by Laura Knight
Census Records from Images provided by USA National Archives and Records Administration. Washington D.C. extracted by myself from images on ancestry.com
I've extracted what limited information was available from each source and households (HH) are separated by double asterisks thus: ** and the name of the Head of Household (HH) on the record is in bold for ease of finding. I've gone over this several times, trying to catch all errors, but I can't guarantee that there are none; I just do my best at any moment. Also, as noted elsewhere, for ease of search/finding, I've most often converted names to the modern spelling and have frequently included how the name appears in the record and/or how the transcriber rendered it: (text: Knite, trans: Kite). Also note that I have excluded Northern State Knights. If someone else wants to collect the Northern Knights and arrange them as I have so I don't have to do any extra work, I'll be very happy to include them and give credit where it is due.
At this point, the censuses are getting much longer and it has become impossible for one person to comb through the records with the thoroughness I would like; I do have a life outside of genealogy. Obviously, I focus more intensely on those areas where I know VA Knights moved to, but still, the population is growing fast and I can't guarantee exhaustive coverage though I am doing my best. In some of the newly settled areas, the censuses are still mercifully short and in some cases, I covered the entire sheet. When that is the case, I put the word "ENTIRE" at the end of the list. In this census, I haven't done Pennsylvania as I have been doing up to this point and the whole census, in general, has not been scoped out as thoroughly as earlier ones. I'll get it done and added eventually. I think there is enough here to keep a few people busy; it's very long as it is.
This is the first census that lists every household member by name, age, and where born. It's not 100% accurate, as is sometimes shown, but it's a darn good start. In my opinion, it should be illegal to mess with the effort to obtain pure demographic information in a census.
42 Record Returns
1850 - AR Clark Caddo – Federal Census - Joseph Knight, 20, laborer, NC, in HH of Mary Heard, 55, of GA. ** William B. Knight, 32, NY; Narcissa or Marissa C. Knight, 20, AL; Henry A. Knight, 4, AR; Maria L. Knight, 2, AR. ** Other names present: Anderson of MO; Phillips of VA; Greene of GA, Ward of VA, Maddox of GA, Arnold of SC, Randolph of VA, Bedford of MD, Burke of NC, Stuart of GA, Raburn of GA, Pate of NC, Wilson Massengill of AR, Cook of NC, Harrington of NC, Berry of KY, Townsend of KY, Burke of GA, Edward Bucke of NC, Pippin of KY, Hale of TN, Buck of TN, Logan of MO, Callaway of MO, Rogers of GA; no other Knights noted. ENTIRE
1850 - AR Clark Greenville – Federal Census - ** Morgan Buck, 27, farmer, NC; Matilda Buck, 25, NC; Elizabeth Buck, 5, AR; William Buck, 3, AR; John Buck, 1, AR; John Knight, 22, VA. ** Other names noted: Wingfield of KY, Spence of AL, Henderson of SC & GA, Stroope of KY, Francis of VA, Knox of KY, Holden of TN, Hawkins of NC, Evans of NC, Peake of KY; No other Knights noted.
1850 - AR Dallas Polk – Federal Census - ** Woodson Knight, 53, farmer, NC. ** Other names present: Stover of VA, Moses Moore of AL, Ashley Walker of AR, Brumley of TN, Oliver of SC, Hollingsworth of SC, Avent of SC, Hunt of NC, Skinner of GA; No other Knights noted. ENTIRE
1850 – AR Desha Napoleon – Federal Census - ** Henry Knight, 26, doctor, GA; Emaline Knight, 28, KY; Georgeanna Knight, 2, AR. ENTIRE.
1850 – AR Desha Wilkinson – Federal Census - ** G. H. Knight, 27, laborer, TN; Rachel Knight, 29, OH; Mary Whitlock, 24, TN. ** (Other names present: Demsey, Williams, Turner, Spencer, Moore; no other Knights noted.) ENTIRE
1850 – AR Independene Wallace – Federal Census - ** Abraham Knight, 30, farmer, TN; Mahala Knight, 26, TN; Sarah B. Knight, 2, TN; Findley Taylor Knight, 7, TN. ** (adj) Rebecca Knight, 37, TN; John Knight, 23, farmer, TN; William Knight, 16, farmer,TN; Elizabeth M. Knight, 8, TN; John Knight, 8, TN; Jesse Knight, 7, TN; Mary Knight, 5, TN. ** Other names present: Everett, Gray, Hall, Middleton, Ivy, Shepherd (Shepard), Chandler, Sutton, Henry, Taylor, Monday, Hess, Ford, Scroggins, Moore, Conditt, Cox, Lafferty, Williams. ENTIRE Note: The Lewis Knight family of Rhea TN moved to Independence between 1840 and 1850. Lewis evidently died before 1850 Oct 29 when the census was taken. Above we see Rebecca Knight, the widow. John, 23, may have been by a first wife or he was born when Rebecca was only 14.
1850 – AR Jefferson Dist 2 – Federal Census - ** Charles Knight, 17, tailor, AR, in HH of Lewis Ruth, 33, merchant, Germany.
1850 – AR Lafayette Moss – Federal Census - ** John L. Easter, 40, farmer, SC; James Welch, 40, farmer, SC; Mary Welch, 43, SC; John Knight, 10, AL. ** Other names noted: Wingfield, Hudgins, VanWinkle, Fletcher, Arnold, Jones, Harper, Hoskins, Rice, Baker; No other Knights noted. ENTIRE
1850 – AR Madison Prairie – Federal Census - ** William C. Boshears, 26, farmer, TN; Mary Boshears, 21, TN; Nancy Boshears, 4, AR; Martha Boshears, 2, AR; Elijah Taylor, 18, farmer, UNK; George Knight, 19, farmer, TN. ** Other names present: Davis, Lane, Bohannon, Lea, Bacon, Williamson, Beach, Hale, Taylor, Hudson, Lemaster, Bell, Drake, Harper, Clemens, Wilson, Clements, Chenoweth, Robinson, Claiborne Fritz of VA, Gordon, Harp, Vaughan, Evans, McCarver, Thomas Ferguson MD of TN, Anderson; no other Knights noted. ENTIRE
1850 – AR Marion – Federal Census - ** James Knight, 48, farmer, VA; Elizabeth Knight, 18, TN; Mary Knight, 14, TN; Margaret Knight, 12, TN; Sciotta Knight, F, 10, TN; Jerusha Knight, 8, TN (p. 47 of 52) ** Other names present: Woods, Walker, Shepherd, Womack, Cochran, Harris, Carter, Crawford, Buchanan, Phillips, Hall, Turner, Cummins, Hogan, Yokum, Pugh Anderson of TN, Magness, Friend, Holt, Coker, Clarke, Loveall, Young, Hudson, Madewell, Williams, McGehee, Jones, Glenn, Farmer, Clement, Stephens, Martin, Avey, Earle, Estes; no other Knights noted. ENTIRE
Below: screen shot of another entry on the above page, not related to Knights, but funny.
1850 – AR Mississippi Monroe – Federal Census - ** Thomas Patterson, 40, farmer, MO; Ann Patterson, 44, IL; Benjamin Patterson, 13, AR; Bill Wilson, 13, AR; Becca A. Wilson, 5, AR; John Knight, 24, laborer, TN; Charles Hodges, 28, laborer, IN; John White, 30, laborer, OH. ** Other names present: Waller, Goff, Hazard, Butler, Littleton, Tucker, Baker, Delahay (Dillahay), Finley, Bishop, Collins, Blackamore, Richardson, Randolph, Allen, Wallace, Williamson, Evans, Nicholas, Page, Maddox, Milhouse, Stewart, Williams, Clark; no other Knights present. ENTIRE
1850 – AR Phillips Big Creek – Federal Census - ** Thomas Rodgers, 32, farmer, TN; Celia Rodgers, 28, IA; Sarah P. Rodgers, 11, TN; Warwick Rodgers, 10, IA; Eliza Rodgers, 8, TN; Columbus Rodgers, 4, AR; Thomas Rodgers, 2, AR; William Knight, 8, IA. ** Other names present: Allison of AL, John Bunch of NC, Allison of SC, Stewart of GA; No other Knights noted. ENTIRE
1850 – AR Phillips Monny – Federal Census - ** Susan Halsell, 27, AR; Sarah Halsell, 14, MS; John Halsell, 8, AR; Elizabeth Halsell, 7, AR; Martha A. Halsell, 7 mo, AR; Acy Knight, 36, TN. (Acy may be sister to Susan. Also present: Townsend, Bridges, Lunsford, no other Knights.) ENTIRE
1850 – AR Pulaski Big Rock – Federal Census - ** Willard Keith (trans: Kerth), 35, farmer, MA; Jane Keith, 30, IN; Amos Keith, 4, AR; Frances Keith, 2, AR, Joseph Keith, 1, AR; Andrew Knight, 16, apprentice, IL. ** Other names present: Walker of KY, Fletcher of TN, Brodie of Scotland, Joseph Moore 67 of NC, Henry Jacoby of Germany, Nelson Webb of TN, James Collins 40, Hunter of IL, Dodd of NC, Sharp of VA, PRISON: Stewart of MO for counterfeiting, Spence shoemaker of VA for manslaughter, William Moore of TN for assault with intent to kill. END PRISON. No other Knights noted. ENTIRE
1850 – AR Pulaski Little Rock – Federal Census - ** John E. Knight, 32, lawyer, MA; Hannah Knight, 27, MA; Elizabeth Knight, 6, MA. ** L. B. Knight, 25, fireman living in boardinghouse, origin UNK. ** Frances M. Knight, 45, VA; William M. Knight, 20, blacksmith, AR; Sarah A. Knight, 18, AR. ** (Other names present: Walker of VA, Moses H. Eastman of NH, John Gracie of Ireland, Isaac Levy of Prussia, John H. Robinson of England, George Metzger of Germany, John Callahan of Ireland, W. A. Adams MD of MA, Osborn of TN, John Collins of Ireland, Robert Bodie of Scotland, Henry Magness of France, Lewis Marchand MD of France, Charles P. Bertrand Layer of NY, Jones Levy silversmith of England, R. B. Howard MD of England, Jacob Schinner stonemason of Switzerland, Thomas Brownlee blacksmith of Scotland, John Dempsey tailor of Ireland, William Vanderender speculator of PA, Matthew Cunningham MD of PA; the prev. is small selection of the large number of foreigners present, pos. 20% or more of entire 38 page census.) ENTIRE
1850 – AR White Marion – Federal Census - ** D. S. Knight, 43, merchant, CT. ** Louis Knight, 19, TN, farmer, in HH of L. Crosson, 67, farmer, VA, and wife Susan, 53, of GA. ** Other names present: Walker of AR, Perry of VA, Bond of NC, Ar. Mizell (Meazle), 30, NC; Sanders of VA, Moore of PA, Isbell of TN, Armstrong of VA, Maxwell of NC, Anderson, TN, Anderson VA; No other Knights noted.) ENTIRE
1850 – AR White Gray – Federal Census - ** L. Crosson, 67, VA; Susan Crosson, 53, GA; Elizabeth Crosson, 28, GA; James Crosson, 22, GA; Louis Knight, 19, TN. ** D. S. Knight, 43, merchant, CN. ** Other names present: Caruthers, Collins, Harrison, Moore, King, Howell, Walshe, Hughes, Harris, Pate, Patterson, Seals from VA & TN, Williams; no other Knights. ENTIRE