by Karen Yvonne Hamilton, 2024

Sarah Ann KNOWLES was born on December 15, 1836, in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, to Hannah Elizabeth PRANCE (1814-1866) and John Thomas KNOWLES (1803-1891).

PHOTOS are photos of Sarah’s parents and siblings; there are no photos of her that I could find.

Sarah’s sister, Sophia Lavinia KNOWLES Johnson
Sarah’s brother, Justin Everett KNOWLES
Sarah’s brother, George Washington KNOWLES

Sarah was the eldest of six children. 

SIBLINGS

Her brother James Alexander was born on August 5, 1839, in Long Island, Bahamas (married Maria Elizabeth RUSSELL). 

Her sister Sophia Lavinia was born on November 30, 1842, in Long Island, Bahamas (married John Verta JOHNSON). 

Her brother Oscar Washington was born in 1845 in Long Island, Bahamas (married Sarah Ann Curry RUSSELL). 

Her brother Justin Everett was born on January 8, 1847, in Long Island, Bahamas (married Jane Ann HOPKINS).

By 1850, the family had left the Bahamas and settled in Key West, Florida.

On December 9, 1851, Sarah married Robert William JOHNSON in Key West, Florida. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved to Cudjoe Key. Their family grew: 

Adela Ann – October 1, 1854 (married Joseph PEREZ); 

Rebecca Bloney – August 5, 1857 (married John Edward SANDS); 

Sarah Elizabeth – 1860; 

Robert Thomas – December 1862 (married Caroline DORSETT).

In 1866, Sarah’s brother George Washington (married Juliette RUSSELL) was born on May 7, in Key West, Florida, when Sarah was 29 years old. Her mother Hannah Elizabeth PRANCE passed away twenty days later on May 27, 1866. Sarah’s brother, Justin and his wife, Jane Ann HOPKINS, took the infant into their own household to raise with their children. Justin and James also took in Jane Ann’s siblings in 1865 when her parents died of Yellow Fever on Knockemdown Key.

George Washington KNOWLES

By 1966, the expanded family had moved back to Key West. Settled in the city, Sarah gave birth to two more children: 

 Joseph A. – July 2, 1866 (married Jane COOK) 

Elizabeth Delorus Valencia – October 28, 1869 (married Jacob SMITH).

Sarah’s husband Robert William passed away in 1877 in Key West, Florida, at the age of 49. They had been married 26 years.

In 1880, Sarah lived at 440 Angela St in Key West.

At 48 years old, Sarah’s life was shadowed in mourning.

She had lost her mother and her husband. The next years would have her grieving the loss of her father and some of her siblings. Her brother Oscar Washington died on May 1, 1885. Her brother James Alexander died on May 22, 1888. Her father John Thomas passed away on November 15, 1891 at the age of 88. Her brother Justin Everett died on December 29, 1900. Her sister Sophia Lavinia died on December 14, 1912, 

In 1900, Sarah lived at 507 Angela St in Key West.  She lived at 2 Joe Lowes Lane in 1906. By 1910, she had moved in with her son Joseph’s family at  703 Whitehead St in Key West, Florida, in 1910.

Sarah Ann Knowles died on November 29, 1917, in Key West, Florida, when she was 80 years old.

FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY FACEBOOK GROUP: Consider joining our group for more on Florida Keys History. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1362248743967131