THE JONATHAN AND ELIZABETH (MERRITT) KNIFFEN FAMILY

"Rye, New York is a fascinating place that sits in the crossroads of America’s history, both literally and figuratively. From native peoples to European exploration; colonialization to independence, emancipation to immigration, industrialization and transportation, prohibition and suburbanization, Rye played an integral part. 

When the first English settlers arrived in Rye in 1660, the area was inhabited by the Siwanoy or Algonkian nation. The Siwanoy lived off the bounty of the land in seasonal campsites, spending the spring and summer along Long Island Sound and moving inland in the fall. They grew corn, beans and pumpkins and relied on abundant oysters, other shellfish and small game. Their dwellings or wigwams were dome-shaped, built by lashing bent poles together and covering the structure with bark or thatched reeds, thus enabling quick assembly and easy transportation.

On January 3, 1660,  an agreement between some Englishmen with the Siwanoy to acquire  land between Long Island Sound and the Blind Brook was made. Later in 1660, English settlers acquired Manursing Island, paying 8 coats, 7 shirts and 15 fathom of wampum. They named their village “Hastings” after a coastal town in England. By the time additional settlers arrived in 1664, there was no more room on Manursing. The new settlers built their cabins on the mainland where Playland and Rye Town Park are now located and named their settlement “Rye” after another English coastal town. In 1665, Hastings and Rye merged and the village on Manursing Island was abandoned." [Notes from The Rye Historical Society]

Apparently, the Merritt family arrived in Rye sometime before Elizabeth's birth in 1683. She married Jonathan Kniffen when she was 16 years old in 1699. They had the following known children:

1700 Jonathan
1703 Thomas
1705 Benjamin, our ancestor
unk  Martha

JONATHAN KNIFFEN
BORN: 1674 in Poss, Kniveton, Derby, England
MARRIED: 1699 in Rye, Westchester, NY
DIED: 1725 in Rye, Westchester, NY

ELIZABETH MERRITT
BORN: 1683 in Rye, Westchester, NY
DIED: 1755 in Rye, Westchester, NY
SOURCES:  "Revised Merritt Records" by Douglas Merritt published 1916; FamilySearch Family Tree Under license to MyHeritage.com [online database]. Lehi, UT, USA: MyHeritage (USA) Inc. https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-40001/familysearch-familytree;Record:https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-40001-990417192/elizabeth-merritt-in-familysearch-family-tree