BIO: JOHN K. KNISLEY, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Joe Patterson OCRed by Judy Banja Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/ _____________________________________________________________ >From Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chicago: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905, pages 538-540 _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Use this web address to access other bios: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/zeamer/ JOHN K. KNISLEY, now living practically retired, who has been one of the prominent business men of Upper Allen township, Cumberland county, was born Feb. 13, 1835, in York county, Pennsylvania. Samuel Knisley, his grandfather, was born in Cumberland county, where he followed the trade of miller at Hertzler's mill, which is locally well known. His death took place in 1820, at the age of forty years. His wife was Mary Kaufman, of Boiling Springs, who died in 1846. They had children: Samuel, Jacob, Christina and John. Christina died in 1884, unmarried, at the age of fifty-eight years. Samuel Knisley was born in 1810, in Cumberland county, and carried on a farm of seventy-five acres in Upper Allen township for years. His death took place in 1851. He married Hannah Gribble, of Cumberland county, who died in 1870, and they had the CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 539 following children: Jacob, Levi, Harriet, Mary Ann, Priscilla, Christina, Caroline, Jane, Almira and Hannah, all of whom have passed away except Christina, who married William Gates. They reside near Wellsville, and have one child, a daughter. Jacob Knisley married Nancy Halferty, daughter of Edward Halferty, of York county, and died in 1893, survived by his widow until 1900; they had children - John, Levi (deceased) and Margaret. John Knisley, father of our subject, was born at Hertzler's mill, in Cumberland county, in 1799. He followed the milling business in connection with farming. In 1820 he married Mary Kaufman, and they had two children, as follows: Mary, wife of David Plank, settled in Illinois; Catherine married Jacob Baer, and they settled in Ohio. All have now passed out of life. John Knisley's second marriage was to Elizabeth Sultzberger, of Cumberland county, who died at Mechanicsburg, aged ninety-five years. They had these children: David, Ann, Elizabeth, Leah, Hettie, John K. and Hannah, of whom David was a carpenter and farmer; he first married Eva Allison, who died in 1848, and he married for his second wife Sophia Dare, who died in 1899, surviving her husband seven years. Ann married David Cocklin, of Cumberland county, and died in 1878, her husband dying in 1880, both in York county; their children were John K., Catherine, Jane, Samuel, George, Delia, Emma, Fannie, Calista, and Susan (who died in infancy). Elizabeth is the widow of Abram Sheaffer, and lives in York county, he having died in 1885, leaving children - Martha, Wesley, Lizzie, Emma, Jacob, Calvin and John. Leah married D. A. Fulton, a carpenter now living in Cameron county, and died in 1893, survived by these children - Thomas, David, John, Bertha, Harry and Jane. Hettie married David Rinderknecht, of Cumberland county, and died in 1874, surviving her husband four years and leaving one son, George. Hannah married David H. Coble, a farmer of Upper Allen township, and their children are James, Annie, Elizabeth, Agatha, Lizzie, Irene and Minta. John K. Knisley was educated at what was known as the Feiley school, and when his school days ended, engaged in quarrying and lime burning for a period of five years. Then he learned pump making with John Grable, at Siddenstown, and followed it off and on for the following six years, after which he engaged extensively in a lumber business, working in Cameron and Elk counties until 1870, when he moved into Shepherdstown and bought the property on which he at present resides. From 1870 until 1872 he was variously engaged, and then accepted the superintendency of the lime kilns belonging to the capitalist, John C. Miller, of Shepherdstown, with whom he continued for fourteen years. Following his retirement from the lime burning business he helped in the building of many houses and barns in his vicinity, being a practical and skillful workman in almost any line, but for some years he has been retired from the cares of business, residing in his pleasant home in Shepherdstown, where he is highly esteemed. In 1869 Mr. Knisley married Eliza Jane (Kerr) Cocklin, of York county. Her grandfather, William Kerr, came to America from Ireland in boyhood, and settled in Bedford county, Pa., where he engaged in farming and lived to an old age. His son William, father of Mrs. Knisley, was born in 1800 in York county, and married Elizabeth Gates, who died in Upper Allen township in 1904, aged ninety-nine years. They 540 CUMBERLAND COUNTY. had the following children: John died in infancy; Henry died in 1894, aged seventy years; William died in 1895, aged seventy years; James died in infancy; Thomas died in 1895, aged fifty years; George died in 1880, aged forty-one years; Jonathan is a resident of Maryland; Margaret died in infancy; Sarah is a resident of York county; Eliza Jane is the wife of John K. Knisley. Henry Gates, grandfather of Mrs. Knisley, and his father, also named Henry, were natives of Germany and settled in York county. Henry Gates, the younger, married Elizabeth Gibboney, who was a native of York county, of Scotch-Irish descent. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Mr. Knisley is a Republican. For many years he has been a leading member of the German Baptist Church, and Mrs. Knisley is a member of the Reformed Church.