Allen line: The family of Joseph Scull Knott 1761-1836

Lots.  There is "lots" of information about this family. Some of it is correct.  Some is not.  "Lots" is still missing, and lots of the men have been confused with others of the same name.  So this is an attempt to sort it out, as much as is possible.  

Joseph Knott was born in 1761, probably somewhere in England.  Tradition says he was kidnapped as a young boy, and sent to America, but there seems to be no paper trail to support that.  Some trees show his parents as Francis and Susanna Greenfield Knott, of Maryland.  They did have a son named Joseph but I don't think these are his parents, either.  This family was Catholic, for one thing, and there is not a single instance of the names Francis or Susanna being used in any of the children or grandchildren of Joseph.  If I were a betting person, based on names alone, I'd be looking for a John Knott as a potential father.  Good luck with that!  

The earliest we know of Joseph is that he was in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in 1786 and later.  He first married Sarah Wilson, the daughter of James and Isabelle Barr Wilson, in 1789.  They had one child together, Wilson, but Sarah died in or soon after childbirth.  Wilson was raised by his maternal grandparents and it doesn't appear that he had much, if any, communication with his younger half brothers and sisters. Wilson married Rebecca Wallace, the daughter of Peter and Jane Craig Wallace, and their children are James, Peter, Joseph, Richard, Samuel, Mary Jane, Lucinda, Clark, Isabella, and Elizabeth.  

About two years after Sarah's death, Joseph married Mary Adams, the daughter of Solomon and possibly Rachel Kinton Adams.  The number of children they had is under some dispute.  I will first write of those that seem to be documented, and then mention the others as "maybe."  Joseph died in 1836 in Budyrus, Crawford County, Ohio, and Mary died in 1846 in Clay Township, Lagrange County, Indiana.

John was the first son, born in 1793 in Pennsylvania.  He married Anna Louise Bell, the daughter of John and Hannah Finch Bell, and died in 1849 in Jamestown, Steuben County, Indiana.  Their children are Robert, Hannah, Mary, and Thomas.  Anna died and John then married Mary Douglas or Douglass.  Their children are Marcus and Anna.  

Solomon was born next, in 1795.  He died in 1875 in Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa.  His wife was Parmelia or Pauline McCauley, They were married in 1817 in Jefferson County, Ohio, but I haven't been able to determine who her parents may have been.  Their children are Thomas, James, John, William, Joseph, and Elizabeth.

Richard was born in 1797 and died in 1882 in Harvey County, Kansas.  He married someone named Mary Ann, variously given as Pomery, Tofts, or Stevens.  There may have been more than one wife.  Children seem to be Frederick, Mary, Abraham, Margaret, and Elizabeth.  Some of these names seem to come from a Richard who was married in England, and I'm not sure they belong here but neither am I sure they don't.  Richard was a merchant and it's possible that he had reason to be in England for a marriage, but I'm not adding any of the potential wife's name to my tree-yet.

Robert was born in 1801 and died in 1879 in or near Auburn, Dekalb County, Indiana.  He married Elizabeth Gill (Gail? Gull?), again not yet identified.  Their children are Joanna, Mary, Henry, Adam, Martha, Samuel, Cornelia and Francelia.  

Samuel was born in 1803 and died in 1871 in Charlton County, Missouri.  He first married Susanna Heller, the daughter of Jacob and Elinora Hanna Heller.  Their children are Isaiah, Sarah, Lucy, Hellen, and Joel.  His second marriage was to Anne Currey, the daughter of Matthew and Catherine Fleming Currey.l  Their children are Anne and Hiram.  His third marriage was to Ester Holcomb, whose parentage is not known.  She may have been a widow, and there seem to be no children from this marriage.  

Mary Ann was born in 1805 and may have died in 1879. There are death records for a Mary Porter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but I'm not sure this is the same woman.  At any rate, she married Page Porter, the son of Solomon and Sarah Barrows Porter.  Their children are William, Solomon, Mary Ann, Sarah, Rebecca, Samuel, and Amy.  Page died in 1845 and it's possible that Mary Ann remarried but I haven't found records to say so.

Thomas J was born in 1808 and died in 1887 in Shiloh Township, Jefferson County, Illinois.  He married Hannah Bell, the daughter of John and Hannah Finch Bell (yes, brothers married sisters). He traveled extensively during most of his life because he was, among other things, a millwright. Their children are Anna, Elzy, John Wilson, Harriet, Thomas, Louisa, James, and Albert.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Levi was born in 1810 and died in 1874 in Olympia, Thurston County, Washington.  His first wife was Sally or Sarah Thompson, whose parents are not yet known to me.  Their children are Almon and Sarah.  She died in 1847 in Lagrange County, Indiana and he then married Amanda Bowen, the daughter of Jacob and Rachel Oldham Bowen.  (I got curious, and Jacob Bowen traces back to Moses and Rebecca Rees Bowen, who are ancestors on husband's Beeks line.)  Their children are Sarah, Mary, Belle, Rachel Rosalie, and M.J.  There is a hint that he may have married a third wife, Belle Wilson, but I haven't found documentation about that.  There is no mention of a wife in his will.

Then there is a gap of several years until Adams, often seen as Adam, was born in 1817.  Mary would have been 43 at the time.  It is possible that there were other children born in that 7 year period, but if so, their traces have yet to be discovered.  Adams married Sarah Russell, the daughter of John and Rachel Van Ornum Rusell.  Their children are Mary, Sarah, Almon, Arthur, Henry, and Caroline.  Adams died in 1870 in Cook County, Illinois.  

Here's the thing: There are probably more children, because Thomas in his autobiography states that he had two step sisters and I believe it was 10 siblings.  I've seen reports that state that Joseph had a son named Joseph, which would make sense.  I've also seen a William Knott mentioned as a son.  I could find no information at all on a possible Joseph Jr.  I did find a William Knott who married an Elizabeth Stevenson in 1850 in Richland County, Ohio.  It is possible that he was a son of Joseph and Mary, but I can't prove it.  Nor can I prove what became of him.  I would be delighted to hear from someone who knows if there was a Joseph, if this William is Joseph and Mary's son, and if there are other children we haven't yet found.  These are "Knott-y" questions to be solved!

 

 

The family of William Snow 1707-1774

 This is the last in a series of family posts about the families of our Snow ancestors.  I've written of the immigrant Richard, his son John, John's son Zerubabbel, and now we come to Zerubabbel's son, William.  William was born in 1707 in Woburn, Massachusetts and died in 1774 in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, which is roughly 467 miles west of Woburn and a few miles south of the boundary with New Hampshire.  William moved to Lunenburg shortly after his marriage to Elizabeth Stevens, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Tidd Stevens.  We don't know precisely why he chose to leave Woburn, where he had much family, but the usual reason was economic opportunity, particularly land to support a family.

William and Elizabeth had quite a large family to support.  They had perhaps as many as 11 children, and there was sorrow as well as joy in raising this family.  All of the children were born in Lunenburg, and most stayed close as they began their adult lives.  The first born, a son, is Silas, born in 1733. He was born almost three years after his parents' marriage in 1730, so it's possible that their had been a pregnancy or pregnancy before this.  Silas, however, is the first named hild.  He married Anna Farwell, the daughter of Daniel and Mary More Farwell.  Their children are Mary, Silas, Eunice, Daniel, Elizabeth, Polly, William, Benjamin, Anna, Phebe, Abigail, and Timothy.  (Some trees show Polly as being a nickname for Mary, and I am not sure that they are two different people but they seem to be of differing ages.)  Silas is a Revolutionary War veteran, and he died in 1807 in Lunenburg.  

Jemima was born next, in 1735.  She is a mystery.  I found records that she "renewed the covenant", probably meaning was accepted into adult membership in the local church, in 1755.  But in her later years, there are numerous records of various town members being paid for their care of Jemima, some for a few days and some for months at a time.  I haven't yet found an explanation as to why she was not cared for by family members, or why she needed care.  I've not been able to verify a death date for her, either, although some trees show it as 1805.  I would love to know more of her story, and to learn whether she was passed around through so many families because she was "a handful", or because she was so well-loved.  

Rebekah was born in 1737 and died in 1818 in Winchendon, Worcester, Massachusetts.  She married Eliphalet Goodridge or Goodrich, the son of Benjamin and Sarah Phelps Goodridge.  Their children are Sarah, Rebecca, Samuel, a second Rebecca, Elizabeth, Eliphalet, Ruth, and Sewell.  

Esther was born in 1739 and died in 1761 in Woburn, Massachusetts, of small pox.  She married Abijah Thompson, the son of Samuel and Ruth Wright Thompson., but no children were born to this couple.  She was just 21 at the time of her death.  

Joseph was born in 1741 and died in 1808, possibly in Putney, Windham County, Vermont, where he seems to have been visiting.  He lived much of his married life in Wilson, New Hampshire.  His wife is Joanna Jewett, the daughter of Thomas and Martha Hale Jewett.  Their children are Sally (Sarah), Joanna, Jacob, Martha, and David.  

The first of two sons named William was born in 1742 and died sometime before 1749.

Abigail is the next born, in 1743, and she is hard to trace.  She is said to have married Jacob Fox, and had a daughter named Anna, but I think this must be a different Abigail Snow because she would have been married at the age of 12 and bearing a child at 13 for this to be correct.  She does seem to have married Eliphalet Fox, but not until she was in her late 30s, if this is the same person.  Eliphalet died in Walpole, Cheshire, New Hampshire in 1811, and Abigail was still living then.  There are no children mentioned in his will, so either they had no children or any children had died before their father. 

A side note here: Lunenburg was attacked, apparently more than once, by members of the Abenaki tribe, in 1744 and 1745, and some residents were taken to Quebec.  We have no record that this involved any of the Snow family, but what a time of terror this must have been.  Perhaps this is why no children will born between 1743 and 1746.

Bette was born in 1746 and that is the last I know of her for certain.  Trees on line say she married Nehemiah Warren and died in 1819 in Fitchburg, which was a daughter town of Lunenburg.  However, I cannot verify either the marriage or the death with any on line records and I am not at all sure this is correct.  It needs to be proven or disproven, and if you can help, I'd appreciate it.

Lucy was born in 1748 and died in 1795 in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  She married Josiah Whittemore, the son of John and Lydia Clough Whittemore.  Their children are William, John, Salmon, Mary, Lucy, Josiah, Levi, Cephas, Otis, and Betsy.  

Finally, there is William, born in 1752 and died in 1832 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a Revolutionary War soldier, and he is the son who left home territory and spent much of his life in Rhode Island. I don't know whether his designation as "captain" is from his military service, or whether he was a mariner.   He was married in Providence to Susanna Barton, the daughter of Andrew and Rebecca Low Barton, who was already a widow.  Their children are John, David, Joseph, and James.  He later married Marcy (or Mercy, or Mary) Sprague, whom I have not been able to trace, although there is a possibility she was born a Colwell.  

There were certainly sorrows in the lives of William and Elizabeth.  They lost at least one young son, and a daughter in her early adulthood, and had the pain of whatever Jemima's problems might have been.  Yet, they saw sons step forward to fight for their new country, and they could take pride in that, and joy in their many grandchildren.    

The family of Zerubabbel Snow 1672-1733

Down through the centuries, there have been several, perhaps as many as a dozen but certainly at least 6, men named Zerubabbel Snow.  Who would do that to a child, and why?  The name means "seed of Babylon", and is Biblical, as are many of the names in the Snow family.  One wonders whether they were called by their full name, or by nicknames of some sort, both for the general public and to distinguish between the separate families and generations.  

This particular Zerubabbel Snow was born in 1672 in Woburn, Massachusetts, and died there in 1733.  It may be that the only time he left the village was when it was burned to the ground during King Philips War, when he was just a toddler.  Or he may have been involved in some of the many battles with indigenous tribes, and the French, during King William's War, Queen Anne's War, and other not quite wars of the time.  He married Jemima Cutler, the daughter of James and Phoebe Page Cutler, and together they had at least nine children.  (There may have been more because there are at least two gaps of 4 or more years which would allow for more pregnancies, perhaps unsuccessful).  

Their first son was named (what else?) Zerubabbel, born in 1698 and died in 1774, another Snow who apparently did not leave Woburn.  He married Elizabeth Wyman, the daughter of Jonathan and Hannah Fowle Wyman,  Their children are Elizabeth, Hannah, Reuben, Abigail, Uriah, James, Jesse, and Lucy.  

Josiah was born in 1700 and died in 1774, variously given as in Woburn, and Lunenburg, Massachusetts.  He is the mystery of this family.  Many trees cite his marriage to Sarah Bellows in Mendon, Massachusetts, but I don't think this is the same Josiah.  It is possible that he married "Mary" but that has not been proven or disproven to my satisfaction.  I would certainly like to hear from anyone who has been able to trace him further.  Did he have children?

Jabez was born next, in 1701.  There is little to say about him, because he died in 1714, just a young teen-ager.  His parents would have grieved.  Sadly, this was not the first child they lost to an early death.

Jemima was born in 1702 and died in 1745 in Woburn.  She married Abraham Joslin, the son of Nathaniel and Hester Morse Joslin, who are our ancestors through another line.  Their children are Jemima, Abraham, Ebenezer, Dorothy, Azubah, Peter, Samuel, James, and Bridget. Some of these children were quite young when Jemima died; one hopes that family stepped in to care for them.  

Ebenezer was born in 1704 and died in 1732 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts, a year before his father died.  He married Experience Joslin, the daughter of Nathaniel and Hester Morse Joslin (see above paragraph).  Their children are Lucy, and two Ebenezers who died as infants, one in 1731 and one in 1732.  Zerubabbel mourned not only his son, but his two grandsons in the years just before he himself died.

John was born in 1706 and died in 1777 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.  He married Abigail Brigham, the daughter of Gershom and Elizabeth Warren Brigham. Their children are John, Edmond, Seth, Warren, Mehitable, Abigail, Zerubabbel and Phebe.  

William was born in 1707 and died in 1774 in Lunenburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  He married Elizabeth Stevens, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Tidd Stevens.  Their children are Silas, Jemima, Rebekah, Esther, Joseph, William, Abigail, Bette, Lucy, and another William.  I'll follow this family in my next post.

Abigail was the next born, just the second (and last) daughter in the family.  She was born in 1711 and died the following year.  Her parents were surely still grieving her when their son Jabez (above) died in 1714.

Nevertheless, another child, the second by the name of Jabez, was born in 1716.  He married Keziah Newton, the daughter of Isaac and Sarah Belknap Newton.  Their children are Jabez, Keziah, Jimimah, Jemima, Esther, Sarah, Martha, Ebenezer, Elijah and Mary.   He later married Susannah Gleason, perhaps a widow but I have not yet located information for her.  I know of no children that were born to this couple.

If we could trace the lives of the grandchildren of Zerubabbel and Jemima, we would find all sorts of stories.  Some doubtless served in the French and Indian War and some in the Revolutionary War.  All helped the Massachusetts colony become part of the country we know and love today.  Thank you, one and all!

 

The family of John Snow 1640-1706

John Snow is the second of four generations of Snow men in this line.  He was born about 1640 (possibly a couple of years earlier), probably in Barbados, but his earliest memories would have been in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, where he lived his life.  He was the son of Richard and Avis or Annis Barrat/Barrett, and he married Mary Greene, the daughter of William and Hannah Carter Greene.  Mary died in 1684, perhaps in childbirth, and Richard died in Woburn in 1706. I've found no record that he remarried, which leaves me wondering who raised his children.  Probably the most impactful event in his life would have been King Philip's War, when Woburn had to be evacuated following attacks by one or more indigenous tribes.  Although I've found no record, he most likely fought in that war, because he was of the right age and location to do so, and only men who were physically incapable of fighting escaped that trial.

John was the first of the seven known children of this couple.  He married Sarah Stevens, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Hildreth Stevens, who our ancestors through another Snow marriage a couple of generations later.  Their children are Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, Elesabeth, Hannah, and Jonathan.  John died in Hudson, New Hampshire in 1734, which was originally part of Nottingham, Massachusetts.  

Zerubabbel was the next born, in 1672.  He lived his entire life in Woburn, except for the years his family was forced to live elsewhere during King Philip's War.  He married Jemima Cutler, the daughter of James and Phoebe Page Cutler.  Their children are Zerubabbel, Josiah, Jabez, Jimima, Ebenezer, John, William, Abigail, and a second Jabez.  I will follow this family in my next post.  

Another son, Timothy, was born in 1674.  He died in 1747, also in Woburn, Massachusetts.  His wife is Lydia Pierce, the daughter of Samuel and Lydia Bacon Pierce.  Their children are Timothy, Isaac, Lydia, Jacob, Mary, Zachariah and Abraham.  

Hannah was born in 1677.  I am not sure whether the family had yet returned to Woburn, so am not sure of her birth place.  She died in 1736 in Killingly, Windham, Connecticut.  Her husband is John Cutler, the daughter of James and Lydia Moore Cutler.  John's Cutler ancestors, several generations back, are also our ancestors, because that's the way it works!  Hannah's children are Mary, Seth, Timothy, Hezekiah, Uriah, Dinah, and Jemima.  

Mary was born next, in 1680, and died in 1711 in Woburn.  Her husband is Samuel Minot, the son of Samuel and Hannah Howard Minot.  She may have had one son, John.  

Ebenezer was born in 1682 and died in 1704.  It does not appear that he married, and I do not know the cause of his death.  The result would have been sorrow for his father and other family members.

Finally, there is Nathaniel.  This Nathaniel is confused with another Nathaniel.  He is not the Nathaniel who was married to Hannah Parslow, but I haven't found marriage records for him.  He died in 1754 in Woburn.  

From the first names of most of these children, it seems likely that they were Puritans rather than Anglicans, because of the heavy use of Old Testament names.  They all have their own stories to tell, and I hope that others reading this will find them.  These were important years in our country's history, and these people were part of it. 

 

 

 

Holbrook line: The family of Richard Snow 1607ish to 1677

 Richard Snow is our immigrant ancestor to Massachusetts, and that is the first thing that is known about him for certain.  Various couples have been proposed as parents for him, but as far as I can tell, none have been proven.  He seems to have gone to Barbados about 1635, where he probably married Annis or Avis Barrat/Barrett.  It is most likely that their first two children were born there, and the last three in Woburn, Massachusetts, where they settled sometime in the early 1640s.  Annis's parentage is also unknown at this time.  Richard died in 1677 in Woburn; I have not found a death date for Annis.  The couple had five known children.

John was the first born, about 1640, likely in Barbados.  He married Mary Greene, the daughter of William and Hannah Carter Green.  Their children are John, Zerubabbel, Timothy, Hannah, Mary, and Ebenezer, and I will follow this family in my next post.  John died in 1706 in Woburn.

James was the next born, about 1642.  He married Sarah Jaquith, the daughter of Abraham and Annis Jordan Jaquith, who was of French Huguenot heritage.  Their children are James, Abigail, Lydia, Sarah, and Hezekiah.  James died in 1709 in Lancaster, Massachusetts, which was the scene of desperate fighting during King Philip's War.  If James was there in 1675, he either would have been in the military, fighting, or he would have taken his family to relative safety elsewhere.  I'd like to know his story!  

Daniel was the third born son, born in 1645 and died about 17 months later, in 1646.  Many of the families I've written about have suffered the loss of at least one child, but it still grabs my heart every time I have to write of this.  

Samuel was born in 1647 and died in 1717 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts.  He first married Sarah Wilson, the daughter of John and Hannah (maiden name possibly James) Wilson.  Their children are Samuel, Sarah, Daniel, Abigail, and Richard.  Sarah died, and Samuel married another Sarah-Sarah Parker, the daughter of John and Joanna Parker.  Their children are Deborah, Joanna, and Ebenezer.  

The last son is Zachariah, born in 1649 and died in 1711 in Woburn.  Little is known of his life, except that he was wounded in the Swamp Fight of 1675 during King Philip's War.  There has been no record found of a marriage or of children for him, so he is a bit of a mystery.  

These 4 surviving men probably were active in King Philip's War, and possibly in the later wars of the 1690s in the area of Maine and New Hampshire.  These early pioneers lived through more than we can possibly understand, and their names deserve to be remembered.