BIOGRAPHY: Our City and its People
A Descriptive Work on
The City of Rome, New York
Daniel E. Wager 1896
Page 231
The Stanwix Engineering Company was established in 1887 by Knight & Hopkins. The present firm was organized in 1889 and consists of Charles W. Knight, Charles C. Hopkins and James W. Kittrell. Mr. Knight is a native of Rome and has been an engineer since 1878; he stands very high in his profession.
Rome Semi-Weekly Citizen – 1884
An Extensive Contract
Charles W. Knight, of this city, hydraulic engineer, has been awarded the contract for putting water-works into the village of Whitehall. Eight miles of water mains are to be laid, and the contract price of the job is $75,000. Mr. Knight is a son of Joseph H. Knight of this city, and his energy and success are gratifying to a large number of friends here.
CENSUS: 1850 United States Federal Census
Name: Charles W Knight
Age: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847
Birth Place: New York
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Rome, Oneida, New York
Household Members: Name Age
Arthur T Knight 6
Charles W Knight 3
George B Knight 11
Joseph Knight 34
Juliett Knight 33
Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Rome, Oneida, New York; Roll: M432_565; Page: 82; Image: 167.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K67G-S8J
name: Charles W Knight
event: Census
event date: 1855
event place: E.D. 1, Rome, Oneida, New York, United States
gender: Male
age: 7
relationship to head of household: Child
estimated birth year: 1848
Household Gender Age Birthplace
head Joseph H Knight M 40
wife Juliett Knight F 39
child George B Knight M 17
child Hezakiah Knight M 10
child Charles W Knight M 7
child Edgar F Knight M 4
child Sarah P Knight F 1
sister Ruth A Knight F 46
boarder Deborah Knap F 22
family number: 69
line number: 28
page: 9
film number: 1435053
digital folder number: 005207168
image number: 00731
Collection: Charles W Knight in household of Joseph H Knight, "New York, State Census, 1855"
1860 United States Federal Census
Name: Charles W Knight
Age in 1860: 12
Birth Year: abt 1848
Birthplace: New York
Home in 1860: Rome Ward 2, Oneida, New York
Gender: Male
Post Office: Rome
Household Members: Name Age
Joseph H Knight 45
Julia Knight 44
George Knight 23
Authur S Knight 16
Charles W Knight 12
Edgar F Knight 9
Sarah O Knight 6
Srh a Gregory 67
Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Rome Ward 2, Oneida, New York; Roll: M653_824; Page: 506; Image: 300.
1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Charles Knight
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1848
Age in 1870: 22
Birthplace: New York
Home in 1870: Rome Ward 5, Oneida, New York
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Rome
Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Rome Ward 5, Oneida, New York; Roll: M593_1059; Page: 662; Image: 638.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VNJS-FBX
Name: Chas W Knight
Titles & Terms:
Event: Census
Event Date: 1875
Event Place: Ward 05, Rome, Oneida, New York, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Estimated Birth Year: 1848
Family Number: 122
Page: 12
Line Number: 36
Film Number: 1435184
Digital Folder Number: 004858057
Image Number: 00884
Collection: New York, State Census, 1875
1880 United States Federal Census
Name: Charles W. Knight
Home in 1880: Rome, Oneida, New York
Age: 35
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845
Birthplace: New York
Relation to Head of Household: Son
Spouse's Name: Alta E.
Father's Name: Joseph H.
Father's birthplace: New York
Mother's Name: Julia E.
Mother's birthplace: New York
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
Joseph H. Knight 65
Julia E. Knight 64
George B. Knight 42
Charles W. Knight 35
Alta E. Knight 26
Edith Knight 4
Arthur P. Knight 1
Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Rome, Oneida, New York; Roll: T9_903; Family History Film: 1254903; Page: 134.2000; Enumeration District: 117; Image: 0271.
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Charles Knight
Home in 1900: Vienna, Oneida, New York
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Birthplace: New York
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Race: White
Occupation: Farmer
Household Members: Name Age
Charles Knight 32
George B Knight 62
Arthur Knight 20
Altag j Knight 19
Charles S Knight 17
Allay Peter 68
Michael Nave 39
Jessie I Nave 38
Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Vienna, Oneida, New York; Roll: T623 1134; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 93.
1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Charles W Knight
Home in 1920: Rome, Oneida, New York
Age: 72 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1848
Birthplace: New York
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Charlotte
Father's Birth Place: New York
Mother's Birth Place: New York
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Own
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 1076
Household Members: Name Age
Charles W Knight 72
Charlotte Knight 35
Charles Knight 16
Dorothy Knight 8
Edgar Knight 3
Nellie Ward 23
Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: Rome, Oneida, New York; Roll: T625_1243; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 106; Image: 1076.
OBITUARY: The Utica Observer-Dispatch - Monday, May 21, 1923
C.W. Knight Passes Away; Widely Known
Rome - May 21 - Charles W. Knight of the civil engineering firm of C. W. Knight & Son, one of the best known engineering firms in the country, died at his home, 104 Huntington ST., last evening. Five weeks ago he suffered a stroke from which it was thought he was recovering. As he was able to sit up in a chair and appeared to be gaining. He had another stroke Sunday which proved fatal. Mr. Knight was born in Stanwix town of Rome, October 15, 1847, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Knight and he always lived here. During summers he spent the week end on his dairy farm at Cleveland, on Oneida Lake, where he built what is probably the finest dairy barn in the whole section of Central, New York, sanitary to the minutest detail and shipped certified milk to New York and other places. Mr. Knight graduated from the old Home Academy, his father was a carpenter and he worked with him most mornings and evenings, he studied civil engineering and became most proficient and he had been engaged in that line for 50 years and in that time probably had as many in not more contracts than any civil engineer in the United States, having planned and supervised construction of over 50 large water works and sewer systems in different states. Among the water plants built by him were those in Rome, Schenectady, N.Y, Altoona, Uniontown, Scotdale, Greensburg all in Pennsylvania and many others. He also built the sewer system for this city and his company completed plans for a sewer disposal plant for Rome. Mr. Knight was a member of the Presbyterian church and of the Rome Club. He was twice married. His first wife was Altay Elizabeth Potter of Cleveland, whom he married October 13, 1875 and four children were born in that marriage, the son Arthur P. Knight be the only one living. She died December 18, 1884. For his second wife he married Charllotte R. Lyndon of this city, October 16, 1901; and she survives, also two children Dorothy I. and Edgar and an adopted son Charles P. Knight and sister Mrs. J. M. Brainerd, of Rome. Mr. Knight was a member of the American Society of Civil Enginners.
LAND: The Rome Citizen, Friday, Nov. 21, 1902
Barn To Cost $30,000
A Msdel of its Kind Being Constructed by Civil Engineer Charles W. Knight
Charles W. Knight, a member of the civil engineering firm of Knight & Hopkins of this city, has erected on his 400 acre farm in Oswego county, about three miles from Cleveland the finest and most complete sanitary barn that can be probabely be found in the Empire state, if not in the United State, according to Mr. Knight's own plans. It will be some time yet before the barn will be entirely completed its estimated cost being about $30,000. This barn is constructed entirely of the field stone and Portland cement, being 120 feet long, 42 feet wide, 28 feet to the first plates and 51 feet to the first peak containing about 500 cords of cobblestone. The work of construction has been going on for the past eighteen months for the outside work and it will not be completed in the interior for about a year. The main part of the building is to be used as a stock barn having accommodations for fifty cows, arranged in two rows of 25 each facing the outside. Under the cement floor and between the cows is a large ventilation tube with registers. This tube extends the entire length of the barn and is connected with the ventilation chimneys at the east end, through which is forced a current of hot air which produces a suction I the ventilating tube, carrying away all impure air, the entire structure being heated by hot air, by two furnaces. In front of the cows are manger built of stone and cement, with a drinking fountain for each cow, the fountains being automatically supplied with fresh water drawn by windmills from a spring book [brook] nearby and forced into a reservoir located in the tok [top] of the barn. At the west end is a creamery and living apartments, 30 by 42 fete [feet], under which is a root cellar. In the creamery has been installed all the latest improved machinery for the manufacture of butter. There are several other buildings in the course of construction adjacent to the barn, including two large solos [silos], a hospital 30 by 60 feet, also built of stone, tenant houses, etc. Frank Cottet of Cleveland, Oswego County, is the builder. Mr. Knight is a hydraulic engineer. He spends the greater part of the summer on his farm and his winters here with his family. He has a fine farm on the shore of Oneida lake, half a mile east of Cleveland, where he has a beautiful summer home, the buildings being ideal for the purposes for which they are intended. Mr. Knight is the president of the Cleveland Water company and is also financially interested in several other water companies. He has his own idea about road improvement and is now engaged in macadamizing about three miles of roadway to connect his two farms the work being done at his own expense it being a public highway.
