Clemens Knaus

Clemens Knaus was born in Harthausen auf der Scher, in the Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, in 1843. In 1850 this principality was annexed by Prussia; Harthausen was a small village of less than 1000 people at the time. It is located about 60 miles south of Stuttgart, Germany, and about 130 miles northeast of Lotzwil, Switzerland where Eliza Greub was born. Today Harthausen is in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and is a part of the municipality of Winterlingen, with a population of several thousand. From "Knaus Family Stories" by Shirley Knaus Kenyon: In the Colorado Genealogical Society book, “Colorado Families: A Territorial Heritage,” it is written that Clemens came to Syracuse in 1861 to work for his brother Jacob. In 1866 Clemens and another brother John decided to head West. They crossed the plains by horseback to Colorado Territory, stopping north of where Niwot is now located in Boulder County. Here they worked for Nicholas Bader on his farm on Left Hand Creek. After a year or so John decided to go on to California. He started on the long journey with his team and wagon but the family never heard from him again. Clemens received his naturalization papers on December 13, 1872. For a time he operated a butcher shop in Black Hawk, during the gold rush days (this was one of the stories I heard from my grandmother) Nicholas Bader died in 1873 of appendicitis, leaving his wife Eliza and three young sons. On November 17, 1874 at “Denver City,” Clemens married Eliza (Grueb) Bader. On the marriage record Clemens gave his residence as Modock (Niwot). Born to this union over the following years were six sons and four daughters. Clemens and Eliza lived in Eliza’s home on the Bader farm which Clemens improved and enlarged until they had 500 acres. They also owned land in Boulder Valley in the Gunbarrel Hill area and land west of Berthoud. In all he had about 1700 acres of fine farm and pasture land which was divided into farms later owned and occupied by Eliza and their sons. Clemens was the first President of the Niwot State Bank, and he owned stock in neighborhood enterprises. He was a delegate to the State Democratic Convention in 1912.