Ephriam Knowlton - I45726 - Persönliche Informationen - Wisconsin and Illinois Genealogy

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Knowlton's of the Wisconsin and Illinois Stateline area.

When I first started my research on Dexter A Knowlton of Freeport Illinois, I found some old archived queries that debated the accounts of the 1905 Winnebago Illinois history, some of which appears to have come from a book by Charles Stocking published in 1897, “History and Genealogy of the Knowlton’s of England and America”.

After reading the Winnebago County history, I did find it strange that more time was spent writing about the Knowlton’s of Stephenson County Illinois than about those in Winnebago County.

It’s a known fact that many early publications, often written 100 to 200 years after a person’s birth are chucked full of errors. I tried to dispel some of what I found in those old queries and prove some of the others. The book by Charles Stockings starts off with a claim of probate records for Rycherd ‎‎‎‎(Richard)‎‎‎‎ Knowlton of Knowlton Manner in England. He appears to be the only person to have ever found these records. Could they have been destroyed during WWII as so many others were? Sure, but no other records can be found to verify his findings. From looking over some of what is in his book, it appears in some cases he may have only visited cemeteries and in others, only looked a census records and filled in the blanks as he saw fit. Still there are other finding by Mr. Stocking can be verified.

I can not confirm who the father of David of Kendall County Illinois is nor can I disprove the traditional belief that his parents are Ephriam and Elizabeth ‎‎‎‎‎(Butler)‎‎‎‎‎ Knowlton. I can also not prove or disprove that David Knowlton of Kendall County Illinois if the father of Dexter Asa Knowlton of Stephenson County Illinois. I did however find some errors in both the Winnebago history, and those same errors appear to be in the book by Charles Stockings. Those corrections can be found in the notes of the parent or individual.

In 1817 James and John Knowlton buy land in Adman's Cty IL. This is the earliest record of a Knowlton I can find in IL. In 1818 John and James Knowlton buy more land in Adams County IL, an Adam Knowlton buys land in Brown County IL, Phillip and Nathan Knowlton in Peoria.

An Ephriam Knowlton buys land in Calhoun Cty IL on 4/13/1818, a private who severed in the 24th Reg. Infantry. It appears to read he is from Kendall County.

Calhoun County formed from Pike County, Illinois on 10 Jan 1825. The federal land grant wasn't enacted until 1820. Prior to that was the land-lease program which for the most part was a failure. After the war of 1812, vets were allowed to get land grants in Calhoun County. Perhaps this explains a land grant in 1818; however, this may or may not be Ephriam b. 1756.

"In May 1812, an act of Congress was passed which set aside bounty lands as payment to volunteer soldiers for the War against the British ‎‎‎‎‎‎(War of 1812)‎‎‎‎‎‎. The land was set aside in the present states of Arkansas, Michigan and Illinois. The bounty land in Illinois is located in the western part of the state between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. It includes all of the present counties of Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Pike, Schuyler, Stark, and Warren Counties. It also includes part of Henry and Bureau Counties, and those parts of Marshall and Putnam which are on the west side of the Illinois River. The area comprises about 5.4 Million acres. Approximately 3.5 Million was deemed fit for cultivation and was set aside for military bounties. The tract was surveyed in 1815-1816 and opened to settlement"

Who is this Ephriam Knowlton and how is he related to David, son of Ephriam and Elizabeth ‎‎‎‎‎‎(Butler)‎‎‎‎‎‎ Knowlton?

The land grant appears to read "private in Kendall County 24th regiment, infantry". This places him in Kendall County in 1818...or does it? Technically, Kendall still wasn't a county in 1818. With a total of 109 settlers located in the area, the petition to make the area a county wasn't presented until 1840. The document looks to read "county". It probably reads "company" as do other records.

Where is this Ephriam after 1818? Many veterans of the War of 1812 used the grants to purchase land, held the land on spec, and later sold the lands. Some never even lived on their lands; others took up to 10 to 15 years before they actually moved to their land grant tracks. There were few land routes available at this time and there still were hostilities with the Native Americans. Many, who came to Illinois from the north eastern states in the early 1800's to the late 1840's, floated via a series of canals and rivers. Not only did this take quite some time, it also took a great deal of preparation. Groups of families would gather together, plot their routes and then travel together. This is one reason why you tend to find "neighbors" in one state moving to another state and still be "neighbors". Often times these neighbors were also related.

There is an Ephriam "Woulton" born abt 1766 in the 1850 census of Kendall, Kendall, Illinois. Kendall is where David, son of Ephriam b. 1756 is found by 1850 and later the widow of Oliver P. Knowlton ‎‎‎‎‎‎(b. 23 Jan 1823 VT)‎‎‎‎‎‎. Kendall County was to be named Orange County but was changed by members of the Democratic Party to Kendall for Amos Kendall, friend of Pres. Andrew Jackson. Could it be because one of Kendall's men was one of the 109 residents of the area? If so, there is a chance that David Knowlton is the son of the Ephriam Knowlton who purchased land in 1818. David was already married by then with no reason at the time to move to Illinois from New York. This Ephriam Knowlton is about 10 years younger than the Ephriam Knowlton currently thought to be his father.

This also does not confirm which Ephriam Knowlton this is however could Ephriam "Woulton" be the Ephriam Knowlton, purchaser of the land in 1818. Ephriam "Woulton" is found in the Pavilion Cemetery, Kendall Township, Kendall Co., Il, which is where David Knowlton is buried, but as Ephraim "Moulton"

E. M. Footstone lying flat in lilacs.
Frank, son of D. & J. Moulton, Aged 2 ys 3 ms 19 dy, Oct 22 1871
In huge lilac bush.
Dr. James F. Ma...Died.... Two fragments lying in lilac bush.
Ephraim Moulton Sr., Born Feb 16 1767, Died June 19 1854;
Clantha P. Moulton, Born June 29 1833, Died Aug 16 1851;
Ephraim Moulton Jr., Born Mar 14 1805, Died Mar 10 1892;
Maria E. Moulton, Born Jan 2 1812, Died Feb 15 1871
Moulton Annals
Title: Moulton Annals
Author: Henry W. Moulton, Edited by Claribel Moulton
Publication: Edward A. Claypool; Chicago, IL; 1906
Page: p 68
Hampden, Massachusett records lists
Name: Ephraim Moulton
Birth: 16 Feb 1767 - Brimfield, Hampden, Massachusetts
Parents: John Moulton, Ruth Bound
Spouse: Matilda Lyon

Under the Federal Land Grant Act of 1820, Ephriam Moulton purchased land in Kendall County IL on 7/1/1851, this seems to confirm he went by the surname "Moulton".

Could his father have changed his name from Knowlton to Moulton....possible. It was quite common for men to change their surnames ecpecially if there were multiple men with the exact same name. There are Moultons going back to 1689 in NH. I believe this rules out Ephraim Moulton as the purchaser of land in 1818.

So, we still do not know the relationship of Private Ephraim Knowlton of Kendall's company and David Knowlton.

An Elisha Morgan, of the 45th Infantry also receives an IL land grant in 1818. David's ‎‎‎‎‎‎(son of Ephriam)‎‎‎‎‎‎ daughter Amilia is married to the son of an Elisha Morgan. Her parents also move to Kendall County. Her families land grant in Kendall is dated 7/1/1841 however there is no land grant in IL for David Knowlton. Her parents ‎‎‎‎‎‎(mother and step mother, father's stone appears to be missing)‎‎‎‎‎‎ are buried next to David Knowlton and his wife.

IL land grants for service in the war of 1812
James of Adams County - private in Capt. Joseph L. Barton's Co. Company 15th Reg. of Infantry
John of Adams County - private in Capt. Thomas S. Seymour's Co., 25th Reg. of Infantry
Andrew of Brown County - private in Capt. Elijah Hall's Co. Company, 45th Reg. of Infantry
Nathan of Peoria County - private in the F?? Company, 45th Reg. of Infantry
Phillip of Peoria County - private in the F?? Company, 45th Reg. of Infantry
John of Peoria County - corporal in the ??? 21st Infantry
The 24th Reg., in which Ephriam Knowlton servered, was not not indicated by company. ‎‎‎‎‎‎(see http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/1812/units-subunits.html)‎‎‎‎‎‎.

per "Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Saratoga County, New York", there is an Capt. Ephriam Knowlton of Saratoga County in the 45th reg. in 1812 and a Lt. Ephriam Knowlton in 1806.
in 1865, Dexter H. Knowlton is a trustee of the First Congegational church in Sarasota Springs, Saratoga County; we also find Dexter Asa Knowlton here. He is thought to be the son of David, grandson of Ephriam and Eliz. ‎‎‎‎‎‎(Butler)‎‎‎‎‎‎ Knowlton.
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Since the War Department did not retain copies of discharge certificates, relatively few are found among the records in NARA custody. Thus, thorough research of a soldier, company, or regiment requires inquiry into numerous other records, such as the registers of enlistments, enlistment papers, descriptive rolls, muster rolls, certificates of disability, bounty books, inspection returns, monthly returns, and post returns, all in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's-1917, RG 94; records relating to courts-martial in the Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General ‎‎‎‎‎‎(Army)‎‎‎‎‎‎, RG 153; company or orderly books in the Records of U.S. Army Commands, 1784-1821, RG 98; and various records in the Records of Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, RG 217.

The registers of enlistments, reproduced as NARA microfilm publication M233, Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914 ‎‎‎‎‎‎(81 rolls)‎‎‎‎‎‎, deserve special mention. The registers covering the period 1798-1815 include notations of all kinds of information entering the Adjutant General's Office about each soldier. Naturally, the amount of information varies considerably. It usually includes the name of the enlistee, his age, place of birth, physical description, the date he enlisted, the regiment for which he was enlisted, and the name of the person who enlisted him. It also includes the date and place of discharge. It may also include information such as where the soldier's unit was stationed, or that the soldier was included on a prisoner-of-war list, a muster roll, or subject of a courts-martial. If there was an issue relating to a pension, there may be a "see pension file" notation. The clerks entering the information appear to have been meticulous in entering data. For example, if there were discrepancies or conflicting information, such as different dates of enlistment or different places of birth given in different records, both dates or places were given. The 1798-1815 registers also include some notes about state militia officers, regular army officers, and U.S. Military Academy cadets. The registers for the 1798-1815 period are arranged roughly alphabetically by the first letter of the surname, then by first letter of the first name, then by the second letter of the surname, then by the second letter of the first name, and then roughly chronological by date of enlistment. Thus, for example, David Atkins would be found among other persons whose surnames and first names began with At___, Da___
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From the History of Kendall County Illinois
The original petition circulated in the fall of 1840 contained the names of 109 settlers, and asked the Illinois General Assembly to establish a new county comprised of nine townships. Originally, however, the nine townships would have consisted of Bristol, Little Rock, Kendall, Fox, Big Grove, and Lisbon townships in what is now Kendall County, plus Sandwich Township in DeKalb County and Mission and Northfield townships in LaSalle County.

But when the new county was finally proposed in the Illinois House, however, the new county's boundaries had been moved one township east, picking up Oswego, NaAuSay, and Seward townships, and dropping the ones now part of DeKalb and LaSalle counties. One of the remnants of that time a century and a half ago is that to this day, Sandwich Township residents often consider themselves more closely related to Kendall than DeKalb County.

When the bill to establish the new county came before the General Assembly in early 1841, its name was given as Orange County, probably after the area in New York State from where many of the new county's settlers had come. However, upon a motion by Democratic supporters of President Andrew Jackson, the name was changed to Kendall County, in honor of Jackson's Postmaster General, Amos Kendall. Kendall, who also acted as Jackson¹s powerful patronage chief Kendall and Jackson essentially invented modern political patronage had retired in 1840, and it is probable the Democrats who controlled the General Assembly wished to honor his memory. Another Jackson crony, Felix Grundy, was similarly honored when another portion of LaSalle County was separated into a new county.

Kendall Township was named after the county, which was named after Amos Kendall, a powerful Democratic politician in the Andrew Jackson administration. Kendall later became a business partner of Samuel F.B. Morse, inventor of the Morse Code and the electric telegraph, and made his fortune with Morse.
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	Verwandtschafts-Ereignisse
Geburt	15. April 1756 36 Newburg, Ulster Co., Ny
Heirat	Elizabeth Butler
Tod des Vaters	1801 (Alter 45) Thomas Knowlton (I45724) (Alter 81)
Tod	Ja
Letzte Änderung	15. März 2007 - 12:40:32 Zuletzt geändert von: dcoplien