Knapp, Charles H.

Born: 1811-10-31 Delaware County, New York

Died: 1877-06-04 Jerseyville, Illinois

Flourished: Jerseyville, Illinois

Charles H. Knapp was a merchant and businessman in Jerseyville, Illinois. Knapp resided in his native New York until 1836, when he moved to Savannah, Georgia, to engage in business with his brother. He remained in Savannah until 1839, moving at that time to Greene County, Illinois. In 1844, he followed his family to Jerseyville, where he opened a mercantile establishment, which he operated for the next twenty-five years. In December 1848, Knapp married Elizabeth Holstead. In 1850, he owned real property valued at $3,000. By 1860, the value of his real estate had increased to $4,500, and he had a personal estate of $4,500. In addition to his business activities, Knapp was involved in civic and cultural affairs in Jersey County. He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Jerseyville, and a member of the Freemasons. Knapp also served as treasurer of the Jerseyville Division of the Sons of Temperance from its inception in 1847.

Obituary, Jersey County Democrat (Jerseyville, IL), 7 June 1877, 2:5; History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Continental, 1885), 109, 532; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Jersey County, 27 December 1848, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL, 4; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL, 30; Gravestone, Oak Grove Cemetery, Jerseyville, IL.