Henry Knowles, of Kings Town

The origins of Henry Knowles are unknown (Robert Charles Anderson, FASG [Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists], The Great Migration Directory: Immigrants to New England, 1620–1640; A Concise Compendium [Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 2015], 199).

Biography

Henry Knowles, parents unknown, was born about 1620 in England, and died before before 20 Jan 1671 before about age 51 in Kings Town, Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations.

Henry married before about 1645 to an unknown woman.

Children of Henry Knowles and his wife:

1. William Knowles, b abt. 1645, d 1727; m Alice Fish, d/o Thomas and Mary Fish.
2. John Knowles, b abt. 1647; d unmarried 16 Sep 1716
3. Mary Knowles, b abt 1649, d 28 Dec 1719; m Moses Lippitt of Warwick.
4. Martha Knowles, b abt. 1651, of Kingstown in 1728, d bef. 14 Oct 1728; m Samuel Elred, s/o Samuel and Elizabeth Elred.
5. Henry Knowles, b abt. 1654, d unmarried 1726

His wife was living when Henry made his will on 2 January 1670/1,[5] and it was proved at Warwick, on 20 January 1670/1.[3] Henry was apparently living at Kings Town when he made his will.[5]

Place of death and date of death are unknown. She is assumed to have died after January 1671 in Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations.

According to Bicknell:

Of his three sons only one, William Knowles, lived to perpetuate the line.

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Knowles-1188

Henry Knowles migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640).

The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.

Biography

Origin

Henry Knowles of Portsmouth's origin is unknown, unless one assumes he was identical with the Henry Knowles, passenger aboard the Susan & Ellen.

“Henry Knowles came to New England aboard the Susan and Ellen in 1635 as a servant of Ralph Hudson”

Secondary sources have assumed that Henry Knowles - age 25, servant of Ralph Hudson aboard the Susan & Ellen in 1635, was identical with the Henry Knowles who appeared in Portsmouth, Rhode Island by 1643. Henry's orign has been reported as Hull, County of York, England, simply because this was the origin of Ralph Hudson. Appparently the only basis for this identification is the same name.

Anderson questions this identification, pointing to the eight year gap in records and lack of evidence tying the two men together.[1] When Ralph Hudson sailed in 1635, he was accompanied by five servants. Hudson died in late 1638 or early 1639, and he left bequests to his two servants, Banjamin Thwing and Judith Kirke, implying that Henry Knowles was no longer in Hudson's service as of 1638.[1]

In Portsmouth 1643, Thomas Roberts sold land he had purchased from Henry Knowles and Lambert Woodward. The land had been granted to Knowles and Woodward as servants.[2] It is possible that Knowles left the service of Hudson sometime before 1638 and then entered the service of someone else in Portsmouth, but Anderson points out that "Most men who came over as servants in their mid-twenties would not have continued in service after the death of the master with whom they came to New England."[1]

Savage writes of Henry Knowles, "in 1671 when in his 62d year 6 January when, I judge, his will was made."[3] The entire will is apparently not extant, but Austin includes an abstract which does not mention Henry's birth date or age (See "Death and Legacy").[4]

Anderson disputes this Henry Knowles as identical with the Susan & Ellen passenger of the same name: The Savage entry implies that the age in 1671 is given in the will of Henry Knowles, but the abstract of this document published by Austin does not include an age [Austin 334]. Although Savage does not cite the passenger list age, it may be that he or his correspondent had this entry in mind in giving the age in 1671, in which case the argument would be circular and provide no support for the identification. Aside from this age supposed to have been given in his will, everything else we know of Henry Knowles of Portsmouth would have been consistent with a man born some years after 1610.[1] Except for this identification, Anderson refers to the work of Bolton Stanwood Knowles as a "solid account."[5]

The birth date has been estimated at about 1620, based on the estimated date of birth of his eldest child. England as his birth place is just a guess.

Robert William Knollys has been removed as father. Although there are multiple family trees on Ancestry.com that make that connection, there is no record for Henry's parents.

Unknown Wife's Name

Savage reported that Henry "had, I suppose, married a daughter of Robert Potter of Warwick."[3] The basis for this supposition is unknown. No primary record includes the name of Henry's wife, not even her first name. Bolton, Moriarty, and Austin all report Henry's wife's name is unknown.[5][6][4] She was mentioned in Henry's will (unnamed).[4]

Robert Potter was featured by Anderson in his Great Migration series, and none of his daughters could have married Henry Knowles. According to Anderson, Robert Potter had only two daughters, Deliverance and Elizabeth. Deliverance Potter married to James Greene, and Elizabeth "is said to have married" to Richard Harcutt [Austin 156].[7] Austin's Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island also includes a daughter, Isabel, but Anderson disputes her based on the will of Robert Potter's second wife, Sarah which did not mention Isabel.[4] Isabel married 1) Unknown Moss, and 2) William Burton.[7]

Property and Positions

Our first records of Henry were on 3 Dec 1643 when he served on the grand jury in Newport, RI. He served seveal times: on "7: 1mo.: 1644" at Portsmouth, RI, in 1650, and in 1661/2 at Warwick, in January 1666/7 on a jury which decided an "Indian" was beaten to death.[6] In 1648 he was one of fifty who "attested his submission to Cromwell's government."[6]

A few times in 1661/2, Henry was the defendant in court. In January 1661/2, Randall Holden accused Henry of tresspass, but he was found not guilty.[6] In March 1661/2, Eleazor Collins sought ten pounds, but the parties compromised, and the suit was withdrawn. In April, Francis Derby bought suit, but again this was withdrawn in August.[6]

By 1644, Henry owned property in Portsmouth when on 27 May 1644, he was ordered to cut shorter his lot.[8]

On 21 January 1654/5, Henry sold property in Portsmouth, his house and lot including fruit trees, etc. By 1655, he had removed to the mainland at the newly formed town of Warwick, and among the list of freemen there was "Henrie Knowles." On 20 November 1657, he sold a house and lot to Thomas Scranton. In 1660, an additional six acre lot was laid out adjoining his own. On 23 March 1664/5, he and three others were authorized to keep "Ordinaries" during the time when the King's commissioners held their court at Warwick.[6]

Death and Legacy

Henry was apparently living at Kings Town when he made his will on 2 January 1670/1,[4] but it was proved at Warwick, on 20 January 1670/1.[5] No copy of Henry Knowles' will has been discovered, but Austin published an abstract.[4] Henry mentioned his wife (without naming her) and his sons John, Henry and William, daughters Mary and Martha.[4] Son William was appointed executor.[4][5]

According to Bicknell: Of his three sons only one, William Knowles, lived to perpetuate the line.[9] and Bolton:

For several generations this family was settled along the shores of Narrangansett Bay, and its members, many of whom belonged to the Society of Friends (Quakers), may be traced in the Rhode Island vital records. It is difficult, however, to be sure of the identity and relationship to one another of members of the family who lived in adjoining towns and bore oft-repeated Christian names. Besides the KNOWLES family of Rhode Island, descendants of Henry KNOWLES, there were other families of the name in New England which apparently had no connection with the Rhode Island family; at any rate, their relationship to it has not been established.[5]

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Notes

from History of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: BiographicalNY: The American Historical Society, Inc. 1920:

Henry Knowles, immigrant ancestor and progenitor of all of the family of ancient date in Rhode Island, came from London, England, to Portsmouth, R. I., arriving on April 15, 1635. [Questioned - see below.]

Of his three sons only one, William Knowles, lived to perpetuate the line.

from Stanwood Knowles Bolton, "Henry Knowles of Rhode Island and Some of His Descendants,"

New England Historical and Genealogical Register 87[1933].

[page 359]. It is the purpose of the compiler of this article to present a genealogy of the family of which HenryKNOWLES of Rhode Island, who came to Boston from England in 1635, in the ship Susan & Ellen, was the immigrant ancestor. For several generations this family was settled along the shores of Narrangansett Bay, and its members, many of whom belonged to the Society of Friends (Quakers), may be traced in the Rhode Island vital records. It is difficult, however, to be sure of the identity and relationship to one another of members of the family who lived in adjoining towns and bore oft-repeated Christian names.Besides the KNOWLES family of Rhode Island, descendants of Henry KNOWLES, there were other families of the name in New England which apparently had no connection with the Rhode Island family; at any rate, their relationship to it has not been established.

Henry Knowles Came in the Susan and Ellin as a servant of Ralph Hudson. Hudson was a draper in Hull, Yorkshire. By the time Hudson made his will in 1638, Henry had left his service and is not mentioned in the will.

Henry was in Rhode Island as early as 1638, and appears in records beginning with grand jury services in late 1643 at Newbury and March 1644 at Portsmouth. In the winter of 1648, he was one of fifty who swore their submission to Oliver Cromwell's government. In January 1654/5, Henry sold his land in Portsmouth, and later that year appears on a list of freeman at Warwick. He is involved in several suits during the winter of 1661/2. In March 1664/5, he and three others are listened to keep ordinaries for the entertainment of strangers.

His will refers to his wife (but does not name her), sons John, Henry and William, daughters Mary and Martha.496

Savage's: HENRY, Warwick, on list of freemen. 1655, in 1644, was of Portsmouth, R. I. and had, I suppose, m. a d. of Robert Potter of Warwick; and 1671 was in his 62d yr. 6 Jan. when, I judge, his will was made, by wh. he names s. John, William, and Henry, ds. Mary, wh. had m. g Nov. 1668, Moses Lippit, and Martha, w. of Samuel Eldredge; and at Kingstown, or into Narragansett, that disputed territory, prob. all the brs. and sis. were gathered.

References

1. Anderson, Robert Charles, (1995) "Henry Knowles," Featured name. Great Migration 1634-1635, I-L. [https://www.americanancestors.org/DB394/i/12108/215/23896678 AmericanAncestors.org. NEHGS, (Volume IV, I-L,, Pages 215-16).
2. Savage, James, (1860) A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co. Archive.org (Vol 3, Page 41).
3. Bolton, Stanwood Knowles. (1933) "Henry Knowles of Rhode Island and Some of his Descendants." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS, (Vol 87, Pages 359-).
4. Moriarty, G. Andrews. (1943) "Additions and Corrections to Austin's Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island." The American Genealogist. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS, (Vol 20, Pages 223-, citing p 226).
5. Austin, John Osborne, (1887) The Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island. Albany: J. Munsell's sons, Archive.org (Pages 332, 334).
6. Anderson, Robert Charles, (1995) "Robert Potter," Featured name. Great Migration 1634-1635, M-P.[https://www.americanancestors.org/DB401/i/12155/503/23909035 AmericanAncestors.org. NEHGS, (Volume V, M-P, Pages 500-, citing p 503).

See also:

1. Bolton, Stanwood Knowles. (1934) "Henry Knowles of Rhode Island and Some of his Descendants (Continued from vol 87, Page 366)." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS, (Vol 88, Pages 33-). https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/i/11709/33/0
2. Birth seen as January 06, 1608 Kingston-upon-Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England without evidence.
3. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~amorrow/fg04/fg04_242.html