James “Blackswamp” Knights

“Daddy Jim”

1772 – Nov 20, 1917

His body was shackled by the mantles of slavery, but his mind and spirit remained free.  He has laid a foundation of love, faith, and hope that has endured to this day.  His strength sustained him through the horrors of slavery and guided him to the realization of freedom.  Today, we stand as a living monument to his endurance and spiritual strength.  Our tree has branched for eight generations.  We are many, but represent the legacy of one – James “Blackswamp” Knights.

Daddy Jim was bought into the “New World” at Ridge Mountain, North Carolina by way of a slave ship. He was purchased in Charleston, South Carolina by Seaborn Augustus Jones, the owner of the Millhaven Plantation. His name was James Blackswamp, because he was reared in a swamp.  At the time of purchase, the new owners changed his name to James Knights – with the “s” on the end.  (During the taking of the census records, with many of our ancestors being unable to read and write, there occurred the error of the “s” being omitted from the end of our family name.  This has resulted in the duality of the spelling that we witness throughout our family today. )  He became affectionately known to our family as ‘Daddy Jim.  

Daddy Jim was brought to Millhaven Plantation along with Frank Cooper who became his best friend. Daddy Jim had no siblings.  Frank Cooper had four brothers.  One of which is the father of Cashius Reddick.  Frank Cooper was placed on the Burke County portion of the Millhaven Plantation while Daddy Jim was placed on the portion of the plantation in Screven County.  Their offsprings frequently married each other.  The Millhaven Plantation is the largest one-piece plantation in existence in the southeast.  Daddy Jim was installed as the butler.

Daddy Jim married Minda, the cook for the Millhaven Plantation. To this union six children were born.  They were Titus ‘July’ Knights, Sarah Knights Cooper, Benjamin Knights, Frye Knights , Minda Knights Roberts, and Molly Knights Lovett.  Daddy Jim had two more children.  They were Peter Prescott, his oldest son and Julia Knights Bryant, his youngest daughter.

Upon the emancipation of the slaves, it was mandated that all freed slaves receive forty acres and a mule.  Daddy Jim was one of the few to receive this bequest.  He was instrumental in organizing the freed slaves to vote. (Yes, this is a privilege, which we possessed before the advent of Jim Crow Laws.) Daddy Jim took a great interest in the uplifting of his people.  He gave one acre of the land he was given along with an acre of land given by B. M. Lovett and founded the Lovett Hill St. James Baptist Church and School in 1876 to strengthen through both spiritual and scholarly knowledge.  Lovett Hill still thrives to this day and it still sits on the original piece of land given by Daddy Jim.  It is one of the oldest African-American churches still in existence. Many of the descendents of Benjamin Knights and Molly Knights Lovett attend the church to this day.

We have often been regaled by the stories of how old Daddy Jim became.  We dismissed them as fiction.  His longevity is not only legendary, but is true.  He lived to be 145 years old.  Unbelievable?  One of his granddaughters, Fannie Knights Herrington Williams, passed away in 1996 at the illustrious age of 111 years old.  Furthermore, Daddy Jim is interred at the Old Slave Cemetery on Millhaven Plantation. His grave is marked by a pristine marble gravestone that is indelibly marked with the following inscription: “JAS KNIGHT, 1772 -1917.”

Millhaven, Georgia has since been incorporated as a subdivision of Sylvania (Screven County), GA.  Sylvania, GA rests on the Georgia-South Carolina Border and is the actual midpoint between Augusta, Georgia and Savannah, Georgia. Through verbal histories passed down by our ancestors, research of the existing Georgia State Archives Records, and existing private papers of Seaborn Augustus Jones and Edward Trippe (E.T.) Comber – the plantation owners during Daddy Jim’s time – we have successfully documented our lineage for eight generations thus far. This site is dedicated to providing family information to the descendants of Daddy Jim.  We are making great strides in carrying forth the legacy left by our forefather – the continuing advancement of our family.  We invite you to explore our rich heritage.  

At the time that this information was published there were 29 great grandchildren of Daddy Jim still alive. They are:

Name (4th Generation)	2nd Generation Ancestor	Relationship
Cooper, Saul Jr.	Cooper (Knights), Sarah	Grandson
Cooper, Eula Dean	Cooper (Knights), Sarah	Granddaughter
(Workman) Cooper, Lucy	Cooper (Knights), Sarah	Granddaughter
Herrington, Aaron	Knights, Benjamin	Grandson
Knights, Agnes	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Knights, Ida Mae	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Knights, Lloyd	Knights, Benjamin	Grandson
Baker, Moses	Knights, Benjamin	Grandson
Cooper, Bennie Lee	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Patrick (Moses), Aarie	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Shubert (Moses), Mary	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Smith (Ellison), Ida Lee	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Stewart, Josie Reedy	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Williams (Knights), Willie Mae	Knights, Benjamin	Granddaughter
Kent (Knights), Annie Lee	Knights, Frye	Granddaughter
(Lyndon), Rosa Lee Murray	Knights, Frye	Granddaughter
Rev. Dixon, George	Knights, Titus	Grandson
Davis (Knights), Weader Mae	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Dock (Knights), Pendi	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Knights, Constance	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Knights, Viola	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Knights, Willie Mae	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Lovett (Knights), Ruth	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
McMoore (Knights),  Bertha Mae	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Ward, Daisy Jones	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Striggers, Blossom Bargeron	Knights, Titus	Granddaughter
Rainey (Lovett), Annie Nolia	Lovett (Knights),  Molly	Granddaughter
Roberts (Moses), Pearlie Mae	Roberts (Knights), Minda	Granddaughter

alive.  They are:

*Family All information relative to James (“Daddy Jim”) Knights was taken from the Knights Family Website; Susie Johnson is webmaster and family historian. Other Knights’ Family information was gathered from the experiences and memories of  the Ponder-Stokes Clan of the Knights .