Knapp

KNAPP FOLLETTE HOOKER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/21/2010 at 16:21:00

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Knapp Family
By Cyrus A Knapp

My grandfather , Cyrus Knapp, was born on a farm in Chautauqua County, New York, May 14, 1834. He was the son of Levi and Samantha (Follette) Knapp. After the death of Samantha in 1849, Levi married Mary Hooker. The family moved to Illinois and settled near Leaf River in 1853. On November 17, 1859, Cyrus Knapp was married to Harriet Palmer, a descendant of Walter Palmer, who came from England in1629 and settled in Massachusetts. Cyrus Knapp purchased a farm near the one owned by Levi. He made several trips to Kansas in behalf of the anti-slave faction, but I have never been able to determine how large a part he played in the struggle to keep Kansas in the Union.

In 1866 Cyrus Knapp sold his farm to the family who still own it and came west and homesteaded 160 acres near Jefferson, South Dakota. When they came to South Dakota, they took the train to Cedar Falls, then the end of the train line and came the rest of the way by covered wagon. He purchased 40 acres of timberland along the Big Sioux River, which was only a mile or so away from the homestead. This land was purchased so the family would have wood for fuel and various other purposes. In order to supplement his income he worked for a company that had a contract with the U S Army to transport supplies from Sioux City to Fort Randall. This was done mostly in the winter when the Missouri River was frozen and oxen were used to pull the wagons. In 1871 he and his brother, Noah, purchased a threshing machine and did custom work for the whole neighbor hood.

In November 1872, Cyrus Knapp was elected to the first South Dakota territorial legislature and served until he moved to Iowa. As each member of the new legislature was allowed to name a new county in South Dakota, he named Tripp County after a friend, who had been a General in the Civil War. We have letters written by him and his wife while he was in the Legislature at Yankton. They ae not too much different from modern day letters.

On April 2, 1873, he purchased the farm on which my son, Bruce, now lives. For a few years he (Cyrus) and his sons farmed both the South Dakota and the Iowa farms. At first the farm in Iowa consisted of 168 acres; but was increased throughout the years until at the time of his death consisted of 460 acres. After having lived in Iowa for about five years, he sold the homestead in South Dakota to the Bosse family, who still own it. In 1882 he purchased 177 acres about one mile south of the home farm and across the river in South Dakota and he owned it until the time of his death. Cyrus Knapp took an active part in local affairs and named the township in which the farm is located.

Cyrus and Harriet Knapp had thirteen children – eleven of whom grew to adulthood. They both lived out their lives on the home far. He died June 1, 1903, and she died April 8, 1916.

My father, Cyrus P Knapp, was born April 24, 1880, third from the youngest of the family. Upon the death of his father, he assumed management of the farm and finally acquired the whole farm. He built a whole new set of farm buildings, most of native lumber. The barn is the largest in the area – built in 1914. In 1918, he purchased a Delco electrical plant – one of the first in the area. It was used until 1930 – when he purchased a Wind Power plant – which was used until R.E.A. came through in 1946. He also put in indoor plumbing and running water in 1918 – part of which is still in use.

From the beginning we have specialized in livestock raising. I have heard my father tell of driving fat steers from the farm to the Sioux City Stockyards – going through the business district. I understand that for several years my grandfather and his sons drove slaughter hogs to the yards. The hogs were very hard to drive and they soon built long wagons which they called hog racks and after that all hogs were transported in these horse drawn vehicles. I can remember my father and the hired man getting up at 4 a.m. or before in order to get hogs to the Sioux City Stockyards when the market opened. In the winter time this was a very cold job, and my father wore the same buffalo coat that his father had worn on the trips from Sioux City to Fort Randall. We still have the coat and it has escaped any damage from moths or other insects. It is almost as good as it ever was.

On December 23, 1907, Cyrus P Knapp was married to Maude E Fry. They lived out their lives on the farm. Cyrus died February 5, 1959 and Maude on January 17, 1979.

Two children were born to Maude and Cyrus P Knapp – Cyrus A Knapp on August 3, 1909, and Marjorie Knapp Kurfiss on August 5, 1916. Marjorie still lives in one of the houses on the farm. I spent all my live living and working on the farm until I moved to Sioux City in 1979. One June 10, 1939, I was married to Priscilla Alden of Sioux City. I purchased a farm in 1941 – 120 acres – just north of the home farm and lived there until 1958 when we moved back to the home place, which had now become 600 acres, due to the purchased of 120 acres adjoining in 1930.

I started operating both my own place and the home place in 1954 and continued thus until January 1975. I have four children – Judith Knapp Gehrmann, Carson, Iowa; Roger Knapp, Old Tappan, New Jersey; Steven Knapp, Westfield, Iowa, who is employed in Sioux City; and Bruce Knapp, who lives on the home place and operates both farms with the help of his wife, Karen (Brunken) and their two sons, Cole and Matthew.

This si not one of the better farms as the hills are too steep and a lot of the bottomland is too low; but I think it has been managed well as it has produced a good living for four generations over a period of 110 years. As Bruce seems to love the farm, it will no doubt be in the family for many years to come.