Person:Jennie Knight (41)

BIOGRAPHY: From: JM4kids@aol.com Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:11:11 EST Subject: Boohoo To: Williamknight57@yahoo.com

BIOGRAPHY: Thanks to you, and other people in the Knight family, there is a wealth of knowledge about my roots in that family. What pride it instills in me to see the decent people I've come from.

If you'd let me indulge a moment, I can't help but reminense about the family. Herbert Edgar Knight and his wife, Mary Ellen Dafoe were gone before I came into the world, but I have plenty of memories of my great grandma, Jennie Elizabeth Knight b 9 July, 1890, married 25 Aug, 1910 to Elwin Charles Holmes, b 17 Sept, 1889. I also fondly remember my g Uncle Homer, and his wife Ruth.

Jennie was always soft spoken, and usually had a sweet smile on her face. She had such a gentle laugh. After her husband died, she realized she was the new head of the family and was willing to speak her mind more. Once, in college, around 1983 I visited her. She was a Baptist, but I don't remember religion being a big part of their lives. On this visit I asked her what kind of sermons she liked, and with gusto she replied, "fire and brimstone". What I do recall her being passionate about was reading. I remember that she and her husband, even into their 80's would go to the library and check out a new book or two every week. I didn't read more than necessary as a kid, but I remember their books being those very fat kind. She died at 105 years old, and was very alert almost the very end. I'm sure that all the reading was helpful in keeping her in the right state of mind. On that same college weekend trip to Lansing, my g Aunt Ellen picked up her mom, next door, went to the nursing home to get Uncle Homer. We then went to the graveyard where family is buried. On the way there and back Uncle Homer and g grandma Jennie argued the whole way. They sounded just as bad as young kids. I couldn't help but laugh.

Regarding the 1910 census, I find it interesting that Jennie was a teacher. The proper use of the English language, and the seriousness with which they looked at school was evident in the daily life. When I found Uncle Homer in the 1930 Census MI>Wayne>Highland Park, his wife, Ruth, was working as a school teacher, but Uncle Homer was working in a stockroom of an auto factory. It wasn't until after they got married that he went to college, and became a teacher. He loved teaching, and had a very dry sense of humor. Uncle Homer and Aunt Ruth lived in different places. When my grandparents lived in Detroit, Uncle Homer and his wife lived right across the road. As a little girl I was allowed to cross the small street by myself to see them. They always kept a cabin on Lake Heron, and spent considerable time there. I loved visiting them there. There was a long stairway to the beach.

Thank you for allowing me to ramble, but my Knight relatives were a blessing in my life, and I wanted you, a Knight, to know about it.

Cousin, Cheryl