California Genealogy and History Archives
Biographies
of
Sacramento County
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WILLIAM
LAUGHLIN KNIGHT The
sincere but unostentatious devotion to duty that characterized the life
of Mr. Knight holds out much for the encouragement and emulation of
young men struggling to gain a foothold in the business world. His the
painstaking discharge of every responsibility and the untiring ardor for
work that forms the foundation of every success, whether small or great.
Both in the discharge of civic duties and in gallant army service (for
he was a captain in the Civil War) he proved himself equal to every
emergency, dependable, resourceful and resolute, the possessor of
sterling qualities inherited from a long line of New England forebears
and exhibiting also the traits more peculiarly associated with the
breezy and bustling boomers of the west. A generation of development had
transformed the entire Pacific coast while he was working his way with
patient industry from a lowly position on the Southern Pacific Railroad
to a post of honor and trust, whose duties he discharged with such zeal
and intelligence that when finally advancing years and failing health
caused his retirement he was not only granted a pension, but in addition
he received many testimonials of praise in recognition of his fidelity
and uprightness of character. Descended
from ancestors long and prominently connected with the vicinity of
Ryegate, Vt., and the son of a prosperous farmer who gave liberally of
time and means to the cause of religion in his community, William
Laughlin Knight was born in 1835 at the old Vermont homestead and there
he passed the uneventful years of boyhood and youth. Upon attaining his
majority and being thus free to carry out any wishes he had formed
concerning future activities, he came to California and in 1856 settled
at Diamond Springs, Placer county, where for some years he was employed
in the interests of mining properties, his special work being the
supervision of the irrigation ditches. As soon as war was declared
between the north and the south he offered his services to the Union and
was accepted as a private, assigned to duty and stationed in the
northern part of the state, where various sanguinary contests with the
Indians gave him an experience of the horrors of war. Through
conscientious devotion to duty and gallantry in service he won promotion
from the ranks to the captaincy of Company D, Second California
Infantry, and at the close of the war he was still commanding his
company near the Indian hunting grounds. Coming
to Sacramento at the close of the Civil War Mr. Knight entered the
employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company as a brakeman, from
which he received promotion to the position of conductor. A subsequent
promotion placed him at the head of the local ticket department, where
he had the distinction of being the highest-salaried employe of the
company at the time. Later he became associated with the office of the
traveling ticket agent and in that position made frequent trips to the
east in the interests of the railroad company. After a total service
with the Southern Pacific of more than thirty-nine years he was placed
on the retired list and granted a pension, but he was not long spared to
enjoy the comforts of release from business activities. On the 24th of
September, 1906, his earth life came to an end with his peaceful passing
into eternity. For years he had been a devoted member of the Baptist
Church and his last days were cheered by the Christian's hope, —
cheered also by the sympathetic ministrations of a large circle of
friends, prominent among whom were old soldiers of the Civil War. For
years he had been a leading worker in the Grand Army of the Republic and
at one time he was an officer in the George H. Thomas Post at San
Francisco. Surviving Mr. Knight are his two children, Lillian and Ralph, both residents of Sacramento. In this city, January 24, 1867, occurred his marriage to Miss Mary D. Reid, of Broderick, Yolo county, daughter of James and Margaret Reid. The father, who owned large tracts of land in Yolo county, remained an employe in the boiler shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad for many years, but finally retired when advanced in age. At the time of his death he was ninety-four years old. Ralph Knight, who is head of the drafting department with the Southern Pacific Railroad, is a leading member of the Christian Science Church in Sacramento and fraternally has been associated with the local lodge of Odd Fellows. Possessing ability and force of character, he is deservedly winning a high place in the citizenship of his native city. |
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Source: Transcribed by Peggy Hooper 2011 |