F. William Knowles (abt. 1710 - 1794)

Ancestors

Husband of Innocent (Butts) Knowles — married about 1740 in Rhode Island [uncertain]

Husband of Anna (Barlow) Knowles — married about 1759 in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 5 Nov 1794 at about age 84 in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kelly Harris [send private message] and Jason Knowles [send private message]

Biography

William was a Friend (Quaker)

F. William Knowles, a Quaker, was born about 1713 in Warren, Rhode Island. In 1740 he married Innocent Butts, widow of Elisha Phillips, and daughter of Ididio Butts and Martha Church. ^[1] They had one son and one daughter and also raised John Phillips, the son from Innocent's previous marriage.

In 1747 a Rhode Island Census finds a William Knowles in Warren Township, Bristol County, Rhode Island. ^[2] In 1751, the Knowles family moved to New Milford, Connecticut. New Milford had been first settled in 1707 and organized in 1712. New Milford had a good-sized and growing Quaker population. On 25 December 1751, William bought 32 acres of land in New Milford. Following the local custom, William and Innocent then registered the births of all three children; John Phillips as well as Elizabeth and Arthur Knowles in the New Milford town records.

Several family marriages were recorded at Quaker Monthly Meetings and William became one of the regular New Milford Quaker delegates to the Oblong Monthly Meeting in the 1780s.

On 21 November 1759, William and Innocent's daughter, Elizabeth, married Aaron Benedict. This marriage was recorded at the Oblong, New York Monthly Meeting, The marriage was witnessed by William, his wife, Innocent, his son, Arthur, and his stepson, John Phillips and his wife, Ann.

The son, Arthur Knowles, married Abigail Hamlin (or Hamblin) in New Milford on 15 January 1761. William became one of the regular New Milford Quaker delegates to the Oblong Monthly Meeting in the 1780s.

Sometime after the marriage of Elizabeth in 1759, Innocent died and William married Anna Barlow, widow of Joseph Sturges.

The 1790 U.S. Census finds William and Anna in New Milford, Litchfield, CT. "William Knowles Ist: New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut; Free White Persons - Males - 16 and over: 1; Free White Persons - Females: 1;Number of Household Members: 2". ^[3]

William died on November 5, 1794, in New Milford, Connecticut, having lived a long life of 81 years. His widow, Anna, died in 1801. He left a Will which provided for Anna during her life and left his estate to his "only son" Arthur and his "only daughter" Elizabeth.

The daughter, Elizabeth and her husband moved to New York, c 1795, and in 1812 they moved to Ohio, where they were active with other Quakers in the Underground Railroad Movement. The son, Arthur and his wife Abigail had at least four children: William, Elizur, Salvine and Gideon Bennett (Benedict). Two others, who were probably Arthur's children were: Arthur Knowles, Jr. who married Urania Lamson in 1787 and Abigail Hopestill Knowles (called Hopen) who married Eli Perry in 1796.

Children

• Elizabeth Knowles: b. 1741, CT; d. 1821, OH; m. Gideon Benedict.
• Arthur "Arthrew" Knowles: 1743, CT; d. 1794 OH; m. Abigail Hamlin

Will

"...I give to my wife for the term of her life the South part of the house in which I now live, also the use of a low(?) warming pan and two herbs gathered, with one-third part of my real estate and after her death to be divided in the same manner as I hereafter direct for the rest of my estate to be namely: I give to my only son Arthur two-thirds of the remainder of all my estate Whether Lands or Moveables to him and his assigns for ever and the remaining part of my estate I give to my only daughter Elizabeth and to her assigns for ever and I so constitute my son, Arthur, Executor of this my Last Will and Testament and trustee for my aged wife, in witness whereof I have here unto put my name and seal this 20th day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety four." ^[4]

Sources

• 1790 United States Federal Census
• Jacobus, Donald Lines, compiled & edited (1930-2). History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield. For the Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (Fairfield, Connecticut) Vol. 1, page 31

Godfrey Memorial Library, comp.. American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Godfrey Memorial Library. American Genealogical-Biographical Index. Middletown, CT, USA: Godfrey Memorial Library.

• Ancestry Family Trees, Ancestry.com.
• Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999, Probate Files Collection, Early to 1880; Author: Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Case Number: 1457; Item Description: Probate Packets, Keeler, Stephen-Loveridge, A, 1787-1880, Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut; Source Information: Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Connecticut County, District and Probate Courts.
• Knowles/Knoles/Noles Family Association; http://www.kknfa.org/Knowles_William_1710.htm
• Rhode Island, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1747, p. 047; Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1740-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Jackson, Ronald V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Rhode Island Census, 1740-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, Source Citation: Source number: 1359.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: AMB; Source Information: Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived from an array of materials including pedigree charts, family history articles, querie.

1. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, Source Citation: Source number: 1359.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: AMB; Source Information: Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived from an array of materials including pedigree charts, family history articles, querie
2. ↑ Rhode Island, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1747, p. 047; Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1740-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Jackson, Ronald V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Rhode Island Census, 1740-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.
3. ↑ 1790 United States Federal Census
4. ↑ Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999, Probate Files Collection, Early to 1880; Author: Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Case Number: 1457; Item Description: Probate Packets, Keeler, Stephen-Loveridge, A, 1787-1880, Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut; Source Information: Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Connecticut County, District and Probate Courts.