John T. Knight

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about John T. Knight, out there in Hunt County. Now, every now and then you come across a man who seems to have had a hand in just about everything, and John Thomas Knight was exactly that kind of man.

Born in Winnsboro in 1861, he made his way to Commerce in 1878, and once he arrived, Commerce was never quite the same. In 1893 he married Ella Virginia Carter, and together they raised nine children in their home on Mangum Street. Nine children.

That alone is a full-time occupation, but John was apparently just gettin' started. He joined the school board, became its president, and held that post from 1900 all the way to 1936. Think about that.

Entire generations of children in that community passed through schools shaped in part by this one man's leadership. Alongside his brother Thomas, he ran Knight Brothers Grocery, keeping the town fed. He served as president of Farmers State Bank and as a director of First National Bank, which means he had a say in who got the capital to build their dreams and who did not.

He was an extensive landowner across the area, and a stockholder in local businesses, so his roots ran wide and deep into the economic soil of that community. And then there is this. John helped bring Mayo College, now known as Texas A&M University-Commerce, from Cooper.

A university. He helped move a university. He also raised cattle and cotton, because apparently there were still hours left in the day.

And through all of it, he was a member of the Masonic Lodge for sixty-two years. Not a founding member we can say, not a brief affiliate. Sixty-two years.

John Thomas Knight was born in 1861 and lived until 1959, and the marker says it plainly: he and his family made many lasting contributions to their community. Some men leave a mark. John Knight left a whole landscape.

What the marker says

John Thomas Knight (1861-1959), born in Winnsboro, moved to Commerce in 1878. He married Ella Virginia Carter in 1893, and the couple raised nine children in their home on mangum street. John was a prominent civic and business leader. He was a member and president of the school board from 1900-36. With his brother, Thomas, he operated Knight Brothers Grocery. He was president of Farmers State Bank and director of First National Bank. John helped bring Mayo College (now Texas A&M University-Commerce) from Cooper. He was an extensive area land owner and owner and stockholder of local businesses. A member of the Masonic Lodge for 62 years, he also raised cattle and cotton. John and his family made many lasting contributions to their community.