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Welcome to my Killen Family Website www.killenfamily.co.uk by Peter Killen from Chirnside, Berwickshire, Scotland (formerly from Gateshead and Cramlington, England).

Legend has it that the original family name was KILLEEN but when Patrick & Winifred, who were both born in Ireland, settled down in Heworth, County Durham, England, the local Catholic schoolmaster got them to Anglicise their name by dropping an "e" from the spelling to make the present name of "KILLEN".

For details of any of the branches please click on the page links above.

Details for other names in my family tree too numerous to list are also available.

I have a large collection of Birth, Marriage, Death, Census Records etc. for people in the Tree which I am willing to share with other family members.

Please feel free to contact me via my e mail webmaster@killenfamily.co.uk if you think you have a link or any data that can be added or amended. I would be pleased to share my information and grateful for any new data.

KILLEN / HART TREE contains information dating from the present day back to 1832.

KILLEN / GRAY TREE contains information dating from the present day back to the early 1800’s.

STEVENSON TREE contains information dating from the present day back to 1790.

STRASSHEIM TREE contains information dating from the present day back to 1680

WELSH TREE contains information dating from the present day back to 1831.

McCALL TREE contains information dating from the present day back to 1822.

DUFFY TREE contains information dating from the present day back to 1820.

KILLEN / HUGHES TREE contains information dating from the present day back to 1826.

Louis Killen / Louisa Jo Killen: The most famous family member I know of to date.

Louis Killen was born in Gateshead on 10th January 1934 and was the youngest of 4 boys to his parents, Francis and Margaret Killen, nee Nolan. {see Killen / Gray Branch}

He was one of the most widely influential musicians of the folk revival and a key voice of English traditional song.

He was a hard-core, unadulterated folksinger whose passionate delivery was matched by a deep and wide-ranging knowledge of the songs and the working people who made them.

He used to turn up at family functions on numerous occasions (birthdays, weddings funerals etc.) and grace us with songs from his repertoire.

Following the struggle with his gender over many, many years Louis fulfilled his lifelong ambition in 2007, after going through the necessary gender reassignment program, he went through a transgender operation to become a woman, Louisa Jo.

She was diagnosed with cancer several years before her death and went through a number of operations and treatments but the cancer eventually took its toll.

She sadly passed away on Friday 9th August 2013 in her Gateshead home surrounded by 3 close family members and her friend, Celeste, from America.

Louisa Jo's funeral was held on at 10:30a.m. on Friday 16th August 2013 at Saltwell Crematorium, Gateshead and was attended by a great many of her friends and family.

She is sadly missed, as a family member by all her family and, by her many friends and colleagues.

A Memorial Concert was organised by the local Folk Community and held in Gateshead on 18th January 2014 where a large number of musicians gathered to perform in Louisa Jo's memory. The evening was a great success and a fitting tribute to Louisa Jo.

Louis recorded on a number of records and CDs which are still available today. He performed at numerous venues around the world including the Tall Ships Race in Gateshead during June / July 1993, numerous Mystic Sea Port Sea Music Festivals and The Sage in Gateshead to name but a few. He performed with the Clancy Brothers and contributed towards Simon & Garfunkel's recording of Fakin' It on the Bookends album.

GEORGE (GEORDIE) RIDLEY

George "Geordie" Ridley born in Gateshead on 10 February 1835, the third of twelve children to his parents Matthew Ridley and Frances Stephenson (see Stevenson - Stephenson Branch). He was a Tyneside Concert Hall songwriter and performer in the middle of the 19th century. A contemporary of Edward Corvan and has been described by a council source as a candidate for Tyneside's most famous songwriter. His most famous song is "Blaydon Races", the unofficial Geordie National Anthem.

More information can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_%22Geordie%22_Ridley