Leonard Knott Homestead. Knottsville, Kentucky- On this site in 1827, Leonard Knott built the first house in Knottsville. James Millay named the town in 1833 when he opened a store and post office nearby. In 1834, the name was officially set in the Kentucky Legislature by the Honorable William R. Griffith, and the town was formally laid out by Millay and Griffith in 1836. (Reverse) In 1795, James Knott emigrated from Maryland to Cox’s Creek Settlement in Nelson County, Ky., as part of the "League of Catholic Families.” Born in 1797, his son Leonard married Mary M. Drury and moved to Daviess County in 1826. They settled on this site in 1827 and were founding members of St. Lawrence Catholic Church.