In 1985, I made contact with Lois Gallanger Knatz who was living in Seattle Washington. I had sent her a letter asking about her family and she kindly shared information with me. Her grandfather’s name was Henry Knatz and her grandmother’s name was Elizabeth Weigan Knatz from Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland. She was aware of four children, three boys, Henry, Bill, and Charles and a daughter.
Charles Knatz married Anna Carsten and they had two sons, Dawson was born at Dawson, Yukon Territory and Charles Jr. born April 5th 1903 in Butte Montana. Lois was married to Charles Jr. When Charles Jr. was 9 years old he took a trip to Lanaconing, Maryland and according to Lois, he remembered staying with his Aunt Elizabeth. Lois remembered Charles’ grandfather being a bootmaker.
Lois and Charles have two children, Charles Jr. living in Lynnwood Washington and Mary Ellen Phillips, living in Albany Oregon. At the time I wrote Lois in 1985, her husband has cancer and she was taking care of him. She told me that some time ago she and her children put together a poem about their grandfather who they considered a colorful character. She only had one copy but offered to type one up for me. I still have the letter Lois had written me in 1985 but it would be years before I made contact with the family again and obtained a copy of the poem which appears below.
In 2007, I was contacted by Charles Edward Knatz, the 7th who was living in Hawaii, inquiring about his family. He has a brother Daniel. He mentioned his Uncle Dawson and sent me the pictures of Dawson Knatz and the Knatz family trip through the Yukon to Dawson. The 1920 census lists a Dawson Knatz, age 20, born in Yukon territory, living with another family with his occupation listed as laborer.
