A native of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Richard Knight came to Farmer, Ohio, early and settled in for at least fifty years. He was a farmer, but he also served as postmaster one year, sold insurance, sat on the board of a bank and the county infirmary, and contributed to the draining of the swampland in the area.
He was a family man, married to his wife, the former Harriet Firestone for their lifetimes. Three daughters blessed their marriage: Eliza Jane, Eleanor (Foot), and Eugenia May (Haymaker).
His obituary detailed his life and accomplishments, and appeared in the Hicksville Tribune on June 3, 1909, p. 1.
"KNIGHT
Richard Knight was born in Pennsylvania, Jan. 26, 1816, and died at Farmer, Ohio, May 28, 1909, aged 93 years, 5 months and 9 days. The funeral was held at Farmer on Sunday, May 30th at 10:00 a.m.
In childhood, he removed with his parents to Wayne County, Ohio, and in 1839 was there married to Harriet Firestone. For 70 years this couple lived together, Mrs. Knight passing away on March 28, just two months prior to the death of her husband.
In early manhood, Mr. Knight united with the Baptist church and maintained his church relations as long as a society of that denomination was maintained in his community.
Mr. Knight was a member of Fountain City Lodge F & A.M. at Bryan and that lodge had charge of the funeral. At the time of his death, he was the oldest member of that lodge.
Mr. Knight removed to Defiance County in 1850 to farm in Section 8 of Farmer Township, removing some years later to Farmer Center, where he resided the rest of his life. Two children survive: Mrs. Ella F. Foot of Farmer and Mrs. K. V. Haymaker of Defiance.
Very few men are vouchsafed such length of years as was given to Richard Knight, and it is also true that very few men accomplish as much of good to the community in which they lived as he did. In the early pioneer days when he settled in this country, life was a strenuous affair and in the work of reclaiming the land from the wilderness and developing its resources, he bore a man's part.
For many years, he was engaged in the lumber business, conducting saw mills in various points in the western part of the county. He was also a carpenter and builder, and much of his work in that line is still in use.
It may not be generally known that the first official surveys of this county designated a large portion of Mark Township as 'Irreclaimable Swamp Land.' When the first efforts were made to drain 'The Marsh,' as it was called, Richard Knight was one of the contractors who did the work of constructing the first of the big ditches through that land, where today are located some of the finest farms of the county.
Deceased was one of the organizers of the Farmer Township Mutual Protection Association which has become a very popular company among the farmers of this county, and is probably carrying more farm risks than any three companies doing business in the county. He was for many years the president of this company.
He was also for many years a director of the Farmers' Banking Company of Bryan, which has since been reorganized as The Farmers National Bank.
In politics, he was a democrat of the old school, and for many years was one of the wheel horses of the party. He was never an office seeker, though he was elected as a director of the first Board of Infirmary Directors, that being the only office which he ever held. For more than forty years he attended every Democratic Convention in this county and enjoyed a very wide acquaintance among the workers of the party, to which he gave allegiance.
It is men like Richard Knight that makes our country truly great, and he will long be remembered as an upright man, a good citizen, and a true and faithful friend."
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