The McKnight Family of Northumberland County

As noted in a previous post, William Henry Egle (1830–1901) was a physician, author, and historian who served as the State Librarian of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1887 to 1889. After serving as a surgeon with several different Union Army regiments during the Civil War Egle documented Pennsylvania's history from its founding through the late 19th century.

His Notes and Queries, Historical, Biographical, and Genealogical, Relating Chiefly To The Interior Of Pennsylvania, are packed with information for the history researcher, and history lover.

In an 1897 Volume, Egle includes a story from someone simply known as Lancaster John, providing details of the McKnight family, and the perils they experienced with the Indians near the Chillisquaque Creek, and Fort Freeland, Northumberland County. The story follows:

“In the early records of Northumberland County, the name of William McKnight appears as one of those who made application for 300 acres of land on April 13, 1769, the first day on which the land office opened. As preference was given to those who had rendered military service against the Indians, this would indicate his presence in the West Branch Valley before this date. In 1774, while a resident of Buffalo township, Northumberland County, he purchased three tracts of land “contiguous to and bounded on each other,” in Turbutt (Turbot) township, about four miles east of Milton, along the Limestone Run. One tract was called “Trout Spring;” the second, “Limestone Quarry,” and the third, “McKnight’s Addition.” The first tract of over 300 acres, was taken up at the opening of the land office by Christian Rora, who, on September 1st of the same year, sold his claim to John Lowdon. The latter had his claim confirmed by a patent in 1774, and less than a month after the survey and granting of the patent, he sold the tract to McKnight for £321. Nine years later McKnight sold 200 acres to John Follmer, “to be taken off the eastward ends of the before three described tracts.”

In 1776, at the breaking out of the Revolutionary War, William McKnight was chosen as a member of the Committee of Safety for the county. At the “Trout Spring” he had a log hut filled with port holes, and often he had to leave this fort and go to the neighboring Limestone Ridge, where he would spend the night sleeping with his rifle by his side. Both he and his wife, Elizabeth, finally perished at the hands of the Indians, being scalped by them near Fort Freeland. Their only son, James, had to take charge of their remains and bury them himself. They are interred in the Chillisquaque graveyard. In addition to James, they had three daughters, but their names have not come down to us. James McKnight married Elizabeth Gillen, He was regarded as a man of the greatest courage and integrity. In 1778 he was elected a member of Assembly, but on the 26th of April 1779, he was captured by the Indians near Fort Freeland. There were seven men in the party and four were killed. Three, including McKnight, were carried to Canada, but in due time he was exchanged and returned.

The McKnight family had terrible experiences with the Indians. In the autumn of 1778 Mrs. James McKnight and Mrs. Margaret Wilson Durham, each with an infant in their arms, started on horseback from Fort Freeland to go to Northumberland. Near the mouth of Warrior Run, they were fired upon by a band of Indians in ambush. Mrs. Durham’s child was killed in her arms, and she fell from her horse. An Indian rushed up and scalped her and fled. She was rescued by a party near at hand and taken to Dr. Plunkett, at Sunbury, who dressed her wounded head and she recovered and lived until 1829, when she died in her 74th year.

Mrs. McKnight escaped unhurt. When the shots were fired, her horse quickly turned around and ran. back to the fort. She came near losing her child, which fell out of her arms when the horse wheeled but catching it by the foot as it was falling, she held it firmly dangling by her side until the fort was reached. Two of her sons, who were accompanying the party on foot, ran and tried to secrete themselves under the bank of the river, but were taken by the Indians and carried away prisoners, but returned. Mrs. Durham’s husband was captured at the same time but returned in 1783.

James McKnight and his wife, Elizabeth, had a family of five children, two sons and three daughters. All the children, but William, left Northumberland County when they grew up and settled in Seneca and Ontario counties, New York, where their descendants still reside. William McKnight married Susanna Boyer, and had a family of four daughters, viz; Catharine, who married Thomas Ritter; Priscilla, who married Isaac Dunkel; Annie M., who married Charles Artman and Elizabeth, who died young. The family of Mrs. Artman and that of Thomas Ritter. still live on part of the land purchased in 1774.” John of Lancaster

Historical, Biographical and Genealogical, Relating Chiefly To The Interior Of Pennsylvania Edited by William Henry Egle M.D., M. A. Annual Volume, 1897 Pages 124-125

Photo Credit: Terry Diener