Margaret Kneale is the daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Cannell) Kneale. She was bp. at Lonan, September 27, 1829. Thomas Kneale and Margaret Cannell were married at Onchan, February 25, 1826.

Margaret Kneale's siblings, all bp. at Lonan, were Jane, bp. June 2, 1832; Thomas, bp. June 2, 1832; John, bp. September 12, 1834; Isabella, bp. February 2, 1837; Thomas, bp. September 8, 1839; William, bp. February 6, 1842.

Widow Margaret Cannell married second, at Lonan, July 31, 1845, John Cowley of Ballacollister (Lonan). He was a widower. His first wife, Margaret Skillicorn, had died at Lonan, August 29, 1843, age 44.

John Cowley, Jr., the son of Margaret Skillicorn and John Cowley, married his step-sister, Jane Kneale. They emigrated to Iowa County, Wisconsin, in the 1850's, and settled in Linden Township, west of Mineral Point. There were several other Manx families in the area, most of whom seem to be related.

There is a short item about John Cowley, Jr., in the little publication "Laxey in the New World", published by the Laxey Committee (Mineral Point) in 1982.

I can give you the whole quote by separate e-mail, but the critical paragraph is as follows: "After his wife's death (She died 1912) Mr. Cowley visited the land of his birth and on his return brought with him his niece, Mrs. Olive Qualtrough, and her daughter Miss Olive Qualtrough, and these two, with his children and neighbors, cared tenderly and lovingly for him during his long illness." (He died March 28, 1915.)

My husband's ancestor is a sister of Margaret Skillicorn. It was the name "Olive" that triggered the connection--a pretty uncommon Manx name!