Personal Details

Born	July 4th, 1807
Birthplace	Canajoharie, county of Mongomery, NY, USA
Baptized	No Entry
Baptized at...	No Entry
Baptized by...	No Entry
Baptized in...	No Entry
Occupation(s)	No Entry
Died	October 9th, 1876, aged about 69 years
Died at...	Knoxville, county of Knox, IL, USA
Cause of Death	No Entry
Burial Place	Knoxville cemetery, Knoxville, county of Knox, IL, USA
Disposition	No Entry

Parents

Father	[670_sa_f]	James Knox 6
Mother	[670_sa_m]	Nancy (Ehle) Knox 6

Spouses, Mates & Children

Wife #1 [670] - Prudence Hubbard (Blish) Knox 7 Married by: No Entry Married at: Knoxville, county of Knox, Illinois, USA Children by this spouse: No Records of Children

Immediate Family Tree

Gen. 7	Gen. 6	Gen. 5	Gen. 4	Gen. 3
Honorable James Knox	James Knox	No Entry	No Entry	No Entry
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	Nancy (Ehle) Knox	No Entry	No Entry	No Entry
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Personalized History Timeline, 1807 to 1876

1231-1808: Papal Inquisition from before birth until age 1 1478-1834: Torquemada's Spanish Inquisition from before birth until age 27 1760-1820: Reign of King George III (Hanover) from before birth until age 13 1792-1815: Napoleonic war from before birth until age 8 1800-1809: Thomas Jefferson elected president of US from before birth until age 2 1807: Robert Fulton makes 1st practical steamboat voyage at age 0 1808: Import of new slaves into US Is banned at age 1 1808: Pompeii excavation begins in earnest at age 1 1809: Charles Darwin born at age 2 1809-1816: James Madison elected president of US from age 2 to age 9 1810: Homeopathy founded at age 3 1810: US pop. reaches 7.2 million at age 3 1812-1814: War of 1812 from age 5 to age 7 1812: Missouri organized as a territory at age 5 1812: Louisiana enters the union - 18th at age 5 1815: Battle of Waterloo at age 8 1815: French outlaw slavery in France at age 8 1815: Sumbawa volcano (Indonesia) erupts; 50,000 killed at age 8 1816: Stethoscope at age 9 1816: Indiana enters the union - 19th at age 9 1816: Photographic Negative at age 9 1817-1825: Erie canal constructed from age 10 to age 18 1817: Mississippi enters the union - 20th at age 10 1817: Pentrich Revolution - England's last revolution at age 10 1817: Alabama organized as a territory at age 10 1817-1823: 1st Cholera pandemic from age 10 to age 16 1817-1824: James Monroe president of US from age 10 to age 17 1818: Savannah 1st steamship to cross the Atlantic at age 11 1818: Illinois enters the union - 21st at age 11 1819: Alabama enters the union - 22nd at age 12 1819: Oersted discovers electro-magnetism at age 12 1819: Arkansas organized as a territory at age 12 1820: Maine enters the union - 23rd at age 13 1820-1830: Reign of King George IV (Hanover) from age 13 to age 23 1821-1829: Greek war of Independence from age 14 to age 22 1821: 1st US women's college at age 14 1821: US pop. reaches 9.2 million at age 14 1821: Missouri enters the union - 24th at age 14 1822: Florida organized as a territory at age 15 1824-1828: John Quincy Adams president of US from age 17 to age 21 1824: Internal Combustion Engine at age 17 1824: Erie canal finished at age 17 1826: 1st railroad tunnel (England) at age 19 1827: Ship's propeller (screw) at age 20 1827: 1st Black newspaper Freedom's Journal at age 20 1827: Ohms Law formulated at age 20 1828: 1st Webster's Dictionary at age 21 1828: 1st railroad in the US at age 21 1828-1836: Andrew Jackson president of US from age 21 to age 29 1829: 1st US patent on a typewriter at age 22 1829-1851: 2nd Cholera pandemic from age 22 to age 44 1830: Graduated from Yale College at age 23 1830: Mormons (Latter Day Saints) founded at age 23 1830-1860: Underground railroad leads 100,000+ slaves to freedom in US from age 23 to age 53 1830-1837: Reign of King William IV (Hanover) from age 23 to age 30 1832: Horse-drawn trolleys in New York at age 25 1833: Admitted to the bar at age 26 1833: Slavery abolished in British Empire (home and colonies) at age 26 1833: Telegraph at age 26 1834: Modern computer conceived by Charles Babbage at age 27 1835: Halley's Comet at age 28 1835-1842: 2nd Seminole War from age 28 to age 35 1835: Mormon leader Joseph Smith prophesies of 'coming of lord' by 1891 at age 28 1836: Arkansas enters the union -25th at age 29 1836: Battle of the Alamo at age 29 1836: Texas war for independence from Mexico at age 29 1837-1901: Reign of Queen Victoria (Hanover) from age 30 until after line end 1837: Depression and Panic in the US - inflation, speculation at age 30 1837: Michigan enters the union - 26th at age 30 1837-1840: Martin Van Buren president of US from age 30 to age 33 1838-1839: Forced relocation of Cherokee from age 31 to age 32 1839-1842: Opium war between China and the English from age 32 to age 35 1841-1844: John Tyler president of US from age 34 to age 37 1841: Married to Prudence Hubbard Blish at age 34 1842: Chinese cede Hong Kong to the English at age 35 1844: 1st telegraph line message, Washington to New York at age 37 1845-1849: Irish Potato Famine from age 38 to age 42 1845-1848: James K Polk president of US from age 38 to age 41 1845: Florida enters the union - 27th at age 38 1845: Texas enters the union - 28th at age 38 1846-1848: The Mexican-US War from age 39 to age 41 1846: Wife Prudence dies at age 39 1846: Iowa enters the union - 29th at age 39 1847: Delegate to the State constitutional convention at age 40 1848: NY allows women to own real estate at age 41 1848: Oregon organized as a territory at age 41 1848-1856: 1st gold rush in California -- Sutters Mill from age 41 to age 49 1848: Wisconsin enters the union - 30th at age 41 1849: Fizeau measures speed of light at age 42 1849-1852: Zachary Taylor president of the US from age 42 to age 45 1850: California enters the union - 31st at age 43 1850: New Mexico organized as a territory at age 43 1850: World pop. est. at 1.1 billion at age 43 1850: Utah (included Nevada) organized as a territory at age 43 1850: US pop reaches 23 million at age 43 1851: Gold rush in Australia at age 44 1852-1859: 3rd Cholera pandemic from age 45 to age 52 1853: Washington (included pt. of Idaho) organized as a territory at age 46 1853-1856: Franklin Pierce president of US from age 46 to age 49 1853-1857: Congressman from age 46 to age 50 1854-1856: Crimean War from age 47 to age 49 1854: Kansas organized as a territory at age 47 1854: Nebraska organized as a territory at age 47 1857-1860: James Buchanan president of US from age 50 to age 53 1857-1866: Transatlantic cable laid from age 50 to age 59 1857: Dred Scott decision: Blacks could not be US citizens at age 50 1858: Minnesota enters the union - 32nd at age 51 1858: India bill transfers government of India to England at age 51 1859: Darwin pub. Origin Of Species at age 52 1859: Oil Well at age 52 1859: Oregon enters the union - 33rd at age 52 1860: South Carolina Secedes from the Union at age 53 1860: Rifled barrel invented at age 53 1861: Transcontinental Telegraph completed at age 54 1861-1865: Civil War from age 54 to age 58 1861-1865: Abraham Lincoln president of US from age 54 to age 58 1861: North Dakota organized as a territory at age 54 1861: Nevada organized as a territory at age 54 1861: South Dakota organized as a territory at age 54 1861: The Apache Declare War on the US at age 54 1861: Colorado organized as a territory at age 54 1861: Gold rush in New Zealand at age 54 1861: Kansas enters the union - 34th at age 54 1861-1865: Confederate States of America Exist from age 54 to age 58 1861: Trip to Berlin, Germany at age 54 1862: US Homestead act at age 55 1863: West Virginia enters the union - 35th at age 56 1863: Idaho organized as a territory at age 56 1863: Battle of Gettysburg at age 56 1863: Arizona organized as a territory at age 56 1863-1879: 4th Cholera pandemic from age 56 until after line end 1863: Emancipation Proclamation frees southern slaves at age 56 1864: Nevada enters the union - 36th at age 57 1864: Louisiana organized as a territory at age 57 1865: Lister invents Disinfection at age 58 1865: President Lincoln assassinated at age 58 1865-1869: Trip to Berlin, Germany from age 58 to age 62 1865: Ku Klux Klan founded at age 58 1866-1868: Andrew Johnson president of US from age 59 to age 61 1866: Walker, Mitchell 1st elected US black officials (Massachusetts) at age 59 1867: Nebraska enters the union - 37th at age 60 1867: Dynamite at age 60 1867: Alaska purchased from Russia at age 60 1867: Diamonds discovered in South Africa at age 60 1867: Confederation of Canada at age 60 1868-1878: War between Cuba and Spain from age 61 until after line end 1869: Cutty Sark built at age 62 1869: Trans-continental railroad completed at age 62 1869: Financial black friday caused by attempt to corner gold at age 62 1869: Suez canal opened at age 62 1869-1876: Ulysses S Grant president of US from age 62 to age 69 1870-1871: Franco-Prussian war from age 63 to age 64 1870: US black men can vote at age 63 1870: 1st black US senator (Hiram Revels) at age 63 1871: Great Fire destroys Chicago at age 64 1872-1873: Trip to Berlin, Germany from age 65 to age 66 1873: Color Photographs at age 66 1873-1878: Depression, banks fail from age 66 until after line end 1876: Colorado enters the union - 38th at age 69 1876: Little Big Horn - Battle at age 69 1876: Telephone (Bell, Latimer) at age 69 1876: American Centennial at age 69

Schooling

Institution: Hamilton College Location: Clinton, New York, USA Curriculum: Degree: Institution: Yale University Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA Curriculum: Degree: Institution: Admitted to the Bar Location: New York State, USA Curriculum: Degree:

Additional Information

James Knox was educated at Hamilton College, New York, and Yale College, Connecticut, and fitted himself for the law. After coming west he engaged in general merchandising at Knoxville, Illinois, doing what little law business came to him. It was in connection with some land transaction for eastern parties, that he first became acquainted with the family of Colonel Blish. He was an extensive land dealer and became very wealthy by this means. At his death he left lands valued at half a million dollars, the bulk of which he devised to trustees for the purpose of founding an Agricultural College at Knoxville, Illinois, upon condition that responsible citizens of Knox country should subscribe $250,000.00 for the same purpose, within one year after his death. In the event of their failure to subscribe the amount, the fund was given to Hamilton and Yale colleges. The subscription was made, but the two colleges named, questioned the validity of the subscription and succeeded in defeating the devise for the Agricultural college. James Knox twice represented his district in Congress, and was a very able and scholarly man. In the latter part of his life he spent much of his time in Europe, mostly in Germany. Source: Biographical Directory of the American Congress: 1774-1961. Page 1177 Knox, James. a Representative from Illinois; born in Canajoharie, NY, July 4, 1807; attended Hamilton College, Clinton NY and was graduated from Yale College in 1830; studied law; and was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced practice in Utica, NY; moved to Illinois in 1836 and settled in Knoxville, Knox County; and continued to practice law; also engaged in agricultural pursuits; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1847; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1857); continued to practice law until his death in Knoxville, IL, October 8, 1876; internment in City Cemetery. Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois & Knox County. Munsell Publishing Company: New York & Chicago, 1899. Page 873. KNOX, JAMES, was born July 4, 1807, in Montgomery County, New York and was the son of James Knox and Nancy Ehle. He died October 9, 1876, at his home in Knoxville, Illinois, and was buried in the cemetery in that city. He studied at Hamilton Academy, in Madison County, New York, and entered Hamilton College in 1827, where he remained one year. He matriculated at Yale University in 1828 and graduated in 1830. He studied law with Maynard and Spencer, in Utica, New York and was admitted to the bar in 1833. In 1836, he came to Knoxville and entered his brother's store, which he managed after the latter's death in 1839. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1848 and in 1852 and again in 1854, was elected to Congress as a whig. In Congress, he was Chairman of the Committee on Roads and Canals. He was public-spirited and was the first President of the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad. He bequeathed a large sum to found an agricultural school in Knoxville. This money was to be available only in case $40,000 in addition could be subscribed in Knox County for the school. As this was not done, the bequest reverted to Yale and Hamilton Colleges and to St. Mary's School. His eyesight failing, he made several trips to Berlin for relief, in 1861, from 1865 to 1869, and again in 1872-1873. In 1840 he married Prudence H. Blish, who died in 1846, leaving no children.

Citations

Birthplace from Carma Wallace, her email of 5-21-99, schooling from her web pages, genealogy