Background
Ernst Heinrich Kneschke was the second son of Johann Gottfried Kneschke (1766–1825), who was Company-rector of Zittau Gymnasium and librarian of the council library, and his wife Juliana Therese Kühn († 1802).
Ernst Heinrich Kneschke was the second son of Johann Gottfried Kneschke (1766–1825), who was Company-rector of Zittau Gymnasium and librarian of the council library, and his wife Juliana Therese Kühn († 1802).
On 10 May 1817, Kneschke enrolled at the University of Leipzig and on 24 September 1828 he graduated with the medical baccalaureate.
On 29 October 1828 he received the licentiate (teaching certificate). from 1843 he was extraordinary professor of ophthalmology. Kneschke pursued history and genealogy on the side. In particular, he is known for the nine-volume Neues allgemeines deutsches Adels-Lexicon (Leipzig 1859–1870) which is an important genealogical resource and has been reprinted several times.
When he died the University of Leipzig celebrated him as "a highly treasured ophthalmologist, who later turned increasingly to encyclopedic and literary pursuits." Kneschke was actively involved in the foundation and operation of the Verein für die Geschichte Leipzigs (Society for the History of Leipzig).
Various writings by Kneschke are kept in the Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig. Weigel, Leipzig 1855 (.
Weigel, Leipzig 1855 (. Weigel, Leipzig 1856 (.
Weigel, Leipzig 1857 (.