On September 1, 1870, Samuel married Sarah T. Caldwell.  Sarah was born May 25, 1852, in Illinois, the daughter of John H. Caldwell from Kentucky, and Paulina Jane McGee from Indiana.

Sarah died on August 21, 1878, and was buried in the McGee Cemetery in Wythe Township, Hancock County.  She left three children:

We have not located Samuel with absolute certainty at the time of the 1880 Federal Census, but it's likely that he was the man named as Samuel Knott*, 33, counted in Tennessee Township, McDonough County, in the home of the Parmelia White.  (The enumerator's rendition of her name looks most like Perindia, but was probably meant to be "Permelia.")  Parmelia White was the widow of Marion Francis White, a first cousin of Sarah Caldwell Knox.  However, just two months later when Samuel Knox remarried, he stated his residence was in Hancock County.  The three little Knox children were parcelled out among relatives. Lillian was with her aunt Martha (Caldwell) Damron, Clara was with her Caldwell grandparents and Frank was with his Knox grandparents.

Mary Hannah Wood was born August 25, 1862, in Ohio, the daughter of James Wood and Nancy Kelly.  According to family history, James died in Ohio when Hannah was 11. Subsequently Nancy and at least some of her children came to Illinois.  As of June 1, 1880, Hannah was living with her grandmother in Tennessee Township, not far from Parmilia White and her family.

McDonough County marriage license #770 was issued on August 7, 1880, to Samuel W. Knox of Elderville, Hancock County, Illinois, and Mary H. Woods of Tennessee Township, McDonough County.  They were married on August 8.  One of the documents accompanying the license is a handwritten affidavit prepared by C.W. Dines, County Clerk, regarding a sworn statement by Hannah's uncle, Austin Wood, indicating that Hannah's mother had given her permission for Hannah to marry.  A second affidavit was signed by Samuel.  Note that Mary Hannah's maiden name was shown as both Wood and Woods.  Marriage Documents

The Elderville neighborhood of Hancock County was in Wythe Township, four townships (twenty plus miles) south and west of Tennessee Township, McDonough County.  Follow this link to view a map of Hancock County townships and Wythe Township, specifically.  Tennessee Township lies due east and adjacent to Hancock Township.

In both 1900 and 1910 Samuel and Hannah were farming in Tennessee Township.  In 1920 they were in Blandinsville Township.  Soon after, Samuel died at the home of his daughter, Sylvia Knox Barbe, in Keokuk, Iowa.  Mary Hannah survived him by 9 years.  She also died at Sylvia's home, on January 7, 1929.  Both Samuel and Mary Hannah are buried at Glade City Cemetery, Blandinsville.

The Knox children were:

i.	Milton Walter Knox, born October 16, 1881, died July 20, 1949, in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois.  He was buried near his parents at Glade City Cemetery.
ii.	Goldie Knox, born February 10, 1885, died June 20, 1961.
iii.	Sylvia Margaret Knox, born March 16, 1890, in Lee County, Iowa.  She died February 15, 1970, burial at Oakland Cemetery, Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa.
iv.	James Lovington Knox, born February 21, 1891, died January 7, 1892.  Burial location undetermined.
v.	Ovie Thornbury Knox, born April 30, 1892, according to his WWI Selective Service registration.  Census records from 1900, 1910 and 1920 suggest 1894.

*We are generally familiar with the Knott family who lived in this locale in the mid 1800s and this Samuel "Knott" does not appear to belong to that group.  Those Knotts had originated in Pennsylvania and lived in Ohio before continuing on to Illinois.  For the Samuel "Knott" in Parmelia White's home in 1880, it was reported that both of his parents were born in Kentucky, which matches what we know about Samuel Wasson Knox.

Milton W Knox, 26, male, farmer, value of real estate 800, born KY
Margaret, 23, female, born KY
Samuel, 1, male, born IL

Milton W Knox, 33, male, farmer, value of real estate $3000, value of personal estate 450, born KY
Margaret C, 32, female, born KY
Samuel W Knox, 11, male, born IL, attended school within the year
William B Knox, 8, male, born IL, attended school within the year
Izora Knox, 4, female, born IL
Mary M Knox, 2, female, born IL
Unnamed Baby Knox, 3/12, male, born IL
Martha Coe, 17, female, servant, born KY

John H Colwell, 33, male, farmer, value of real estate 3100, value of personal estate 600, born KY
Jane, 30, female, born IN
Mary, 13, female, born IL, attended school within the year
Martha, 11, female, born IL, attended school within the year
Sarah, 8, female, born IL, attended school within the year
Nathaniel Meredith, 12, male, born IL

Knox, Milton W, 44, male, white, farmer, value of real estate 5000, value of personal estate 800, born KY, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Margaret, 43, female, white, keeping house, born KY
Samuel, 21, male, white, farm laborer, value of personal estate 250, born IL, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
William, 18, male, white, farm laborer, born IL
Isora, 14, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Mary L, 12, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Horner, 10, male, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Dora, 8, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year

Caldwell, John H, 44, male, white, farmer, value of real estate 6400, value of personal estate 2315, born KY, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Paulina, 40, female, white, keeping house, born IN
Martha A, 19, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Sarah T, 18, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Elisha L, 7 [or maybe a faint 9], male, white, born IL, attended school within the year
John S, 4, male, white, born IL
Albert E, 1, male, white, born IL

White, Permelia, white, female, 27, widow, keeping house, born IL, both parents born KY
Frank, white, male, 13, son, single, farming, attended school within the year, born IL, both parents born IL
Arther, white, male, 10, son, single, farming, attended school within the year, born IL, both parents born IL
Iona, white, female, 7, daughter, single, at home, attended school within the year, born IL, both parents born IL
White, Henry, white, male, 35, husband's brother, single, farming, born IL, father born OH, mother born [no entry]
Knott, Samule, white, male, 33, servant, widower, laborer, born IL, both parents born KY

Wood, Mary, white, female, 69, widow, keeping house, could not write, born PA, both parents born PA
Austin S, white, male, 27, son, single, laborer, born OH, father born Delaware, mother born PA
Hanna, white, female, 18, granddaughter, single, could not write, born OH, father born PA, mother born VA  [The mark in the 'could not write' column perhaps should have been in the school attendance column.]

Knox, Samuel, head, white, male, Mar 1849, 51, married for 20 years, born IL, both parents born KY, farmer, could read, write and speak English, rented his farm home, farm schedule 19
Hanna, wife, white, female, Aug 1861, 38, married for 20 years; mother of 5 children, 4 living; born OH, father born OH, mother born VA, could read, write and speak English
Milton, son, white, male, Oct 1881, 18, single, born IL, father born IL, mother born OH, farm hand, months not employed - 6, could read, write and speak English
Goldie, daughter, white, female, Feb 1885, 15, single, born IL, father born IL, mother born OH, attended school for 8 months, could read, write and speak English
Sylva, daughter, white, female, Mar 1889, 11, single, born IA, father born IL, mother born OH, attended chool for 8 months, could read, write and speak English
Ovie T, son, white, male, Apr 1894, 6, single, born IL, father born IL, mother born OH
Rummons, Ollie, servant, white, female, Jan 1880, 20, single, born IL, father born MO, mother born VA, houskeeper, months not employed - 4, could read, write and speak English [Hannah's half-sister]

Knox, Samuel, head, male, white, 59, married (2nd) for 29 years, born IL, both parents born KY, spoke English, farmer, general farm, working on own account, could read and write, rented his farm home, farm schedule 94
Hannah, wife, female, white, 49, married (1st) for 29 years; mother of 5 children, 4 living; born OH, father born OH, mother born VA, spoke English, could read and write
Silvy, daughter, female, white, 21, single, born IA, father born IL, mother born OH, spoke English, could read and write
Ovie, son, male, white, 15, single, born IA, father born IL, mother born OH, spoke English, could read and write, attended school after Sept; 1, 1909

Knox, Samuel W, head, rented his home, male, white, 70, married, could read and write, born IL, both parents born IL, spoke English, farmer, general farm, working on own account, farm schedule 73
Hannah, wife, female, white, 66, married, could read and write, born OH, father born IL, mother born VA, spoke English
Milton W, son, male, white, 38, single, could read and write, born IL, father born IL, mother born OH, spoke English, farm hand, general farm, working for wages
Moss, Elmer E, head, rented his home, male, white, 44, married, could read and write, born IL, father born IN, mother born IL, spoke English, farmer, general farm, working on own account, farm schedule 74
Maude E, wife, female, white, 39, married, could read and write, born IL, both parents born IL, spoke English
Mary, mother, female, white, 72, widow, could read and write, born IL, both parents born NY, spoke English