Unravel the first Gutknecht/Good(k)night families

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

This page is for preliminary Study profiles of the Gutknecht Name Project.

Contents 1 Aim of the Study 2 the Father: Johann "Hans" Gutknecht (1691-1762) 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Draft of the profile 2.3 To do list 3 the Son: Christian Gutknecht (1722-1795); first immigrant 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Draft of the Profile 3.3 To do list 4 the second immigrant: Johann "Hans" Michael Gutknecht (ca1721-1781) 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Draft of the Profile 4.3 to do list 5 the third immigrant: Georg "Gerick" Gutknecht (ca1724-1780) 5.1 Baptism/Birth 5.2 Emigration to America 5.3 North Carolina 5.4 First mentions of family in Kentucky 5.5 Family of George Goodnight 5.6 The Taking of Isaac Ruddell's Station 5.7 to do list 6 Sources

Aim of the Study

The aim of this page is to sort out the intermingled family of the first three Gutknecht immigrants.

Several (if not all) online family trees have conflated the family to a degree, that it is very hard to unwind all errors made. Nethertheless it has to be done at some point and I hope that we can reach that goal here in Wikitree together.

The Problem: Nearly all online trees and family legends claim that "three brothers" emigrated to America mid 18th century. Christian Gutknecht in 1749 on the ship "Christian", Johann Michael Gutknecht in 1752 on the "Neptune", and finally Georg "Gerick" Gutknecht in 1754 on the "Recovery". As we will see, only two are actually brothers, but the first immigrant belonged to another family. Please see the draft for the revised Profiles down below and feel free to ask or give further advice, how we can solve this problem and repaire the mess.

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the Father: Johann "Hans" Gutknecht (1691-1762)

Introduction

This is a presentation and first draft for a revised and improved Profile of Hans Johannes Michael Gutknecht II

Draft of the profile

Biography

Johannes "Hanß" Gutknecht was born 18 Jan 1691 in Ried, near Kerzers, Switzerland to Peter Gutknecht and his wife Barbara, née Baumann.

This fact and most of the following is known due to the work of the well known American genealogist William Addams Reitwiesner, who found this family line to be direct ancestors of the former president Barack Obama. Unfortunately Reitwiesner died (2010) before he could adequately publish his findings. He left, however, a sketch of his notes on his website under "Ancestry of Barack Obama". ^[1] Hans appears in it as ancestor No. 776.
It caused a lot of excitement in Ried when this connection was discovered. The magistrate even decided to make Obama an honorary citizen. In preparation for that, two other genealogists were hired to confirm the findings, which they did. Several newspapers wrote articles about it as well. ^[2]

1st Marriage: Hanß Gutknecht married 25 Feb 1717 in Murten, Switzerland Anna Barbara Kiefer. ^[3] The marriage might have been forced by early pregnancy, since a son was born about mid-1717, who later died young. All that, and the fact that the wife possibly had roots in the Alsace region might have led to the decision to move there.

Emigration to Alsace

Hanß and his wife emigrated ca 1718 to Bischwiller, Alsace, where he started to work as a carpenter (Zimmermann). Later on (starting 1731), he is sometimes referred to as "hour caller" (Stundenrufer) as well, and took over other little jobs here and there. The best way to think of an "hour caller" is as a kind of night watchman. His family grew over the years. ^[4] The following children of this union are known:

1. Johann Adam Gutknecht; born 1717 most likely still in Ried; died young 1719 in Bischwiller.
2. Maria Eva Gutknecht; born 1720 in Bischwiller;
   married 1740 in Bischwiller Johann "Jean" Fischer of the french reformed community.
3. Christian Gutknecht; born 1722 in Bischwiller; emigrated 1749 to America;
   married 1746 in Bischwiller Maria Magdalena Grünholtz.
4. Maria Magdalena Gutknecht; born 1725 in Bischwiller; died young 1725 in Bischwiller.

2nd Marriage: After the death of his wife in 1726, he got married a second time 10 Feb 1727 in Bischwiller to Maria Magdalena Grob. The entry reads:

[1727] #279. den 10ten Febr. Sind copuliret worden Johannes Gutknecht, Wittwer, Bürger und Zimmermann hier, mit Maria Magdalena, weyl. Hanß Groben, gewesenen Sattlers zu [Altenh....] im Hanauischen hinterlassene ehel. Tochter. ^[5]

Translation: "On February 10th 1727 got married the widower Johannes Gutknecht, citizen and carpenter here; and Maria Magdalena, legitimate daughter of the late Hanß Grob, saddler in [Altenh...]?, district of Hanau."

From this marriage came the following children:

1. Anna Barbara Gutknecht; born 1728 in Bischwiller; died young 1730 in Bischwiller.
2. Maria Esther Gutknecht; born 1731 in Bischwiller; died young 1731 in Bischwiller.
3. Johann Peter Gutknecht; born 1734 in Bischwiller; died young 1734 in Bischwiller.
4. Johannes Gutknecht; born 1735 in Bischwiller; died young 1736 in Bischwiller.
5. Anna Maria Elisabetha Gutknecht; born 1737 in Bischwiller; died young 1739 in Bischwiller.
6. Johann Jacob Gutknecht; born 1740 in Bischwiller;

3rd Marriage: After his second wife also died quite young, in 1741, he married a third time on 9 Apr 1742 in Bischwiller to the widow Anna Maria Sutter, née ?????. The entry reads:

[1742] #443. Eodem (=den 9ten Apr.) Hanß Gutknecht, der Wittwer, Bürger und Taglöhner allhier; mit Anna Maria, weyl. Jacob Sutters, gewesenen Schirmsverwandten allhier nachgelaßenen Wittwe. ^[6]

Translation: "On the same day (=April 9th 1742) got married Hanß Gutknecht, the widower, citizen and day laborer here; and Anna Maria, left behind widow of the late Jacob Sutter, formerly protected person (Schirmsverwandter) here."

The term "Schirmsverwandter" is used here in reference to people who are inhabitants of foreign origin, protected by the law but without full citizen rights. It can therefore be assumed that the new wife was not from the region. Further research is needed to clearify the identity of this wife. No more children came out of this 3rd marriage, but she might have brought some children from her first husband into the family.

Death: Johannes died 18 Jul 1762 in Bischwiller. The term used for the cause of death is "hitziges Fieber" which might be indicating a typhoid fever. The entry reads:

1762 den 20ten Julii Hanß Gutknecht, gewesener bürgerl. Einwohner und Zimmermann allhier, welcher den 18ten am hitzigen Fieber verstorben, seines Alters 71 Jahr u. 6 Monath. ^[7]

Translation: "On July 20th 1762 was buried Hanß Gutknecht, citizen and carpenter here, who died on the 18th this month off a heavy fever, aged 71 years and 6 month.“

Research Notes

Several (if not all) online family trees have him as "Hans Johann Michael Gutknecht". All available original sources, however, call him "Johannes" or the common short version, "Hanß", only. The "Michael" might have occured at some point as a conflation with his alleged son Johann Michael Gutknecht (ca1721-1781). This leads us to the second, and even bigger problem. Nearly all online trees and family legends claim that "three brothers" emigrated to America mid 18th century. Christian Gutknecht in 1749 on the ship "Christian", Johann Michael Gutknecht in 1752 on the "Neptune", and finally Georg "Gerick" Gutknecht in 1754 on the "Recovery". All three are claimed to be sons of the Hanß Gutknecht here in question. But as can be easily seen in the churchbooks of Bischwiller, neither Johann Michael nor Georg are mentioned anywhere. In fact, the books are very complete and everything seems to be well documented, so it would be very far fetched to assume that these two sons who survived childhood and emigrated to America would have failed to have been registered in any kind of document.
I believe the reason for this assumption might go back to the well known book from author S.H. Goodnight about the early history of the Goodnight family in America. ^[8] In it the author says:

page 20: "It would seem unnecessary to attempt to bolster up the history of the Goodnight family in America with the exaggerated claims found in the old tales. The true story is a thoroughly creditable one. Michael and George Goodnight, brothers – and this does not preclude the possibility that Christian, who came in 1749, may also have been a brother – came to America before the French and Indian War. They pioneered into the Kentucky wilderness among the earliest of those who went there; the blood of both brothers, spilled in Indian warfare, helped make it "the dark and bloody ground“.

He also explicitly said (even if somewhat hidden):

page 7 in the footnote: "It would not require any great stretch of imagination to surmise that all three immigrants, Christian, Hans Michael and George "Gerick“, were brothers, but of this we have no proof."

On the other hand, further circumstantial evidence for the possibility that Christian is NOT a brother can be seen in the fact that he, unlike the other two, did not change his name from Gutknecht into Good(k)night, but only softened it a bit into "Gudknecht", and he did not travel further west like the others, but stayed in Philadelphia.

Since Christian Gudknecht of Philadelphia is the only one for whom we have a place of origin and can assign a father (the Hanß Gutknecht of this profile), this Hanß is most likely NOT the father of the other two immigrants Johann Michael and Georg.

Sources (see end of page for now)

see also:

• The profiles of all the wifes and children for original sources, translations and references.
• Introductory material in "Connections between Bischweiler, Alsace, and America in the 1700s" in: Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine; Vol. 44 (2005), page 12-21. Not checked jet, but it should give some notes about the families Gutknecht and Grünholtz of Germantown from Bischweiler in 1749.

To do list

1. publish this Draft at current profil of Hans Johannes Michael Gutknecht II to get approval of the profile manager(s). DONE
2. ask for help and backup on G2G, as well as for puting the immigrants under Project Protection to avoid further conflation. DONE
3. improve profile according to the Draft ones the content is approved on.
4. disconnect all sons except Christian Gutknecht (the actual son). See their own section here for details:
   1. disconnect Johann Michael Gutknecht (see second Immigrant).
   2. disconnect Georg "Gerick" Gutknecht (see third Immigrant).
   3. disconnect George Gerick Goodnight (will have to be merged with the third Immigrant).
   4. disconnect Johann George Gutknecht (1730-1780) (will have to be merged with the third Immigrant).
5. connect to the child Johann Adam Gutknecht.
6. connect to the child Maria Eva Gutknecht.
7. connect to the child Maria Magdalena Gutknecht.
8. connect to the second wife Maria Magdalena Grob, including all her children !!!.
9. creating profile for his parents and third wife. More research has to be done first.

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the Son: Christian Gutknecht (1722-1795); first immigrant

Introduction

The current profile of Christian Gutknecht (Gutknecht-25) represents the only son of these parents, who emigrated to America. The basic structure is right, but the brothers will have to be removed. However, it contains some errors and is probably mixed with the profile of one of his sons of the same name. This may have happened in the course of earlier mergers, or may have been taken directly from dubious online pedigrees. Here is a first draft for a general revision of the profile and a working list of things that still need to be done.

Draft of the Profile

Biography

Christian Gutknecht was likely born in Jun 1722 in Bischwiller, Alsace, to the carpenter Johannes "Hanß" Gutknecht and his wife Anna Barbara, née Kiefer. He was baptized 28 Jun in the church of the Reformed Community in Bischwiller. The entry reads:

[1722] #518. den 28. Junii Haben Hanß Gutknecht der Zimmermann und Anna Barbara Küferin, seine Haußfr., ein Söhnl. taufen und Christian nennen laßen. Gevattern: Christian Veit und Christian Grau zu Hanhofen; Mr. Barthel von der Weyd Haußfr. Catharina; und Pierre Dubuys Haußfr. Magdalena. ^[9]

Translation: "On June 28th 1722 the little son of the carpenter Hanß Gutknecht and his wife Anna Barbara Küfer was baptized and given the name Christian. Godparents were Christian Veit and Christian Grau of Hanhofen; Catharina, wife of Mr. Barthel von der Weyd; and Magdalena, wife of Pierre Dubuys.“

Christian later worked as a tobacco preparer in his hometown. Tobacco cultivation in Alsace can be traced back to the 17th century when the crop was introduced to Europe. Initially, tobacco was considered a luxury item, and its cultivation was limited to small-scale experiments. However, as demand for tobacco grew - especially after the 30 Years War, when tobacco became common among soldiers and the lower classes of the population - so did the cultivation of the crop in Alsace.

In the 18th century, tobacco farming gained momentum in Alsace, driven by the region's favorable climate and soil conditions. The fertile plains along the Rhine provided an ideal environment for cultivating tobacco plants.

Marriage: He married 25 Apr 1746 Maria Magdalena Grünholtz in Bischwiller. The entry reads:

[1746] #495. den 25. Apr. Christian Gutknecht, der Tabackbereiter, Johannes Gutknechts, Bürgers und Zimmermanns allhier ehel. leediger Sohn, mit Maria Magdalena, weyl. Johann Michaël Grünholtzen, gewesenen Bürgers und Zimmermanns hieselbsten, ehel. leedige Tochter. ^[10]

Translation: "On April 25th 1746 got married the bachelor Christian Gutknecht, tobacco prepairer, legitimate son of Johannes Gutknecht, citizen and carpenter here; and the maiden Maria Magdalena, legitimate daughter of the late Johann Michael Grünholtz, formerly citizen and carpenter here.“

The couple had two daughtes, born in Bischwiller:

1. Maria Magdalena Gutknecht; born 1747 in Bischwiller; emigrated 1749 to America.
2. Maria Elisabetha Gutknecht; born 1748 in Bischwiller; emigrated 1749 to America.

Emigration to America The Alsace region experienced significant consequences and changes as a result of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). The war had a direct impact on the region due to its strategic location between France and the Holy Roman Empire, the two main factions of the war. This would have affected the flow of goods in and out of Bischwiller, impacting businesses and livelihoods dependent on trade, led to the requisition of resources, conscription of labor, or the displacement of local populations, it could have had adverse effects on farming in the Bischwiller area. Additionally, the movement of troops and military operations might have damaged agricultural infrastructure. After the war, new taxes were levied to fill the state coffers, the tobacco tax reduced demand and the region's economic base collapsed, leading to further waves of emigration.

Christian Gutknecht and his family also decided to follow the call for better opportunities in the new world. In 1749, they traveled north to reach the coast and in Rotterdam boarded the sailing ship "Christian". The fact that it bore the same name as the emigrant may have been seen as a good omen. The crossing of the Atlantic ocean was no fun trip at that time though. The six to eight-week journey to America often took place under catastrophic conditions. In Rotterdam and other ports, passengers were berthed in the tween deck of sailing ships, which were designed for the transportation of goods - not people. This led to great physical and psychological strain on the emigrants. A lack of fresh air, inadequate hygiene and spoiled food often led to illnesses, some of which were fatal. A vivid picture of the conditions on board was provided by the school master Gottlieb Mittelberger from Württemberg in his diary, who did the passage in 1750. On his ship, 32 children died and their bodies were dumped into the sea, and he continued:

"During the sea voyage, however, a miserable misery, stench, steam, horror, vomiting, various sea diseases, fever, dysentery, headaches, heat, constipation of the body, tumors, scarlet fever, cancer, mouth rot, and the like arise in the ships, all of which come from old and very hot salted food and meat, as well as from the very bad and desolate water, which causes many to perish and die miserably. This misery then increases to the highest degree when one has to endure storms for 2 or 3 days and nights, so that one thinks one is sinking together with the ship, and the people who are so closely packed together in their beds are thrown over one another, sick and healthy alike; some sigh and cry: "Alas! if I were at home again and lying in my pigsty". ^[11]

Since there is no later mentioning of the older daughter Maria Magdalena in America, it might be possible, that the child shared the fate of so many and died on the travel. But of course the absence of evidence is no evidence of absence. However the rest of the family seems to have survived the crossing of the ocean. The ship reached the port of Philadelphia by September 13th 1749, when the passengers had to take the oath and sign a list, which luckly survived (List 130C). It starts:

At the Court House at Philadelphia, Wednesday the 13th 7ber 1749. Present Joshua Maddox, Esquire. The Foreigners whose Names are underwritten imported on the Ship Christian, Capt. Thomas Brady from Rotterdam but last from Cowes in England did this day take the usual Oaths to the Government. By List 111. In all 3[00]? [persons], from Wirtemberg, Alsace, Zweybrecht. ^[12]

Christian "signed" by giving only his mark next to his name, implying that he could not write. Samples of the oaths they had to take are given in the first Volume of the publication. ^[13] It also contains a lot of background information about the early settlers in its introduction.

The family settled down in Germantown near Philadelphia and started to grow. The following children are known (incl. the two already born in France):

1. Maria Magdalena Gutknecht; born 1747 in Bischwiller; unknown fate.
2. Maria Elisabetha Gutknecht; born 1748 in Bischwiller;
   married 1770 in Germantown Christopher Henrici.
3. Christian Gutknecht, junior; born ca 1754 in Germantown;
   married 1784 in Germantown Elizabeth Rittenhouse.
4. Samuel Gutknecht; born ca 1761 in Germantown;
   married 1784 in Germantown Magdalena Berkheimer.
5. Catharina Gutknecht; born 1764 in Germantown; died young 1767 in Germantown.
6. John Christopher Gutknecht; born 1769 in Germantown;
   married ca 1790 to ??? (Gertraut Charity, née Freimauer) ??? more research needed.

Death: Christian died 26 Dec 1795, in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and was buried the next day. ^[14] The entry in the church book of the German Reformed Church of Germantown gives his age at death as 73 years, 6 month and 2 days, which would put his day of birth at June 24th 1722, which matches well with the baptism.

To do list

1. publish Draft at current profil of Christian Gutknecht to get approval of the profile manager(s).
2. improve profile according to the Draft ones the content is approved on.
3. merge with Christian Gutknecht (1723 - 1796).
4. connect to the daughters Maria Magdalena and Maria Elisabetha
5. connect to son Christian Gutknecht, junior.
6. rename daughter Catharina Goodnight into "Gutknecht" according to birth record.
7. rename son Samuel Goodnight into "Gutknecht" according to family custom.

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the second immigrant: Johann "Hans" Michael Gutknecht (ca1721-1781)

Introduction

The current profile of Johann Michael Gutknecht (Gutknecht-87) represents the one with the most context, but there are others out there representing the same man (see to-do-list). All that can be said with a bit of certainty about his origin, is that he might have had a brother Johann Georg Gutknecht, who also immigrated to America, though 2 years after Michael. We do, however, NOT know about their parentage, since both of them are definitely NOT the brothers of the first immigrant (Christian Gutknecht; see above). Therefore Michael's profile will have to be removed from the parents and merged with some others. Since the same is true for his brother, I would suggest to create a new "Unknown Gutknecht" profile for the father, in order to be able to link the two brothers to each other. Here is a first draft for a general revision of the profile and a working list of things that still need to be done.

Draft of the Profile

Biography

Johann Michael Gutknecht was born ca 1721.

His origin is not know with certainty. There is a lot of tradition and speculation, but most of it is unsubstantiated or fictional. The best and most complete research was done by Scott Holland Goodnight in the early 1930s. Most of the following biography is taken from his book "The Good{k}night (Gutknecht) Family in America" (if not otherwise stated). ^[15]

All that is know about his life in Europe is based on what can be deduced from records in America. It is certain that he had a brother Johann Georg Gutknecht, who later followed him to America. They always moved together further west and lived on farms not far from each other witnessing land grants for each other.

Marriage: Michael Gutknecht probably married ca 1745 a woman named Maria Barbara (name never mentioned as far as I know). They had already some children born in Europe:

1. Christian Gutknecht; born ca 1747 in Europe
2. Catharina Gutknecht; born ca 1749 in Europe
3. Susanna Gutknecht; born ca 1751 in Europe

Emigration to America

Johann Michael Gutknecht and his family emigrated to Colonial America in 1752. They left their home village and made their way to Rotterdam, Holland. They departed on board the ship Neptune" under the command of Capt. John Mason, and after a stop at the port of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, England, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 4th 1752. ^{[16] [17]} When they signed the Oaths at the town hall, as was required for all men of age 16 and above, Michael was not able to write his name, so someone else did it for him and he only made his mark. The clerk wrote the name by hearing as "Hans Michael Goodknecht". Due to further anglification the name soon transformed into "John Michael Goodnight" although "Goodknight" would have been the etymologicaly correct form.

Life in the new world

Virginia

The earliest record of Michael after his landing in 1752, seems to show him as a resident of Bedford County, Virginia, in 1755. It is to be found in "Chalkley's Abstracts from the Records of Augusta County, Virginia", and is in a list of wrongly taxed people filed by Sheriff Robert Breckenridge for the year 1755. It states that "Mich'l Goodnight in Bedford" was a resident of Bedford County, hence wrongfully included in the tax rolls of Augusta. ^[18]

This shows that Michael did not remain long in Pennsylvania, maybe just until his brother George and family arrived in 1754 and then they moved together further south. He spent at least some time in Virginia. Several other children might therefore have been born in Virginia rather than back in Pennsylvania. The following children are known:

1. Edward Goodnight; born ca 1753 in Germantown, Pennsylvania
2. Enoch Goodnight; born ca 1755 in Bedford County, Virginia
3. George Goodnight; born ca 1757 in Bedford County, Virginia
4. Henry Goodnight; born ca 1759 in Bedford County, Virginia

They lived probably still in Virginia when his wife Barbara died around 1760/61.

2nd Marriage: He married 19 Feb 1762 most likely in Virginia Mary Landers. The date was optained by Asbury Goodnight from the family Bible of John Goodnight, eldest son of the marriage and great grandfather of Asbury. ^[19]

Around the year 1763 Michael and Mary, together with the children, removed to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. This becomes evident by a deed of land (dated 20 May 1776) stating that:

"Michel Goodnight and Mary Goodnight his wife" sold for the price of 105 pounds a plot of land "situate lying and being in the County & Province aforesaid (=Mecklenburg County, North Carolina) containing by survey 190 acres & beginning at the Red Oak ... [description here omitted in part] ... which land lye on and near the three mile branch being the waters of Rocky River it being a certain piece of land conveyed to the said Michel Goodnight by deed of conveyance from James McClean bearing date the first day of May 1764 & the same had been conveyed by deed of conveyance to James McClean by his Excellency Arthur Dobbs Esquire bearing date the 24 day of June 1762, etc."

Therefore it seems clear that Michael left Virginia for North Carolina at some point between his 2nd Marriage in 1762 and the acquisition of the land on 1st May 1764.

North Carolina

From 1764 onwart the family had lived on that farm in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and stayed there for 12 years.
Michael Goodnight was appointed constable for one of the districts of Mecklenburg County in 1775, and (according to the SAR-Database) assessor in 1777, whereas his brother George Goodnight was appointed assessor in 1778. ^{[20] [21]}

The following children were born in North Carolina:

1. Margaret Goodnight; born ???;
   married 24 Jun 1782 Henry Pope of Lincoln County.
2. Elizabeth Goodnight; born ???;
   married 20 Jan 1783 Patrick Doran a soldier.
3. John Goodnight; born 1765 in Mecklenburg Coutny
4. Jacob Goodnight; born 1767 in Mecklenburg County
5. Abraham Goodnight; born ca 1769 in Mecklenburg County
6. Rachel Goodnight; born 1771 in Mecklenburg County;
   married 11 Dec 1792 Jacob Young.
7. Sarah Goodnight; born 1773 in Mecklenburg County;
   married 26 May 1795 Pete Boucher.

Michael and his brother George Goodnight sold their North Carolina lands and migrated with their families westward to Kentucky at a very early date, but not together. The first white settlement in Kentucky was made at Harrodsburg in 1775, and new land was promised to settlers. We know the date of deed for Michael's land sale to be May 20th 1776, but he seems to have stayed at least until summer 1778, since he was appointed assessor in 1777 and westward treks only occurred during the summer. Therefore, Michael and his family could have journeyed west the summer of 1778.

Kentucky

In early 1779 there is the first record of Michael Goodnight in Kentucky. It is a document in "The Certificate Book of the Virginia Land Commission of 1779-80". It reads:

"Michael Goodnight this day claimed a preempt of 400 acres of land at the State price in the District of Kentucky on Acc't of making an Actual settlement in Feb'y 1779 lying at the mouth of Doctors fork of Chaplins fork of Salt River on both sides of the s'd Creek satisfactory proof being made to the Court they are of opinion that the said Goodnight has a right to a preempt of 400 acres of land to include the above location & that a certificate issue accordingly." ^[22]

This land lies several miles south of Harrodsburg in the present County of Boyle. Settling there the family would have been closer to the fortified Harlan's Station then to Harrodsburg,^[23] and so in case of attacks would rather have "forted" (as the early settlers expressed it) there. Michael had build a farm on that land, and at least two other children were born in Kentucky:

1. Michael Goodnight; born 1780 in Harlan's Station, Kentucky
2. Isaac Goodnight; born 1782 in Harlans's Station, Kentucky

In the Mercer County Archives (former Lincoln County) in Stanford survived a couple of deeds in the "state papers" concerning that land. In one of them there is given an "Inventory and Appraisement" of all the effects of Michael Goodnight, deceased, "in obedience to an Order of the Worshipfull Court", dated May 21, 1783, which shows the old fellow to have possessed 14 horses, 22 head of cattle, 9 hoggs and pigs and quite an array of household effects. The family obviously had accumulated quite some wealth over time.

Death and Burial: In 1781, however, fate struck hard on the Goodnight's as Indian attacks took place in the region. In the "Register of Kentucky State Historical Society" it is said that Michael Goodnight and his son John in summer that year went back to North Carolina with four horses to bring the remainder of his household effects to Kentucky. On the way back, when they were only half a days journey from the Fort at Harlan's Station they paused for rest on 1 Sep 1781 and in the night were attacked by Indians. Michael Goodnight was killed and scalped, and John was badly wounded getting hit by an arrow that entered his chest on one side and went through to the other. John, however, was able to escape and made his way to Harlan's Station, where he secured the aid of twelve armed men to return to the camp side. The remains of Michael were found and buried near the camp. ^[24]

Michael's Widow Mary was pregnant at that time and 4 month after his death gave birth to a boy she called Isaac. She also seems to have married soon after again, since she took care about all the inheritance signing (with her mark) as "Mary Flannagan" in later documents. See her profile for more in formation.

Research Notes

It was mentioned here on the profile before that "In 1761, Michael Goodnight served as a Captain in David Moore's Company of Militia in Augusta County, Virginia." This was not backed up by a source, however, and I was not able to find one. Gutknecht-98 18:20, 5 September 2024 (UTC)

to do list

1. publish Draft at current profil of Johann Michael Gutknecht to get approval of the profile manager(s). - Done
2. improve profile according to the Draft ones the content is approved on.
3. detach the current parents from the profile.
4. create new father as "Unknown Gutknecht" to be able to link Michael and his brother Georg.
5. merge with several other profiles that represent the same person:
   this will have to be done very slowly one by one and with great care, since there are often also wives and children involved.
   1. merge with John Michael Goodnight (abt. 1712). - Done
   2. merge with Hans Michael Goodnight (no date). - Done
6. all children will have to be checked and veryfied
7. A Christian Goodnight appears in the 1790 US Census, District 10 of Mecklenburg County, NC. Is this Michael's son? https://archive.org/details/mecklenburgsigne00rayw/page/362/mode/2up

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the third immigrant: Georg "Gerick" Gutknecht (ca1724-1780)

Baptism/Birth

According to George Goodnight's grandson S. W. Goodnight, George was born in Germany and emigrated to America with his wife. Also emigrating from Germany was George's brother, John Michael.^[25]

So far, no likely birth/baptism record has been found for George. A marriage record for "Johann Georg Gutknecht, legitimate son of the late Peter Gutknecht, former swine herder in the Alsace region; and Maria Catharina, legitimate daughter of the late Jacob Klein of Burgalben in the County of Hanau[-Lichtenberg]." The call names for each celebrant match the American records we have found, but this is just circumstantial. To date, we have no firm evidence that the Johann Georg and Maria Catharina in Europe are the same people as George and Catharine in America. Until such evidence has been found, it has been decided to use this profile as the repository of all American-based information for "American George" and Johann Georg Gutknecht (abt.1725-) will be the repository of all German-based information for "German George".

Emigration to America

Johan Georg Gutknecht and his family emigrated to Colonial America in 1754. They left their home village and made their way to Rotterdam, Holland. They departed on board the ship "Recovery" under the command of Master Amos Jones, and after a stop at the port of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, England, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 23rd, 1754. ^[26] The clerk wrote the name on the ship's list by hearing as "Gerick Goodnight" but became "George Goodnight" in later records.

The ship's list in question was a "captain's list"; the facimily of the original sheet shows all name written by the same, English, hand. To a German, the name "Gerick" is utterly strange and non-German. But it actually occurs several times in this particular list and in the list only: "Gerick An", "Gerick Timmer", "Gerick Goodnight", "Gerick Holander", and "Gerick Millar". It must be a corruption of a German given name of frequent occurence. The writer of the list was an Englishman who doubless understood no German. He probably asked the Germans their names and wrote down what he thought he heard.

In German, the name George is one of common occurence; it is spelled as in English, except the final e is omitted, but it is pronounced differently; it has two syllables and may be phonetically transcribed as "Gay-urk". Slur the last syllable a bit, as a German immigrant would be quite likely to do if asked his name, trill the r. and you have a sound combination that an English ship clerk might bery easily write down as "Gerick".^[27]

North Carolina

Following arrival in Delaware, Georg followed his brother John Michael to North Carolina. Georg Goodnight appeared in the 1761 tax records of Rowan County, North Carolina.^[28] On 30 Jan 1773, George Goodnight was issued land grant 452 for 100 acres of land on Big Cold Water Creek in Mecklenburg County, NC.^[29]

George Goodnight was appointed a district assessor for Mecklenburg County for the year 1778.^[30]

In a deed of sale dated 14 Aug 1779, George and Catherine Goodnight sold their 100 acres in Mecklenburg County to Lenard Barbrick in preparation for their departure to Kentucky.^[31]

First mentions of family in Kentucky

The earliest reference to this family in Kentucky is in a document now preserved in the Draper collections. It was found among the papers of Colonel John Bowman, the first County Lieutenant of Kentucky. It is: "A payroll of Capt. Richard May's Company Stationed in Kentucky County under the Command of Col. John Bowman from the 13 day of July 1778 till the 2d day of August 1779."^[32] Among the names are those of David Goodnight, John Goodnight, and Henry Goodnight. Each enlisted on Dec. 17, 1778. Under subsistence, each is listed as having "Paid Cap Ruddell" for 220 days. On the reverse side of the roster, the names of fourteen men are again listed-for what purpose is not quite clear-and among these the names of David, John and Henry Goodnight appear again.^[33]

Family of George Goodnight

GOODNIGHT, CATHERINE. Wife of George Goodnight.

George and Catherine had four sons and three daughters:^[25]

GOODNIGHT, JOHN (c.1760-c.1820) Son of George and Catherine Goodnight was born about 1760 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He died about 1820 in Casey County, Kentucky. Refer to Land Acquisition

GOODNIGHT, CHRISTINA (c.1762--) Daughter of George and Catherine Goodnight was born about 1762 in Rowan County, North Carolina. She married Thomas Station.

GOODNIGHT, PETER (c.1764-1844) Son of George and Catherine Goodnight was born about 1764 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He died in 1844 in Hamilton County, Illinois. He married Nancy Forhan.

GOODNIGHT, DAVID (c.1765-c.1819) Son of George and Catherine Goodnight was born about 1765 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He never married and died about 1819 in Fayette County, Kentucky.

GOODNIGHT, MICHAEL (c.1766-1851) Son of George and Catherine Goodnight was born about 1766 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He died August 1851 in Muhlenburg County, Kentucky.

GOODNIGHT, ELIZABETH (c.1770-c.1859) Daughter of George and Catherine Goodnight was born about 1770 in Rowan County, North Carolina. Elizabeth remained a prisoner until she was 22 years old. She died about 1859 in Ripley County, Indiana.

GOODNIGHT, S. CATHERINE (c.1777----). Daughter of George and Catherine Goodnight was born about 1772 in Rowan County, North Carolina. She married a British officer in Canada. She died in England.

Sons John, Peter, David and Michael appear in early Kentucky records, prior to its constitution as a state, following their ordeal at Ruddell's Station. In a petition to the General Assembly of Virginia dated 25 Aug 1786 and endorsed 26 Oct 1786, the four are among the signers of a request that the portion of Bourbon County in the district of Kentucky commonly known as Limestone Settlement be set aside as a distinct county.^[34] The four are also among the signers of a petition dated 22 Aug 1786 and endorsed 27 Oct 1787 that requests the General Assembly establish as a Town named Washington the current Village in Bourbon County of the same name.^[35] Michael and Peter are among the signers of a petition requesting that Lexington and Baird's Town be included among the places in which the Supreme Court convenes.^[36]

The Taking of Isaac Ruddell's Station

In 1775 John Hinkston and other settlers built fifteen crude cabins on a broad flat ridge above the South Fork of the Licking River, along an old game trail from McClelland's Station (Scott County) to Lower Blue Licks. This site is now in Harrison County. Simon Kenton and Thomas Williams helped build a blockhouse at the station in the winter of 1776-77. Indian threats then caused its abandonment. Isaac Ruddell enlarged and fortified the station in 1779; after that, the site was interchangeably referred to as Ruddell's or Hinkston's. A large number of Pennsylvania German families lived there and at Martin's Station, only a few miles away.

From Fort Detroit, Captain Henry Bird of the 8th Regiment of Foot led an Indian force of 1,000 men, accompanied by a 150 soldiers and militiamen (Regulars of the 8th and 47th Regiments, Detroit Militia and bombardiers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery), against the settlers of Kentucky in June 1780. Working its way without opposition along the Licking River, the vanguard of Bird's force reached Ruddle's Station, surrounding it on the night of June 21. Bird himself arrived the next day with the main body of his force, and cannon fire quickly breached the wooden walls of the station. Isaac Ruddle insisted on having the people under his protection treated as British captives, under the protection of the small British contingent. The Indians ignored this, and rushed into the fort to plunder and pillage.^[37] According to Bird "they rushed in, tore the poor children from their mothers' breasts, killed and wounded many."^[38] After the Indians had divided the prisoners and loot to their satisfaction, they wanted to continue on to the next station. Bird successfully got them to agree that prisoners taken in the future would be turned over to them at British discretion.

Death: Three hundred prisoners were taken at Ruddell's Station, 50 more at Martin's and all were turned over to the Indians and subjected to a forced march to Detroit, where they remained prisoners for the remainder of the Revolutionary War. The bones of the victims were later gathered and buried in a mass grave covered with stones. The site was included in Hinkston's 1,400-acre settlement and preemptive grant, filed in 1784, and is marked by a stone monument.^[39] Among the dead was George Goodnight, died 22 June 1780, Ruddell's Station which at that time was part of Fayette County, Colony of Virginia, but is now in Bourbon County, Kentucky.^[25][40]

to do list

1. publish Draft at current profil of Georg "Gerick" Gutknecht to get approval of the profile manager(s).
2. improve profile according to the Draft ones the content is approved on.
3. merge with several other profiles that represent the same person:
   this will have to be done very slowly one by one and with great care, since there are often also wives and children involved.
   1. Danny's working profile Johann Georg Gutknecht (abt.1725-)
   2. merge with Johannes Georg (Gutknecht) Goodnight (1724-1780).
   3. merge with George Gerick Goodnight (abt. 1705 - 1780).
   4. merge with Johann George Gutknecht (1730 - 1780).
   5. merge with George Gerrick Goodnight (1724 - 1780).

Sources

1. ↑ William Addams Reitwiesner: Ancestry of Barack Obama on "WARGS (William Addams Reitwiesner Genealogical Services)".
   Archived from the original on June 30, 2017.
2. ↑ For instance; Markus Häfliger: "Barack Obama, der Freiburger" in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung (online Ausgabe vom 11.07.2010).
3. ↑ Kirchenbüchern der reformierten Kirchgemeinde Murten.
4. ↑ An overview about the family can by also found in an old manuscript now in the Archives départementales, Strasbourg, France, compiled by a notary named Windisch and titled "Bischweiler Stammtafeln"; in Volume VI, page 47 can be found the family Gutknecht.
5. ↑ Kirchenbuch Bischwiller (1710-1746); Hochzeiten 1727/279.
6. ↑ Kirchenbuch Bischwiller (1710-1746); Heiratsregister 1742/443.
7. ↑ Kirchenbuch Bischwiller (1762-1787); Sterberegister 1762/p. 8.
8. ↑ S.H. Goodnight: The Goodknight (Gutknecht) Family in America ; Madison, Wisconsin : 1936.
9. ↑ Kirchenbuch Bischwiller (1710-1746); Taufen 1722/518.
10. ↑ Kirchenbuch Bischwiller (1710-1746); Hochzeiten 1746/495.
11. ↑ Mittelberger, Gottlieb: Gottlieb Mittelbergers Reise nach Pennsylvanien im Jahr 1750 ...; Stuttgard (1756); page 8-10.
12. ↑ Strassburger, Ralph Beaver: Pennsylvania German pioneers; a publication of the original lists of arrivals in the port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808; Vol. 2, page 441-443 List 130C
13. ↑ Strassburger, Ralph Beaver: Pennsylvania German pioneers; a publication of the original lists of arrivals in the port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808; Vol. 1, page 3 seq. Oath of Allegiance and Abjuration.
14. ↑ Burial: "U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970"
    Presbyterian Historical Society; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; U.s., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1907; Book Title: Register, 1753-1856; Accession Number: Vault Bx 9211 .p49144 G42
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61048 #1500867042 (accessed 27 November 2023)
    Christian Gutknecht burial (died on 26 Dec 1795) on 27 1795 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Born in about 1722.
15. ↑ Scott Holland Goodnight: The Good{k}night (Gutknecht) Family in America;
    Madison, Wisconsin 1936; Digital Edition at Archive.org;
    for Michael Goodnight see at page 8 seq. and page 13 seq.;
16. ↑ Strassburger, Ralph Beaver: Pennsylvania German Pioneers; Volume 1;
    Transcripted lists, 1727-1775; List 187 (C), page 492 seq.
17. ↑ Strassburger, Ralph Beaver: Pennsylvania German Pioneers; Volume 2;
    Facsimile signatures, 1727-1775; List 187 (C), page 587 seq.
18. ↑ Lyman Chalkley: Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia: Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County, 1745-1800; Volume II, page 417.
19. ↑ This Bible unfortunately has since been lost in a fire. But since the date fits in the line of events, there is no reason to mistrust it.
20. ↑ Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Database; Patriot No.: P-343390.
21. ↑ The record of these appointments, as copied from the records of the Mecklenburg County Court from 1775 to 1785, appeared in the D.A.R. magazine for July, 1927, pages 547-549.
22. ↑ Kentucky Historical Society: Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol. 21, No. 63, September, 1923, page 246.
23. ↑ In his "Stations and Early Settlements in Kentucky", Collins locates Harlan's Station, build by Major Silas Harlan in 1778, as "on Salt River, in Mercer (now Boyle) County, 7 miles s.e. from Harrodsburg and 3 miles n.w. of Danvill". (Collins' History of Kentucky, Vol. II, page 190).
24. ↑ Kentucky Historical Society: Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol 4, No. 12, September, 1906; page 80.
25. ↑ ^{25.0 25.1 25.2} Book: Goodnight, S. H. The Good(k)night (Gutknecht) Family in America. Reprinted from the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society for October, 1935; Madison, WI, Jan 1936, p. 5-6. Letter 1: Ashmore, Ill, Dec. 23, 1883; from S. W. Goodnight (grandson of George Goodnight) to Porter and Thomas Goodnight.
26. ↑ Strassburger, Ralph Beaver: Pennsylvania German Pioneers; Volume 1; p. 659; https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniagerm42stra/page/658/mode/2up
27. ↑ Book: Goodnight, S. H. The Good(k)night (Gutknecht) Family in America. Reprinted from the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society for October, 1935; Madison, WI, Jan 1936, p. 4.
28. ↑ Rowan County (North Carolina) Register of Deeds; Historical Records Kept by Register of Deeds; FamilySearch.org; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-998W-QPM4?cat=687836
29. ↑ Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Land Grant Files, 1693-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016; https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60621/images/44173_355881-00377?treeid=86204055&personid=40538220886&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=119457
30. ↑ North Carolina. County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions (Mecklenburg County), Court minutes, 1774-1785, p. 149; FamilySearch.org; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLV-VSD6-J?i=77&cat=353987
31. ↑ Mecklenburg County (North Carolina). Register of Deeds; Record of deeds, (Mecklenburg County, North Carolina) 1755-1959; index to deeds, 1763-1955; FamilySearch.org; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9D6-FSLN
32. ↑ Draper Collections. State Historical Library of Wisconsin. MSS. 17J10
33. ↑ Book: Goodnight, S. H. The Good(k)night (Gutknecht) Family in America. Reprinted from the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society for October, 1935; Madison, WI, Jan 1936, p 10.
34. ↑ Robertson, James Rood. Petitions of the Early Inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia, 1769 to 1792', Lexington, KY; John P. Morton & Co., 1914, pp. 89-90. FamilySearch International; https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/466318/?offset=44970#page=105&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
35. ↑ Robertson, James Rood. Petitions of the Early Inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia, 1769 to 1792', Lexington, KY; John P. Morton & Co., 1914, pp. 91-92. FamilySearch International; https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/466318/?offset=44970#page=107&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
36. ↑ Robertson, James Rood. Petitions of the Early Inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia, 1769 to 1792', Lexington, KY; John P. Morton & Co., 1914, pp. 124. FamilySearch International; https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/466318/?offset=44970#page=140&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
37. ↑ Book: Mahan, Russell, "The Kentucky Kidnappings and Death March: The Revolutionary War at Ruddell's Fort and Martin's Station," West Haven Utah: Historical Enterprises, 2020, pp. 37–47.
38. ↑ Book: The Ohio. Banta, R. E. University Press of Kentucky, Sep 24, 1998. p. 157.
39. ↑ Book: Kleber, John E., ed. The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 1992. See "Destruction of Ruddle's and Martin's Forts in the Revolutionary War", by Nancy O'Malley Frankfort, KY.
40. ↑ Draper Collections. State Historical Library of Wisconsin. MSS. 29J:18.