University of Wyoming
John H. Knaebel was born in Belgium in 1840 and immigrated with his parents to Brooklyn, New York. He began to practice law in New York City and moved with his family to Santa Fe, New Mexico territory in 1880. In 1891 he and his family again moved to Denver, Colorado and began practicing law, specializing in private land claims, particularly Spanish grant titles. Knaebel returned to Santa Fe in 1909 and supported New Mexico's statehood efforts.
Knaebel was married to Susan Dykeman Pray (d. 1894) while in New York City and they had two sons, Ernest and Arthur. Arthur worked as a prospector near Bland, New Mexico and Ernest (1872-1947) began practicing law inNew York and New Mexico after graduating from Yale in 1897. Ernest prosecuted public land frauds for the U.S. government and served as assistant U.S. attorney in Colorado from 1902-1907. From 1907-1916 Ernest worked in Washington, D.C. for the Department of Justice and directed the Public Lands Division and litigation concerning public and Indian lands. In 1916 he served as reporter of opinions for the U.S. Supreme Court, a position he held until his retirement in 1944. Ernest married Cornelia Park in 1900 and they had two sons, John Ballantine and Charles.
The collection contains materials mainly related to the career of Ernest Knaebel and other materials for John H. Knaebel and the Knaebel family. Ernest's papers include correspondence and legal papers, including correspondence with and photographs from Francis J. Kearful, who was in Veracruz, Mexico during the Mexican Revolution (1895-1940); correspondence, newsclippings, opinions and legal materials relating to his work for the Department of Justice on public land matters and the U.S. Supreme Court (1908-1944); and correspondence, maps and legal documents from lawsuits relating to his family's Santa Fe property in New Mexico (1882-1940). John H. Knaebel's papers include correspondence, land grant documents, legal files, deeds and other materials, including a 1714 Spanish Conveyance and materials on New Mexico's statehood (1714-1911). Other Knaebel family materials include various family members' correspondence, biographical information and family deeds and conveyances.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
There are no known other archival collections created by the Knaebel family at the date of processing.
Finding aid available in repository.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
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