The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
State of Service: NJ
Qualifying Service: Patriotic Service
per Find-a-Grave - May 2022 - Burial Details Unknown
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
Author: LtCol Dewayne Leland Knott
The following biography was edited by and augmented by PRS staff.
David Knott was born abt 1732 in Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey, the son of Peter Knott. David and his father, Peter, were both Elders in the Shrewsbury Presbyterian Church.
He married Isabel (aka Isabella) Little on 3 July 1753 in Monmouth County, the daughter of John Little ll. Together they had a large number of children.
The Congress of Provincial Delegates convened in Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia, on 4 September 1774, and on 10 December 1774, David was appointed a member of the Shrewsbury Committee of Observation. On 22 September 1775, the Freeholders of Shrewsbury placed him on a permanent Committee of Correspondence. He observed the King’s ships at the far northern end of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, having a clear view of the New York harbor.
As the war progressed, he and other committee members blockaded ships when necessary. On 26 December 1775, David was charged with putting together a sub-committee to investigate the cargo & crew of a sloop at Manasquan headed toward Boston suspected to be loaded with food supplies for the King's troops. David was assigned to deliver instructions to the Deputy attending the Congress at Trentown. He served throughout the Revolution until his death in 1788 under extreme threat and hardship from the English Crown.1
A British letter of 1778 states: “…burn every committeeman’s house. I will give 20 silver dollars to any man who deliveres a committeeman up to the Kings Troops. These same men will be torn to pieces.”
The minutes of the Continental Congress show David specifically participated in “…observing the movement and the blockade of enemy ships, and calling for the local men of the area to militia duty, their provisions, etc. the committee passed acts to disarm the blacks, providing them with receipts to claim them back after the war. They passed rulings to post notices against vaccinations during those years of the 1700s, etc.”2
Detailed Committee records were kept that recount the observations and actions taken by the Committee, and its individual members, throughout its existence. David was present at the Battle of Monmouth. George Washington was present to witness the eventual success of the battle. Of special significance is the wide range of tasks that fell to the Committee; “…with the power of legislation, adjudication, investigation, and enforcement; the vigilante organization truly exercised the essential functions of government.”3
David was an elder of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury and donated the cemetery ground to the church. The church contains a signed letter from him transferring the cemetery ground deed to the church. The church also houses a signed receipt for his numbered pew in the church.
Peter Knott, David’s father, founded the Seventh Day Baptist Church at Hurley’s Corner in Shrewsbury. David supported the church on his father’s land until his death in 1788. He was killed by a falling tree.3
Sources:
New Jersey Historical Society Manuscripts, Minutes of Shrewsbury Committee of Observation
from Resistance to Rebellion
from Resistance to Rebellion
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