James Knowles

author

James Knowles

1811–1886

Remembered through a warm memorial drawn from private diaries, this 19th-century New Yorker comes across as a steady, deeply religious man whose life centered on church work, service, and family. His story has the feel of a Victorian devotional portrait shaped as much by character as by accomplishment.

1 Audiobook

Gathering Jewels The Secret of a Beautiful Life: In Memoriam of Mr. & Mrs. James Knowles. Selected from Their Diaries.

Gathering Jewels The Secret of a Beautiful Life: In Memoriam of Mr. & Mrs. James Knowles. Selected from Their Diaries.

by James Knowles, Matilda Darroch Knowles

About the author

James Knowles was born on December 5, 1811, reportedly at sea, and died in 1886. The main readily available source for his life is Gathering Jewels: The Secret of a Beautiful Life, a memorial volume selected from the diaries of James and Matilda Darroch Knowles and published in 1887.

That memorial presents him as a devoted Christian layman in New York, especially active in Sabbath-school work and in the life of the Reformed Presbyterian church. It says he was ordained a ruling elder in 1850 and remained closely involved in church service for many years, later worshipping with the Allen Street Church as age made changes necessary.

Because surviving biographical information appears to come mostly from this commemorative book, many personal details are limited or filtered through an admiring religious lens. Even so, the portrait that emerges is clear: he was valued for faithfulness, practical service, and the moral example he and Matilda were believed to offer to their community.