This article will be about my mother`s side of the family. My mother`s maiden name was Elizabeth MENABNEY.

My relatives are of the opinion that the name MENABNEY had most likely been McNABNEY at one time. People from a Scots/Irish background seemed to have been quite adroit at changing and altering their names. The family appears to have its census origins in the Lurgan area, with some of them then moving to Belfast. 

In the 1911 census my mother`s family are shown as living in Klondyke St in the Shankill area.  My mother is not shown in the census as she had not been born yet.

This link will show all the residents of Klondyke St on the 1911 census.

Apparently family cousins of the same name had been living in Klondyke St too but they had emigrated to Canada earlier.

In the 1920s one of my mother`s brothers emigrated to Canada, he was called Joe, he is shown as 10 years of age in the 1911 census.   He never returned to N.Ireland until WW2 when he came back as a soldier in the Canadian army.

One of my cousins emigrated to the USA in the 1960s and ended up serving in the American army in Korea.

At the moment it looks like there are more Menabney`s in  Canada and the USA than there are in N.Ireland.

Family background is interesting is it not?

Matthew`s Gospel starts by declaring the ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ, as I have said before the Hebrews were meticulous at preserving their family records.

Matthew 1:1,2

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;