…“Tale of Two Johns” Character Profiles

 

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Margaret Knox

b. abt 1814 - d. 1850-1860

 

 

Overview

 

Eldest daughter, Margaret Knox, b. abt 1814, married Amos Alfred Alexander sometime before 1834, when their first child was born. Why wasn’t she, or her heirs, named?

 

Family lore, passed on to me by Wilson Knox in October 1999, is that "one of John's daughters climbed out an upstairs window one night and ran off to be married against her father's wishes."  If John was very upset, he may have disinherited Margaret.  The details of this family tradition cannot be verified, but seem plausible, given her omission in his Will.  The family, and therefore Wilson, did not know her name; however, 1870 court papers eventually revealed her identity.

 

We do not know when Margaret (Knox) Alexander died.  She may have died before her father wrote his Will in 1853.  Our last record of her is in 1850, where she appears with her husband and family living in Hickman Co, TN. She does not appear in the 1860 census with her family, so is assumed to have died between the 1850 and 1860 censuses in Tennessee. My guess is that she died after her father wrote his will, but before he died; however, but this detail is yet to be discovered.

 

Her brothers’ deaths are the only reason we know of Margaret’s existence. John R. and Andrew S. Knox, both died AFTER their father died in July 1860 -- both without heirs "of their body."  John's Will gave specific instructions as to the disposition of their legacy in this event. In 1870, John's eldest son Robert J. Wilson Knox petitioned the Court to distribute his brothers' combined estates among the surviving "heirs at law" -- which by law included deceased daughter Margaret's heirs, duly documented in Court documents and Loose Estate Papers. [Mecklenburg Co, NC – Loose Estate Papers. Knox, Andrew S. & John R. 1863 <Reel 60, Box 145>]

 

Margaret’s namesake was probably her grandmother, Margaret (Henderson) Robison.

 

 

 

 

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1840 United States Federal Census

 

Name: Alford Alexander

Township: Lower Regiment , page 127)

County: Lincoln 

State: North Carolina

 

1 WM  30-40  (Amos Alfred Alexander, b 1807)

2 WM  0-5 (Robert D. Alexander b. 1834; John K Alexander b. 1836)

1 WF 20-30 (Margaret Knox, b. abt 1814)

2 WF  0-5 (Mary J. Alexander b. abt 1838 and  (male) Keziah b. about 1840?

 

Notes:

 

Family configuration fits known facts about this family. The given names Alford and Alfred were often used interchangeably.  Assume this is Amos Alfred Alexander son of Ephraim K. Alexander, and Margaret Knox daughter of John and Mary B. Knox.

 

Amos Alfred descends from the Alexander line that is apparently unrelated to the "Alexandriana" Alexanders of Mecklenburg.

 

 

1850 United States Federal Census

 

Name: Amos A Alexander

Age: 43

Estimated birth year: abt 1807

Birth Place: North Carolina

Gender: Male

Home in 1850(City,County,State): Hickman, Tennessee

 

HH 353:

 

Amos A., 43, NC, farmer

Margarette, 36, NC (b. abt 1814)

Robert, 16, NC (b. abt 1834)

John,14, NC

Mary, 12, NC

Kezziah, 10, NC (female)

Nancy, 9, NC  (b. abt 1841)

Eliza, 6, TN, (b. abt 1844)

Charley, 4, TN

George, 1, TN

 

Note:

 

Also in this HH is Thomas Harville, 44, Laborer, NC.  Logically, this entry may be why some researchers assumed that “Margarette” was a Harville.

 

 

1860 United States Federal Census

 

Name: A A Alexander

Age in 1860: 53 

Birth Year: abt 1807 

Birthplace: North Carolina 

Home in 1860: Perry, Tennessee

Gender: Male 

Post Office: Linden

 

Household Members: Name Age

A A Alexander 53 

John K Alexander 23 

Eliza An D Alexander 15 

Charles B Alexander 14 

Margaret Alexander 75  (Amos' mother, Margaret Price)

 

 

==================================

Charles Linn <[email protected]> wrote:

 

From: "Charles Linn"

To: "Peggy R. Bruckner"

CC: "Jean McClanahan"

Subject: Ancestors of Ruth Hunter Knox

Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 21:37:26 -0800

 

Hi Peggy,

 

This message relates to your web pages "Ancestors of Ruth Hunter Knox" at FamilyTreeMaker.com.

 

I want to thank you for making this very important genealogy information available, give you some information you probably don't have, and ask some questions.

 

My name is Bill Linn. A first cousin, Jean (Potter) McClanahan and I have been researching the genealogy of our great grandmother, Eliza (Alexander) Potter.

 

A few months ago Jean was searching microfilms on loan from the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City and found that our grandfather, David S. Potter, and his two siblings had received an inheritance from the estates of John R. Knox and Andrew S. Knox of Mecklenburg Co., NC.

 

In checking this out, she also found the June 25, 1853 Will of John Knox (senior) and the records of the 1870 -72 settlement of the John R. & Andrew S. Knox estate. After a lot of additional effort we were able to figure out how these Knox people were related to our Grandfather (and us). The next step was to research the Knox line more completely.

 

Results were poor until Jean found your web pages along with "Descendants of Robert Ewart Sr.", also at FamilyTreeMaker.com.  To make a long story short, we share common Knox ancestors with your "Ruth Hunter Knox" backward from John Knox (1777-1860) and Mary Brandon (1794-1874).

 

Here is some new information for you:

 

John Knox and Mary (Brandon) Knox had two additional daughters, Margarette and Mary, not shown

on your listing. (PRB note: Mary B. Knox who m. Benjamin B. Smith is already shown on the page)

 

Margarette (Margaret) Knox was the first born. She was born about 1814 in NC (per the 1850 Census of Hickman Co TN). She married Amos Alfred Alexander before 1834 died between 1850 and 1860 in TN.  She was my Grandfather's Grandmother and the Knox link for the inheritance.

 

The other daughter was Mary Knox who married Benjamin B. Smith and had children. We have no birth date for Mary, but she died before 1872 in Alabama.

 

This is what we learned from the microfilms:

 

John (Sr.) Knox of Mecklenburg Co., NC made his will June 25, 1853. He named his wife Mary, sons Robert J., Patrick J., John R. and Andrew S. as well as daughter Mary B. Smith.

 

Margarette was not named. She could have been deceased. She is listed with her husband Amos Alexander and family in the 1850 census - TN, Hickman Co., 353 - 50. The 1860 census does not list her with the family.

 

John Knox made bequests to all he listed. He left the bulk of his land (420 acres) to John R. and Andrew with the provision that they care for their mother and she have use of the land during her lifetime. If either John or Andrew died without heirs, their land would go to the remaining brother.

 

John (Sr.) died July 16, 1860. Andrew died November 17, 1861 without heirs. As specified in the will, Andrew's share then went to John R. as well.  John R. Knox died January 4, 1863 without a will or a wife. On September 3, 1870, Robert J. Knox petitioned the probate court to name Robert J. Knox, Patrick J. Knox, Mary Smith and the children of Margarette Alexander as heirs (tenants in common) and to sell the land and divide the proceeds equally.

 

This was done and the land was sold for $3000. This amount, plus interest and less expenses of the sale resulted in $3099.70 being equally divided between Robert J., Patrick J. and the children of Mary Smith and the children of Margarette Alexander.

 

Margarette's daughter, Eliza (our great grandmother) had also died. That is why our grandfather and his siblings, rather than their mother, were named as heirs for a portion of the estate.

 

We don't know why the delay in settling John R. Knox's estate (January 4, 1863 to 1870-72).  It could have been because Mary Brandon was still alive and still had dower rights.

 

 

============================

RootsWeb WorldConnect Project File:

 

http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jf-63&id=I05427

 

ID: I05427

Name: Amos Alfred Alexander

Sex: M

Birth: ABT. 1807

 

Father: Ephriam K. Alexander b: 25 JAN 1783 in Beatty's Ford, Mecklinburg Co., North Carolina

Mother: Margaret Price b: ABT. 1796

 

Marriage 1 Marguirete (F) b: 1814

Children

 Robert Alexander

 

============================

RootsWeb WorldConnect Project File:

 

http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hjackwells3&id=I6405

 

Jack Wells <[email protected]>

 

ID: I6405

Name: Amos Alfred ALEXANDER

Given Name: Amos Alfred

Surname: Alexander

Sex: M

Birth: ABT 1800

 

Note:

" The children of Ephraim K. Alexander and Margaret Price were: Nancy Davidson Alexander, who married Hugh McAulay., Amos Alfred Alexander, married Marguirete ___ , Martin N. Alexander, married Clarissa ____ , Susannah Alexander, mentioned in the will of Amos Alexander, "to descend to Ephraim's daughter, Susannah" (Amos's Will dated December 7, 1813.) Joseph J. Alexander, married to Pheriba Fowlkes, Ephraim Augustus "Gus" Alexander, married to Susan Frances Walker (My direct line.) Robert P. Alexander, married Martha _____, and Elizabeth Alexander.

 

Death: AFT 7 DEC 1813

Note: Susannah Alexander mentioned in the will of Amos Alexander: "to descend to Ephraim's daughter, Susannah" (Amos's Will dated December 7, 1813.)

 

Father: Ephraim K. ALEXANDER b: ABT 1770 in Beatties Ford, Mecklenburg Co, NC