Private William Coleman Knight

1842 - 1865  (22 years)

• Name	William Coleman Knight
  Title	Private
  Birth	8 Dec 1842	West Almond, Allegany County, New York
  Gender	Male
  Military Service	16 Sep 1864	Mount Morris, Livingston County, New York
  	American Civil War (North) 188th NY Vols., Co. G Died at Washington, DC
  		Widows Pension - Laura Whitford Knight Large file (284 pages) - contains all documents from pension file. After Civil War soldier William Coleman Knight died in 1865, his widow Laura Knight remarried multiple times — first to Hiram Thomas (divorced 1873), then to Charles Welch (who later divorced her in 1881), and later to William A. Perry (divorced 1891). In addition, she lived for about 12 years with George Henry Young as husband and wife without legal marriage, during periods when one or both had living spouses. Because pension law barred widows who knowingly entered marital-type relationships from collecting benefits, the Pension Bureau investigated whether these relationships — especially the long cohabitation with Young — invalidated her claim. The file has all affidavits, depositions, letters, and history of Laura's life. Including her own interview with the Bureau investigators.
  Death	22 Apr 1865	District of Columbia
  Burial	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia
  Notes	"HIs father tried to get his body sent back to his home in West Almond, but the Government would not permit the shipment of the body." - Laura Knight widow pension file.
  Person ID	I45030	OurNorthernRoots
  Last Modified	26 Dec 2025

  
  

  Father	Caleb B. Knight,   b. 4 Jul 1797, Hartford, Washington County, New York d. 26 Sep 1876, West Almond, Allegany County, New York (Age 79 years)
  Mother	Cylinda Lamb,   b. 31 Jul 1802, Brunswick Center, Rensselaer County, New York d. 2 May 1865, West Almond, Allegany County, New York (Age 62 years)
  Family ID	F20011	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Laura Holiday Whitford,   b. 10 Jan 1845, Hornellsville, Steuben County, New York d. 4 Dec 1927, Davison, Genesee County, Michigan (Age 82 years)
  Marriage	17 Aug 1861	Angelica, Allegany County, New York
  Children	+ 1. Juliaette Knight,   b. 13 Oct 1862, Angelica, Allegany County, New York d. 17 Jul 1954, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan (Age 91 years)   2. William Coleman Knight,   b. 1 Sep 1865, West Almond, Allegany County, New York d. 1889, Baltimore, Maryland (Age 23 years)
  Family ID	F16306	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	26 Dec 2025

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 8 Dec 1842 - West Almond, Allegany County, New York Marriage - 17 Aug 1861 - Angelica, Allegany County, New York Military Service - American Civil War (North) 188th NY Vols., Co. G Died at Washington, DC - 16 Sep 1864 - Mount Morris, Livingston County, New York Death - 22 Apr 1865 - District of Columbia Burial - - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set