Early Life
Knight was born in Jones County, Mississippi, in November 1837. There has been confusion over his age, as his son, Tom Knight, wrote that he was born in 1830, and his grandniece, Ethel Knight, stated he was born in 1829. Both Tom and Ethel Knight suggested Newton's mother, Mason, changed his year of birth to 1833 to protect him from legal repercussions after he killed a slave, though there is no evidence of this. The 1900 census states that Knight was born in November 1837, which is supported by census records from other years.
Newton was a grandson of John "Jackie" Knight (1773–1861), one of Jones County's largest slaveholders. Newton's father, Albert (1799–1862), however, did not own any slaves, and was the only child of Jackie Knight who did not inherit any. Newton, likewise, did not own any slaves. Newton has been described as a staunch Primitive Baptist, and unlike his father and grandfather, did not drink. He was probably taught to read and write by his mother.
Newton Knight married Serena Turner in 1858, and the two established a small farm just across the county line in Jasper County.
Read more about this topic: Newton Knight
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
““Never hug and kiss your children! Mother love may make your children’s infancy unhappy and prevent them from pursuing a career or getting married!” That’s total hogwash, of course. But it shows on extreme example of what state-of-the-art “scientific” parenting was supposed to be in early twentieth-century America. After all, that was the heyday of efficiency experts, time-and-motion studies, and the like.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
“The time comes when each one of us has to give up as illusions the expectations which, in his youth, he pinned upon his fellow- men, and when he may learn how much difficulty and pain has been added to his life by their ill-will.”
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)