Falk Relations: Knowles Family

compiled by Steve Wilson, last updated December 5, 2015.
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Descendants

Outline

John Knowles

Richard Knowles (b. c. 1614, England, d. 1 Feb. 1682, Plymouth MA), m. 15 Aug. 1639 at Plymouth MA to Ruth Bower (b. c. 1620, England, d. 1687, Eastham MA)

John Knowles (b. c. 1642, Plymouth MA, d. 3 June 1675, Taunton MA), m. 28 Dec. 1670 at Eastham MA to Apphia Bangs (b. 15 Oct. 1651, Eastham MA)
Mercy Knowles (b. c. 1644, Plymouth MA), m. 5 Feb. 1668 at Eastham MA to Ephraim Doane (b. c. 1640, Massachusetts)
Ruth Knowles (b. c. 1646, Plymouth MA, d. 28 Aug. 1714, Eastham MA), m. 20 Mar. 1672 at Eastham MA to Joseph Collins (b. c. 1632, Massachusetts, d. 16 Feb. 1724, Eastham MA)
James Knowles (b. 17 Nov. 1648, Cambridge MA)
Samuel Knowles (b. 17 Sep. 1651, Plymouth MA, d. 19 June 1737, Eastham MA), m. Dec. 1679 at Eastham MA to Mercy Freeman (b. July 1659, Eastham MA, d. 19 June 1744, Eastham MA)
Mehitable Knowles (b. 20 May 1653, Eastham MA), m. by 1676 to George Brown (b. 16 Jan. 1652, Eastham MA, d. c. July 1721, Eastham MA)
Barbara Knowles (b. 28 Sep. 1656, Eastham MA, d. 23 Feb. 1715, Eastham MA), m. 13 June 1677 at Eastham MA to Thomas Mayo (b. 7 Dec. 1651, Eastham MA, d. 22 Apr. 1729, Eastham MA)

Our Descent

John Knowles

Richard Knowles (c1614-1682), m. 1639 to Ruth Bower (c1620-1687)

Mehitable Knowles (1653--), m. by 1676 to George Brown (1652-1721)

James Brown (c1679--), m. 1704 to Ruth Snow (1679--)

Ruth Brown (1710-1768), m. 1727 to Israel Higgins (1706-1788)

Jesse Higgins (1731-1778), m. 1772 to Keziah Stevens (1754-1832)

Samuel Higgins (1774-c1849), m. 1798 to Elizabeth Nims (1778-c1846)

Horatio Higgins (1812-1890), m. 1837 to Mary Jane Felch (1820-1898)

Harvey Alva Higgins (1864-1928), m. 1889 to Lillian Belle Agee (1868-1947)

Elsie Laura Higgins (1895-1959), m. 1915 to George Washington Falk (1895-1969)

Documentation ♦

Richard Knowles (c1614-1682): m. Ruth Bower (c1620-1687)

2 Jan. 1638, "Presentments by the Grand Jury ... We psent Richard Knowles for bringing a barke from Greenes Harbor on the Lords day. Discharged." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 1:75]
7 Jan. 1639, "Richard Knowles is graunted a garden place next to John Barnes." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 1:109]
15 Aug. 1639, "Richard Knowles and Ruth Bower marryed the xvth August, 1639." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 1:129]
5 May 1640, "Richard Knowles is graunted a pcell of meddow ground at the head of George Bowers meddow, by the Eele Riuer head." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 1:152]
1 Dec. 1640, "Presentments ... Richard Knowles, for denying passage of cattell in the heigh way. Witnes, Ed Banges." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 2:5]
6 Sep. 1641, "The Jurys Names ... Richard Knowles" [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 8:23]
17 Oct. 1642, "Mr John Groome is graunted the garden place next to his vpon condicon that he build a dwelling house vpon it, or els, if another do it before, then they to haue it; but for the psent cropp Richard Knowles to haue it, except John Groome compound wth him for it." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 2:48]
19 Apr. 1643, "It is agreed upon that John Smyth shalbe the Cowe Keep for this yeare to keep the Townes Cowes and shall have fourty bushells of Indian Corne for his paynes and a paire of shoes to be equally levyd upon every man according to the number of Cowes that they shall have kept by him ... The Corne levyed for the Cow Keeps psent use ... Rich: Knowles 1 pottle" [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Town Records, in PTR 1:13-14]
Aug. 1643, "The Names of all the Males that are able to beare Armes from xvj Yeares old to 60 Yeares, wthin the seurall Towneshipps. Plymouth ... Richard Knowles" [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 7:187-194]
17 Sep. 1651, "Samuell Knowles, son of Richard Knowles, born the 17th of September." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 7:12]
7 Oct. 1651, "Presentments by the Grand Enquest ... Wee further psent the wife of Richard Knowles, of the towne of Plym, for retailing of strong waters contrarye to order. Wee further psent Goodwife Knowles for selling strong waters for fiue or six shillings a bottle that cost but 35s the case. Fined 10s; to bee bestowed on ye poore of Plym." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 2:172-174]
20 May 1652, "Mehitabell, the daughter of Richard Knowles, born the 20th of May, 1652." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 7:15]
12 May 1653, "The counsell of warr mett att Plymouth, on the 12th of May, 1653 ... Haueing receiued intelligence from the comissioners mett att Boston, of theire agitations about and conserning a warr with the Duch in these ptes of America ... In like mannor the barkqe in which Richard Knowles sayleth, with him the master therof, was pressed for the same purpose, with John Younge and William Walker, and all things nessearie for theire vse belonging to the said barkqe." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 3:28-30]
20 May 1653, "Richard Knowlse a daughter named mehittabell borne 20 may 1653" [Massachusetts, Eastham, Vital Records, in MD 5:23]
20 May 1653, "The Regester of Eastham. ... Mehetabell, the daughter of Richard Knowles, was borne the 20th of May, 1653." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 7:30]
28 Sep. 1656, "Richard Knowlse ... an other daughter borne to him 28 september 1656 named barbara" [Massachusetts, Eastham, Vital Records, in MD 5:23]
28 Sep. 1656, "The Regester of Eastham. ... Barbery, the daughter of Richard Knowles, was borne the 28th of Septem: 1656." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 7:30]
20 Sep. 1667, "Wee, whose names are vnderwritten, being warned to bee vpon a corroners enquest vpon the death of a child of Daniell Dones, whoe was drownded in a well, wee doe all of vs judge that the child was accedentally drownded. ... Richard Knowles" [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 4:169]
1 Jan. 1668, "Wee, whose names are vnderwritten, being impanneled vpon a jury ... concerning a child about fiue or six yeares old, which was kept by John Smalley, Senir, of Eastham, being found dead in the woods, about six or seauen miles from the house of John Smalley abouesaid, wee doe all judge, that it came by his death by straying away, lost its right path to gitt home againe, and was killed by the cold. ... Richard Knowles ..." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 4:177]
1 June 1669, "Surveyors of the Highwaies ... Eastham, Richard Knowles, William Walker." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 5:19]
7 June 1670, "Surveyors of the Highwaies ... Eastham, Richard Knowles, Samuell Freeman." [Massachusetts, Plymouth, Court Records, in PCR 5:37]
Bowman, George Robert, transcriber, "Eastham and Orleans, Mass., Vital Records", The Mayflower Descendant, 1901-1935. Transcriptions of the vital records of Eastham mentions Richard Knowles, serially published, and abbreviated MD in above references. Volume 5 appeared in 1903.
Davis, William Thomas, ed., Records of the Town of Plymouth, v. 1-3, 1889. Transcriptions of the town records of Plymouth mentions Richard Knowles, abbreviated PTR in above references.
Higgins, Mrs. Katharine Chapin, Richard Higgins, A Resident and Pioneer Settler at Plymouth and Eastham, Massachusetts, and at Piscataway, New Jersey, and his Descendants, 1918. On p. 27-28, "Richard Knowles, emigrant to America on the Susan & Ellen. He settled in Plymouth ... He moved to Cambridge with his wife's family and then returned to Plymouth in December of 1649. Richard Knowles was a navigator, was in command of a barque for transporting military stores in the Dutch War in 1653. ... His residence was at Plymouth and Boston."
Hufbauer, Virginia Knowles, Descendants of Richard Knowles, 1637-1973, 1974. On p. 3-11, "The first appearance of Richard Knowles in the Plymouth records, in Jan. 1637/8, was when he was haled into court at Plymouth ... On the removal of the Bower family to Cambridge, about 1643, the Knowleses apprently went there also ... But in Dec. 1649 Richard Knowles was back at Plymouth ... While a navigator by occupation, Richard, evidently carried on business on land also. ... His name first appears at Eastham on 13 May 1654 ... Whether Richard Knowles made trans-Atlantic voyages or traded with the West Indies is not known ..."
Shurtleff, Nathaniel B., ed., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England, v. 1-8, 1855-1857. Transcriptions of the court records of Plymouth mentions Richard Knowles, abbreviated PCR in above references. Court Orders in v. 1-6, Miscellaneous Records in v. 7, Judicial Acts in v. 8.
Smith, Col. Leonard H. Jr. & Norma H. Smith, eds, Vital Records of the Towns of Eastham and Orleans, 1976. "An authorized facsimile reproduction of the records published serially 1901-1935 in The Mayflower Descendant", mentions Richard Knowles.
Virkus, Frederick Adams, ed., Immigrant Ancestors: A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America before 1750, 1986. On p. 43: "Knowles, Richard (d 1670-75; prob. a son of Rev. John Knowles, who came to N.E., 1639), settled at Plymouth, Mass.; removed to Eastham, Mass.; shipmaster; surveyor, 1670; m 1637, Ruth (d 1687), dau. George Bower, m Barbara -."