Person:Orton Knight (3)

LAND: History of the Original Town of Concord being the present towns of Concord, Collins, No. Collins and Sardina.
Erie County, New York By Erasmus Briggs 1881 Page 553
The Early Land Owners Names of Persons Buying Land from the Holland Compay.

Township Six, Range Seven
Name Date Land Acres Price
Orton J. Knight 1837, Apr. 28 pt I 15 135 771

History of the Original Town of Concord Being the present towns of Concord, Collins, N. Collins and Sardinia, Erie County, New York
By Erasmus Briggs, Rochester, N.Y. Union and Advertiser Company's Print. 1883
Deeds Given by the Holland Company
Collins Township Six - Range Eight
LOT ACRES SUBDIVISION DATE OF DEED NAME
60 161 n pt Jan. 9 1836 Orton J. Knight
53 63 s-e pt Nov. 16, 1835 Orton J. Knight
53 42 e m pt Dec. 3, 1829 Avery Knight
53 29 n pt Oct. 6, 1835" Avery Knight
Township Six - Range Seven
84 53 s-e pt Sept. 24, 1834 Nathaniel Knight
84 84 e m pt Mar. 10, 1841 Francis L. Knight
85 135 m pt April 28, 1837 Orton J. Knight

BIOGRAPHY: Knights and Kings of Collins by Carlotta Wood and Nora Johnson Brown Written in the 1930's
Orton, who lived for years on the farm later purchased by Matthew Kohn. After the death of his wife, Seraphina Spaulding,
Orton wed Lucy Hawkins Tanner and moved to the dwelling house south of the Methodist church in Collins Center.
Here he had a cabinet shop among other things he made the coffins in which, as undertaker, he buried the dead.
Orton was more than a pillar in the church. His hand kept the place in order and rang the bell that called to service
or tolled to acquaint the countryside for miles around that death had visited the community.
By a code, understood by every listener, the sex and age of the deceased was made known.
Men and women, who in their youth attended the Methodist Sunday school during the many years of Orton' s supervision,
remember well his closing remarks with the unfailing admonition, "Now children, go directly hum and throw neither stick nor stone."
His wife, Lucy Ann, also played an important role in the church activities; during protracted meetings, revivals and the like,
it was to her home that the preachers and members from a distance came for bed and food.

Collins Center M. E. Church Since Its Beginning as a Methodist Society About 1823,
This Has passed Through more Than a Century of Success and Happiness, Trials Tribulations
By Carlotta Wood and Nora Johnson Brown
October 16, 1936 Contributed by Marilyn Bobseine <markelbob@webtv.net>

Meeting House Moved
In 1844 it was decided to move the meetinghouse to Collins Center, which was on its way to become a village.
A big "bee" was made, the church placed on log runners, all the ox teams in the vicinity hitched to the moving gear
and amid a chorus of "gees" and "haws" the building started on its trip through the fields, entering the highway near the house of Daniel Newell,
now owned by Hubert Holton. Thinking it unwise to risk descending the nearby hill,
they proceeded past the site of the present Collins Center high school and down the lane (now School street)
through which Orton Knight was wont to drive his cows to pasture. When the creek was reached,
the sun was sinking and some of the men thought it better rest until morning, but a suggestion was made to pass the cup that both cheers and stimulates,
which refreshment produced such buoyancy of spirits that the building was easily pulled to its destination before dark.
Thus, just two days after starting on its journey, it came to rest on the top of the little hill where it now stands.
Active in settling the church upon its new foundation and in building an "entry" with its surmounting belfry, were Merrill Johnson and Joseph Andrews.
The name of Joseph Andrews appears often in the chronicles of the church. His home across the street is still occupied by a member of his family,
a granddaughter Mrs. Alice Bailey Farnsworth. Joseph and his brother, Stephen, who settled in Collins Center, were offspring of an English family,
which numbered many men of note, both in the mother country and in the colonies. In 1635, their American forebear, Captain Robert Andrew,
crossed the Atlantic in the ship, " Angel Gabriel", of which he was owner and master, to settle in Massachusetts,
where his descendants remained until Revolutionary times. It might be added that the crack of doom sounded for the
"Angel Gabriel" in the fall of that same 1635 when she went down off the Maine coast in a terrific gale.

James E. Neal
Collins Center, in 1883, was the first charge of James E. Neal after joining the Genesee conference.
His death in 1928 ended 36 years of service in the Methodist church. Two sons, Olin and Benjamin,
are the Neals in the music firm of Neal, Clark and Neal of Buffalo. It Ws during his ministry that the Society lost one of its oldest members,
Orton Knight, who, as Custodian of the building, Sabbath school superintendent or trustee, had served the church since its beginning.
How the "Sunday school scholars" of long ago envied him as he pulled the rope that set the bell swinging,
the tails of his long black coat swirling with the vigor of his effort! In his day, the bell spread the news of a death in the community.
Five slow, measured peals indicated that the person who had passed was a man, four a woman. After a pause, it quickened tempo,
one by one, the years of his or her life were struck. Funerals were invariably held in the church, where, at the approach of the funeral party,
the bell again tolled, ceasing only when the coffin came to rest in front of the altar.
At the special meeting in which Charles Taft was elected to fill the vacancy caused by Orton Knight's death,
it was also resolved to sell a portion of the parsonage lot and apply the proceeds on repairs to the parsonage.

CENSUS: 1850 United States Federal Census
Name: Orton J Knight
Age: 40
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1810
Birth Place: New York
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Collins, Erie, New York
Household Members: Name Age
Avery A Knight 12
Cyrus E Knight 2
Eliza Knight 14
Hellen Knight 10
Henerretta Knight 6
Orrin Knight 8
Orton J Knight 40
Sarah F Knight 41
Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Collins, Erie, New York; Roll: M432_499; Page: 300;

1860 United States Federal Census
Name: Orton J Knight
Age in 1860: 51
Birth Year: abt 1809
Birthplace: New York
Home in 1860: Collins, Erie, New York
Gender: Male
Post Office: Collins Center
Household Members: Name Age
Orton J Knight 51
Seraphina Knight 51
Eliza Knight 24
Avery Knight 22
Helen Knight 20
Orin Knight 19
Hnryette Knight 16
Eugene Knight 12
Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Collins, Erie, New York; Roll: M653_751; Page: 132;

1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Orton Knight
Estimated Birth Year: 1810
Age in 1870: 60
Birthplace: New York
Home in 1870: Collins, Erie, New York
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Collins Center
Household Members: Name Age
Orton Knight 60
Lucy Knight 42
Eliza Knight 29
Avery Knight 81
Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Collins, Erie, New York; Roll: M593_930; Page: 108;

1880 United States Federal Census
Name: Orton I. Knight
Home in 1880: Collins Center, Erie, New York
Age: 70
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1810
Birthplace: Vermont
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Lucy A.
Father's birthplace: Vermont
Mother's birthplace: Vermont
Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
Orton I. Knight 70
Lucy A. Knight 65
Eliza Knight 30
Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Collins Center, Erie, New York; Roll: T9_832; Family History Film: 1254832; Page: 465.3000; Enumeration District: 204