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.
1850 - UT Davis – Federal Census - ** Ethan Knight, 17, MO; in HH of Thomas Rick, 36, farmer, OH; Henrietta Rick, 28, NY; Landon Rick, 10, ILL, Thomas Rick, 4, IA; Henrietta, 3 mo, IA. ** Nathan Knight, 47, VT, Jennett Knight, 17, NY; Emma Knight, 13, OH. ** Martha Knights, 46, NY; James Knights, 17, NY, both in HH of unidentifiable person from NY, not named Knight, but name obliterated by black blotch.
1850 – UT Great Salt Lake – Federal Census - ** Adeline Knight, 22, IN; in HH of Hubert H. Foster, 23, wagon maker, NY; Polly Foster, 54, ME; Arthur M. Foster, 17, NY; Charles Foster, 4, IN; Henry I. Johnson, 1, IN. ** James F. Knight, 32, trader, MO; Joseph Knight, 10, IL; Newel Knight, 8, IL; Lydia Knight, 6, IL’ Jesse Knight, 5, IL; Hiram Knight (Hyrum), 3, IL; Thomas Knight, 1, Ind Ter. ** Lydia Knight, 38, MA; Martha Knight, 19, MA; Samuel Knight, 18, farmer, MA; Sally Knight, 14, MO; Amanda Knight, 2, MO. ** Joseph Knight, 42, farmer, VT; Betsey Knight, 37, OH; Martha Knight, 17, MO; Mary Knight, 14, MO; Rhoda Knight, 12, MO; Ellen Knight, 2, IA. ** Maria Knight, 60, England; Oswell Knight, 21, laborer, England; Mary Knight, 18, England; George Knight, 16, England; Benjamin Knight, 12, England; Newell Knight, 11, England; Maria Knight, 9, IL. ** Alonzo Knight, 19, NH; Polly Knight, 65, NH.