Complex sentence: Born in Blandford, Massachusetts, Knox attended the common schools, graduated in 1836 from Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts) and then earned a degree from the law department of Harvard University in 1838.
Split into simpler sentences: Born in Blandford, Massachusetts, Knox attended the common schools. He graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1836 and from the law department of Harvard University in 1838.