Charles E. Knox was born in Columbia County on June 20, 1838.  His father, James Knox, sailed from Scotland to Upstate New York in the early 1800’s, married Ruth Chandler in Cazenovia, New York, and moved to then Columbia County in 1824. (James and Ruth Knox are also buried in Thomson Memorial Cemetery, Section 49). Charles Knox was a courier for General James Longstreet in 1863 and was captured near Lexington, Kentucky in 1864, imprisoned and exchanged in 1865.  He purchased the Greenway Hotel which served railroad passengers in 1882, and changed its name to Knox Hotel.  He served as proprietor of the Knox Hotel until his death in 1918.  He married Leila Williams of Crawfordville on October 10, 1867 and then had 7 children, Peter S., Georgia, Robert, Kate, Margaret, Mary and Ruth.

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