Saturday, December 10, 2016

Surname Saturday ~ KNIGHT of Charlestown, Massachusetts


John Knight (1601 – 1674), my 11th great grandfather, was a Watertown proprietor in 1636.  He sold his land in Watertown on 5 June 1640 and removed to Salisbury where he was a proprietor.  He removed to Charlestown.  His will is dated 14 December 1672 and was probated 10 June 1674.  The will mentions his son-in-law, Robert Pierce of Woburn, my 10th great grandfather.

My ancestor John Knight was a cousin to the John Knight who came to New England in 1635 aboard the ship James with his brother Richard Knight.  They both settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, and their genealogies are often tangled with John Knight of Charlestown.  In fact, both Johns were considered to be one person in some compiled genealogies.

Recent genealogists have discovered John Knight’s English origins.  He was born in Romsey, Hampshire, England, the son of Nicholas Knight and Jane Hewatt.  His paternal grandparents were William Knight and Elizabeth Wild of Romsey.  His maternal grandfather was John Hewete of Romsey.

On 8 September 1649 John Knight of Charlestown bought 80 acres in Woburn, Massachusetts.  Then on 9 October 1654 John Knight, inhabitant of Woburn, bought 18 acres back in Charlestown.  On 29 Dec 1671 John Knight, malster, sold his home in Woburn to William Johnson. 

Robert Pierce of Woburn gave all his land to his son Benjamin in return for maintenance for the rest of his life, and his wife Mary’s life on 3 July 1693.  This document refers to the 20 acres of land in Woburn he bought from his father-in-law, John Knight, of Charlestown, deceased.   My 9th great grandmother was Elizabeth Pierce (1659 – 1690) the daughter of Robert Pierce and Mary Knight. 

KNIGHT resources:

Stand By My Servant Joseph: The Story of the Joseph Knight Family and the Restoration, by William G. Hartley, 2003.  Available in paperback at Deseret Books 801-517-3315.

A manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society “The Knight Family” call number SG KNI 21, part 1 is the family of John Knight of Newbury, and part 2 is the John Knight of Charlestown, Massachusetts. 

Our Knight line: from John Knight (ca. 1600 – 1674) of Watertown, Woburn, and Charlestown, Massachusetts, to Mary (Knight) Near (1848 – 1923) of Racine, Wisconsin, by Virginia S. Hooper, 1971. 


My KNIGHT genealogy:

Generation 1:  John Knight, son of Nicholas Knight and Jane Hewatt, born 1601 in Romsey, South Hampton, England, died 22 May 1663 in Charlestown, Massachusetts;  married Mary Pickering about 1619 in Romsey.   Mary was born about 1598 in Romsey, and died 16 May 1676 in Charlestown. 
Children: 
a.) Mary  born 14 July 1620 in Romsey, died 18 March 1701 in Woburn, Massachusetts. 
b.) Joseph (1624 – 1687) married Hannah Lamb
c.) John, Jr.  (1630 – 1714) married Ruhamah Johnson, married second to Abigail Stowers, married third to Mary Bridge, married fourth to Mary (Rocke) Clemments, the widow of William Clemments, married fifth to Sarah (Rowlins) Holsworth, widow of Joshua Holsworth. 
And perhaps a fourth child, Samuel 

Generation 2:  Mary Knight, born 14 July 1620 in Romsey, died 18 March 1701 in Woburn, married to Robert Pierce before 1646. He was the son of John Pierce and Elizabeth Hart.  Seven children.

Generation 3:  Elizabeth Pierce m. Samuel Wilson
Generation 4: Mary Wilson m. Ebenezer Pierce
Generation 5: Deborah Pierce m. Increase Wyman
Generation 6: Increase Wyman, Jr. m. Catherine Unknown (see the blog post HERE)
Generation 7: Jemima Wyman m. Joshua Burnham
Generation 8: Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson
Generation 9: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger
Generation 10: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder
Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen
Generation 12:  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ KNIGHT of Charlestown, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 10, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/surname-saturday-knight-of-charlestown.html: accessed [access date]). 

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