USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 23
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(VIII) Odle Close Knapp, son of Na- thaniel and Elizabeth (Close) Knapp, was born May 26, 1815, in Greenwich, and succeeded his father as proprietor of the
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store at Round Hill, being then only eighteen years of age. He had grown up to the business and when it became his own, conducted it successfully for fifty years. He was a director of the Greenwich Trust Company, the Green- wich Savings Bank, and the Greenwich Fire Insurance Company.
Mr. Knapp married (first) in 1841, Caroline B. Hobby, daughter of Guy B. Hobby, and they became the parents of two children : Caroline C., born Novem- ber 28, 1843, died August 26, 1847; and Joshua, born in 1846, died in 1869. Mrs. Knapp died in 1848, and Mr. Knapp mar- ried (second) Eunice A. Brown, whose ancestral record is appended to this biog- raphy. The children born of this mar- riage were the following: Sarah, born April 2, 1850, died January 31, 1879; Caro- line, born November 20, 1852, married Edward B. Reynolds, and died January 24, 1878; Anna M., born December 19, 1854, married Irving S. Balcom, a phy- sician, and died April 19, 1891 ; Charles O., born January 5, 1857, died January 15, 1913, in Saskatchewan; Kate Augusta, born August 9, 1859, married Allen A. Knapp, and is now deceased; John F., born April 19, 1861, now living at Ar- mour, South Dakota; and Nathaniel Au- gustus, mentioned below. Mrs. Knapp died March 5, 1879, and Mr. Knapp mar- ried (third) Mary A. Howland. The death of Mr. Knapp occurred November 15, 1888. He was a member of the Con- gregational church, a man of strong character, and held in the highest esteem by all to whom he was known.
(IX) Nathaniel Augustus Knapp, son of Odle Close and Eunice A. (Brown) Knapp, was born June 9, 1864, in Green- wich, and received his education in local public schools and at the Chappaqua Mountain Institute, a Friends' private school at Chappaqua, New York. At age
of twenty-one he began his business career in his father's store, succeeding him as owner of the concern and conducting it for twenty-six years. He then sold out and engaged in business as an auctioneer and real estate agent, following these two lines of endeavor until about ten years ago.
For some years Mr. Knapp was vice- president of the Greenwich Savings Bank, retaining the office until the bank went out of business. He was pres- ident of the Greenwich Fire Insur- ance Company until that institution was dissolved, and is now a director of the Greenwich Trust Company, in which his father formerly held a directorship.
Politically, Mr. Knapp is a Republican and has long taken an active part in com- munity affairs. For about two years he served as registrar of voters, and then for four years filled the office of selectman. In 1899 he represented his party in the Legislature, serving on the Insurance Committee, and proving himself the dis- interested champion of the rights of his constituents. He has since filled the of- fice of selectman for two years, afterward serving for four years as town treasurer. In 1914 he succeeded to the office of high- way commissioner, which he held for six years, resigning to accept again the office of treasurer, which he now holds.
The fraternal affiliations of Mr. Knapp are numerous. He is past master of Acacia Lodge, No. 85, Free and Accepted Masons, also affiliating with Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; the Im- proved Order of Red Men; the Benev- olent and Protective Order of Elks, in which he was first exalted ruler of his lodge; and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, of which he is a past counsellor. He is a director of the Young Men's Christian Association, and he and his family are members of the
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Congregational church, in which he has for years held the office of treasurer. He was for a long period superintendent of the Sunday school.
Mr. Knapp married, February 7, 1889, Emma Louise Gilmore, daughter of Thomas F. Gilmore, of New Haven, and they are the parents of a son and a daugh- ter : Charles Stanley, born June 5, 1893, now house physician at Roosevelt Hos- pital ; and Anna Louise, born April 21, 1897.
The record of Nathaniel Augustus Knapp is that of an all-round man, able and aggressive in business, wise and far- seeing in public affairs, and always help- fully active in promoting the truest and most essential interests in the life of his community.
(The Brown Line).
(I) Peter Brown was born in England in or about 1610, and in 1638 emigrated to New Haven, Connecticut. About 1647 he removed to Stamford, where he passed the remainder of his life. He married (first) in England, Elizabeth -, who was the mother of all his children, and (second) Unity Buxton, widow of Clem- ent Buxton. Peter Brown died in 1658.
(II) Hackaliah Brown, son of Peter and Elizabeth Brown, was born in 1645, and in 1665 settled at Rye, New York. He married (probably) Mary Hoit, daughter of John Hoit, of Stamford and Rye, and his death occurred in 1720.
(III) Major Hackaliah (2) Brown, son of Hackaliah (1) and Mary (Hoit) Brown, was born about 1695, and mar- ried Ann Kniffen. He died in 1780, and his will is recorded in New York county.
(IV) Nehemiah Brown, son of Major Hackaliah (2) and Ann (Kniffen) Brown, was born in 1726, at Greenwich, and mar- ried Sophia Park, daughter of Roger and Charlotte (Strang) Park. Nehemiah Brown died May 1, 1810.
(V) Major Brown, son of Nehemiah and Sophia (Park) Brown, was born in 1758, and was of Round Hill, Connecti- cut. He married Ruth Mead, daughter of Abram and Ruth (Lyon) Mead.
(VI) Abram Brown, son of Major and Ruth (Mead) Brown, was born in 1795.
(VII) Eunice A. Brown, daughter of Abram Brown, was born in 1822, and became the wife of Odle Close Knapp, as stated above.
KNAPP, Charles Whittemore,
Physician, Hospital Official.
That this is the name of one of the leading representatives of the medical fraternity of Greenwich a large majority of her citizens are fully aware. In addi- tion to the reputation which he has estab- lished in his home city Dr. Knapp has a war record of distinguished service abroad.
(I) Harry Knapp, great-grandfather of Dr. Charles Whittemore Knapp, was a son of Samuel Knapp, and a descendant of Nicholas Knapp, mentioned at length in preceding sketch.
(II) Henry Cornelius Knapp, son of Harry Knapp, married Helena Bucking- ham, and during the greater part of his life was a resident of New Haven, Con- necticut.
(III) Charles Lincoln Knapp, son of Henry Cornelius and Helena (Bucking- ham) Knapp, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He graduated from the high school of that city. As a young man he removed to Brooklyn, New York, where he lived many years. He became a manufacturer of corsets and underwear, and as long as he lived was engaged in that business. His later years were spent in Poughkeepsie, New York, where his home and place of business were both situated. Mr. Knapp married (first) Lily Whittemore, daughter of Franklin J.
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Whittemore. The original home of the Whittemores was in Hitchin, Hertford- shire, England, whence Thomas Whitte- more emigrated to Massachusetts, becom- ing one of the early settlers of Charles- town. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Knapp, Charles Whittemore, men- tioned below, was the only one who reached maturity. Mrs. Knapp passed away in 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Knapp were members of the Congregational church in which Mr. Knapp was an active worker, holding at different times various offices. Mr. Knapp married (second) Grace Preston, and of the children by that marriage only one, Aletta B., is now liv- ing. The death of Mr. Knapp occurred in 1917.
(IV) Dr. Charles Whittemore Knapp, son of Charles Lincoln and Lily (Whit- temore) Knapp, was born April 10, 1885, in New Haven, Connecticut. He was educated in Phillips Academy, Andover, graduating in 1904. In 1908 Yale Uni- versity conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and in 1912 he received from the College of Physicians and Sur- geons, New York City, the degree of Doc- tor of Medicine. In 1913 and 1914 he served in the Roosevelt Hospital, and he is now an associate in medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City. In 1915 Dr. Knapp became a resident of Greenwich, where he has ever since been engaged in active practice, building up a deservedly high reputation. His specialty is internal medicine and pediatrics. He is a member of the staff of the Greenwich Hospital, and holds the office of attending physician in the Van- derbilt Clinic, New York City.
At the time of the World War, Dr. Knapp offered his services to the govern- ment, and in 1918 was commissioned first lieutenant and assigned to Camp Jackson, South Carolina, where he remained two
months, being then assigned to Fort Ben- jamin Harrison. He was promoted to the rank of captain, and on October 26, 1918, sailed for France, where for nine months he served as chief of the Medical Service in Brest and Tours. In May, 1919, he was promoted to major, and in July of that year was discharged. Among the professional organizations in which Dr. Knapp is enrolled are the medical so- cieties of the City, County and State and the American Medical Association. He belongs to the Military Order of For- eign Wars, the Yale Club of New York, and the Psi Upsilon fraternity. He is identified with the Congregational church, his wife being a member of Christ Prot- estant Episcopal Church.
Dr. Knapp married, May 29, 1912, Phoebe Baker, daughter of William and Hannah (Griffin) Baker, and they are the parents of four children : Susan J., born May 30, 1913; Nancy Buckingham, born July 14, 1914; Phoebe Whittemore, born January 16, 1916; and Jane Lincoln, born October 24, 1918.
The career of Dr. Knapp has opened most auspiciously. In its early years he has made a two-fold record, a record of honorable service both in peace and war, and everything indicates that the years to come hold assurance of further achieve- ment and still more pronounced success.
KNAPP, Sylvester Livingston, Real Estate Dealer.
No private citizen wields greater power for or against the welfare and progress of a community than does, to some extent, every man to whom is committed the custody of its real estate interests. When any one representative of this very im- portant factor in the development of every town and city happens to be a man of foresight and initiative, the future of the
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Sylvester Livingston Rup
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community, insofar as it falls within his own sphere of action, is fully assured. That Mr. Knapp is this type of man no citizen of Stamford needs to be told, nor does any one require to be informed that to business ability he joins public-spirited zeal for the truest interests of his neigh- bors and townsmen.
(I) Isaac Knapp, grandfather of Syl- vester Livingston Knapp, was a native of Stamford, Connecticut, and a farmer in the Bangall district of the town.
(II) Joshua Knapp, son of Isaac Knapp, was born in Stamford, Connecti- cut. He was a farmer and a constructor of stone fences. About fifty years ago he built the stone fence surrounding Wood- land Cemetery. He was a man of promi- nence in the community, and at one time held the office of justice of the peace. Mr. Knapp married Mary Provost, daughter of Samuel Provost, and sister of Henry S. Provost, who is represented in this work by a biography containing the Provost genealogy.
(III) Sylvester Livingston Knapp, son of Joshua and Mary (Provost) Knapp, was born March 21, 1842, in Stam- ford, Connecticut. He was educated in the public schools of his native town. While yet a youth he engaged in busi- ness for himself as a general merchant in that part of the town known as Rox- bury. For about ten years he conducted a successful business, at the same time dealing in horses and carriages. His ex- perience in this line of business, and also that gained in a boyhood spent on a farm, led him in the course of time to abandon the grocery business and open a livery establishment. It need hardly be said that this was long before the days of automobiles and trolley cars, and the de- mand for vehicles to cover the territory surrounding Stamford was large. Mr. Knapp kept from forty to fifty head of
horses, and continuously employed from ten to fifteen men. As a natural adjunct he also conducted a boarding and training stable and continued to deal in horses and carriages. His business was carried on in partnership with Norman Provost un- der the firm name of Knapp & Provost for the long period of thirty-four years, seven months and twelve days, when the partnership was dissolved by the death of Mr. Provost. The business was then closed.
On October 15, 1896, Mr. Knapp, with two or three friends, purchased what was known as the Gay property, the sale be- ing made by General W. W. Skiddy. This was surveyed and laid out in build- ing lots, a street being cut through from Main street to Forest street and named by Mr. Knapp Suburban avenue. The street was paved, sdewalks and curbing laid, and trees planted. The house oc- cupied by the Suburban Club now stands on a part of this property, and almost the entire plot is built over, making a fine, quiet, residential district, within five minutes' walk of the town hall. Through- out this transaction Mr. Knapp showed himself to be a man of vision, capable of foreseeing the results of what he was do- ing. He was fully aware that the prop- erty would develop both in value and desirability, and he built and sold many of the residences on the land. Every promise and prediction that he made to purchasers has been more than fulfilled.
On September 10, 1919, Mr. Knapp was elected president of the Grocers' Cost and Profit Guide Company, of which he had been one of the organizers. This com- pany publishes a book of tables showing at a glance just what price a merchant must charge for any unit of measurement of merchandise to make any desired per- centage of profit on the selling price and not on the cost. The record of Mr. Knapp
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speaks for itself, showing him to be be- yond all question one of Stamford's "men of mark," and in his portrait we see that he looks the man he is.
The name of Sylvester Livingston Knapp will always be remembered in Stamford, for it is "writ large" on one of the most attractive portions of that beau- tiful city.
KNAPP, John H.,
Banker, Honored Citizen.
In the very early days a hilltop or knoll was called a knapp, and it is from this that the surname of Knapp has been derived. It was first assumed by one who lived near such a hill, and after the thirteenth century came into general use as a surname. The Knapp family has for many generations been prominent in the annals of Connecticut, particularly in the affairs of Fairfield county. The first set- tler of this branch of the family in Fair- field county was among the leading men of that county, and since that time each generation has added its quota of promi- nent and leading citizens. They have been men who have been at the head of the industries and the professions, as well as foremost in the public and civic life of the communities.
(I) Nathan Knapp, grandfather of John H. Knapp, took part in the Revolution. The Christian name of his wife was Sarah, and they were the parents of John, of whom further.
(II) John Knapp, son of Nathan and Sarah Knapp, learned the trade of shoe- maker, and at an early age was engaged in business on his own account. He was interested in all public matters, and for a time served as captain of a militia com- pany. Mr. Knapp married Betsey Hoyt, who was born in Norwalk, a daughter of Thomas Hoyt, and a descendant of a
prominent Norwalk family. Their chil- dren were: Charles, Anson, Mary (Mrs. Sands Reed); John H., of further men- tion ; and Burr. All of the children are now deceased except John H. Knapp.
(III) John H. Knapp, son of John and Betsey (Hoyt) Knapp, was born in South Norwalk, Connecticut, November 15, 1825. He was educated in the public schools, and learned the trade of hatter, which he followed for a few years. Re- signing from his occupation, Mr. Knapp engaged in business as a "Yankee ped- dler," a kind of itinerant merchant now rarely seen. He drove two horses at- tached to a red wagon, carrying in the latter all sorts of tin kitchen utensils, brooms, etc. In those days when trans- portation facilities were meager, the visit of the "Yankee peddler" was most wel- come in the rural districts. He brought news of the outside world, as well as needed merchandise, and as money was not plentiful, he often bartered his goods for farm produce. The territory covered by Mr. Knapp was Long Island and up the Hudson river towns as far as Albany, as well as the towns in Southwestern Connecticut. After about three years of this employment, Mr. Knapp became a clerk in New York City, and in 1860, in partnership with Edwin Ward, under the firm name of Ward & Knapp, he engaged in the wholesale toy business on Williams street, New York City. They also car- ried on a retail trade and were very suc- cessful. Baby carriages became the most important branch of their business. In 1875 Mr. Knapp sold his interest, having removed to South Norwalk some years previous. After the latter year Mr. Knapp made his home in South Norwalk, and as vice-president of the South Nor- walk Savings Bank, his business interests were there also. He has held the office since its incorporation up to the present
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The American Histo So vety
Ener Within & Br NY
John J Knapp
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
time (1921), and for years was also vice- president of the City National Bank of Norwalk. For thirty years Mr. Knapp was an appraiser of the bank's properties.
In the old training days, Mr. Knapp was a member of Mohegan Company of Militia, holding the rank of corporal. The home in which Mr. Knapp resides on the top of Flax Hill, was built on the site on which stood the house in which he was born, and the latter house was removed to a adjoining lot by Mr. Knapp, where it is now occupied and is in a splendid state of preservation.
There is no citizen in South Norwalk more highly esteemed than Mr. Knapp. His fine character and sunny disposition have won him a host of friends. It is given to very few men to live to the age of ninety-four years, Mr. Knapp's age, and to a much smaller number to enjoy all their faculties in such strength that they are able to take a keen pleasure in following current events and to transact business with the sound judgment and shrewdness of successful men in the prime of life. Mr. Knapp's hearing has failed somewhat and his eyesight is not so good as formerly, but there are many men of sixty years who are worse handicapped in these respects. His handwriting is exceptionally legible and written with scarcely a tremor of the hand.
Mr. Knapp married (first) Catherine Rebecca Whitlock, daughter of Andrew and Cornelia (Kazien) Whitlock, and there were two children by this marriage : Cornelia, who died in infancy; and Charles, who died at the age of twenty- eight years. In 1880 Mr. Knapp married (second) Julia Grumman, daughter of Josiah and Mary Grumman, of Litchfield ; before her marriage Mrs. Knapp was a school teacher and is a splendidly edu- cated woman of the intellectual type.
KNAPP, Alfred B.,
Business Man.
Alfred B. Knapp was born in Pound- ridge, New York, June 20, 1854, son of Orin and Ann Augusta (Quick) Knapp (see Quick III). Orin Knapp was a farmer of Poundridge. Alfred B. Knapp attended the local public schools, assisted his father on the home farm, and on reach- ing manhood engaged in the milk busi- ness independently in Springdale, Con- necticut. Several years later the entire family moved to that place from Pound- ridge. In Springdale the milk business was in its infancy, and Mr. Knapp was entitled to the distinction of having been one of its pioneers, having previous to his marriage built up an extensive route. He carried on the business for a number of years later and then sold out in order that he might be free to open a grocery store under the name of Knapp & Miller, Jere- miah Miller being the other member of the firm. After conducting it for a con- siderable period, he established the Springdale Ice Company, the first con- cern to manufacture artificial ice in Springdale. Beginning with a five-ton plant he built up a large business before he retired. The plant now manufactures twenty-two tons a day, a fact which evinces a remarkable growth, the business being only about six years old. Some two years ago Mr. Knapp established a coal and wood business as an adjunct, being the Springdale representative of the firm of Graves & Strong, of Stamford. Since his death the combined concern has been incorporated as the Springdale Ice and Coal Company. They find a market for their merchandise in all the suburbs of Stamford. Mr. Knapp's business activity extended into numerous fields. He oper- ated a cider mill, owned a threshing machine, widely used in the neighbor-
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hood, and also engaged in contracting and teaming. He acquired extensive real es- tate holdings, built and sold a number of houses, and devoted considerable of his time to the management of his property interests. In politics Mr. Knapp was a Democrat, but never engaged actively in public affairs, preferring to do his duty as a private citizen. He affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Knapp married, April 20, 1882, El- len Louise Miller, daughter of Lewis B. and Mary Louise (Bell) Miller. The Benedicts are an old English family, trac- ing from William Benedict, who was of Nottinghamshire, in 1500, and whose lin- eal descendant, Thomas Benedict, was in Massachusetts in 1638, and later removed to Long Island. Mrs. Miller was the daughter of Harmon Bell. The different branches of the Bell family emigrated from Northern England, Scotland, and the North of Ireland, settling in a num- ber of the American colonies. Mr. and Mrs. Knapp were the parents of one son, Gilford Benedict, a sketch of whom fol- lows. Mrs. Knapp, Sr., is a member of Immanuel Protestant Episcopal Church.
On February 14, 1919, Mr. Knapp's use- ful and well spent life was closed, leaving many to mourn his loss, for he was loved by a large circle of friends and respected by the entire community. The narrative of his career should be preserved, for it teaches a lesson of sturdy self-reli- ance, aggressive industry, and honestly achieved success.
(The Quick Line).
(I) John Quick was a farmer of North Salem, New York, where he died. His wife was a Miss Tyler, and died at the venerable age of ninety-two years.
(II) Elijah Quick, son of John Quick, was born in North Salem, New York. He followed the carpenter's trade. He mar- ried Sarah Van Scoy (see Van Scoy II),
and died at the comparatively early age of forty-four years, his death being caused by typhoid fever. He passed away at North Salem in 1847 or 1848, and the death of his widow occurred in January, 1851. They were the parents of the fol- fowing children, all of whom were born in North Salem : Ann Augusta, mentioned below; Lucinda, died in infancy ; Oliver, died in Purdy Station, New York; Mary Jeannette, died in Poundridge, New York; Eliza, died at the age of sixteen ; Nancy, died July 16, 1911, in Hartford, Connecticut; Andrew, died in Harpers Ferry, during the Civil War; Jane; Wil- liam Henry, died in Danbury, Connecti- cut ; and Cyrus, also died in Danbury, about 1862.
(III) Ann Augusta Quick, daughter of Elijah and Sarah (Van Scoy) Quick, was born May 7, 1836. She became the wife of Orin Knapp, as stated above. Mrs. Knapp died December 31, 1899.
(The Van Scoy Line).
(I) Abraham Van Scoy was born Janu- ary 7, 1760, in Dutchess county, New York, and lived as a farmer in North Salem, New York. He married Hannah Bostwick, who was born September 21, 1778, in Bedford, New York. Mr. Van Scoy died September 1, 1844, and the death of his widow occurred March 30, 1851.
(II) Sarah Van Scoy, daughter of Abraham and Hannah (Bostwick) Van Scoy, was born January 22, 1807, and be- came the wife of Elijah Quick (see Quick II).
KNAPP, Gilford B.,
Business Man.
Mr. Knapp's early business life was spent in connection with brokerage firms of New York City's financial district, but since 1913 he has been associated with the
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organization founded by his father, the Springdale Ice and Coal Company. He is well and favorably known in the local- ity in which his business interests are centered, and is identified with several organizations, social and fraternal.
Gilford B. Knapp, son of Alfred B. and Ellen Louise (Miller) Knapp (q. v.), was born in Springdale, Connecticut, Decem- ber II, 1883. He attended the public schools and Bell's Academy, of Stamford, and completed his studes at Merrill's Business College, of Stamford. His first business experience was in the employ of James D. Smith & Company, with which firm he remained six years, and he was subsequently for a like length of time with Ferris & White, both brokerage houses of New York City. During this period he continued to reside in Spring- dale, and in 1913 he left New York and became associated with his father in the management of the Springdale Ice Com- pany. This concern afterward became the Springdale Ice and Coal Company, and upon the death of the elder Knapp in 1919, Gilford B. Knapp succeeded to the presidency, a position he now fills. In November, 1919, the company extended its field of operation by the purchase of the ice business of Mr. Brown, of New Canaan, and is now supplying that town with ice. Mr. Knapp's qualifica- tions for the direction of his prosperous business are those of thorough experience in his particular line and a natural apti- tude for affairs of business inherited from his honored father.
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