This past week, I was contacted through Knapp Notes by a cousin who is a descendant of our immigrant ancestor, Franz Adam KNAPP.
If we have the genealogy correct, she is a descendant of Eve KNAPP, daughter of Franz Adam KNAPP and Eva Joest/Just.
After she contacted me, I started doing some research of my own to confirm the facts. I learned more about Eve KNAPP after spending some time on the Ancestry.com site.
Here is what I know so far…
Eva Knapp was born Dec 1833 in Ohio. She married Adam KILIAN on 22 Apr 1860 in Winona, Minnesota. Adam KILIAN was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany in 1832 and emigrated to the U.S. with his family. The couple were divorced before the turn of the century. He died 21 Dec 1911 in Stearns, Minnesota. Apparently, his family owned a coach manufacturing business. Adam also owned some rental homes and perhaps other property.
How the couple met is still a bit of a mystery…
Some Kilian descendants think they met on the boat to the U.S. At any rate, the couple had six children:
- Anna KILIAN, born in 1861 in Wilson, Minnesota. Anna married Oscar T. HULBURD on 9 Oct 1884 in Kasson, Dodge, Minnesota. The couple had three children: Charles T., Hortense S. and Florence S. HULBURD. The couple appears on the 1900 Census in Chicago, Illinois. Apparently, there was some money in this family, since Anna KILIAN HULBURD is listed in the 1915-1916 Who’s Who of American Women, plus she also did some traveling after Oscar died in . She is shown on two passenger lists on ships going to Hawaii and to France. Only very affluent people did that kind of traveling back in the 20’s and 30’s.
- William KILIAN, born in 1862 in Winona, Minnesota.
- Frank (Francis Adam) KILIAN, born in 1867 in Wilson, Minnesota.
- John KILIAN, born in 1869 in Minnesota.
- Rose KILIAN, born in 1873 in Winona, Minnesota. She married Floyd Taylor. The couple moved to Los Angeles, California after 1900.
- Charles KILIAN, born in 1876 in Minnesota.
A branch of the Kilian family has posted a lot of information about the Kilian’s on Ancestry.com. There was a notice of a divorce trial. Eve divorced Adam around 1881-1882, according to the newspaper article.
Following their divorce, Eve KNAPP KILIAN went to live with her daughter, Rose, and her husband, following the divorce. She appears in the 1900 Census living with Rose and her son-in-law and their children in Campbell, Wilkin, Minnesota.
The next time Eve appears is in the 1910 Census for Los Angeles, California. Floyd and Rose Taylor had moved to California and taken Eve along with them.
I haven’t located a death certificate for Eve KNAPP KILIAN yet. I presume she may have died in California. I don’t know if she ever remarried, but I tend to doubt it.
Some of the family trees on ancestry.com indicate that some of the KILIAN brothers settled in Kansas.
I will continue to do more research on this mysterious branch of the KNAPP clan. If anyone else has more information, please feel free to leave a comment OR drop me a note.
But, I think it is intriguing to know that somewhere – in both Minnesota and California – there are more KNAPP genes out there. Who knows? Maybe if we work with our western cousins, we can locate some of the KNAPP descendants and invite them to one of our reunions!
One quick reminder: The 1940 Federal Census will soon be available for researchers! Who knows what we may learn from that one. Happy ancestor hunting!
Knapp Notes 
I have been researching the Hornungs from Lichtenfels. The Hornungs that migrated to Winona and our Hornungs are descended from Georg Michael Hornung and Margaretha Zedndnerin. Our Andreas Hornung was the brother of Johann Michael Hornung. The documents we have from the records from Bamberg has references to the names, Knarr, Endres, Schmitt, Wurstlein, and Huegerisch. The Wurstlein and Weiss (wise) famalies are connected through marriage. We are also related to the Kalin(kaelin) families probably through the Zehnderins. I have more Info and documentation.
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This is interesting. When I was searching my own family history I came across George Hornung who migrated in 1837 from Mistlefeld, Bavaria, lived in Randolph for a time on a farm on Alexander rd. George his wife Margaretha and “some” of the children moved to Winona, Minn where they lived and died. A son Nicholas Horning (and an undetermined number of other siblings)stayed in Randolph on the same farm. Nicholas was my grandfather’s (Clement Nicholas Wise) godfather at his baptism Feb. 8, 1885 at St. Joseph’s church, three days after his birth. My thought is that both some of the Knapp clan and some of the Hornings ended up in Winona and there is a possibility they “may” have traveled together!? The Hornung (Horning) and Knapp farms were only a quarter mile from each other.
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Hello, I am researching my family who are descendants of Nicholas Horning. You may already have this info but if not, Nicholas was married to a Knapp, Elizabeth. Nicholas came to the U.S. when he was 8. Nicholas was my grandfather’s (Elton Horning) grandfather.
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Nicholas is my great,great grandfather. I regularly attend the Horning family reunion at St. Joseph’s Church on Waterloo Rd. in Mogadore, OH. Nicholas, and Elizabeth are buried in the cemetery behind the church. I live in Bay Village, Ohio
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I almost never go to those reunions but my brother, Duane Horning, frequently goes. I live in Avon, Ohio
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Ruth, Nicholas is also my Great, Great grandfather. My Dad Ray Horning had a first cousin named Duane, he lived in Lakewood, now Rocky River. Nicholas was their Great grandfather, I live in Bay Village, not far from you. Send me an email at ghornbvoh@aol.com or text/call me at 216-375-8723. We are likely third cousins.
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