Researching James Knowles
Dig into the past of James Knowles using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 15993 people with the Knowles surname? In that year Knowles was ranked number 240 for popularity in the UK. |
Good news! There is already a One Name Study on the Knowles surname.

The name James means "one who supplants" and is of Hebrew origin.
Records of James Knowles on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of James Knowles in your family tree. Many large databases are available to search covering from births, deaths and marriages, military records, census records and immigration records with many other smaller collections too. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for James Knowles. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for James Knowles. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for James Knowles. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for James Knowles. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for James Knowles. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Knowles ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Knowles Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for James Knowles and the Knowles Genealogy
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Knowles Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Knowles family tree.
Explore Parish Records for James Knowles at Find My Past.
Explore for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of James Knowles using the FreeBMD database.
Study Genealogy Bank for James Knowles records.
Explore MyHeritage for James Knowles information.
Investigate the LDS Database for records about James Knowles.
Research the Knowles surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Knowles Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 18193 people with the Knowles surname in the UK? Knowles is now ranked number 297 for popularity in the UK. |
Knowles Family History Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Check out the WikiTree database for user contributed records for James Knowles.
Study MyTrees for information on the Knowles family and people looking to contact living Knowles relations.
Study One Great Family for Knowles records submitted by people who are already researching the Knowles Family Tree.
Find James Knowles from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Knowles Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Knowles surname using Genealogy.com forums .
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 36459 people with the Knowles surname in the USA? Knowles is ranked number 145 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Knowles Databases
Search the Ellis Island Database for information on James Knowles. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called James Knowles
James Knowles (aviator)
Lieutenant James Knowles, Jr. was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He was one of the final aces in the war.
Knowles was a Harvard student who was accepted into the U.S. Army Air Service in April 1917. In June 1918, he reported to the 95th Aero Squadron for duty as a Spad XIII pilot. Between 25 July and 8 November 1918, he shot down three German Fokker D.VIIs and two Rumpler reconnaissance planes; one of the latter victories was shared with Sumner Sewall and three other pilots. He came out of the war as an ace with the Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Croix de Guerre, and the Aero Club of America Medal.
Source: James Knowles (aviator), Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Knowles
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Knoales Knoles Knolls Knowlys Nalasco Nalls Naulls Neales Nealis Neallis Neelis Nehls Neils Neilus Neles Nelis Nelisse Nelius Nelk Nelles Nellies Nellis Nellius Nelsey Neolcke Neuls Nials Niles Nilles Noailles Noales Noelcke Noelk Noiles Noles Nollsch Nolz Nowells Nowels Nyles





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