Welcome to the Shiels Family History
This website tells the story of the Shiels family across more than three centuries — from Micheal Shiels, born about 1690 in Kildare, Ireland, to the generations that followed him in Scotland and eventually made a new home in Canada.
It is more than a collection of names and dates. Through family stories, photographs, historical records and memories passed from one generation to the next, these pages follow the lives of the people who came before us — where they lived, the challenges they faced, and the families they built.
Their story begins more than 300 years ago.
Our Family Story Begins in 1690
The Shiels family story that we have been able to trace begins with Micheal Shiels, born about 1690 in County Kildare, Ireland. As a young man, Micheal travelled to Scotland for the harvest and eventually made his home near Coulter in Peeblesshire.
For the next several generations, the family remained in Scotland. Then, in 1850, Micheal’s great-great-grandsons John and George Shiels crossed the Atlantic and began a new chapter of the family story in Canada.
From those beginnings, the family grew and spread across Canada and beyond. This website follows one direct line through ten generations, while preserving the photographs, documents and stories that bring their lives to life.
Exploring the Generations
Each generation adds another chapter to the Shiels family story. Follow the direct family line from Micheal Shiels in the early 1700s through Scotland, across the Atlantic to Canada, and through the generations that followed.
G1 — Micheal Shiels
Born about 1690 in Kildare, Ireland, Micheal Shiels came to Scotland for the harvest and made a new life near Coulter. His marriage to Elizabeth “Bessie” Broun in 1716 begins the Shiels family story we can trace today.
G2 — Daniel Shiels
Born in Scotland in 1719, Daniel Shiels trained for seven years as a stone mason and later became an agent for Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch. He married Janet “Jessie” Scott in 1749 and carried the Shiels family into its second recorded generation.
G3 — James Shiels
Born in South Leith in 1750, James Shiels married Janet Younger in Peebles in 1768. Their family continued the Shiels story in the Scottish Borders, where the next generations would put down increasingly deep roots.
G4 — Robert Shiels
Born in Skirling in 1769, Robert Shiels married Annie Dickson in 1790 and spent his life in the countryside around Coulter. Together they raised seven children, including Thomas, through whom our direct family line continues.
G5 — Thomas Shiels
Born in Scotland in 1795, Thomas Shiels married Barbara Jean Cranston in 1817 and established his family at East Mains near Coulter. Together they raised eight children, two of whom — John and George — would eventually leave Scotland and begin a new chapter of the Shiels story in Canada.
G6 — John Shiels
Born in 1826, John Shiels left Scotland with his brother George in 1850 and crossed the Atlantic in search of a new life in Canada. Settling in Grey Township, Ontario, John married Janet McNair and carved a farm from the bush at Lot 19 — a homestead that would remain in the Shiels family for generations.