Knickerbocker, John

1760 - 1860  (99 years)

• Name	Knickerbocker, John
  Birth	15 Sep 1760	Salisbury, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  LifeSketch	John Knickerbocker of Salisbury married Lydia Jackson in 1785 in Sharon, CT. They moved to Eaton NY in ~1804. By 1840, Lydia had probably died, and John was apparently living with Harley. In 1850 John was living with Lucy. In 1855 he was in a boarding house in Cincinnatus near his son Harry (Henry). John\'s tombstone gives his date of death. It also says he was in the \"100th year of his age,\" but his obituary says he was 97. John and Lydia\'s children were born in CT, moved to Eaton, and then dispersed. The children: Harmon (b~1786, moved to Rawson, etc, #120052520); Laura Peckham (b. ~1787, wife of Giles Peckham, #117908776); Peter (b~1789, moved to Jersey Shore PA and then Potter PA); Harry (b~1792; #32251136; founded the Cincinnatus family); Harley (b~1796; teacher in Potter, PA, but then returned to Eaton, #45758721); Hiram (b~1797; #117894391); and Lucy Howard (b~ 1800, #17638701). Potter County PA is the focus of some current research. John Knickerbocker\'s family has a proven link to Potter County, since Harley was a teacher there, and Harley\'s first daughter was born there. However, some people claim the man named Peter Knickerbocker of Potter, PA, is from a different branch of the family, and was born in Dutchess County, NY. This started due to some mis-information on knic.com. The reality is that multiple records show that Peter Knickerbocker, the father of Lucy Holcomb, was born in CT. In addition, Peter Knickerbocker of Potter PA had a daughter, Melissa Knickerbocker Allan, whose baptism record shows that she was born in Madison County NY in 1819. Peter\'s findagrave is #64138066. Lydia Jackson Knickerbocker was probably a granddaughter of Deacon Ebenezer Jackson of Wilton and Sharon. The families were already acquainted via the marriage of Jane Knickerbocker to Elias Jackson. Any hints would be appreciated. John Knickerbocker was probably the son of Harmon Knickerbocker. This is the person referred to as \"Harmon\'s John\" in his grandfather\'s will, person 44(i) in the Van Alstyne genealogy. Here is the tentative timeline: (1) Harmon died ~ 1777; (2) teenager John remained in Salisbury; it is not clear where he was living; (3) John \"of Salisbury\" married Lydia in 1785; (4) John\'s grandfather updated his will four days before the wedding, giving John the Salisbury house that his father built, while essentially disowning John\'s younger siblings; (5) around the same time, John\'s younger siblings moved to VT with their mother and stepfather; (6) in 1790 John lived among the other Knickerbockers in southeast Salisbury; (7) John crossed the town line into Sharon prior to the 1800 census; many thanks to James L, who tracked all the real estate transactions; and then (8) John and the family moved to Eaton. There are still doubts about this timeline, for example because of brief mentions of John in three old documents. One 1894 document simply states that John was born in CT. Another 1894 document mentions John living with an uncle. This is not a problem; John had many uncles, including Elias Jackson. It is the 1947 document that causes the most problems, for example by giving the uncle\'s name as Henry. This 1947 document appears to be the root of many Internet references. However, the 1947 document must be taken in context; its author adopted the surname of Flora \"Van Knickerbocker\" and claimed that she possessed a letter from \"John Van Knickerbocker,\" the original immigrant from Holland, from whom we are all descended. (Van Alstyne must have rolled over in his grave.)
  	20251204GHLn- John Knickerbocker of Salisbury married Lydia Jackson in 1785 in Sharon, CT. They moved to Eaton NY in ~1804. By 1840, Lydia had probably died, and John was apparently living with Harley. In 1850 John was living with Lucy. In 1855 he was in a boarding house in Cincinnatus near his son Harry (Henry). John's tombstone gives his date of death. It also says he was in the "100th year of his age," but his obituary says he was 97. John and Lydia's children were born in CT, moved to Eaton, and then dispersed. The children: Harmon (b~1786, moved to Rawson, etc, #120052520); Laura Peckham (b. ~1787, wife of Giles Peckham, #117908776); Peter (b~1789, moved to Jersey Shore PA and then Potter PA); Harry (b~1792; #32251136; founded the Cincinnatus family); Harley (b~1796; teacher in Potter, PA, but then returned to Eaton, #45758721); Hiram (b~1797; #117894391); and Lucy Howard (b~ 1800, #17638701). Potter County PA is the focus of some current research. John Knickerbocker's family has a proven link to Potter County, since Harley was a teacher there, and Harley's first daughter was born there. However, some people claim the man named Peter Knickerbocker of Potter, PA, is from a different branch of the family, and was born in Dutchess County, NY. This started due to some mis-information on knic.com. The reality is that multiple records show that Peter Knickerbocker, the father of Lucy Holcomb, was born in CT. In addition, Peter Knickerbocker of Potter PA had a daughter, Melissa Knickerbocker Allan, whose baptism record shows that she was born in Madison County NY in 1819. Peter's findagrave is #64138066. Lydia Jackson Knickerbocker was probably a granddaughter of Deacon Ebenezer Jackson of Wilton and Sharon. The families were already acquainted via the marriage of Jane Knickerbocker to Elias Jackson. Any hints would be appreciated. John Knickerbocker was probably the son of Harmon Knickerbocker. This is the person referred to as "Harmon's John" in his grandfather's will, person 44(i) in the Van Alstyne genealogy. Here is the tentative timeline: (1) Harmon died ~ 1777; (2) teenager John remained in Salisbury; it is not clear where he was living; (3) John "of Salisbury" married Lydia in 1785; (4) John's grandfather updated his will four days before the wedding, giving John the Salisbury house that his father built, while essentially disowning John's younger siblings; (5) around the same time, John's younger siblings moved to VT with their mother and stepfather; (6) in 1790 John lived among the other Knickerbockers in southeast Salisbury; (7) John crossed the town line into Sharon prior to the 1800 census; many thanks to James L, who tracked all the real estate transactions; and then (8) John and the family moved to Eaton. There are still doubts about this timeline, for example because of brief mentions of John in three old documents. One 1894 document simply states that John was born in CT. Another 1894 document mentions John living with an uncle. This is not a problem; John had many uncles, including Elias Jackson. It is the 1947 document that causes the most problems, for example by giving the uncle's name as Henry. This 1947 document appears to be the root of many Internet references. However, the 1947 document must be taken in context; its author adopted the surname of Flora "Van Knickerbocker" and claimed that she possessed a letter from "John Van Knickerbocker," the original immigrant from Holland, from whom we are all descended. (Van Alstyne must have rolled over in his grave.)
  FSID	LKD3-RNK  [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
  Residence	1790	Litchfield, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA
  Residence	1800	Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA
  Residence	1804	Hamilton, Madison, New York, USA
  Residence	Between 1810 and 1830	Eaton, Madison, New York, USA
  Residence	1850	Volney, Oswego, New York, USA
  Residence	1855	Cincinnatus, Cortland, New York, USA
  Death	23 Jan 1860	Cincinnatus, Cortland, New York, USA   [11]
  	age 99
  Burial	Aft 23 Jan 1860	Cincinnatus, Cortland, New York, USA   [12]
  	Lower Cincinnatus Cemetery
  Person ID	I111434	WETZEL-SPRING

  
  

  Father	Knickerbocker, Harmon,   c. 27 May 1742, Athens, Greene, New York, USA d. Jun 1785, Salisbury, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA (Age ~ 43 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Hoogeboom, Thankful,   b. 1746, Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA d. 1805 (Age 59 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F62905	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Jackson, Lydia,   b. Abt 9 Jun 1765, Schoharie, Schoharie, New York, USA d. 1841, New York State, USA (Age 75 years)
  Marriage	9 Jun 1785	Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA
  Children	1. Knickerbocker, Peter sr,   b. 15 Jul 1788, Connecticut, USA d. 24 Jan 1885, Potter County, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 96 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Knickerbocker, Laura,   b. 1 Dec 1789, Connecticut, USA d. 1878, Volney, Oswego, New York, USA (Age 88 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Knickerbocker, Hiram,   b. Abt 1797, Connecticut, USA d. 2 Nov 1878, Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, USA (Age 81 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Knickerbocker, Lucy,   b. 24 Jan 1800, Connecticut, USA d. 24 Mar 1886, Volney, Oswego, New York, USA (Age 86 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. Knickerbocker, Harmon,   b. 15 May 1786, Connecticut, USA d. 29 May 1871, Lyndon, Cattaraugus, New York, USA (Age 85 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   6. Knickerbocker, Harley,   b. 12 Jul 1795, Connecticut, USA d. 6 Dec 1881, Morrisville, Madison, New York, USA (Age 86 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   7. Knickerbocker, Harry,   b. 13 Sep 1791, Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA d. 10 May 1871, Cincinnatus, Cortland, New York, USA (Age 79 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F62904	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 15 Sep 1760 - Salisbury, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA Marriage - 9 Jun 1785 - Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA Residence - 1790 - Litchfield, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA Residence - 1800 - Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA Residence - 1804 - Hamilton, Madison, New York, USA Residence - Between 1810 and 1830 - Eaton, Madison, New York, USA Residence - 1850 - Volney, Oswego, New York, USA Residence - 1855 - Cincinnatus, Cortland, New York, USA Death - 23 Jan 1860 - Cincinnatus, Cortland, New York, USA Burial - Aft 23 Jan 1860 - Cincinnatus, Cortland, New York, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  20251204GHLn- John Knickerbocker of Salisbury married Lydia Jackson in 1785 in Sharon, CT. They moved to Eaton NY in ~1804. By 1840, Lydia had probably died, and John was apparently living with Harley. In 1850 John was living with Lucy. In 1855 he was in a boarding house in Cincinnatus near his son Harry (Henry). John's tombstone gives his date of death. It also says he was in the "100th year of his age," but his obituary says he was 97. John and Lydia's children were born in CT, moved to Eaton, and then dispersed. The children: Harmon (b~1786, moved to Rawson, etc, #120052520); Laura Peckham (b. ~1787, wife of Giles Peckham, #117908776); Peter (b~1789, moved to Jersey Shore PA and then Potter PA); Harry (b~1792; #32251136; founded the Cincinnatus family); Harley (b~1796; teacher in Potter, PA, but then returned to Eaton, #45758721); Hiram (b~1797; #117894391); and Lucy Howard (b~ 1800, #17638701). Potter County PA is the focus of some current research. John Knickerbocker's family has a proven link to Potter County, since Harley was a teacher there, and Harley's first daughter was born there. However, some people claim the man named Peter Knickerbocker of Potter, PA, is from a different branch of the family, and was born in Dutchess County, NY. This started due to some mis-information on knic.com. The reality is that multiple records show that Peter Knickerbocker, the father of Lucy Holcomb, was born in CT. In addition, Peter Knickerbocker of Potter PA had a daughter, Melissa Knickerbocker Allan, whose baptism record shows that she was born in Madison County NY in 1819. Peter's findagrave is #64138066. Lydia Jackson Knickerbocker was probably a granddaughter of Deacon Ebenezer Jackson of Wilton and Sharon. The families were already acquainted via the marriage of Jane Knickerbocker to Elias Jackson. Any hints would be appreciated. John Knickerbocker was probably the son of Harmon Knickerbocker. This is the person referred to as "Harmon's John" in his grandfather's will, person 44(i) in the Van Alstyne genealogy. Here is the tentative timeline: (1) Harmon died ~ 1777; (2) teenager John remained in Salisbury; it is not clear where he was living; (3) John "of Salisbury" married Lydia in 1785; (4) John's grandfather updated his will four days before the wedding, giving John the Salisbury house that his father built, while essentially disowning John's younger siblings; (5) around the same time, John's younger siblings moved to VT with their mother and stepfather; (6) in 1790 John lived among the other Knickerbockers in southeast Salisbury; (7) John crossed the town line into Sharon prior to the 1800 census; many thanks to James L, who tracked all the real estate transactions; and then (8) John and the family moved to Eaton. There are still doubts about this timeline, for example because of brief mentions of John in three old documents. One 1894 document simply states that John was born in CT. Another 1894 document mentions John living with an uncle. This is not a problem; John had many uncles, including Elias Jackson. It is the 1947 document that causes the most problems, for example by giving the uncle's name as Henry. This 1947 document appears to be the root of many Internet references. However, the 1947 document must be taken in context; its author adopted the surname of Flora "Van Knickerbocker" and claimed that she possessed a letter from "John Van Knickerbocker," the original immigrant from Holland, from whom we are all descended. (Van Alstyne must have rolled over in his grave.)

  
  

• Sources

  [S2976] FamilySearch.org, United States, Census, 1850, "United States, Census, 1850", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC13-8XN : Sat Jan 18 15:51:31 UTC 2025), Entry for Harley Howard and Cyrus Howard, 1850. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC13-8X2 [S3092] FamilySearch.org, New York, State Census, 1855, "New York, State Census, 1855", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6QH-C18 : Wed Jul 10 07:12:30 UTC 2024), Entry for Daniel I Sperry and Susan Sperry, 1855. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6QH-C1F [S3128] FamilySearch.org, Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850, "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGBB-8YZZ : Thu Mar 07 21:25:39 UTC 2024), Entry for John Knickerbocker and Harmon, 15 September 1766. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGBB-8YZZ [S3127] FamilySearch.org, Connecticut, Births and Christenings, 1649-1906, "Connecticut, Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F74H-843 : 7 January 2020), John Knickerbocker, 1766. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F74H-843 [S2958] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree, "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 15 September 2023, 03:02), entry for John Knickerbocker (PID https://ark.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LKD3-RNK ); contributed by various users. https://ark.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LKD3-RNK [S2958] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89VP-GSJX [S2958] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree. http://search.ancestry.com/collections/60525/records/96630164 [S2958] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree. http://search.ancestry.com/collections/7181/records/1654192892 [S2958] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree. http://search.ancestry.com/collections/3564/records/20363848 [S2958] FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch FamilyTree. http://search.ancestry.com/collections/3032/records/274497 [S2608] FamilySearch.org, Find A Grave Index, "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLV-8VKB : Thu Apr 03 15:52:27 UTC 2025), Entry for John Knickerbocker. 20251204GHLn- John Knickerbocker of Salisbury married Lydia Jackson in 1785 in Sharon, CT. They moved to Eaton NY in ~1804. By 1840, Lydia had probably died, and John was apparently living with Harley. In 1850 John was living with Lucy. In 1855 he was in a boarding house in Cincinnatus near his son Harry (Henry). John's tombstone gives his date of death. It also says he was in the "100th year of his age," but his obituary says he was 97. John and Lydia's children were born in CT, moved to Eaton, and then dispersed. The children: Harmon (b~1786, moved to Rawson, etc, #120052520); Laura Peckham (b. ~1787, wife of Giles Peckham, #117908776); Peter (b~1789, moved to Jersey Shore PA and then Potter PA); Harry (b~1792; #32251136; founded the Cincinnatus family); Harley (b~1796; teacher in Potter, PA, but then returned to Eaton, #45758721); Hiram (b~1797; #117894391); and Lucy Howard (b~ 1800, #17638701). Potter County PA is the focus of some current research. John Knickerbocker's family has a proven link to Potter County, since Harley was a teacher there, and Harley's first daughter was born there. However, some people claim the man named Peter Knickerbocker of Potter, PA, is from a different branch of the family, and was born in Dutchess County, NY. This started due to some mis-information on knic.com. The reality is that multiple records show that Peter Knickerbocker, the father of Lucy Holcomb, was born in CT. In addition, Peter Knickerbocker of Potter PA had a daughter, Melissa Knickerbocker Allan, whose baptism record shows that she was born in Madison County NY in 1819. Peter's findagrave is #64138066. Lydia Jackson Knickerbocker was probably a granddaughter of Deacon Ebenezer Jackson of Wilton and Sharon. The families were already acquainted via the marriage of Jane Knickerbocker to Elias Jackson. Any hints would be appreciated. John Knickerbocker was probably the son of Harmon Knickerbocker. This is the person referred to as "Harmon's John" in his grandfather's will, person 44(i) in the Van Alstyne genealogy. Here is the tentative timeline: (1) Harmon died ~ 1777; (2) teenager John remained in Salisbury; it is not clear where he was living; (3) John "of Salisbury" married Lydia in 1785; (4) John's grandfather updated his will four days before the wedding, giving John the Salisbury house that his father built, while essentially disowning John's younger siblings; (5) around the same time, John's younger siblings moved to VT with their mother and stepfather; (6) in 1790 John lived among the other Knickerbockers in southeast Salisbury; (7) John crossed the town line into Sharon prior to the 1800 census; many thanks to James L, who tracked all the real estate transactions; and then (8) John and the family moved to Eaton. There are still doubts about this timeline, for example because of brief mentions of John in three old documents. One 1894 document simply states that John was born in CT. Another 1894 document mentions John living with an uncle. This is not a problem; John had many uncles, including Elias Jackson. It is the 1947 document that causes the most problems, for example by giving the uncle's name as Henry. This 1947 document appears to be the root of many Internet references. However, the 1947 document must be taken in context; its author adopted the surname of Flora "Van Knickerbocker" and claimed that she possessed a letter from "John Van Knickerbocker," the original immigrant from Holland, from whom we are all descended. (Van Alstyne must have rolled over in his grave.) [S2608] FamilySearch.org, Find A Grave Index, "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLV-8VKB : Thu Apr 03 15:52:27 UTC 2025), Entry for John Knickerbocker. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLV-8VKB

  
  

TEST MARKER

TNG ID: I111434

FSID: LKD3-RNK