My 5th great-grandfather, Lancelot Larkham, is, to me, one of my most fascinating ancestors, because nearly everything I know of him, I’ve discovered on my own. I have a number of Lancelot's original personal documents (his apprenticeship indenture, land deeds and letters) in my possession -- items which were passed down to me from my mother's side of the family. These documents truly inspired my interest in genealogical research. I simply had to find out who Lancelot was!

The Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut Larkhams are a fairly elusive family, with no published genealogies that I’m aware of, yet evidence of them can be found throughout the records of eastern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island. They intermarried with many of the early settlers of Rhode Island and Connecticut -- the Adams, Colegrove, Crandall, Gorton, Greene, Larkin, Morgan, Palmer, and Witter families. Lancelot Larkham was the patriarch of a large number of descendants who migrated from Rhode Island and Connecticut to upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oklahoma and further west -- wherever new land became available in the country.

In my two decades of research, I have been amazed to find that virtually every Larkham who spells their name precisely this way -- Larkham -- is a descendant of Lancelot. Being the mother of boys, I supppose my connection with Lancelot began when I read his apprenticeship contract and thought of him as an 8½-year-old boy whose mother placed him in an apprenticeship to learn the trade of weaving. Here's what I have learned about Lancelot's life:

Rhode Island Beginnings
(1740-1779)

Lancelot Larkham was born 20 November 1740, the son of Thomas and Frances Larkham of South Kingstown, Rhode Island (Burdick, 1935). Although Lancelot's place of birth is not recorded, his father, Thomas Larkham, witnessed a land deed in South Kingstown on 26 February 1739, and Thomas Larkham appears several times in South Kingstown town records in the early 1740s, so Lancelot must have been born in South Kingstown. Aside from his birth date, the earliest record of Lancelot is found in an indenture for his apprenticeship on 7 July 1749. His mother, Frances Larkham of "South Kingstown in Kings County in the Colony of Rhode Island & Providence Plantation in New England woosted corner", indentured Lancelot, age 8 ½, as an apprentice to two weavers, Joseph Enoss and his wife Margaret (Webster) Enoss of Richmond, Rhode Island. Joseph Enoss, in his fifties at the time he took on young Lancelot as an apprentice, perhaps needed additional help because most of his own children were grown and on their own.

In the apprenticeship contract, Lancelot’s term of indenture was very specific: 12 years, 4 months and 13 days. When calculated, I discovered that Lancelot's apprenticeship would be over on 20 November 1761, which I later learned from family records was the date of his 21st birthday. It is significant that Frances Larkham signed the indenture and not Lancelot's father, Thomas. Thomas Larkham enlisted in Captain Edward Cole's Company in the campaign against Canada, King George's War on 8 July 1746 and died 4 September 1746, having served 58 days, wages due 1£ 6S. He apparently never left Fort George on Goat Island in Newport Harbor.

In 1749, Frances Larkham as a single mother probably struggled to provide for her children, which is likely why she put Lancelot into an apprenticeship at the tender age of 8 ½ years.  The average age of apprenticeships in 18th century New England was 14 years. It is probable that Lancelot had a younger sister named Elizabeth, because an Elizabeth Larkham was recorded as marrying William Rees on 16 August 1767 in South Kingstown by Dr. Joseph Torrey of the marriages he performed from 1736-1783 in "A Record of the Names &c of the persons joyned together in Marriage by Joseph Torrey Pastor of the Chts: Christ in South Kingstown."  Considering the rarity of Larkham records in 18th century Rhode Island annals, Elizabeth Larkham must have been related to Lancelot, Frances and Thomas Larkham.

What is Known about Lancelot Larkham's Parents

It is fairly certain that Lancelot's father, Thomas Larkham, was not born in Rhode Island.  He first appeared in South Kingstown records in 1728 with no apparent connection to any other family in the American colonies. Based on Thomas Larkham's associates in Rhode Island, it seems likely he was involved in the flourishing maritime trade of the early 18th century and came to Rhode Island that way.

The most plausible explanation for Thomas Larkham's origins is that he was a descendant of the controversial Puritan minister, Thomas Larkham, who came briefly to Dover, New Hampshire in 1636-1642, and had a grandson, Lancelot Larkham.  Reverend Thomas Larkham’s son, Reverend George Larkham (also a “non-conformist” minister), was the father of this Lancelot Larkham, who was born 29 November 1661 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England.  The name Lancelot appears to come from the family of Dorothy Fletcher, wife of George Larkham and mother of Lancelot Larkham of England.  Her father was Lancelot Fletcher, who descended from a line of several Lancelots in the Fletcher line.  According to the Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames with Special American Instances by Bardsley, the name Lancelot “was very common in Cumberland and N[orth] England generally for many centuries.” By contrast, the name, Lancelot, was not common in 18th century New England, and even rarer in 18th century Rhode Island, so the name may be a significant clue to the origins of Thomas Larkham.

Even more compelling is Reverend George Larkham’s bequest to his son, Lancelot, in his will, dated 10 January 1699 and proved 17 March 1700:

Itm My will is and I doe hereby bequeath to my Son Lancelot for a Legacy Ten pound; Itm to his Son Thomas (my Grandchild) Ten pound, To be due for him; in order to his bringing up to some trade; And I hope his parents will not defraud him &c.          

Could this grandchild, Thomas, be Thomas Larkham of South Kingstown, Lancelot's father?  Certainly the naming of the early Rhode Island Larkhams, Thomas and Lancelot, is consistent with the family line of Reverend George Larkham, son of Reverend Thomas Larkham.   There are other similarities between Thomas Larkham of South Kingstown and the family of Reverend Thomas Larkham. There is plenty of evidence that the grandsons of Reverend Thomas Larkham traveled the trade routes between England, the West Indies, and the American colonies; and there are some personality parallels as well: Reverend Larkham and his grandsons tended to reject authority and get into trouble. It's not completely clear what Thomas Larkham of South Kingstown's infraction was aside from being posted by the South Kingstown Town Council for an incident involving strong liquor, it was severe enough to be carried over to postings for several years.  For more information, see Thomas Larkham of South Kingstown and the Larkham Family of Rhode Island and Connecticut.

On the other hand, it seems likely that Lancelot Larkham's mother, Frances, was a local girl that Thomas Larkham met when he came to Rhode Island. The parties involved in the apprenticeship of Lancelot may have had a significant relationship to Frances, whose maiden name is unknown. 

Lancelot was apprenticed to Joseph and Margaret Enos, weavers of Richmond.  The indenture was witnessed by Anna Kinyon and John Webster.  These four individuals were connected in several ways, and because of this and the fact that they were party to young Lancelot's apprenticeship, I have to wonder what their relationship was to Frances:  

•  According to Marjorie Webster Schunke, who wrote A Line of Descent from John Webster of Westerly, it is "possible that the Margaret Webster who married Joseph Enos in Westerly 20 Sep 1716" was a sister of John Webster (who was a witness to the indenture).

• Anna Kinyon, who also witnessed the indenture, is no doubt Anna (Barber) Kinyon, wife of Sylvester Kinyon.  There were several documents during the mid-1700s in which John Webster signed as witness along with either Anna Kinyon, Sylvester Kinyon, or both of them.  In fact, on May 15, 1749, all three witnessed the will of John Enoss.

• John Webster married, for his first wife, Sarah Kenyon, a sister of Sylvester Kinyon (husband of Anna Barber Kinyon).

• John Webster's eldest daughter, Hannah Webster, married Ezekiel Barber, Anna (Barber) Kinyon's older brother.

• John Webster's youngest daughter, Elizabeth Webster, married John Kenyon, son of Sylvester and Anna (Barber) Kenyon.

• John Webster's youngest son, Thomas Webster, married Patience Adams, born ca. 1745 in Richmond, daughter of John and Patience (Hall) Adams.  Lancelot Larkham married 1763-1765, Prudence Adams, born 29 July 1741 in Richmond. I believe it's very likely that Prudence Adams was another daughter of John and Patience (Hall) Adams and a sister to Patience (Adams) Webster.

Despite these relationships, I have not been able to connect the dots of these families to Frances.  Records for this time period, especially for women, are not perfect, however Frances Larkham remains a mystery.

Coming into Adulthood

In 1759, when Lancelot was nineteen years old (two years before his apprenticeship was to end), he entered service in the Old French and Indian War with the Rhode Island Regiment. According to a sworn disposition signed by Jonathan Maxson, Lancelot served in Colonel Harris’ Regiment in 1760, and was at the capitulation of Montreal under the command of Jeffrey Amherst. Lancelot is also on record as having served in Colonel Rose's regiment in 1762. (I originally assumed that Lancelot's service in the war meant that he didn't complete the full term of his apprenticeship to Joseph and Margaret Enos, however several wise sources enlightened me to the fact that war service in colonial days meant going off on an expedition for a few weeks at a time, returning home to work as usual inbetween.) Joseph Enoss died in November of 1762 when Lancelot was twenty-two years old.

 In 1763, Lancelot married Prudence Adams of Richmond, Rhode Island (Burdick, 1904). Prudence was probably a member of the large Adams clan of Richmond, which descends from the Scotsman, James Adams, of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. Over the next twelve years, Lancelot was admitted as a Freeman of the town of Richmond and subsequently served in at least two public offices. Records indicate that Lancelot was a weaver as well as a farmer by occupation. During this time, the Larkhams acquired land, established a farm and began a family that was to eventually total seven children.

In a 10-year period of time, Lancelot acquired at least 150 acres of land: On 30 October 1765 Lancelot purchased 50 acres of land from Benjamin Herrington, yeoman and his wife Mary of Richmond. On 19 April 1766, Lancelot purchased 12 ½ acres of land from Benjamin Herrington, physician, and his wife Hannah, of Richmond.  At superior court in South Kingstown on 3 February 1774 William Bentley, yeoman, ordered John and Barsheba Bissel to relinquish their right to 160 acres of land in Richmond, which Lancelot, along with his neighbors Nicholas Larkin and Paul Herrington, purchased for 8 pounds 5 shillings. It is presumed that the land was divided equally among the 3 men.. On 18 November 1775, Lancelot purchased 49 ½ acres of land from Nathan Kinyon.

On April 16, 1766, at the age of 25 ½, Lancelot was admitted as Freeman by the Richmond Town Council. On June 5, 1770, the Richmond Town Council elected him to serve as Surveyor of Highways and Viewer of Fences for the ensuing year. On June 4, 1771, the town council granted him “eight shillings and three pence for timber to repair the Chapp’l Bridge”and “one pound sixteen shillings and two pence for the repairing of the Iron Worker Bridge” in Richmond. In 1777, Lancelot was listed in the Rhode Island census for males over the age of 21 who were eligible to serve in the (Revolutionary) war although it’s still not clear whether he actually fought in the Revolution. At the May 19, 1777 meeting of the Richmond Town Council, Lancelot was selected to serve as “Grand Juryman ... to attend on the Inferior Court of Common Pleas to be Holden at South Kingstown within and for the County of Kings County on the Second Monday in August next.”

Six of Lancelot and Prudence’s seven children were born in Richmond and are recorded in Richmond town records as the offspring of Lottanset Larkin and his wife Prudence.