German immigrants came to the United States in large numbers in the mid-18th until the late 18th centuries. One such family is named Kneip. This family came from Germany on the ship Rainer and landed in Philadelphia in 1749 with one individual named Christian Kneip. After living his life in the Pennsylvania area, including marrying and having children, serving in the American Revolution on the side of the Patriots, his son, also named Christian, migrated south along the Great Wagon Road to settle in Rowan County near the present town of Salisbury. This Christian(Jr) was in place in Rowan County (NC) during the first US Census in 1790.
References
Kneip Family and German Immigrants Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA