Sunday, January 25, 2015

Adding a Peruck Maker to the Family Tree - Please Welcome John Knowles

I'm still on the trail of Deborah Scudder's parentage.  While working my way around the family tree, I was taking a closer look at John Hart's (her son) family.

John Hart married Catherine Knowles in 1770.  Catherine's parents are well documented as John and Mary (Wilkinson) Knowles.   I believe him to the be the son of John and Catherine (Wessels) Knowles.

Let's start with this little tidbit from 1756 about John Knowles:


He was commissioned as a Lieutenant during the French and Indian War.





During the Revolutionary War, he became a Prisoner of War (POW) and was traded in 1778 for Abraham Iredale, a man who had been declared a traitor by George Washington. 

I have also found a record indicating that John Knowles was a Peruck Maker by trade.  What is a Peruck Maker you ask?  I asked that myself.  He was the make of those men's powdered wigs that were big in the 17th and 18th centuries.

You can also see that in 1784, he was commissioned Justice of Peace in the Townships of Oxford, Lower Dublin and Biberry.





He died in 1804 and I found this excerpt of his will:


"Will Abstract(Father of Catherine Knowles who married John Hart son of the signer)KNOWLES, JOHN. Late of Philadelphia, now of Oxford Township, Co. of Phila.July 30, 1795. August 2, 1804. 1.220.Bequeaths land in Philadelphia to son John Knowles, Junr., and daus.Elizabeth Knowles, Sarah Keen, Mary Toy. Legacies to GranddaughtersMary Hart; Susanna Hall, wife of Joseph Hall; Sarah Hart; ElizabethHart and grandson John Hart. Mentions in connection with propertyBryan Wilkinson, decd. Buckridge Sim, Enoch Flower decd., John Keen,William Brewster and wife, Seymour Hart, Wm. Clampfer and William Turner.Exec: Son John Knowles and dau. Elizabeth Knowles.Wit: Thos. Cuthbert, R. Whitehead, Robert Bourne, Robt. Whitehead"

Yet, another intriguing family member to welcome into the ever-expanding family tree.

Coming up soon, I'll blog on our shakin' quakin' Quaker roots!

1 comment:

  1. Hi. I descend from John Knowles. He is my great-g-g-g-g-g-g-grnadfather.

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