William Knight

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Knight-13163
William Knight (bef. 1717 - 1786)

William Knight
Born before 1717 in Rhode Islandmap
ANCESTORS ancestors
Son of Richard Knight and Penelope Dinah (Rice) Knight
Brother of Richard Knight and Jeremiah Knight
Husband of Marcy (Rhodes) Knight — married about 1734 in Providence, Rhode Islandmap
Husband of Ruth Knight — married 25 Oct 1761 in Cranston, Providence, Rhode Islandmap
DESCENDANTS descendants
Father of Henry Knight and Esther (Knight) Carpenter
Died 1786 after age 69 in Cranston, Providence County, Rhode Islandmap
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Profile last modified 17 Jun 2021 | Created 13 Mar 2019
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Biography

William was born before 1717[1] probably in Rhode Island, the son of Richard Knight and his wife Penelope.

William married more than once. Unsourced online profiles state that his first wife was Mary Rhodes.

William married his cousin, Ruth Knight, on 25 October 1761, too late to be the mother of most of his children. [2]

William passed away probably at Cranston between 14 July 1785 when he dated his will and 30 September 1786 when the will was exhibited to the Cranston Town Council for probate.[3] The will of William Knight of Cranston, yeoman, mentions:

wife Ruth Knight
daughter Susannah Potter, wife of David Potter
daughter Esther Carpenter, wife of Joseph Carpenter
son Christopher Knight (he being now absent), given the farm in Scituate passed to William by his Honor'd father Richard
grandsons William, Job, and Christopher, sons of his son Christopher
sons Job and Henry
Executors were his sons Job and Henry

Research Notes

No birth record is known. But in William's will, he states that he received his farm in Scituate from his father Richard, who had purchased it from Thomas Barnes. Richard in his will of 1754 states that the land he was passing to his son William was purchased of Thomas Barnes.

William appears as head of household in Cranston in the 1774 census of Rhode Island[4]. His household distribution and inferred attributions are

two white males over 16: William and unknown
one white female over 16: Ruth
one white female under 16: unknown
Sources

↑ age 60+ in 1777 Military Census of Rhode Island
↑ Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945, Cranston, Providence, Rhode Island, familysearch see at familysearch.org
↑ Town and probate records: 1754-1877 (Cranston and Smithfield, Rhode Island), Book 2, Pages 501--503, image online at Family Search
↑ 1774 Census
1774 Rhode Island Census, Cranston, Page 4, Entry 17 -- Knight William; citing transcription by Judith C. Harbold in Rhode Island Roots 32 p.28, March 2006.
"1777 Military Census: Cranston, Rhode Island" in Rhode Island Roots 8 (1982) Page 34