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These pages contain the names of mine and my Husband's ancestors discovered to date.

Researching your Family History can be both frustrating, (when your lead takes you to a brick wall) and rewarding, (when you break through the brick wall and discover another generation).  My Husband tells me I'm obsessed when I spend hours searching through old records and surfing the internet, but I tell him it's 'an absorbing hobby'.  I would love to be able to travel back in time to see how our ancestors lived and what they looked like.

My Father's family, KNEEN, originally came from the Isle of Man.  My Great Great Great Grandfather, John KNEEN  was a farmer born in the Isle of Man in the late 1700's.  His son (my Great Great Grandfather) William KNEEN,  was a tailor born 1813 in the Isle of Man,  he married Jane ROWAN  who was born in 1821 in Liverpool.  They had 10 children one of whom was my Great Grandfather, Thomas KNEEN, who was born in 1843 in Liverpool.  He was working as a cook on board ship when he met my Great Grandmother Mary BROWN who was a stewardess.  She was born in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland in 1853.  They were married at St Patrick's Old Cathedral in New York in July 1871.  The first of their 12 children (people seem to have had a lot of children in those days!) was born in 1873 in Liverpool.  The KNEEN's and BROWN's seem to have gone in a circle, my Great Grandmother was a BROWN who married a KNEEN and I was a KNEEN who married a BROWN!

The surname KNEEN comes from the Manx 'Mac Cinain' meaning 'Son of Cinain'.  The earliest record of the surname, spelt MCNYNE, was Jenkin McNyne in 1429, he was later recorded as Jenkine MacNevyne in 1430.  There seem to be several variations of the surname: MCNYNE, NEVYN, MACNEVYN, KNEENE (1504), KNEEN (1598), KENEEN (1666) and KANEEN (1740).  The surname is thought to originate from Scotland.  When the Scots invaded the Isle of Man many Manx names were formed and it's thought the name might be a corruption of NIVEN or NEVIN.

I have also discovered that my Father's Maternal Grandfather, Patrick MCDONALD from Liverpool, had a talent for singing and playing the penny whistle.  According to one of my Aunts, he used to perform at the Royal Muncaster Theatre on Irlam Road, Bootle, Liverpool in the early 1900's.

My Mother was born in Belgium, on her Father's side, DIERICX, I have managed to trace back to my Great Grandparents x5 who were born in the mid 1700's,  on her Mother's side, BAETE,  I have managed to trace back to my Great Grandparents x3 who were born in the early 1800's.

My Parents met while my Father was stationed in Belgium during WW2.  He was a driver with the Royal Army Service Corps in India, Middle East, North Africa and Europe.  My Parents kept in touch both during and after the war and my Father finally persuaded my Mother to come over to England in 1950 to stay with his family in Liverpool while she decided whether she would like to live here and much against her family's wishes she stayed and they were married in May 1951 at St Elizabeth's Church, Bootle, Liverpool.

After the war my Father returned to work as a baker with Thomas Scott's Bakery in Netherton, Liverpool.  He started work there in 1936, but had to retire through ill health in 1981.  Before coming over to England my Mother worked as a Nanny.  One of the places where she was employed was the Chateau d'Elseghem, in Belgium in 1947.

I am also researching my Husband's family.  On his Father's side BROWN and LLOYD from Lancashire and on his Mother's side BOYCOTT from Yorkshire and Shropshire and PENNINGTON from Lancashire and Cheshire.

If you think you may have a connection to any of our families or have any comments or suggestions that might help with my research, please feel free to send me an email or sign my guestbook.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking all the kind people who have helped me with my research.

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