Knott, Jacob

Born: 1811-1820

Flourished: 1837-1844 Sangamon County, Illinois

Alternate name: Knotts

In early 1837, Knott married Lavina Colburn in Sangamon County, Illinois, and they settled there. Together, they had four children. In 1844, they moved to Indiana, where, in 1845, Knott was arrested. He escaped to another state, leaving his family behind. In November 1846, Lavina returned to Sangamon County and found Jacob living there. In 1847, Lavina retained Lincoln & Herndon to sue for divorce on the grounds that her husband was a habitual drunkard who had abandoned his family. Jacob did not appear at their court date, and the court granted the divorce.

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Sangamon County, 28 February 1837, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Bill for Divorce, Document ID: 94297, Knott v. Knott, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=139770; U.S. Census Office, Sixth Census of the United States (1840), Sangamon County, IL, 40.