People/CharactersElijah Knox

Elijah Knox was born on the Knox plantation in Pasquotank county, North Carolina. His father was probably Henry Jacobs, a poor white man who was cheating on his wife, and his mother was likely Athena, a slave belonging to Dr. Andrew Knox. He became a skilled carpenter, and apparently his master allowed him to live and work in town, so long as he received a cut. He married Delilah Horniblow, and they had two children, John S. and Harriet. Harriet said that she didn't know she was a slave until her mother died when she was six. Six years later, Molly Horniblow's mistress Elizabeth Horniblow rented the tavern where they had lived, and took lodgings with her ailing daughter Margaret, and Margaret's slave, Harriet Jacobs. She sent John to work in an office for her son-in-law. Elijah then married a free woman, Theresa and they had a son, Elijah Knox, Jr. When Elijah's mistress married, her husband asserted his authority by forcing Elijah to move to Green Hill plantation, separately him from his wife and children. He died not long after.