Hiram Knowles

History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894
USGENWEB Montana Archives
May be copied for non-profit purposes.

Hiram Knowles, ex-Supreme Judge of the Territory of Montana 
and now Judge of the U.S. District Court, is a native of 
Hamden Maine, Born January 18, 1834.

His parents, Dr. Freeman Knowles and Emily (Smith) Knowles, 
were both born in the State of Maine when it was part of 
Massachusetts. Their ancestors came from England to this 
country and settled in New England at an early day, Richard 
Knowles having located in Eastham Massachusetts in 1639. 
They were for many generations a family of sea captains and 
Judge Knowles' father commanded a ship for a number of years 
before he settled down to his profession that of a 
physician, which he practiced the remainder of his life. He 
and his wife had six children, Judge Knowles being their
only son. The family removed to Illinois in 1838 and in 1840 
located in Lee County, Iowa. The father died at the age 
of seventy-three years and the mother at fifty-eight. They were 
Unitarians in their religious views, and were most 
worthy people.

Judge Hiram Knowles received his education at Antioch College, 
Ohio and graduated n the law department of Harvard 
College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1862 he came west. After 
practicing law in Nevada three years he removed to 
Idaho where he remained one year. In 1866 he came to Montana. 
Here he prospected and mined and practiced law and in 
1868 was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of Montana, which 
office he filled acceptably for eleven years. 

Judge Knowles was married April 12, 1871 in Athens Missouri to 
Mary C. Curtis, a native of Lima, Ohio, born
December 27, 1844. They have three daughters and a son. The 
daughters are Eloise, Hilda and Lucretia. The son is
Curtis. They have a pleasant home in Missoula.

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