Northumberland-Perry County PA Archives Biographies.....Knight, Frederick Henry unknown - living in 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com July 8, 2005, 7:23 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. FREDERICK HENRY KNIGHT is known throughout Northumberland County as one who has grown up with Watsontown, his present home, and who has been the longest engaged in business in that town of any of its residents. Beginning to make his way in the world against odds and under circumstances which would have discouraged many with less will-power, the subject of our sketch, by "keeping everlastingly at it," has been very successful, and now is at the head of one of the largest business firms in the county. He comes of Revolutionary fighting stock. He was born in Perry County, Pa., and is a son of Richard Knight and a grandson of Richard Knight. His grandfather came to this country from Germany, but he was of Scotch-Irish descent. He first settled on Long Island, subsequently removing to York County, Pa., with his family, where he died upwards of eighty years of age. He was a farmer. He served in the Revolutionary War. His children were Richard, Cornelius and George. Richard Knight, father of our subject, was born on Long Island, N. Y., in 1768. He bequeathed to his family a record as a patriot, of which his descendants are rightly proud. At the age of eleven years he was overflowing with the stirring patriotism of the period and he did such part as a boy could assume, serving through the War of the Revolution as a drummer-boy. His services were stated in the records detailing the memorable struggles of our forefathers, and to his daughter, Mrs. B. F. Gregory, was presented a handsome medal by the Daughters of the Revolution, commemorating the fact that she is the youngest daughter living at present whose father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Knight forsook his trade, that of tailor, and engaged in business as a general merchant in Harrisburg, Pa. While there he did excellent service as a captain of a company of volunteers in the War of 1812. He held a large contract on the Pennsylvania Canal when it was built, which contract was performed with fidelity and to the satisfaction of the state. In 1832 Mr. Knight removed to Liverpool, Pa., where he built a hotel and also purchased a large farm, conducting both until his demise, in 1850, his iron constitution and exemplary habits having spanned his lifetime to four score years and over, he being eighty-two years of age at his death. The hotel stood on the site now occupied by the Ouns Hotel in Liverpool. The father of our subject thrice was united in marriage, first to Miss McIrwin, who bore him one child, Abner, deceased. His second marriage was to Sarah, daughter of Henry Berry of Freeburg. Pa., who died at about the age of forty-six years and left surviving her Frederick Henry, the subject of this sketch, and two daughters, Annie M., wife of B. F. Gregory, and Sadie, who married F. A. Reen, two of her children, Delilah and James, being dead. Mrs. Mary Rumbach was the third wife of Mr. Knight, the union resulting in no issue. Our subject's father died when Frederick was young and he, with the other children, was placed under the care of a guardian, who neglected his duties, in that he did not properly look after the interests of the little ones. Realizing that he must shift for himself, Frederick took advantage of every opportunity to improve himself. Endowed with good judgment and pluck, at the age of seventeen years he had saved sufficient money to enable him to attend the Freeburg Academy, which he did for one term. Then he taught school for two years, after which he applied his earnings as teacher to paying for a special course of instruction at the Millersville Normal School. He again resumed teaching, which he abandoned on the breaking out of the Rebellion to enlist in the Union Army, but he was rejected because he was of small stature. He was determined, however, to serve his nation, and in 1862 he enlisted in Company G, 147th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., as a private. He served to the close of the war and was promoted to corporal, sergeant and sergeant-major. At the end of the war Mr. Knight entered business on a small scale in Watsontown as a tinsmith, making a specialty of tin roofing. He was successful and has continuously added to the business until he now is an extensive dealer in general hardware, stoves, house-furnishing goods, oils and paints. He has a fine residence and his store is large. He began business when Watsontown scarcely was a borough. In politics our subject is a stanch Republican. He has served as burgess for three years and as a member of the school board and town council. He and his family are active members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Knight is a prominent member of the G. A. R., a past master of the F. & A. M., past high priest in the R. A. M., and a Knight Templar. Mr. Knight was married to Annie, daughter of Sim Schoch of New Berlin, Union County, Pa., and to them has been born a son, Harry S. Knight, who is a leading attorney in Sunbury, Pa. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899) This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 5.6 Kb