John Knight "Tailor-Innkeeper"

John Knight, known in family records as “Tailor-Innkeeper,” was a tailor from Romsey, Hampshire, who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay in 1635 and settled at Newbury. He was baptized at Romsey on 30 January 1594/5 and died in May 1670. He married Elizabeth Vincent in 1624 and later married Anne (Langlye) Ingersoll, widow of Richard Ingersoll of Salem.

John Knight, known as “Tailor-Innkeeper,” was baptized in Romsey, Hampshire, on 30 January 1594/5. He was the son of William Knight and Elizabeth Carter. He was a tailor of Romsey and the brother of Richard Knight.

On or about 5 April 1635, John Knight and Richard Knight, both described as tailors of Romsey, were included on the passenger list of the James, then preparing to sail from Southampton for New England. John settled at Newbury in Massachusetts Bay, where he was also an innkeeper.

John married Elizabeth Vincent at Romsey, Hampshire, on 29 March 1624. Elizabeth died at Newbury on 20 March 1644/5. Their children are recorded as John; Elizabeth, born about May 1625 and dying about 18 May 1625; another Elizabeth, born about October 1628 and dying about 19 October 1638; Elizabeth, born about 1632; Mary, born about 1634; and Sarah, born about 1636. A John Knight, listed as their son, was born about 1622 at Romsey and died at Newbury on 27 February 1677/8; this reported birth date precedes the recorded 1624 marriage and should be treated cautiously.

By 1652, John had married Anne (Langlye) Ingersoll, widow of Richard Ingersoll of Salem. A published account describes Anne as John Knight’s second or possibly third wife. John Knight Jr. later married Bathsheba, the youngest daughter of Richard Ingersoll.

John Knight died in May 1670; the date 29 May 1670 is given in the supplied life dates, while the family notes state only that his death month and year are indicated by his inventory.

Historical context

John Knight’s passage on the James is documented in a passenger-list entry dated on or about 5 April 1635, when the ship was about to sail from Southampton for New England. After his arrival, he made his home in Newbury, Massachusetts Bay, and was described as both a tailor and an innkeeper.

Sources & research

Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the ..., Volume 4, by William Richard Cutter and William Frederick Adams, pages 2631–2633, “The Ingersoll Line.”

Genealogical guide to the early settlers of America: with a brief history of ..., by Henry Whittemore, page 308.

The Great Migration.