-Frances Weekes was born about 1616 in England. He emigrated to Dorchester, Massachusetts in the early 1630s, at least before 1635. He came in the company of John Smith, 20 years his elder. He was probably working at the grist mill at Dorchester operated by John Smith, his mentor. John had been banned from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for holding dangerous opinions. He had written a book expressing negative opinions about the government. Roger Williams also had been banished by the Massachusetts Bay Colony and not allowed to preach. Roger Williams was warned by Governor John Winthrop that the authorities were coming to get him and he fled, obtaining a lot at Seekonk. He crossed the Seekonk River in search of a new colony. He was accompanied by 4 other men, Frances Weekes was one of those in the canoe with Roger Williams when they landed in Providence, Rhode Island in 1636.  Roger Williams referred to Frances as “A poor young fellow”. There is a famous American painting of the canoe crossing the river. He was a signatory to the 1637 Providence Compact and the 1640 Combination. By 1639 he had married Elizabeth Luther, born about 1626 at Gravesend, Kent, England. She was a Quaker. He left Rhode Island by 1642. They moved to Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Elizabeth Luther Weekes was brought before Church authorities and accused of “contrary to the law of God, and the laws established for this place, not only absented themselves from public worship of God, but have profaned the Lord’s Day by going to a conventicle or meeting in the woods, where there were two Quakers”. They were fined by the authorities for “entertaining Quakers”. They left Hempstead and moved to Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York and spent the rest of their days there. On 31 March 1647 the four eldest children of Frances and Elizabeth are baptized in the Dutch Church of New York.
 
Their daughter Elizabeth married Nicholas Simpkins, son of Captain Nicholas Simpkins and Isabel Saule.