CHURCH: Next to Albright himself, John Dreisbach is the most important figure in the history of the church [Evangelical Association]
Martin Dreisbach had emigrated to Ohio about 1809 or 1810 with his wife and five children. One his way to Ohio his wife died at or near Pittsburgh, Pa. He proceeded on his way with his motherless children and settled in Ross County, twelve miles east of Chillicothe. In the course of time he returned East and married Anna, who made her bridal trip of over four hundred miles, through great forests and over unbridged streams on horesback.
Isaac possessed the Valley farm of his father... For fully seventy years he was identified with the church [Evangelical Association], giving liberally of his abundant means for the furtherance of her interests and enterprises.
The parentage of Byron Knight is a mystery, and has been the source of much speculation. I have in my possession the baby book of Marjorie Esther (Knight) Wolfe. Recorded in that book is her pedigree chart. It lists Byron Knight's parents as James H. Knight and Elizabeth Wicklin. It was while attempting to document that information that I spoke to Uncle Robert (Robert E. Knight), who had been researching the family history for many years. First he related two family traditions to me:1. Robert stated that his father, Otto E. Knight, had been told by Byron that he (Byron) had been the result of a "summer fling."
2. A gun had been handed down in the family that supposedly had been owned by one of the Younger gang.
3. Bryon's mother's name was Elizabeth.
He told me that when he learned that there was a McKnight who ran with the gang, he thought there might be a connection with our Knight line and started to research this McKnight family. Based on the information he found, he related the following possible scenario to me. Which parts of this story were the result of his research, and which were him "filling in the blanks" was not real clear. He was a wonderful storyteller, but he was not good about recording his sources.
There were two brothers. The first was a bankrobber who ran with the Younger gang, and was killed robbing a bank. The second brother fought in the Civil War. He was married to a woman by the name of Elizabeth Morrison. Elizabeth was from Pennsylvania. She had been previously married, and moved to the west with her husband. They had a son who was sent back to Pennsylvania to be raised by her father who was a mortician. After the death of her husband (McKnight) she had later married a man by the name of Keys. He had something to do with the invention of refrigeration.
Robert thought that perhaps Elizabeth was Byron's mother, and that she had affair with the bankrobber brother (the summer fling) resulting in the birth of Byron. Or that Byron might have been the legitimate son of Elizabeth and the soldier, McKnight.
I listened to the story, but really didn't give it much credance. Afterall, it did not seem to agree with the information in the baby book mentioned above.
Shortly thereafter I was looking for Byron in the 1880 census of Davies County, Missouri. Byron and Margaret Daniel were married in that location in 1881, and I was hoping to find him living with his parents in 1880. I looked through every household in that county, but was not able to locate Byron. However, much to my surprise, I located Margaret Daniel living in the Keys household! They were running a boarding house, and Margaret was their cook. I have yet to locate Byron in any records prior to his marriage to Margaret in 1881, but it appears that Byron is connected to the family that was connected with the Younger gang.
Since Elizabeth had sent a son home to live with her father previously, Uncle Robert thought the same might be the case with Byron also -- if, in fact, the Elizabeth was his mother. Therefore I searched in Pennsylvania for Morrison families and found the following which I found interesting:
1860 Census - Hamilton Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania:
1870 Census - Menallen Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania:203/223 Morrison, John (MW/51) - Butcher - Born in Pennsylvania
Washington (MW35) - Farmer - Born in Pennsylvania
Nancy (FW/38) - Keeping house - Born in Pennsylvania
Marion (FW/37) - Keeping house - Born in PennsylvaniaTwo doors away was the following family:
205/225 Morrison, William (MW/63) - Farmer - Born in Pennsylvania
Rebecca (FW/62) - Keeping House - Born in Pennsylvania
McKnight, Mary (FW/28) - Born in Pennsylvania
Morrison, Thomas B. (MW/26) Farm laborer - Born in Pennsylvania
W. Scott (MW/21) Attending college - Born in Pennsylvania
Gooden, Susan (FB/16) Domestic servant - Born in Pennsylvania
McKnight, William (MW/3) - Born in Pennsylvania
FRIENDS/ASSOCIATES: Ann Black - Neighbor in 1900 census
Wallace Black - Neighbor in 1900 census
Thomas Bright - Neighbor in 1910 Census
William Brown - Neighbor in 1900 census
Abner Burton - Neighbor in 1900 census
John Burton - Neighbor in 1900 census
William K. Carson - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Lottie Darr - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Charles Dobbs - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Henry Gilbert - Neighbor in 1900 census
Joseh Gilbert - Neighbor in 1900 census
David Grey - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Melbourne Grey - Boarder in 1910 Census
George Hall - Neighbor in 1900 census
Jackson - Boarder in 1910 Census
Lawrence Kish - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Margret McKee - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Sherman Harmon - Neighbor in 1900 census
Lottie Miller - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Henry Osborn - Neighbor in 1900 census
Horace Owen - Neighbor in 1900 census
Richard Pack - Neighbor in 1900 census
Joseph Patton - Neighbor in 1900 census
John Payne - Boarder in 1910 Census
M. V. Robinson - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Wanda Sienering - Boarder in 1910 Census
James Tiller - Neighbor in 1910 Census
Charles Wall - Boarder in 1910 Census
John Watson - Boarder in 1910 Census
Moses Wuts - Neighbor in 1910 CensusRESEARCHED: Memories: Being a History of Early Times in Davies County, Missouri, by John F. Jordan. I checked for information on surnames Daniel, Daniels, Knight, and McKnight. (This book can be located at the Family History Center in Las Vegas, NV)
RESEARCHED: Requested birth record for Byron Knight or Byron McKnight from County Clerk, Davies County, Missouri, Gallatin, MO 64640. Their response: The Davies County birth and death records include only the years 1883-1893. Births and deaths after 1910 are on file in Jefferson City, Missouri at the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
CHURCH: I have a note in my records that Margaret was a mennonite, Pennsylvania Dutch, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I do not know the source of this information.
BURIAL: Inurnment was at Chapel of the Pines in Los Angeles, California (Memorial Card of Otto E. Knight)
FRIENDS/ASSOCIATES: Claire Banth - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knigh
Joe Banth - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
P. J. Biesee - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Frank R. Brunner - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Dale Bullard - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Eddie Burton - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Phil & Frances Carrell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Jean Carson - Relative attending Otto's funeral
Pearl Carson - Relative attending Otto's funeral
L. Castilla - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Helen Clement - Friend attending Otto's funeral
J. B. Cook - Friend attending Otto's funeral
C. Orville Courtney - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Mary Dougherty - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Dorothy Erickson - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Bob Giffin - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Lou Giffin - Friend attending Otto's funeral
P. (Jack) Goddard - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Bob Greiner - Friend attending Otto's funeral
William Hale - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
James Hornbeck - Relative attending Otto's funeral
Lena Hornbeck - Relative attending Otto's funeral
Charles Hum - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Frances Hurley - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Ruth Jacobson - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Mary Knight - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Norman - Miller - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Edith Millspaugh - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Otis Millspaugh - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Ernest Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Joyce Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Pamela Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Ruth Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Dorthea Neel - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Jim Neel - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Otto Ploetz - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Augustine Ploetz - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Meloin P. Randall - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Lee E. Stradley - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Carl Sutton - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Frank Thompson - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Verne K. Tucker - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Joe Wiley - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Betty Wolfe - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Wally Wolfe - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Walter Zurich - Friend attending Otto's funeralRESEARCHED: Requested Birth Certificate for Otto E. Knight from County Recorder, Madison County, Madison, Nebraska 68748. They referred me to Bureau of Vital Statistics at Lincoln, Nebraska, but stated that since Nebraska had been registering births only since 1904 that it was unlikely that his birth was recorded.
BURIAL: Inurnment was at Chapel of the Pines in Los Angeles, California (Memorial Card of Otto E. Knight)
FRIENDS/ASSOCIATES: Claire Banth - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knigh
Joe Banth - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
P. J. Biesee - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Frank R. Brunner - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Dale Bullard - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Eddie Burton - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Phil & Frances Carrell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Jean Carson - Relative attending Otto's funeral
Pearl Carson - Relative attending Otto's funeral
L. Castilla - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Helen Clement - Friend attending Otto's funeral
J. B. Cook - Friend attending Otto's funeral
C. Orville Courtney - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Mary Dougherty - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Dorothy Erickson - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Bob Giffin - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Lou Giffin - Friend attending Otto's funeral
P. (Jack) Goddard - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Bob Greiner - Friend attending Otto's funeral
William Hale - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
James Hornbeck - Relative attending Otto's funeral
Lena Hornbeck - Relative attending Otto's funeral
Charles Hum - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Frances Hurley - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Ruth Jacobson - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Mary Knight - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Norman - Miller - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Edith Millspaugh - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Otis Millspaugh - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Ernest Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Joyce Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Pamela Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Ruth Mitchell - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Dorthea Neel - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Jim Neel - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Otto Ploetz - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Augustine Ploetz - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Meloin P. Randall - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Lee E. Stradley - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Carl Sutton - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Frank Thompson - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Verne K. Tucker - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Joe Wiley - Friend attending Otto's funeral
Betty Wolfe - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Wally Wolfe - Made floral offering at funeral of Otto E. Knight
Walter Zurich - Friend attending Otto's funeralRESEARCHED: Requested Birth Certificate for Otto E. Knight from County Recorder, Madison County, Madison, Nebraska 68748. They referred me to Bureau of Vital Statistics at Lincoln, Nebraska, but stated that since Nebraska had been registering births only since 1904 that it was unlikely that his birth was recorded.