KNOX FAMILY

A descendant of Major General Henry Knox of the American Revolution fame and the first Secretary of War, Titus Knox was born 10-8-1784 in Massachusetts. He married Margaret (Peggy) Sinnett who was born Nov. 1, 1794, also in Massachusetts. They came to Licking County, Ohio, in 1819 with the Granville Company. John Knox was born March 9, 1821, on their Licking County farm.¹

The family moved to a 384 acre farm in to Delaware County in 1837 when John was 15. They owned Lots 31 and 32 of Range XVI in Trenton Township.² John would buy the farm in 1872. Their children in the 1850 census were Lanson age 31, Elizabeth 22, Lewis 20, Orrin 16, Catharine 15 and Laura 13.  Margaret died August 7, 1859. Titus age 75, Orin25 and Amelia Ritus 47 from England were living with John Welchimer on Hartford Road and John's wife Lucinda (42) Cynthia Clemens (16) and Ira age 9.³  Titus died in1866.

In 1846, John married Esther Van Sickle who was born Nov. 1, 1794, the daughter of John VanSickle of New Jersey. She died in 1865 after giving birth to 6 children - only Alonzo was alive in 1880.⁴

On July 5, 1866, John married Lucinda F. Babcock (born 9-17-1832 in Canton, N.Y.) the daughter of Gurdon and Almira Babcock. Her parents lived with John and Lucinda. For 16 years Lucinda taught school.

John farmed 380 acres raising cattle and installed an orchard with grafts brought here from New Jersey in saddlebags in 1822. John also taught school in the winter months for 12 years, served as Justice of the Peace and School Director. He was active in the Baptist Church, the temperance movement, missionary work and Sunday School Superintendent. A Whig, John joined the Republican Party when it formed..

Alonzo was born March 31, 1852. He attended school in Sunbury the Denisom University in Granville for 3 years. In 1874 he entered Dana’s musical institute in Warren, Ohio. After graduation he formed the Granville Philharmonic Society of which he was leader and instructor.⁵

He enlisted in the Army for 5 years and was stationed at Fort Hayes where he became a Sergeant in the famous "Barracks Band."

On Sunday evenings he played his horn in the Broad Street Baptist Church where he met Clara Stone who played the organ when she was in town visiting relatives.

Clara Grummon was married to Israel Taylor Stone of McConnelsville. They had two children Harold W. born August 23, 1877, and Charlotte (Lottie) born March 5, 1879. Following her divorce she married Alonzo Knox in November 27, 1883 in Zanesville.⁶

They moved to Sunbury, Ohio, where they taught music from their home and throughout the country. In 1915, they sold their home on Johnstown Road and moved to Columbus where both continued to teach music. Alonzo died July 14, 1924. Clara died March 15, 1930.

Harold W. Stone (Stony) became a barber and Sunbury’s Mayor who found a unique way to brick Sunbury’s streets. That’s a story for another time. . . .

 BIBLIOGRAPHY
researched by Polly Horn

1.  Baskins, O. L. History of Delaware County and Ohio. (O. L. Baskin & Co., Chicago, 1880)
     p. 685.
2.  Beers, F. W.,  Atlas of Delaware County, Ohio.  1866.
    http://BigWalnutHistory.org/Local_History/maps/Trenton/1866-TrentonMap-Beers.jpg
3.  Federal Census 1850.  Ancestry.com
4.  Baskins, History of Delaware County and Ohio. p. 685
5.  Truxall, Ruth Domigan and McCormick, Esther. The People Book.  (Bicentennial Commission,
      Sunbury, Ohio, 1976)  p. 174
6.  Truxall,  The People Book. p.175.

(09/20/2012)