Elias Jeremias Knappenberger

Elias Jeremias Knappenberger: Known as "Eli" was born 26 April 1843 in Allentown, Lehigh County, PA and died 22 January 1926 in Ross Township, Clinton County, Indiana. Eli was the youngest son of Philip and Anna Knappenberger and left his hometown at the age of 16 and traveled west to the state of Indiana. In Indiana, Eli met and married his wife, Elemina NAGLE, daughter of John Nagle and Anna Harmon, on 26 October 1867 in Clinton County, Indiana. Elemina (sometimes spelled Elmina), was born 2 September 1848 in Pennsylvania and died 26 November 1907 in Clinton County, Indiana. Eli and his family returned to Pennsylvania about 1870 for several years but then moved back about 1879 and remained in Indiana. Eli was a farmer but when he retired, he took up the work of a shoemaker having learned that trade in his early life. This couple and many of their children are buried in St. Luke's Cemetery, Clinton County, Indiana. They had twelve children. Three, possibly four children of Eli and Elemina died in the diphtheria epidemics of 1880-1920, Clara Dorida (1874-1880), Milton Joseph (1876-1880), Edgar George (1879-1904) and Sarah (c 1873-?). Edgar George died in his 25th year just one month after his older brother, Francis, died from typhoid. Eli married again after Elemina's death to Melissa MARTIN SWOPE on 13 December 1909 in Clinton County, Indiana. Melissa was born 9 March 1867 in Kansas and died sometime before 1920 in Clinton County, Indiana. The 1920 census indicates that Eli was 76 years old and a widow at that time.

Information was taken with permission from: http://www.knappenberger.net/usa.htm

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• Residence: 1860 - South White Hall Township, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Reference: 1860 United States Federal Census - SmartCopy: Jan 14 2018, 1:11:52 UTC