I am quite pleased that Ed Payne forwarded the pictures of Devil’s Den to me for your use, and am glad you found one suitable for your upcoming presentation!

For the most part, the summary of Newt Knight’s life that James Kelly provided for Mississippi History Now is accurate. However, his statement that Newt Knight “married” Rachel Knight is unsubstantiated and not credible. Newt fathered his children by Rachel while his white wife, Serena, still lived with him. Serena did not leave their household until after 1880 (unfortunately, the 1890 census was destroyed, so we don’t know if she left before that year). Rachel died in 1889.

In its 1922 obituary for Newt Knight, the Ellisville Progress lamented that Newt had “ruined his life and future by marrying a negro woman,” but the newspaper’s use of the word “marry” was likely meant in the colloquial sense, and in any case probably referred to Rachel’s daughter, George Ann, with whom Newt was living at the time of his death, and with whom he fathered two, possibly four, children.

The fact is that Newt Knight never claimed to have married either Rachel or George Ann, nor is there any record of a marriage to either of them.

Vikki

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Thanks for your comments, and good luck with your presentation! I appreciate your praise for the content on Renegade South, and also your effort to present Newt Knight as an important historical figure who was neither a saint nor a simple outlaw. If I lived closer to your city, I would happily agree to give a talk at your roundtable.

I doubt that I have a map of deserter’s den in my files, but I will check.

Best,
Vikki