Sarah Kemble Knight
Sarah Kemble Knight was a notable figure in early American history, born in Boston to a family with roots in England. Her father was an agent for Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. Sarah married Richard Knight, but he spent much of their marriage abroad, prompting her to take on various roles to support her household, including running a boarding house, teaching, and working as a scrivener. In 1704, she undertook a challenging five-month journey from Boston to New Haven and New York City, during which she kept a detailed journal. This journal reflects her keen observations of the contrasting customs and lifestyles of the regions she visited, particularly her humorous critiques of rural life in New Haven.
After her husband's death in 1706, Knight continued to thrive, moving to New London, where she engaged in real estate speculation and operated a successful house of entertainment. Despite facing some legal challenges, she enjoyed prosperity and independence during a time when women's roles were traditionally constrained. Her journal, initially unpublished, was released in 1825 and garnered significant attention for its depiction of a strong-willed woman navigating the complexities of her time. Knight's life and writings provide valuable insights into the experiences of women in colonial America.
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Subject Terms
Sarah Kemble Knight
Diarist
- Born: April 19, 1666
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
- Died: September 25, 1727
- Place of death: New London, Connecticut
Biography
Sarah Kemble Knight was born in Boston to Thomas Kemble, who moved to Boston from Charlestowne, England, not long before her birth. Kemble had been an agent for Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. Kemble entered into a contract with English shipmaster Richard Knight for the marriage of his daughter. Although Richard and Sarah had a daughter together (Elizabeth), in 1689, her husband seems to have spent most of his life abroad. To maintain her household and supplement their income, Sarah Kemble Knight entered into a number of occupations: she ran a boarding house, taught school (her pupils reportedly included Ben Franklin, although there is no official record of it), and worked as a scrivener for the court.
In October, 1704, Knight traveled from her home in Boston to New Haven and New York City. The trip was more than two hundred miles and lasted for five months; travel between the colonies during these early days of settlement was dangerous and arduous. Roads were not well-kept and were often unmarked and not patrolled. Crossing rivers usually required ferries or boats. During her extensive trip, Knight kept a journal. Proving herself to be witty and observant, Knight not only remarked upon the rigors of her travel itself but also upon the divergent customs of Boston, New Haven, and New York.
Knight would particularly allow her sarcasm to find purchase in her portrayals of rustic New Haven farmers; she especially made fun of one tobacco-jawed farmer she labeled “Bumpkin.” On the other hand, she was much taken with New York, which seemed the antithesis of the backwoods terrain she had traversed. Knight’s journal was clearly not written initially to be published. At the same time, the journal is particularly interesting in its portrayal of a strong, independent, and willful woman from a time in history when women presumably assigned management of all their fortunes to men.
After Knight’s husband died in 1706, she became even more prominent. In 1713, her daughter Elizabeth married Colonel John Livingston of New London, Connecticut, at which time Knight moved to New London. She speculated in real estate, owned several farms, and operated a house of entertainment. Despite minor legal problems in 1718 for selling liquor to Indians, she prospered and flourished in the very Connecticut she had lampooned in her journal. She died in 1727, but her journal remained only in manuscript form for almost a hundred more years. It was finally published in 1825, when it received great attention and praise.