Henry Knight (abt. 1773 - 1840)

Born about 1773 in Machias, Lincoln, District of Maine, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Sophia (Hill) Knight — married 22 Apr 1821 in Calais, Washington, Maine, United States

Died 30 Jul 1840 at about age 67 in Calais, Washington County, Maine, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lori Cook [send private message]

Biography

Henry Knight was born at Machias, Maine, c1773, the son of Jonathan Knight and Mary Atkins; ^{[1] [2]} died at Calais, Maine, 30 Jul 1840, aged 66y, and is buried in the Calais Cemetery; ^[3] married (1) at Calais, c1798 (first child born at Calais, 3 Jan 1799), ^{[4] [5] [1]} Martha "Patty" Dyer, born, probably at Machias, say, c1775, the daughter of Jones Dyer and Hannah Harrington; ^{[6] [1]} died after 15 Aug 1820, when a child was born to her at Calais, Maine, on that date, ^{[7] [1]} and before 22 Apr 1821, when her husband married (2) at Calais, Mrs. Sophia Hill Brewer, ^{[8] [9] [1]} born at Machias, Maine, 9 Jun 1784, the daughter of Obadiah Hill and Sarah Harris; ^{[10] [1]} died at Calais, Maine, 3 Jan 1876, aged 92y 7m (g.s.), and is buried in the Calais Cemetery. ^{[11] [12] [1]} Sophia Hill had married (1) at Machias, Maine, 20 May 1804, Stephen Brewer, ^{[13] [14] [1]} born at Roxbury, Massachusetts, 26 Feb 1771, the son of John Brewer and Joanna Aspinwall; ^[15] died at Calais, Maine, 16 Sep 1817, ^[1] and is buried in the Calais Cemetery. ^[16]

Lived at Calais. ^{[17] [18] [19]}

Deed activity:

• 15 May 1799 - Jones Dyer Junior of plantation #5 for $350 paid by Henry Knight sells one equal half share of a tract containing 100 acres on the West side of Schoodic River..... bounded on upper side by Jones Dyer Senr and on lower by Paul Knight also one equal half of dwelling house, barn and all and singular outhouses [Washington Co. Deeds, 2:371]

• 12 Apr 1803 - Henry Knight for $460 paid by Jones Dyer Jr. of Township #5, sells lands bordering Jones Dyer Senr. [Washington Co. Deeds 3:476]

• 5 Sept 1809 - In a deposition taken at the request of Shubael Downes & Wm. Pike, Jones Dyer gives deposition that in 1807 he found Westbrook Knight and Henry Knight cutting a tree .... later found to be on the Proprietors undivided land. Sworn before Stephen Jones, Benjamin R. Jones [Washington Co. Deeds 5:479]

• Appointed along with Jonas Rice and Paul Knight as a committee to appraise the estate of Stephen Dyer Junr. late of Calais on 16 Nov 1824 [Washington Co. Probate 5:497]

Research Notes

Henry Dyer's first wife, Martha "Patty" Dyer, had a child before her marriage to Henry, Frances "Fanny" Dyer, who was born out of wedlock, and the father has been identified by some as Alexander Thompson.

The main source for this story is Pike's Diary which says that Martha (Patty) Dyer became involved with a man named THOMPSON (first name lost) and gave birth out of wedlock to a daughter named Fanny DYER who later married Samuel SCOTT. When Martha married officially it was to Henry KNIGHT (1779/80-1840) who refused to marry her until her illegitimate child was given away. "Her grandfather [though whether this was on the Dyer side or the Harrington side is not known] took her till she was married to Sam'l Scott." ^[20]

Pike's Diary also notes that "Henry Knight married Pattie Dyer, daughter of Old Jones. They had children, William, Lydia, Rachel, Edward, Hammett, or Hamill died young."^[20]

See notes for Alexander Thompson for arguments supporting him as the probable father of Frances (Fanny) Dyer.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Joseph Crook Anderson II, CG, FASG, editor, Maine Families in 1790, Volume 8 (Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, June 2003, 652 pages)), pp. 232, 293. Cit. Date: 29 Aug 2020
2. ↑ The Rev. I. C. Knowlton, Annals of Calais, Maine and St. Stephen, New Brunswick; Including the Village of Milltown, ME., and the Present Town of Milltown, N.B. (J. A. Sears, Printer, Calais, ME, 1875, 208 pages), p. 36. Cit. Date: 25 Mar 2021.
3. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 25 March 2021), memorial page for Henry Knight (1774–30 Jul 1840), Find A Grave: Memorial #105331638, citing Calais Cemetery, Calais, Washington County, Maine, USA ; Maintained by SusanE (contributor 47098878).
4. ↑ Sharon Howland, Vital Records of Calais, Maine (Picton Press, Rockland, Maine, 2001, 408 pages, ISBN: 0-89725-436-8), Vol. 2, p. 7
5. ↑ Annals of Calais, p. 201. Cit. Date: 20 Mar 2021.
6. ↑ Annals of Calais, loc. cit. Cit. Date: 29 Aug 2020.
7. ↑ Vital Records of Calais, Vol. 2, p. 14. Cit. Date: 22 Mar 2021
8. ↑ Vital Records of Calais, Vol. 2, p. 44. Cit. Date: 22 Mar 2021.
9. ↑ Kenneth L. Willey, editor, Vital Records from the Eastport Sentinel of Eastport, Maine 1818-1900 (Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication No. 24, Picton Press, Camden, Maine, 1996, 884 pages, ISBN: 0-89725-249-7), p. 25, citing the issue of 28 Apr 1821 (Vol. 3, #36), "Marriages: In Calais, no date, Henry KNIGHT to Mrs. Sophia BREWER." Cit. Date: 22 Mar 2021.
10. ↑ Mrs. Beulah G. Jackman, Earliest Records of Machias, Maine (1767-1827) (Concord, NH, 1937?, 55 pages), p. 1. Cit. Date: 22 Mar 2021.
11. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 24 March 2021), memorial page for Sophia Hill Knight (1783–3 Jan 1876), Find A Grave: Memorial #105355229, citing Calais Cemetery, Calais, Washington County, Maine, USA ; Maintained by SusanE (contributor 47098878).
12. ↑ George W. Drisko, Narrative of the Town of Machias, The Old and the New, The Early and the Late (Press of The Republican, Machias, Maine, 1904, 575 pages), p. 451. Cit. Date: 24 Mar 2021.
13. ↑ Jackman's Machias, p. 38, Brewer's surname here mis-transcribed as "Benner". Cit. Date: 24 Mar 2021.
14. ↑ Joseph W. Porter, editor and publisher, Machias Marriages (Bangor Historical Magazine (1885-1894), Benjamin A. Burr & Co., Printers, Bangor, Maine), Vol. 6, p. 145. Cit. Date: 24 Mar 2021.
15. ↑ The Essex Institute, Vital Records of Roxbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (Newcomb & Gauss, Printers, Salem, Massachusetts, 1925), Vol. 1, p. 40. Cit. Date: 24 Mar 2021.
16. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 25 March 2021), memorial page for Stephen Brewer (1770–16 Sep 1817), Find A Grave: Memorial #105355887, citing Calais Cemetery, Calais, Washington County, Maine, USA ; Maintained by SusanE (contributor 47098878).
17. ↑ "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRS-TW1 : accessed 25 March 2021), Henry Knight, Township 5, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 643, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 8; FHL microfilm 218,678.
18. ↑ "United States Census, 1810," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH24-HBY : accessed 25 March 2021), Henry Knight, Calais, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 666, NARA microfilm publication M252 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 12; FHL microfilm 218,683.
19. ↑ "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG9-JZG : accessed 25 March 2021), Henry Knight, Calais, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 262, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 37; FHL microfilm 281,241.
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} Diary of James Shepherd Pike, p. 14, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine, "Pike (James Shepherd) Papers, 1850-1880" (2016). Finding Aids. Number 285.