At the beginning of the 19th century, some of the distinguished family members, being notable high-ranking army officers, moved to Međimurje,[2] the northernmost part of Croatia, where they acquired new possessions.

At that time the head of the family was Juraj/George Knežević, major of the Croatian Military Frontier Lika Infantry Regiment of the Habsburg imperial army, who married Katarina née Stibor, a noble woman from Senj.

His wife Uršula/Ursula née Vukasović (1717–1776) bore him a lot of children, among which were six sons: In 1802 some of the Knežević brothers (Ivan, Petar and Vinko) moved to Međimurje County, the northernmost part of Croatia.

They bought (or exchanged for their possessions in Lika) the former estate of the Pauline monastery in Sveta Jelena, furthermore Mačkovec, Zasadbreg, Knezovec, Štrigova and Leskovec.

When general Vinko Knežević died in 1832, estates in Sveta Jelena were sold to the Feštetić family, who already owned the largest part of the county.