History of Knowlesville, New York, USA

Knowlesville, Orleans, NY

Knowlesville, situate on the eastern bounds of the town of Ridgeway, as at present bounded, owes its existence to the Erie Canal. When work was begun on the canal, but two or three families had located on the ground now covered by the village.

Mr. William Knowles, the pioneer and founder of the village, was the first settler. He took up from the Land company and settled upon lot three, township fifteen, range three, in the winter of 1815.

Shortly after John Caniff took up one hundred acres of the north part of the lot fifty-nine, in township fifteen, range three, adjoining Mr. Knowles' land and east of it.

The first tree cut on the site of Knowlesville stood where the resident of R. P. Wood now stands, and was felled in March, 1815. There Mr. Knowles built the first log cabin, in which he resided. He hired a Mr. Hill to work for him in clearing land, and his wife was their house-keeper. In course of that season, 1815, Mrs. Hill died, being the first person who died in what is now Knowlesville...

The post office was established here in 1826. It became necessary to give the village and post office a name. The inhabitants met together and requested Mr. Knowles to give the name, and he called it Portville. It was afterwards ascertained that there was already a post office in new York named Portville, and the name was then changed to Knowlesville...