Historic Event--The Trials of Isaac Knapp

    

     Amy Johnson Crow has a 52 Ancestors Week blog challenge which I have decided to give a try for the second year. 

     The prompt for week # 12 is Historic Event.

     Continuing the Brothers Knapp story of Isaac shooting Walter to death on September 1, 1877 at the family home in Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio.     Family Secret--The Knapp Brothers.

The Clyde Sentinel
Clyde, Ohio
November 23, 1877
page 6

     Isaac was apprehended that day and taken to the city of Fremont jail.  According to an article in Twentieth Century History of Sandusky County Ohio (Meek, 192), Isaac appeared before Judge T. P. Finefrock in the Court of Common Pleas and a jury at the October Term 1877.  The jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree and Judge Finefrock sentenced Isaac to the penitentiary for life.  He was taken to the Ohio Penitentiary on October 18, 1877.

The Stark County Democrat
August 11, 1883
Front Page

     While incarcerated, Isaac devised a plan to be released from prison.  He began to eat only soap and after awhile he was sent to the penitentiary hospital thinking he had consumption and I have also read,  tuberculosis.   

     Isaac was pardoned on October 19, 1882 by Governor Charles Foster based on certification of the penitentiary and Fremont doctors.  They felt that Isaac was going to die and should be returned to his home.     

The Clyde Enterprise
Clyde, Ohio
February 1, 1883
page 3

     Isaac spent time at home recuperating and when his health was fully restored, continued his life of crime in Fremont.  He bragged that he had fraudulently obtained his release.  Residents of Fremont wrote to the Governor letting him know that Isaac had gained his release by fraud and misrepresentation.  The Governor declared that Isaac's pardon was void and sent officials to Fremont at the end of January 1893 to arrest him and return him to the penitentiary.  

Reports of Cases Argued and Determined
in The Supreme Court of Ohio
Volume 39
pages 377-398

     

     Isaac filed a case of habeas corpus with the Ohio Supreme Court and they declared that the pardon grated him in 1882 was irrevocable even if obtained by fraud and he was released.   

The Clyde Enterprise
Clyde, Ohio
February 1, 1883
page 3

     What made the Isaac Knapp case is historical event was that it was the only time in the State of Ohio where a Governor revoked an unconditional pardon.  The Isaac Knapp case became precedent in Ohio legal case history.  

       Getting out of Dodge, he and his mother, Catherine Huffine Knapp, removed to Bristol, Elkhart County, Indiana in the spring of 1883.  Catherine had been enumerated with her son, John W. Knapp, living in Sandusky Township, Sandusky County, Ohio on the 1880 Ohio census. 

 

     In the end Isaac learned the lesson, if you live by the sword, you die by the sword.  From announcements of his death, it appears that Isaac continued with his disorderly behavior.

     There is one obituary that paints a "born again" picture of Isaac.  I wonder if his mother provided the information.  😇

Democratic Messenger
October 11, 1883

     He died in Bristol, Elkhart County, Indiana on July 26, 1883.  Two different versions of the death are presented in various accounts.  One is consumption perhaps caused by his soap eating days.  The other is dying from a knife wound after pulling a gun on another Bristol citizen.  To date, I have not located an actual death record.

     He was buried at Oakridge Cemetery, Bristol, Elkhart County, Indiana.  He has a respectable grave marker.  Begs the question--who paid for it?  

     Addendum:  Isaac Knapp's behavior was salacious news of the day.  I was surprised when I searched in the Historical Newspaper site that it was covered from the murder until his death in many newspapers across the United States.

     

Works cited 

Meek, Basil ed, Twentieth Century History of Sandusky, Ohio and its Representative Citizens, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co, Chicago, 1909, page 192-193

    

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.    PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

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Walter D. Knapp of Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio

     I blogged about Walter D. Knapp, my husbands paternal great great great grandfather back in 2010.  Walter and his brother, Isaac Knapp, both sons of Benjamin and Katherine Knapp removed to the Detroit area of Michigan before coming to Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio circa 1814.  Their exploits in the War of 1812 and as early mail carriers in the area are retold in numerous Fremont/Sandusky County history books in on Flipside.  

     This year I have been working to blog about my husband's family.  I have bits and bobs on Flipside; however, have not tied them all together.  The time of Knapp has arrived, although I am working backward.  I have covered Walter's wife, Catherine Huffhine Knapp and several of their children, but not the patriarch of the family.  

     As mentioned earlier, Walter found a home in Fremont, Sandusky, Ohio as early as 1814.  He has a War of 1812 document, although I have not found him on any Ohio or Michigan War of 1812 Rosters or the name of his Captain.

     Unfortunately, there is not much information regarding Walter Knapp, his more illustrious brother, Isaac Knapp, was very active politically in Sandusky County, Ohio.

     Walter is MIA in the 1820, 1830 and 1840 census enumerations.  He may have been enumerated with a family and not under his name.

1841 Pickaway County Ohio Marriage Record
page 38

    

     Walter was present in Pickaway County in 1841.  At age forty-one  he married twenty-seven year old Catherine Huffhine (Huffine) on Mat 27, 1841.  Catherine was the daughter of Isaac Huffhines and Eleanor Hendrickson.  

     During the first decade the Knapp family grew by five children.  Together they had eight known children:

1. Ellnor (Elinor, Ellen) Knapp 1841-1927
2. John W. Knapp 1843-1906
3. Joseph C. Knapp 1845-
4. Drusilla Knapp 1848-1925 (my husband's great great grandmother)
5. Walter Knapp 1849-1877
6. Ezra Knapp 1850-1931
7. Hannah Knapp 1854-
8. Isaac Knapp 1859-1883

1850 Ohio Census
Madison Township District 38
Franklin County
November 11, 1850

Walter Knapp, age 51, male, farmer born in Canada

Catherine Knapp, age 30, female, born in Ohio

Elinor Knapp, age 10, born in Ohio

John Knapp, age 7, born in Ohio

Joseph Knapp, age 5, born in Ohio

Drusilla Knapp, age 3, born in Ohio

Walter Knapp, age 1, born in Ohio

History of Madison Township
including
Groveport and Canal Winchester
Fulton County, Ohio
page 470

     There is a curious record regarding a Hannah K. Knapp daughter of Walter and Druscilla Knapp.  She was born in 1836 and died in 1858.  On Find A Grave, Walter Knapp born in Canada is listed as her father and Druscilla Knapp, possibly deceased by 1850, her mother.  Could this mean that Walter was married before Catherine and had children by this marriage?  Or was the reading of this tombstone after so many decades not accurate?  My husband's paternal great great grandmother was one of Walter and Catherine's children and she was named Drusilla.  Where did that name come from?

     It is my understanding from the book this information was taken from  actual readings done in the spring of 1899.  And Water and Catherine did have a daughter named Hannah who was born in 1854.  She is enumerated at age six on the 1860 census; however is not enumerated on the 1870 census.  

     Sometime between 1850 and 1860 the Knapp family removed from Franklin County to Sandusky County.  In 1860 Walter was farming in Ballville Township and by 1870 they were in Riley Township.

1860 Ohio Census
Ballville Township, Ballville Post Office
Sandusky County
July 15, 1860

Walter Knapp, age 68, male, master farmer, born in Canada

Catherine Knapp, age 38, female, born in Ohio

John W. Knapp, age 15, male, born in Ohio, attended school

Joseph Knapp, age 12, male, born in Ohio, attended school

Rusilla Knapp, age 11, female, born in Ohio, attended school

Walter Knapp, age 10, male, born in Ohio, attended school

Azro Knapp, age 8, male, born in Ohio, attended school

Hannah Knapp, age 6, female, born in Ohio, attended school

Isaac Knapp, age 1, male, born in Ohio

     Continuing to reside in Sandusky County, Walter moved to a cabin in Riley Township before 1870.

1870 Ohio Census
Riley Township, Fremont Post Office
Sandusky County
June 6, 1870

Knapp, Walter, age 71, male, married, day laborer, no stated real or personal estate, born in Canada, both parents foreign born, male citizen of 21 years

Knapp, Catherine, age 64, female, married, keeping house, born in Ohio, cannot write.

Knapp, Isaac, age 11, make, single, at home, born in Ohio, father foreign born, attended school, cannot write

The Democratic Messenger
November 2, 1871
page 4

     Walter kept a pretty low profile throughout life following his early days as a mail carrier and escape from a Canadian prison.  There are very few mentions in newspapers or history books.  I was happy to find this 1871 mention as a hired ditch digger for the Sandusky County Infirmary.  

Cited below

     Walter Knapp was enrolled as a pioneer member living in the original Sandusky County, Ohio boundaries between 1830-1845.  The Isaac's widow also highlighted, is the wife of Walter's brother, Isaac Knapp.

     On September 1, 1877 the Knapp Family became infamous from the details of their youngest son, Isaac, killing his brother Walter over a debt owed.  Isaac was tried and convicted of second degree murder and sent to the state penitentiary.  The murder occurred in the cabin of Walter Knapp with both Walter and Catherine present.  

     Walter D. Knapp died at age eighty-four from consumption on February 8, 1878 in Sandusky County, Ohio.  The record is on the Family Search database, Ohio, Deaths and Burials 1854-1997. 

     To date there is no record of Walter D. Knapp's burial or that of his son, Walter Knapp.

Works Cited

Baries, Geo, History of Madison Township Including Groveport and Canal Winchester, Franklin County, Ohio. Geo. F. Baries, Publisher, 1902

Meek, Basil ed, Twentieth Century History of Sandusky, Ohio and its Representative Citizens, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co, Chicago, 1909, page 222

 

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.    PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2025, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



Family Secret--The Knapp Brothers

     Amy Johnson Crow has a 52 Ancestors Week blog challenge which I have decided to give a try for the second year. 

     The prompt for week # 9 is Family Secret.

     I am not sure how secret this family story is.  Certainly it was known by family and community members because it was covered in the local newspapers; however, like many stories, it faded over the decades.  Years back, when I was researching the family, I was surprised to find this account of my husband's family.  It has all the ingredients of a juicy family secret:  debt, anger, murder and prison.

     My husbands parental great great great grandfather, Walter D. Knapp, was born in Canada in 1794.  Walter's early life in the United States has been covered in one of my blogs.  He and his family removed from Ontario, Canada to Detroit, Michigan and then he and his brother, Isaac removed to Fremont, Ohio.

Pickaway County Marriage Record
1840
page 38

     On May 27, 1841 forty-seven year old Walter D. Knapp married twenty-seven year old Catherine Huffhine, daughter of Isaac Hoffhines and Eleanor Hendrickson, in Pickaway County, Ohio.  The couple was married by a Justice of the Peace.  

     Walter and Catherine had eight known children who survived childbirth and their early years.  I have had some success researching the Knapp siblings, others I have hit the proverbial brick wall.  The children were all born in Ohio; however, a variety of counties are given.  Walter was a farmer and by 1870, the family was living on a farm in Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio with Fremont, Ohio as their post office.

  Children of Walter and Catherine Knapp 

Note:  years of birth differ from census reports and death certificates of some of the children.

1. Ellnor (Elinor, Ellen) Knapp 1841-1927
2. John W. Knapp 1843-1906
3. Joseph C. Knapp 1845-
4. Drusilla Knapp 1848-1925 (my husband's great great grandmother)
5. Walter Knapp 1849-1877
6. Ezra Knapp 1850-1931
7. Hannah Knapp 1854-
8. Isaac Knapp 1859-1883

     The subjects of the family secret are brothers Walter Knapp, Jr. and Isaac Knapp.  There are numerous newspaper articles outlining the events of the morning and what lead up to the murderous family event.  I have a separate blog, The 1877 Knapp Case, with the actual article scanned.

      The Knapp family lived in a small log cabin north of the town of Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio in Riley Township.  The two young men lived with their parents; however, a dispute irrupted between the brothers and Walter left home to live with neighbors.   

     The issue was a debt Water owed to his brother in the amount of $11.00 for work Isaac did on the farm where Walter was living.  Isaac purchased a gun (later described as a rifle) and spent time practicing his shooting.  He then sued his brother for the money.  A constable picked up Walter and took him to his father's house.  Isaac and Walter had a violent argument and Walter left going back to the farm where he was living and working. 

     The next morning, Saturday, September 1, 1877, Walter headed back to his parents house and was shot by his brother Isaac.  The only people present at the time of the shooting were the parents, Walter and Catherine Knapp and a little girl.  

     The  parents version of the shooting was inconsistent and contradictory at the trial.  Catherine Knapp had breakfast started and called Isaac down to the table.  Walter had been in the family barn having come home earlier, talked with his mother.  He came back into the house, in a belligerent mood, sat down at the table and asked Isaac the amount he owed.  He then denied the amount and began a fight saying he was going to kill Isaac.  Catherine tried to pull Walter back and Isaac was pulled back by his father, Walter, Sr.  Walter tired to hit Isaac with a chair and fearful for his life shot Walter through the heart with his rifle.      

     

     Twenty-eight year old Walter died immediately from the gunshot wound at his parent's cabin in Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio on September 1, 1877.  Isaac was eighteen years old when he murdered his brother.

     I do want to mention that in a newspaper article in the Sandusky Register, the amount of the debt owed is $6.00 and the weapon was a pistol.  

     Henry M. Klopfer, a resident in Fremont, went to the scene of the murder with Constable Martin Renschler.  He was also present for the autopsy.  At that time the constable deputized Henry Klopfer and Henry took Isaac Knapp to Fremont after he had been put under arrest.  

     Henry Klopfer became a policeman and in 1911 he was made Chief of Police in Fremont, Ohio.  At his death in 1937 he had served fifty years with the department.  

    There is a very lengthy accounting of the Knapp murder in the newspaper, Fremont Courier, a German newspaper. I wish it could be translated.  I believe there is mention of where young Walter was buried; however, there is no cemetery by that name in or near Fremont.  The cemetery name looks to be Dalwood.  There is an Oakwood Cemetery in the area.  Neither Walter Knapp,  Sr. or his son, Walter Knapp, Jr. are listed on Find A Grave.  Their burial place is one of my brick walls. 

     To be continued........The Trials of Isaac Knapp

     

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.    PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2025, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



Catherine Huffhine Knapp--Biography and Tombstone

     Catherine Huffine Knapp is my husbands paternal great great great grandmother.  She was the daughter of Isaac Hoffhines and Eleanor Hendrickson.  I have seen her maiden name spelled a variety of ways--Huffine, Huffhine, Huffhines, Hoffhines.

     At age twenty-seven she married forty-seven year old Walter D. Knapp on May 27, 1841 in Pickaway, Ohio.  

     Together they had eight known children:

1. Ellnor (Elinor, Ellen) Knapp 1841-1927
2. John W. Knapp 1843-1906
3. Joseph C. Knapp 1845-
4. Drusilla Knapp 1848-1925 (my husband's great great grandmother)
5. Walter Knapp 1849-1877
6. Ezra Knapp 1850-1931
7. Hannah Knapp 1854-
8. Isaac Knapp 1859-1883

     The Knapp family moved around Ohio.  The children have different birth counties.  Walter was a farmer; however, I have not found any records of him as a land owner.  

     There are very few records regarding Catherine.  The Knapp's were not wealthy.  Far from it.  In one record regarding the fight and murder of one of her sons by the other, their home is described as a small cabin.  She did have a stove to cook on and did not depend on the fireplace.  

     Catherine was a witness to the altercation between her sons Walter Jr. and Isaac.  The shooting of Walter by Isaac took place in the cabin where the stove and table were housed on September 1, 1877.  

     Five months after her son was killed, her husband died on February 8, 1878.  What happened to Catherine following her husband's death?  In 1880, she is enumerated as a boarder with her son John W. Knapp and his family in Sandusky Township, Sandusky County, Ohio. 

     I recently found out that Catherine removed from Sandusky County, Ohio in the spring 1883.  Her son, Isaac, was released from prison and then was able to remain free following an Ohio Supreme Court ruling.  The two of them moved to Bristol, Elkhart County, Indiana.  Knowing the violent behavior of her youngest son, it begs the question as to why she would go with him.  

     Catherine died on December 7, 1894 at eighty years of age.  To date I have not found a death certificate or obituary.  She is buried in Bradner Cemetery, Montgomery Township, Wood County, Ohio.  Her married daughter, Drusilla Knapp Smith, lived in Bradner and perhaps Catherine was living with the Smith family when she died.  

     My husband and I visited Bradner Cemetery a few decades ago and found Catherine's little heart shaped tombstone.   Daughter, Drusilla Smith, and son-in-law, Orison Smith, are also buried in Bradner Cemetery.  The Smith's are my husband's paternal great great grandparents.  

 

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.    PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2025, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



The 1877 Knapp Case--Walter Knapp and Isaac Knapp

Twentieth Century History of Sandusky County 
and 
Representative Citizens 
edited by Basil Meek, 1909

 

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published.    PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

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Carnival of Genealogy, 100th Edition--Walter D. Knapp

And the topic for the 100th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is... "There's one in every family!" Bring your stories of colorful characters, unique heirlooms, mouth-watering recipes, most dearly beloved pets, whatever! Interpret as you like. Every family has "special" individuals, you know, the ones with a green thumb, the black sheep, the lone wolf, the blue-ribbon cook, the story-teller, the geek! I know you have treasured recipes and amazing heirlooms you've yet to share! Thank you to Jasia Creative Gene for all her years of managing this carnival. I am pleased to submit this blog to assist you in achieving your goal of 100 blogs for the 100th edition of COG.

My husband has a cast of characters in his family tree. I am often envious...lol For this carnival I decided to tell the tale of paternal great great great grandfather, Walter Knapp of Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio.



Walter came to Fremont by a circuitous route. His father, Benjamin Knapp, was a British Loyalist and was given land in Ontario, Canada for his service. From 1783 to 1803, the next generation of Knapp's was raised on this land located in what was called the West District of Ontario.

Photos sent to me by another Knapp researcherOriginal Knapp land in Canada

Walter was the last child to be born in Canada. His brother Isaac, was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1795. The Knapp's are listed in the 1820 United States census as residents of Detroit.

The subject of this story, Walter Knapp, was born in 1794 in Canada, the son of Benjamin and Katherine Knapp. From various accounts in Sandusky County History books, Walter and his younger brother, Isaac, had removed from Detroit, Michigan and were living in Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), Sandusky County, Ohio by 1814.


In the book, "Sandusky County and Representative Citizens,"there is mention on page 247 that Isaac and his son, Walter (this is actually his brother, Walter as Isaac was not married and had no children in 1814) were mail carriers on a route from Lower Sandusky where Fort Stephenson was located, then along the Portage River to Fort Meigs (now Perrysburg, Ohio). It was a somewhat dangerous route as Indians and wild animals would hide in the woods and attack the letter carriers.

I had to chuckle when I saw Walter listed as "Isaac's "lion hearted brother," in History of Sandusky County. Apparently, Walter's skill while delivering the mail was due to his light weight and fast speed. He was able to walk across the frozen ponds without breaking the ice during the winter months.

I could probably stop my story here as Walter certainly showed his courage and fortitude while employed as a mail carrier; however, there is more to his tale.

Following the War of 1812, Walter found an occasion to speak somewhat disrespectfully of the British government and was thrown in prison in Sandwich, Upper Canada, a town across from Detroit. (another account lists Windsor as the town where the prison was located.) Brothers, Isaac and James, planned to go to court and pay Walter's fine; however, the court never called Walter's case and he was left in prison for another year. Isaac and James made a decision that they would go to Sandwich and rescue their brother.

In the dark of the night, Isaac and James, in a canoe, paddled across Lake Erie where they put in a mile from town. They made their way through the streets of Sandwich until they came to the jail where Walter was imprisoned. They tried to saw through the bars on the window, but the saw broke. Next they found that the front door was locked and finally they went around back and were able to scale the high fence. The back door to the jail was unlocked and Isaac and James entered.

They found Walter, who told them where to find the keys. James went into the jailer's apartment room and fumbled around in the dark for the keys. While grabbing them, they fell to the floor with a crash, waking the jailer up from his deep sleep. The startled fellow jumped out of bed in search of the intruder. Isaac told him, in a low voice, that they were there to get a prisoner.

Fearful for his life, the jailer assisted in "breaking Walter out of jail." Walter was weak from his confinement and needed assistance to get over the fence. Once the three brothers were out of the prison, the jailer began shouting which woke up the townspeople. Isaac and James, assisting Walter, ran as fast as they could until they came to the canoe. When they reached the middle of Lake Erie, they were able to slow down, relax and continue on to the other side and freedom.

Walter and Isaac both remained citizens of Fremont, Ohio until their deaths. Isaac became famous as an associate county judge, while Walter lived in a rural portion of town and was a farmer. To be fair, the historical accounts of the Knapp brothers are listed under Isaac's name as he was a prominent citizen in the county.

Finding these accounts of my husband's ancestor was exciting and fascinating. And the story doesn't end here.....there are still more tales of the Walter Knapp clan.

Stay tuned!

Sources:

-Early Census Lists, Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan.

-"Early Ontario Settlers: A Source Book," Norman K. Crowder, 1993, page 21, 90, 192, 198.

-"History of Sandusky County Ohio With Portraits and Biographies of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers," H.Z. Williams & Brothers, H.S. Williams and Brothers Publisher, Cleveland, Ohio, 1882, page 410-411.

-"Ontario People: 1796-1803," E. Keith Fitzgerald, 1993, page 218.

-"Sandusky County, Ohio Atlas, 1874," Everts, Stewart & Co., 1874
page 19 1/2.

-"Twentieth Century History of Sandusky County and Representative Citizens," Basil Meek, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1909, page 192-193, 247.

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser