Researching Leonard Knowles
Investigate the background of Leonard 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 Leonard means "like a lion" and is of Teutonic origin.
Records of Leonard Knowles on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of Leonard Knowles in your family tree. With over 30 billion records and 100 million family trees to search, Ancestry is one of the key websites to visit to help you trace your family tree back in time. 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 Leonard Knowles. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for Leonard Knowles. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for Leonard Knowles. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for Leonard Knowles. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for Leonard 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. A DNA test can sometimes help to make a link to a particular family name if you find you share common DNA with people who have the same or similar surnames as each other. If you are lucky then you may get a match within a few generations and discover some 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 Leonard 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 listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. 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.
Check out Parish Records for Leonard Knowles at Find My Past.
Explore for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of Leonard Knowles using the FreeBMD database.
Explore Genealogy Bank for Leonard Knowles records.
Investigate MyHeritage for Leonard Knowles information.
Look at the LDS Database for records about Leonard 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.
Explore the WikiTree database for user contributed records for Leonard Knowles.
Study MyTrees for information on the Knowles family and people looking to contact living Knowles relations.
Explore One Great Family for Knowles records submitted by people who are already researching the Knowles Family Tree.
Find Leonard 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
Investigate the Ellis Island Database for information on Leonard Knowles. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called Leonard Knowles
Leonard Knowles
Sir Leonard Joseph Knowles, CBE (15 March 1916 – 23 September 1999) was the first Chief Justice of the Bahamas of an independent Bahamas.
Knowles was born in Nassau, Bahamas, and was educated at Queen's College, Nassau before going to King's College London where he took an LLB in law in 1937. In 1935 he joined Gray's Inn in London, and was called to the bar in 1939.
He was the President of the Senate of the Bahamas from 1964 to 1972. In 1973 he became the first Chief Justice in the newly independent Bahamas, a position he held until 1978. He had to be sworn in before the Bahamian Independence Day (10 July 1973) because it was his duty to swear in the first prime minister. He was made CBE in 1963, and Knight Bachelor in the 1974 Birthday Honours.
After his retirement, he moved to the United States to live with his son in Macon, Georgia. He died on 23 September 1999 and is buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Macon.
Source: Leonard Knowles, 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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