Big changes happened to both the world and the Knapp's world at the start of the 20th Century. Despite a few missteps with The New York Recorder, a daily publishing venture he started towards the end of the 19th century, most of Joseph Palmer's business ventures were doing extremely well. American Lithographic was the giant of the printing industry along with it's subsidiaries like The Knapp Co. which was an advertising specialty printer of calenders and promotional items. Many Knapp Co. items still survive today.

What didn't survive very long in the new century was the Knapp marriages of J. P and his sister Antoinette. Joseph P. and Sylvia who married in 1886 were divorced in 1904. Sylvia moved to Bellport, Long Island with Claire. I do not think the then 12 year old Dodi went with them. He does not show up on a passenger manifest with his mother and sister in 1908 nor is he living with them in the 1910 census. I haven't found Joseph Palmer's 1910 census yet. I may never, because I believe J P. had an apartment inside the American Litho Building. That is what shows up as his residential address as early as 1908. I've spent many hours searching the 1910 Federal Census and cannot find anyone enumerated at 50-52 E. 19th St. I think the census taker probably saw a commercial building and just passed it on by.

Four years later, tragedy struck the Wallace's hard on April 30th, 1906, when their 18 year old son, Edward Knapp Wallace crashed his motorcycle up near the Bronx. He died the next day in the hospital. The New York Post gave a very sad account of it.