Michael John Knoll, Jr. was born on July 12, 1851, thus making today his 173rd birthday. He was the son of Michael Knoll, Sr. and Anna (Amschler) Knoll. Although he was a Jr., his father was listed as John M. in some census entries. Michael was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so I am not able to display an image of his baptism record. He is found in his first census entry in 1860 at the age of 8. His father was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Next, we find Michael in the 1870 census as a teenager. He and 2 other brothers were helping their father on his farm.

Even though Michael got married in 1880, he is still found in that year’s census as a single man. He was 28 years old and still working on his father’s farm.

Now, we will take a look at the woman who would become Michael’s bride in 1880. Her name was Sarah Georgia Venable, who was born on March 1, 1861. Georgia was the daughter of Allen and Margaret (Cox) Venable. Because she was later buried in the York Chapel Cemetery near Longtown, I suspect that Georgia was baptized at that church. When Georgia was still quite young, both of her parents died. Both of them died prior to the 1870 census. In that year’s entry, Georgia was living with her uncle, Willis Venable, and Willis’s mother, Sarah G. Farrar. Sarah had been previously married John Venable, Georgia’s grandfather, so Sarah was also Georgia’s grandmother. After Georgia’s grandfather died, Sarah had married John Farrar, and by this time, John had died. If you look closely at this entry, it says Sarah Farrar was born in Georgia, and when I found Sarah’s Findagrave.com site, it says her middle name was Georgia. I’m thinking that today’s highlighted character got her name, Georgia, from her grandmother, and her grandmother may have gotten her middle name because she was born in Georgia. Georgia is called Sarah in this entry, and she was 9 years old.

Georgia is found in the 1880 census at the age of 19. This time she was living with her Aunt Martha (Venable) who, believe it or not, had married a different John Farrar.

Michael Knoll married Georgia Venable on December 9, 1880 at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg. I located 2 different civil marriage records for this couple. Here is the first one.

A second marriage record for this couple is shown below. In both of these records, Georgia is called Georgie.

Our German Family Tree lists 10 children born to Michael and Georgia between 1880 and 1902. In the 1900 census, there were 8 children in their household. Michael was a farmer in the Central Township.

That census would turn out to be the only one in which we find both Michael and Georgia. Georgia died in 1907 at the age of 45. Her obituary shown below says that she died of tuberculosis.

As her obituary states, Georgia was buried in the York Chapel Cemetery near Longtown.

Michael is found as a widower in the 1910 census. There were 5 children still living with him.

According to an article published in the Perry County Sun in 1912, lightning struck Michael’s barn and it burned to the ground.

The 1915 plat maps for Perry County show a Michael Knoll farm located in the Friedenberg area not far from Perryville. I discovered that I had to be careful about 2 different Michael Knoll’s who were about the same age, so I have to admit I am not 100% sure that this is the land belonging to today’s birthday boy. However, I am almost sure it is. The other Michael Knoll had his death record in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Point Rest, and he was buried in that church’s cemetery. Point Rest is located in the bottoms of the Mississippi River near Menfro. The map shown below seems to fit today’s Michael Knoll better, especially since the above newsapaper article says his farm was 3 1/2 miles east of Perryville.

The last census in which we find Michael is the one taken in 1920. He was 69 years old and farming with his youngest son, Rudolph.

Michael Knoll died in 1928 at the age of 76. His death certificate is pictured here.

An obituary for Michael published in the Perry County Republican, adds some details about the circumstances of his death.

Michael Knoll is buried in the Peace Lutheran Cemetery in Friedenberg.

On several family histories for Michael Knoll on Ancestry.com, you can find this photo taken of Michael later in his life.

I like to think that Michael, during his time as a widower, might have wanted to sing along with Ray Charles as he sung “Georgia on My Mind”.