Nixon, Marianna McKnight, 1919-2010
Biography of Marianna Nixon McKnight
Marianna McKnight was born on November 11, 1919 to Fay McKnight and Mary Corine Irwin. She was the only child to the couple. Her father, Fay, died in 1921 after contracting the flu during the Flu Epidemic of 1918-1920. This left her mother to raise Marianna on her own. As a child, Marianna spent much of her time with her father’s family, E.E. McKnight, wife Anna Dover McKnight, and their children. Marianna attended high school and was active in the drama club, performing in a production of Jane Eyre in 1936. Marianna went on to graduate from Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing in 1940. She was a nurse for 33 years. In her later years, Marianna enjoyed visiting friends and family in Washington state. She died in 2010.
Marianna met Roger Omer Nixon when they were both young and they later married in August of 1940. Roger was active in the ROTC and received training at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. After this, he went into the Coast Artillery in the Army. He and Marianna moved to Newport, Rhode Island where Roger served, but at the start of World War II he was sent abroad. He served primarily in the Pacific Theatre of the war, in the Palau Islands. Roger died in 1983.
Marianna and Roger had two children, Gary and James. Gary (1944-2007) was a research physicist and fly fishing enthusiast. His passion for fishing is evident by his many trips to Alaska. James (b.1948) served in the Navy for six years and later became a contractor.
Marianna was an avid amateur genealogist and retained correspondence and photographs of her ancestors. From these documents, Marianna’s deep roots to prominent families in the Dayton area are evident. Marianna’s paternal grandparents, E.E. and Anna (Dover) McKnight had four children: Fay, Louise(a), Ida, and Leroy “Roy”. Anna’s parents, Louisa Donovan and Thomas Dover (1829-1881), married in 1857. Thomas Dover was a local pharmacist. Tragically, Thomas fell off a ladder in his shop and died in 1881. Louisa died fifteen years later in 1896. Thomas Dover was the son of Samuel Best Dover and Henrietta Van Cleve. Henrietta was the daughter of Benjamin Van Cleve, Dayton’s first school teacher and postmaster. The Dover’s are related to the Wright family through the Van Cleve line.
On her mother’s side Marianna is descended from the Irwin, Kirchner, and Spreen families.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Marianna Nixon Papers
Marianna McKnight Nixon was a lifelong Daytonian and descendant of several prominent families of the Dayton area, including the McKnights, Dovers, and Van Cleves. The collection is primarily comprised of photographs of Marianna’s life and family, as well as correspondence, genealogical information, and printed materials such as newspaper clippings, brochures, and periodicals.
