George Alexander McKnight Sr. (abt. 1738 - 1791)

Born about 1738 in Rowan, North Carolina [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Catherine (Douthit) McKnight — married 1762 in North Carolina

Descendants

Died 1 Feb 1791 at about age 53 in Surry, North Carolina

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Joachim Hawn [send private message]

Biography

George McKnight Sr. lived in Appalachia, in North Carolina.

Born 1738 Rowan Co, NC.

Died 1771 Surry County, NC.

Note: First Settlers in the Clemmons Area, by Ann Ellis Sheek, written for the Courier, June 19, 1975

George McKnight, George McKnight, an industrious Scot-Irish emigrant, became the next recorded resident in this section when he purchased 611 acres of landand registered it August 27, 1762. Although visited by the Moravian Brethren from Salem, McKnight and hisson Alexander were instrumental in establishing Methodism in Clemmons.His home was available as a preaching place for any demonination thatrequested it to hold religious services. Evidently the most requestscame from the Methodists and by 1790 Clemmons was the enter ofMethodism in western North Carolina. Methodist Church historydocuments this McKnight's congregation as having been organized in1780. The first annual Methodist Conference was held in Clemmons in1789 at McKnight's Meeting House.

This Meeting House was located just west of the village on Clemmons on the knoll to the right of the roadside park at the intersection of Lasater Lake Road and Highway 158.

Methodists from as far away as Kentucky travelled by horseback and on foot to attend this historic conference and later ones which were also held at McKnight's.

An old camp meeting ground was here on McKnight's property in the Moravian records, the Brethren wrote about these camp meetings and appeared concerned that the Moravian young people were much attracted to these gatherings.

Since all the neighboring people probably came for miles around to camp and attend these meetings, evidently these meetings were among the main social activities of that time in the history of Clemmons. Link

Link

George married Catherine Lee in 1762 in North Carolina, USA. [http:/caryrjr.com/77457.htm#1 Link] (Catherine Lee was born in 1740 in Rowan, North Carolina, USA, Link died on 5 Sep 1771 in Surry, North Carolina, USA Linkand was buried on 6 Sep 1771 in Mount Pleasant Methodist Church/North Carolina, USA.).

GEORGE ALEXANDER McKNIGHT

Date Submitted—10/10/2012

Description—George McKnight, an industrious Scot-Irish immigrant, became the next recorded resident in this section when he purchased 611 acres of land and registered it August 27, 1762.

Submitted by—Carol_Plumb

Attached To—George McKnight

Birth—1738

Death—February 1, 1791

GEORGE ALEXANDER McKNIGHT

Born: 1738, Rowan, North Carolina

Marriage: Catherine Lee (See Note in her Profile) in 1762 in North Carolina

Died: February 1, 1791, Surry, North Carolina

Noted events in his life were:

• Biography. The 2 First Settlers in the Clemmons Area by Ann Ellis Sheek

Written for the Courier, June 19, 1975

GEORGE McKNIGHT, an industrious Scot-Irish emigrant, became the next recorded resident in this section when he purchased 611 acres of land and registered it August 27, 1762.

Although visited by the Moravian Brethren from Salem, McKnight and his son ALEXANDER were instrumental in establishing Methodism in Clemmons. His home was available as a preaching place for any denomination that requested it to hold religious services. Evidently the most requests came from the Methodists and by 1790 Clemmons was the center of Methodism in western North Carolina. Methodist Church history documents this McKnight's congregation as having been organized in 1780. The first annual Methodist Conference was held in Clemmons in 1789 at McKNIGHT's MEETING HOUSE.

This Meeting House was located just west of the village on Clemmons on the knoll to the right of the roadside park at the intersection of Lasater Lake Road and Highway 158.

Methodists from as far away as Kentucky travelled by horseback and on foot to attend this historic conference and later ones which were also held at McKnight's.

An old camp meeting ground was here on McKnight's property in the Moravian records, the Brethren wrote about these camp meetings and appeared concerned that the Moravian young people were much attracted to these gatherings.

Since all the neighboring people probably came for miles around to camp and attend these meetings, evidently these meetings were among the main social activities of that time in the history of Clemmons.

http://www.fmoran.com/clemmons.html

Following ‘Notes’ are from FamilySearch Profile of George Alexander McKnight:

Notes for George McKnight by Tricia Sharon Smith and edited by Jarel Amox in 2007

GEORGE McKNIGHT died at age 77 in Rowan County, North Carolina. The McKnights are of Scottish Descent and came to America from Ireland. (See the volume on the McKnight family by Jarel Amox) GEORGE McKNIGHT was one of the first settlers of the area of old Rowan (now Forsyth) County, North Carolina known as Tanglewood Park, on the Yadkin River at or near present Clemmons. The 1759 Tax List of Rowan County shows him as the only taxable person in his household. He came into the area in 1757, or earlier, as indicted by a deed dated 1-13-1758 from William Linville and wife, Elinor, to Evan Ellis, for 651 acres "on N E Side of the Yadkin river, adjacent to McKnight and Dowther," (Douthit), witnesses, David Jones, Isaac Beeson. George McKnight evidently then was living on land for which a land grant was pending. The grant was made 8-27-1762 for 611 acres on the East side of the Yadkin River, joining William Ellis, Evan Ellis, William Johnson and the Moravians. (NC Land Grant Records, Book 6, page 196)

The names of all of these neighbors appear on the 1759 tax list along with JOHN DOUTHIT and CHRISTOPHER ELROD, two other early settlers located nearby. Both JOHN DOUTHIT's family and the family of Christopher Elrod became connected with the McKnight family through marriage. They all were closely associated with the McKnights socially and in business ventures.

Records indicate the McKnights lived and owned property in Chester County, Pennsylvania prior to their arrival in Rowan County, North Carolina. They entered the Americas through the Port of Philadelphia and settled temporarily in Chester County, Pennsylvania prior to their migration to the Virgina's several years later. The clan finally settled in Rowan County, Virginia which later became Rowan County, North Carolina and then became Forsyth County, North Carolina.

GEORGE McKNIGHT applied for and was awarded a land grant 27 Aug 1762 for 611 acres on the East side of the Yadkin River. The grant can be found in North Carolina Land Grant Records, Bk 6, p 196.

GEORGE had a strong interest in religious matters. As a result of this and the fact that he had the largest barn in the county in 1772, he lent the use of his large barn to the Moravians to conduct their religious services. When John Wesley and other Methodist leaders approached him around 1773 he gave use of his barn to the Methodists for their services as well. In his book "Rise of Methodism in America, John Lednum names the Johnsons, Eilis's, and the McKnights as amount the leading families of the early Methodist movement in North Carolina.

George McKnight built a chapel on his property which became famed in Methodist lore as McKnight's Chapel and was visited on many occasions by Bishop John Asbury. It was the scene of three Methodist conferences (1789, 1790, and 1791) over which Bishop Asbury presided. The last recorded visit of the Bishop to the McKnight Chapel was in 1799

Will of GEORGE McKNIGHT (See NOTE*)

In the name of God, Amen, I George McKnight of the County of Surry and State of North Carolina, being in perfect mind and memory, thanks be unto God, and calling to mind the mortality of the body and that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament. That is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul unto the hands of Almighty God, who gave it, and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors....Almighty power of God. Such worldly estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give and dispose of in the following manner.

First I give and bequeath to my dearly beloved wife MARY McKNIGHT all of my movable estate . . . lands and tenements, during her natural lifetime, or widowhood, after all my just debts are paid. Also one negro woman named Frankly, all and . . . the aforementioned estate to remain the sole right and property of my wife during her natural life or widowhood, and after her death what remains to be divided equally among her three children, namely Elizabeth Ellis, Sally Norton, and John McKnight, or their heirs, and I do hereby appoint and nominate Ethelred Ellis and Nicolas Norton my executors to this my last will and testament, and I do hereby utterly disallow . . . and . . . every other former testament, will . . . and executors, by me in any wise before name and bequeathed. Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this the eleventh day of July in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and eleven.

George McKnight X Mark

(*NOTE: There's a problem here...either with the date, George died, or this will being attributed to him, is done incorrectly. And lastly, this Will would not be one for his son: George Alexander McKnight Jr. because he did not die until the 1840's, and I find no mention for a wife named: Mary (for either man, but plausible for Sr considering Catherine Douthit predeceased him by two decades)

Still, as it is attributed to Sr. I note my reservation here, but do post the Will as shown.) jlphawn

Sources

• Ancestry Family Trees
• Find A Grave: Memorial #82935908

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Beaman Family Tree.ged on 31 March 2011.
• Source: S4 Nedra Kay West-Burton West-Burton Web Site MyHeritage.com family tree Family site: West-Burton Web Site Family tree: 5569569-5 Media: 368973-4 Smart Matching George McKnight George McKnight Event: Smart Matching Role: 4001699 25 JAN 2010 Added by confirming a Smart Match Certainty: 3
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 19 December 2019), memorial page for George Alexander McKnight (1738–1791), Find A Grave Memorial no. 82935908, ; Maintained by V Moss-Flesher (contributor 46961880) Unknown.
• "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHK1-B8P : accessed 19 December 2019), George Mcknight, Rowan, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 328, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 7; FHL microfilm 568,147.