Milford chronicle., 1909-09-03
Business Men of Frederick From
1910 to the Present Time.
WILLIAM y. KNOWLES.

ne SUBJECT OF THIS skBtcu was DOru at
or near Bridgeville, Sussex County, Della
ware, December 8th, 1917, and was of
Scotch parantage His father was James
Knowles, who migrated to this country
about the beginning of the nineteenth
century. His mother was Margaret Polk,
lineal descendant of Robert of Pollock,
the first of the Polk family to settle in
America, in Somerset County, Maryland,
as early as 1870. The name was Abbreviated
to Polk and from this man, Robert Polk.
has sprung all the Polk families of Penn
sylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,
North Carolina and Kentucky, many of
whom have become very prominent.
James and Margaret Polk Knowles were
the parents OF three children, one son
and two daughters William E Knowles,
the son, may justly be regarded as the
architect of his own fortune. For several
years he resided in the family of his kins
man, Ex-Governor Charles Polk, and
worked as a farm hand, during which time
by using the opportunity afforded him in
so cultured family, he managed to OBJ
tain moderate education.
When Mr. Polk was appointed Regis
ter of Wills, in 1913, and removed to
Dover, Mr.. Knowles left the farm also
and went to Frederick, where he attend
ed school for one year, under the in
struction of the late Professor John Bur
banks, gentleman of scholarly attain
ments, who was the principal of the
school. Professor Burbanks afterwards /
lost his life by drowning in the Della
ware River, near New Castle
After finishing his course in school,
Mr.. Knowles began teaching. His first
school was No. 45, Kent County, and at
that time embraced all the territory con-
tanned in what is now three districts
The teachers wages at that time (lS45)
was twenty dollars per month, subject to
board bill OF $3.50 per week or about Sl4
per month net less for professional SER
vices than is now paid common laborers.
His methods of teaching were a decided
over the methods that pre-. !
gisously had been employed. After
eaching a short time, he quit the school,
'oom and accepted a clerkship in the gem I
,ral mercantile establishment of Smith G
RS & Son of Frederick, and in this posi- ;
ion remained several years d
On December 4th, lS49, he was mar Q
led to Sarah E., daughter of John and t
Phoebe (Beswick) Smith of Frederick.
from this union there were two sons. b
1mmit, the elder son, died in youth. b
William F., the second son, and only b
uryiving heir, grew to manhood and for t.
everal years conducted the apothecary l
nd drug business, as successor to his fl
ather. In 1889 or 1890 he received a L
in one Of the Departments at p
in the administration OF
resident Harrison, but in the next ad- y
the political guilotine of o.
'leveland took off his official head de- fl
pite the Civil Service regulation and rel. b
gated him to private life, since which a. Z,
me he has resided in Philadelphia. D
William E. Knowles, ST., was a careful e.
ainstaking man, very attentive to bust.
ess and with all very economical, so that y, "
ithin few years he had saved some d
Ioney. He then embarked in business q
n himself, by buying out the drug store
Samuel Grace. About 1860 he re-
owed his business to the corner of Mar
1T and David Streets, which reviously
I'd been occupied in Succession hy VII
lm r. Alaband, Thomas Lockwood,
ines B Anderson and Robert Mar
all, and was regarded as one of the best
lsiness stands in town. Here he in.
eased his stock, enlarged his sales and
ter bought the property. To his stock
drugs and medicines he added paints
Is, glass, putty, cutlery, toilet and
ncy articles He had the entire conf
nee of everybody, and being the only
uggist in the place for several years,
had monopoly of the prescription
siness of all the physicians of the
ice. This successful enterprise lasted
out eighteen years Or nearly until the
De Of his death
Mr.. Knowles died March 7th, 1878,
wing a comfortable estate, a widow and
e son. His business life was mostly
mt in Frederica, where he made many
ends His quiet even disposition and
upright character endeared him to
irly everybody His widow survived
n until June 18th, 1908, or a period of
rty years, dying in her eighty third
IT.
ISAAC r. JESTER.