John Knach Conors

 For Father's Day weekend I decided to write about my 2x great grandfather on my Dad's side of the family. His side has been a bit harder to research. I haven't found as many records, and, the history is a bit more convoluted, as you'll see here.

John Knach was born March 28, 1863 is what is present day Poland. His sister Catherine was born the next year in Posen, Germany. Today, it's Poznan, Poland. Either way, the area that John and his family lived in is land which was fought over and went back and forth between Poland and Prussia/Germany. IT's no wonder that the father, Martin, decided to bring his family to America. 

Sometime in 1872 John, his father, 2 sisters, and brother came to Nobel County, Indiana. I haven't found them on a passenger list, but they all list Germany/Poland as their birth place. In 1873 John's sister Frances is born in Indiana. I haven't been able to figure out who John's mother was. On some of his records he lists an Emma Grice as his mother. But on other documents a Mary Ann is listed as his mother. I do know that his father was married twice. I found a note that said his father had a Polish wife and an American wife. That when the American wife died the Polish wife came over. I just haven't figured out which was which. 

On the 1880 census John lives in Green, Nobel County, Indiana with his father Martin, mother(step?) mother Mary Ann and siblings on a farm. John's father is listed as being born in Poland, as is John. 

In February of 1888 he marries Mary Viola Bellegraph. Mary is also from eastern Prussia. On October 8, 1889 Mary and John become parents to Anna Beulah Conor. Anna is my great grandmother who goes on to marry Frank Thompson. John and Mary are living in Grand Island, Nebraska. At some point they decided to leave Indiana and head to Nebraska. Also, John has changed his last name from Knach to Conor. I haven't been able to figure out why he did this, or when. Also, Conor is spelled different ways over the years. From Conor to Coners to O'Connor. One of the reasons I've run across is that when the family moved to Nebraska there was a large Irish Catholic population there and to fit in, John changed his last name. The Knach and Bellegraph families were both Catholic so this could be a possibility but no one really knows for sure. 

In 1892 a son is born to John and Mary in Michigan. In 1895 a daughter is born to them in Grand Island, Nebraska. The family has moved back again. 1902 finds the family back in Michigan again. My dad says he always heard that the reason the family came back to Michigan was because the barn burned down in a fire. I'm not sure if this is the first or second time they came back to Michigan. On the 1900 census John's profession is listed as Laborer, and his father's birth place is listed as Ireland! John was really trying to fit in, I guess.

The 1910 census finds John and Mary living in Hopkins, Michigan on a farm that is mortgaged. 8 of their 10 children are living with them. The 2 oldest daughters have moved out. On this census John lists Indiana as his father's birth place. 

On December 24, 1917, Mary files for divorce from John. She says there are 12 children in the family. Extreme Cruelty is the reason given. On June 12, 1918 the divorce was granted. John contested it. 

*interesting to note that my 2x great grandparents on my maternal side were also divorced in 1918/1919. Both times the wife filed and cited "cruelty" as the reason. Both cases were contested, but granted ultimately. 

On the 1920 census John is living on a farm he owns, but is mortgaged with 3 of his 4 youngest sons in Hopkins. He lists his, and both his parents' birth places as USA. 

I haven't been able to find John yet, in the 1930 census. He passes away September 7, 1938 in Michigan at the age of 75. Cause of death is listed as Uremia. Hyper trophy of the prostate with a urinary tract infection. 

I haven't been able to find any pictures of either John or Mary. So far. He definitely led an interesting life, completely reinventing himself and his family history on every census it seems. The ever changing information made it quite hard to tract him down. I spent hours looking for an Irish connection, and trying to find his birth certificate in Indiana at first. It wasn't until I found him connected to people with the last name of Knach/Knack/Knauch that I finally figured out his story. And I've still yet to figure out who is mother truly is, Emma or Mary Ann? His descendants seemed to have kept that alive as many of his sons spell the last name of Conor different ways. From Conor to Coner to Coners to even O'Connor. 

Life is never dull in the Conor household.