G2 - Daniel Shiels & Janet (Jessie) Scott
Daniel Shiels, the only son of Micheal Shiels and Elizabeth (Bessie) Broun, was born about 1720 in Scotland. He grew up in the country his father had chosen as the family’s new home, becoming the second generation of the Shiels family to build a life there.
As a young man, Daniel entered a seven-year apprenticeship as a stone mason, learning a skilled trade that would help shape the course of his life. In later years, family records describe him as a capable mechanic and a trusted man who served as an agent for Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch.
Learning a Skilled Trade
Daniel’s working life began with a seven-year apprenticeship as a stone mason. Such an apprenticeship demanded patience, physical strength and years of careful training before a young tradesman could work independently.
Daniel’s abilities appear to have extended well beyond stonework. Family records describe him as a skilled mechanic, suggesting a man who was comfortable working with his hands and solving practical problems — qualities that would serve him well throughout his long life.
A Trusted Position
As Daniel’s skills and experience grew, so too did his responsibilities. Family records tell us that he eventually became an agent for Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch, the same prominent Scottish family with whom his father Micheal had been associated.
The 1750 census records Daniel’s occupation as a carter, suggesting that his working life was varied and practical. Combined with the family description of him as a skilled mechanic, it paints a picture of a resourceful man whose abilities extended well beyond his original training as a stone mason.
Daniel’s progression from apprentice stone mason to skilled tradesman and trusted agent marks an interesting change in the Shiels story. The family that Micheal had established in Scotland was now firmly taking root in the next generation.
Daniel & Jessie — 1749
On July 8, 1749, Daniel married Janet (Jessie) Scott in South Leith, Midlothian, Scotland. Daniel was about 29 years old, while Jessie was 18.
Their marriage began the next chapter of the Shiels family story. Together they would establish the next generation of the Shiels family in Scotland.
Their Family — James & Elizabeth
Daniel and Jessie established their family in South Leith. Their son James Shiels was born in 1750, followed by their daughter Elizabeth Shiels, born on March 13, 1751.
Elizabeth was christened on March 20, 1751 in South Leith. Her birth and christening record provides another surviving glimpse into the lives of this early Shiels family in Scotland.
The Story Continues…
Daniel and Jessie’s son James Shiels, born in 1750 in South Leith, would carry the Shiels family story into the third generation.
James would marry Janet Younger in 1768 and begin another chapter in the family’s history. Their sons, Robert and Thomas, would carry the Shiels name forward as the family became increasingly established in the countryside around Peebles and Biggar.