A Guide to the David McKnight, III, Family Papers, 1857-1935, 1976-1978, 1992-1995

Biographical Note

David McKnight, III (1832-1873) was born in Cotton Grove, TN, and married Elizabeth (Tinie) Tarver of Lowndsboro, AL. The couple had six children – Julia (1858-1860), Mildred (1859-?), Mary Field (died in infancy), Tinie Tarver (1863-?), Charles Fenner (died in infancy), and David IV (1869-1940).

McKnight studied medicine at what is now Tulane University, graduating in 1854. Both his father and brother, John, were doctors as well; the latter having studied in New Orleans but lived in Laredo, TX. By 1859, the McKnight family was living in Seguin, TX, and leading a fairly prosperous life. Tinie McKnight’s sister, Mildred Tarver, married Hamilton P. Bee, part of a wealthy and influential Texas family. Bee and McKnight became friends.

When the Civil War began, McKnight was appointed a major and chief physician under Gen. Van Dorn through the influence of the now Brig. Gen. Bee. McKnight spent the war along the gulf coast near Galveston and Matamoros, Mexico.

After the war, McKnight refused to take the oath of allegiance required by Confederate officers. With little money and no country, the family moved to Mexico, in exile. Here they lived in the Neuvo Leon town of Monterrey, the Coahuila towns of Parras and Saltillo, and also Matamoros, near Brownsville, TX. Dr. McKnight traveled throughout northern Mexico in constant search for patients and money.

He died in 1873 after a buggy accident, but Tinie continued to struggle with the family in Mexico, eventually returning to Seguin. The younger Tinie became a school teacher, and Mildred a nurse.

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Scope and Contents

The David McKnight, III, Family Papers consist of correspondence, legal and business records, printed material, and photographs, documenting the life and activities of the McKnight family in south Texas and northern Mexico, 1857-1935 (Series I), as well as the genealogical pursuits of Arthur McKnight and his family, 1976-1978, 1992-1995 (Series II).

Correspondence comprises the bulk of the collection, primarily that of Dr. David McKnight and his wife, Elizabeth “Tinie” (Tarver) McKnight. This correspondence, located in Series I, mainly involves personal thoughts between husband and wife and reports on general family activities in Mexico and central Texas from their siblings and children. Descriptions of the people and geography of Mexico, economic and political conditions, and the difficulties of practicing medicine are common themes in the McKnight family correspondence. Similarly, letters from Hamilton P. Bee, a former Confederate general, relate his difficulties and struggles in Mexico after the Civil War. A letter of special mention describes in detail the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1861.

Also within the first series are over 50 photographs, which document the McKnight, Earnest, Waugh, and Bee families between [ca. 1860] and 1915.

Arthur McKnight’s genealogical papers develop the McKnight, Earnest, Waugh, Maclay, Fenner, McAlister, and Tarver lineages.

Among the papers are typed transcriptions and notes from Rhoda McKnight Burkett, editor of McKnight Letters.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Unrestricted access.

Use Restrictions

Unrestricted use.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

David McKnight, III, Family Papers, 1857-1935, 1976-1978, 1992-1995, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

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Detailed Description of the Papers

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