Jacob-1 Knoop begins the Knoop family. He was born in the year 1698 and it is believed that he emigrated from Germany or Holland. He married Margaret before 1723. Margaret was born in 1702 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and was the mother of eight children.

Jacob-1 was one of the many Palatine emigrants to come to America. In order to fully understand and appreciate the history behind the Knoop family and other German Families, which settled in Pennsylvania and later Ohio, it is necessary to know about the Palatine emigration that occurred in the 18th Century.

The winter of 1708-1709 was a very long one in the Rhineland. The country was in war, and the future looked as dismal as the past. In addition, the Palatines were being taxed unfairly and were enduring religious persecution. As they looked in hope for a brighter future they remembered that in 1677 William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, had been there and had encouraged them to leave with him to go to Pennsylvania where they could escape the taxes and persecution.

This meant a long and tedious ocean voyage to an unknown land far from their native home and family. However, then France's King Louis XIV invaded their land, they began to leave their homelands. In April of 1709 they boarded small ships and headed down the Rhine River to Rotterdam. Most took only the basic necessities as well as their faith in God. The trip took from four to six weeks during the extremely cold and bitter weather.

Queen Anne saw that the Palatinates would help the anti-Roman felling developing in England. Many Londoner's welcomed the emigrants but some felt that their food was being taken to feed the Germans. Once more some of the Palatinates were shipped to Ireland and to the Colonies to help enforce the Protestant faith there.

Streams of Palatinates were flooding to America with most going to Pennsylvania. After the journey was over though they had to feel a sense of pride in knowing that their children would grow up in a land where they would not be judged and taxed for their religion.

Estimates of Palatine emigrants to Pennsylvania range from 10,000-15,000 in 1727 and 70,000-80,000 by 1950.

The marriage of Jacob Knoop and Margaret was blessed with eight children, of these eight was our ancestor Jacob-2 Knoop.

Jacob-2 Knoop was born on June 1, 1724 in Allen, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He married in 1755 to Ann Gerber. Ann Gerber was the daughter of Michael and Anna Gerber who emigrated from the Metz region of Switzerland to America. Ann Gerber is frequently listed as Annely Metz. Annely was probably a term of love used by Jacob2. Metz came from the knowledge that she had come from the Metz region of Switzerland.

Ann was born on March 4, 1733/34. She came to America from the port of Rotterdam and arrived at Philadelphia on September 23, 1734 on the ship Hope Galley. Her father owned a 162 acre homestead, just north of Eden, which he was warranted in 1741. He built and operated one of the first three mills on the Conestoga River. On February 14, 1760 Michael bought a 1/2 acre tract of land in Lampeter Township that contained a house, and "Oyl Mill", and access of the Mill Dam intended to be built. In 1770 he bought 600 acres of land in Cumberland County along the Susquehanna River next to Jacob2 Knoop.

Jacob-2 Knoop was in the Revolutionary War as a member of the 6th Company of Associators and Militia of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania under Capt. James McCurdy, being part of the 3rd Battalion of Cumberland County under Col. Samuel Erwin, August 1780.

Jacob Knoop and Ann Gerber were blessed with nine children: Michael, Jacob III, Anely, Elizabeth, John, Benjamin, Christian, Mary, and Daniel.

Ann Gerber was the first to be buried in the Knoop cemetery in Troy, Ohio.

Benjamin-3 Knoop was born on January 26, 1769 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and was married to Maria Christina Holstein in 1795. Benjamin was one of the Knoop brothers to move to Ohio. The story of the Knoop migration to Ohio is told that four brothers, John, Benjamin, Christian and Daniel migrated from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1796 or 1797.

They went to a location near Cincinnati where they raised a crop of corn. It was while they lived there that the Benjamin's oldest son, Michael, was born July 8, 1797. He was the first white child born in Cincinnati. He was the father of Martha Knoop Kyler.

They left Cincinnati and went up the Miami River by boat landing at a bend in the river. They always selected a tract of land on which there was a good spring. It is said that when they found the spring they covered it with brush and sticks to hide it while they filed claim to it in Washington, D.C. to get a title to it.

They built the old block house at this point, known as Staunton, now Troy. It was here they lived and had some fights with the Indians while they were selecting sites for their homes. They claimed 1800 acres of land.

The Double log house, which was built in 1800, was almost ready to fall down in 1934. The spring was still in the front yard of what was later known as the Bill Saunders home.

There is a large monument erected to the four pioneer brothers in the Old Knoop Cemetery just close to the old log house two miles east of Troy, Ohio. They brought their widowed mother, Ann Gerber, to Ohio in 1798. She died June 1, 1805 and was the first one buried in the Knoop Cemetery.

After Benjamin's move to Ohio with his brother's and the home that they built at the present site of the Mark Knoop home he raised his children and passed away there on December 26, 1823 at the same home that his wife had died at 16 years prior. They are both buried in the Knoop family cemetery.

Michael-4 Knoop was one of thirteen children blessed to the marriage of Benjamin Knoop and Christina Holstein. He was born on July 8, 1797 near Cincinnati Ohio, He was said to be the first white child born in Ohio. He married Nancy Sheets, daughter of Andrew Sheets and Catherine Sills, on November, 2, 1818 in Miami County, Ohio. Nancy was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, on May 20, 1797.

The following is said about Michael Knoop from The History of Wabash County, Indiana, pub 1884

Michael Knoop was born near Cincinnati, Ohio and was a son of Benjamin and Christina Holstein Knoop, who were natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. At the age of nine months, he accompanied his parents to Miami County, Ohio where the family settled upon a farm and began agricultural pursuits. Young Michael attended the subscription schools, such as was common in this country during pioneer days, and received a fair education, which was afterward materially improved by home reading. His parents ended their days on the old homestead in Miami County.

About 1805 Mr. Knoop became engaged in mercantile pursuits and established a general store upon his farm which he conducted two years. He then moved the stock to North Manchester and was associated in business with William Thorn. After the partnership of Knoop and Thorn was dissolved, Mr. Knoop gave his attention to agricultural pursuit. He served several years as County Commissioner to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. Mr. Knoop was a firm believer in the Universalist's faith; he was conscientious to the extreme and exemplified his religion in his daily life.

Michael Knoop and George Clapp once chased a big bear eleven miles all day long, with dogs and guns, but they could not get close enough to kill him, and the old fellow got away at last. The dogs would come up and snap him and he would turn around and strike and fight, and the dogs would fall back. Bruin would go on again and so for hours, but they could not get at him, for the dogs could not hold him fast the hunters could not get near enough to shoot him.

She and Michael moved from Miami County, to Darke County in 1833, finally coming to Wabash County, Indiana in 1835 and settling upon a farm a short distance west of where the city of Wabash now stands. Here they remained until February 1836 when they located upon the old Homestead Farm three miles north of North Manchester.

Michael and Nancy Sheets Knoop had 11 children the ninth was Martha Knoop the wife of Jacob Kyler and the Mother of Sarah Elizabeth Kyler.