North Tonawanda History Museum © H. Jason Knapp

This cap (kepi) is believed to have belonged to H. Jason Knapp during the Civil War. We thank Ralph Lindsay of Jonestown, Pennsylvania, and his daughter Pam Stafford, for sharing the photo with us. The kepi was part of the collection of items auctioned off by Yorktown Auction in 2003, all from the Antietam Battlefield Civil War Museum Collection, described at the time as "a 50-year collection of firearms and a 30-year collection of Civil War era images." Mr. Lindsay collects Civil War items. It is a Union cap, which the present owner believes is from the 5th Regiment, Company C. Below: "H. Jason Knapp. Tonawanda, NY" is visible. We have had a team of Museum researchers working on verifying its authenticity. The present owner has put extensive time into researching it as well. Knapp is not listed in "New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865" compiled in 1912. The National Archives in Washington and the New York State Archives have no record of Knapp's connection to the Civil War. We are surmising that Knapp may have served in the local militia rather than at the Federal level.

Jason H. Knapp was in business with Alexander G. Kent and operated Knapp Hardware in Kent's building at 20-26 Webster Street in the late 1800's. We're surmising that this Jason may have been the son of the owner of the cap. We believe our hardware store owner was born H. Jason Knapp in February 1863 in Niagara County. He was listed in the 1900 census as being a lumberman. He was 43 years younger than Alexander G. Kent but it does appear that he, rather than his father, was the hardware store owner. In the 1860 census, however, an Albert N. Knapp, a wagonmaker from Pennsylvania lived in Seneca, NY. In 1880, this Albert was a farmer, still living in Seneca Castle, NY, and one of his five children was 17-year old Jason H., a farm laborer. Jason was 7 years old in 1870. It is presently thought that perhaps Albert had served in the Civil War--having been born in 1827--and may have given the cap to his son Jason at some later date. The present owner of the cap--and the North Tonawanda History Museum will be most grateful for any additional information anyone out there in cyberspace may be able to offer to help us put together the "story" of this cap and its connection to our local history.