so for several years. The family attended the East Providence church although they lived in nearby Rehoboth.

Soldier - French and Indian War

After settling in Ashford, Connecticut Colony, Samuel served in the Connecticut militia from March 30 to December 1, 1762 in Capt. Robert Durkee's Ninth Company; General Phineas Lyman's 1st Connecticut Regiment. This company was part of a contingent of 3000 North American militia sent to reinforce British troops attacking Cuba in what was called the Campaign of 1762 and the Battle of Havana.

Of the 3000 colonial militia sent to Cuba, 1400 were from Connecticut. British regulars were devastated by yellow fever and so were the militia. Samuel's company lost 40 men out of 97, mostly to disease. Samuel's brother Archibald was one of the casualties - passing away about two months after their return home.

Later Life

Samuel passed away January 30, 1789 in Ashford, Connecticut. In his Will dated April 16, 1788, Samuel names his wife Sarah, son-in-law (stepson?) David Perrin, son-in-law Jonathan Abbe, and refers to four daughters but only names one (Sarah Marcy). He names his son-in-law Abraham Knowlton as executor.

Sources

• How The Scots Irish Came To America; http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/how-scots-irish-came-to-america-and-what-they-brought-with-them/
• Scots Irish Pioneers in Ulster and America; https://archive.org/details/scotchirish00boltrich/page/324
• Rolls of Connecticut Men In The French and Indian War, 1755-1762, Volume 2, Page 314; https://archive.org/details/collectionsofcon00conn/page/314
• Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Rehoboth Marriage Records
• Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899, The Records of the Newman Congregational Church of East Providence, Rhode Island.
• Connecticut, Town Death Records, Pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)
• Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999

• WikiTree profile Knox-577 created through the import of BDM7-7-11.ged on Jul 8, 2011 by Brian McCullough. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Brian and others.