Nehemiah Knight
Encyclopedia
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Born in Knightsville
Knightsville, Rhode Island
-History:Knightsville is named after local inn keeper and U.S. Congressman Nehemiah Knight . The Knights were descendants of early English emigrants who were some of the earliest settlers in the area. According to at least one source:...
(a village later named after him) within the town of Cranston
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
, now a suburb of Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. He attended the common school
Common school
A common school was a public school in the United States or Canada in the nineteenth century. The term 'common school' was coined by Horace Mann, and refers to the fact that they were meant to serve individuals of all social classes and religions....
s, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and was town clerk from 1773 to 1800. In 1783 and 1787 he was elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Senate with 38 senators...
, and was sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Providence County in 1787.
Knight was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Congresses and served from March 4, 1803, until his death in Cranston in 1808; interment was in a small family cemetery now known as Cranston Historical Cemetery, number 21 in between 1757 and 1761 Cranston Street South of Phoenix Avenue in the center of "Knightsville," Cranston, which is named for the family.
Nehemiah was married in 1762 to Eleanor Rice Hudson (1746–1823). Their son, Nehemiah Rice Knight (1780–1854), would later become the Governor of Rhode Island and even later a U.S. Senator.
See also
- Knightsville, Rhode IslandKnightsville, Rhode Island-History:Knightsville is named after local inn keeper and U.S. Congressman Nehemiah Knight . The Knights were descendants of early English emigrants who were some of the earliest settlers in the area. According to at least one source:...