In 2008, former Abington Township Ward 11 Commissioner William J. Lynott shared a short piece authored by the Old York Road Historical Society.
The piece, which has since been expanded, details in great length the story of the Knight family of Abington.
Elizabeth Shorter brought her grandson Isaac Knight from London to Abington in 1684. He married Mary Carver, who had been born in a cave along the Delaware River, in 1699. Their marriage certificate, courtesy of WikiTree, is pictured above.
After Shorter died, Knight owned about 600 acres of farmland—two adjoining parcels between the present Highland Avenue, Susquehanna Street Road, Easton Road, and the Cheltenham Township line.
The Knights lived for a time in part of Shorter’s house, adjacent to the grounds which later became Abington Presbyterian Church. The 100 acres surrounding the house were known locally as the Stanley Farm; today, they are the campus of the Abington High School complex.
The first generation of Knights born in Abington consisted of five daughters and three sons. The sons were Tories and remained loyal to the British during the Revolution.
They were accused of High Treason in 1778. An excerpt:
The Knights, however, carried their convictions further than most, and were accused of treason as a result. On May 8, 1778, their names were listed on the first proclamation of attainder issued by the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania “against certain named persons adjudged guilty of high treason” for having “severally adhered to & knowingly & willing aided & assisted the Enemies of this State & of the United States of America, by having joined their Armies at Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, within this State.”20 They were given until Thursday, the 25th of June, to surrender themselves for trial or stand attained of High Treason.
The rest of the story can be found here.
Fun Fact: Commissioner Lynott is the grandfather of local historian Mike Leibrandt.
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