Thomas Knowles/Elizabeth Walker connection to Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins

Question

I'm trying to verify the parentage of my 4th ggm, Polly (Knowles) Kingman (20 Jun 1767 - 11 May 1855). She was married to Capt. Edward Kingman (26 Nov 1767 - 10 Apr 1843). There seem to be two possibilities. One set of parents leads to Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins and one does not.

I have found a Thomas Knowles (abt 1739 - 21 Feb 1838) married to Elizabeth Walker (29 Sep 1743 - 6 Jul 1812).

Other sources, including WikiTree, have her parents as Thomas Knowles (6 Aug 1732 - 11 Nov 1778) married to Elizabeth A. Walker (2 Sep 1743 - 1838). They are the Silver Books' 6th generation descendants of Mayflower passenger, Stephen Hopkins. However, I can't find any definitive proof of either couple being my 5th great grandparents. This link is all I need to prove or disprove my possible connection to the Mayflower. Can you help in any way? Thanks. I'd really appreciate it.

Bill Morse

Answer 1

Bill, 

If you use the connection finder on Wikitree, you can find her connections to the Mayflower passengers....

Ancestors and Cousins

5 generations      Constance (Hopkins) Snow (bef.1606-abt.1677) ancestor
6 generations      Stephen Hopkins (bef.1581-abt.1644) ancestor
7 generations      Giles Hopkins (bef.1608-bef.1690)
7 generations      Damaris Hopkins (bef.1618-aft.1627)
7 generations      Oceanus Hopkins (bef.1620-bef.1627)

According to the info on Wikitree, she is descended from those marked "Ancestor".

Comments

Thank you, Ken. It looks promising but I'm still lacking the "smoking gun" source linking Polly to Thomas and Elizabeth (Walker) Knowles. Maybe there isn't one. It says "confidence unknown" next to Thomas. I'd just like to know how and why this connection is made. It's my own inquisitiveness. :)

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Bill,

There are two references/sources shown on Polly's page, but I'll see if I can find something more defined.

Ken

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I found numerous references for the marriage to Edward Kingman. It looks like the one I found that might work, is the same as what's on her page already. ... https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/130623/?offset=&return=1#page=100&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0&q=%22Edward%20Kingman%22

It's on Family search titled "Descendants of Henry Kingman: Some Early Generations of the Kingman Family. It has information on the bottom page 95 for Capt. Edward Kingman, who married Polly, daughter of Thomas Knowles of Dighton. I found this referenced or included several additional times. Everything listed seems to fit, including the names of her children.

That's all I could find without going too crazy. I would probably say that the link to Thomas Knowles as the Father is probably legitimate, but I couldn't find anything for her mother.

Hope this helps!

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Also found this.... but it's protected....

Somerset County, Maryland will book; v. 07

TITLE NO

252825_07

CREATOR

Dryden, Ruth T

EXTENT

7 v.

LANGUAGE

English

ACCESS LEVEL

Protected

PAGE COUNT

102

Due to copyright restrictions, this book cannot be viewed online.

Full text results

Highlights from Image 34

...,Dean 23 Sep 1846 27 Oct 1846 to-Lewy James to-Lydia James and Polly Knowles d/o

 Thomas Knowles dec'd...

Answer 2

I did not have any info but according to the connection finder she is my 3rd cousin 8 times removed ,

Answer 3

I think there are probably 2 different Thomas Knowles conflated. Points against the Thomas of Truro being the same person as Thomas of Swansea:

There is a guardianship record, dated in April 1777, for his son Thomas. It specifically states that the father was of Truro.

In addition to Thomas Knowles who married Elizabeth Walker in 1763, there were other Knowles in Swansea around the same time: Christian who married David Wood in 1748; Mary who m. Joseph Read in 1760, a Jonathan born in 1733 to Edward and Christian Knowles.

The "silver book" on Hopkins names both Thomas Knowles and his wife Lucy Lewis and states that they married each other, but mentions nothing else - no second spouse, no death or marriage dates. They are the 6th generation, so their data is incomplete. I find no mention of Elizabeth Walker as a wife of Thomas Knowles in the Hopkins' silver book published in 2001. Is she named in a later edition?

Hope this is helpful.

Comments

Bobbie,

I think it is the latest version (2001) since they are still selling it on the mayflower Society website.

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Bill,

I also checked for probate records in Bristol County for a Thomas Knowles around that time and there were none, unfortunately. The only record in the Barnstable County probate index was for the son's guardianship.

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Agreed, thanks Ken.

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Thanks, Bobbie. That's the dilemma I've had since I discovered my possible Mayflower connection. Is Elizabeth Walker a later wife of Thomas Knowles who descends from Stephen Hopkins or are there more than one Thomas/Elizabeths?? My curiosity piqued when Family Search's Relative Finder made the connection to Stephen as my 10th ggf through Thomas and Elizabeth. However, I haven't found any absolute proof that they're my Polly's parents. I've documented my way back from me to Polly and Edward Kingman. The Silver Books document Stephen down to Thomas. I can't find that last link in between - Polly to Thomas. Is he or isn't he Polly's father? I find no proof naming Polly's parents anywhere. Maybe some day. Thanks to everyone who has offered help.

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Thanks for your help too, Ken. see my latest post.

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Thanks Bill,

Based on what I read, I do believe that Polly's father was a Thomas Knowles, but which one, I have no idea. The different sources I read didn't name a spouse or Children of Thomas.  I too found both a Lucy Lewis AND an Elizabeth Walker married to Thomas Knowles, but I have no idea if it's the same Thomas or not.

Ken