Arno Knight

Arno Knight was a farmer, a silver miner, a dedicated Democrat in a primarily Republican town, but above all, he was a writer. Significantly, when we look over the account of his expenses in his diaries, a bottle of ink is a frequent purchase. Thanks to his great-grandson, Brad Knight, who preserved his ancestor's papers and has loaned them to the Historical Society, we have a window into the life of this most interesting man as well as a look into the life our town.

As we wait out these months of the coronovirus pandemic, staying close to home, we've started scanning Arno's journals, 1871-1940. They are a real treasure, telling about his life as a farmer near Lincolnville Center, as well as his years mining for silver in Colorado, trying to make something of himself so he could marry the girl back home.

We'll be posting the scans of the diaries as well as transcriptions as they get done.

Read articles Arno Knight wrote as Lincolnville correspondent for New Age, a newspaper in the 1880s.

In 1871 when he began this diary, Arno was 20 years old and living with his family at 2078 Belfast Road. The house is still standing.

Following is Karin Womer's transcription of Arno's 1871 diary:

Following are links to the diaries we've scanned so far: