Father: Thomas Shiels Siblings: Thomas 1819 Jean 1821 John 1826 George 1828 Anne 1831 William 1833
George Shiels was born Oct 18, 1828 at East Mains, near Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the 6th child of Thomas Shiels & Barbara Jean Cranston.
He was educated at the school on the estate of the Duke of Buccleuch until he reached the age of eleven. He then went to work on the Thomas Anderson farm as a choreboy. George was soon promoted to Plowman, a task at which he became highly skilled. He also became an expert checker player
George & his older brother John immigrated to Canada in 1847 and settled near Cranbrook, Ontario. We have quite a story about their travel and the adventures they had before they settled down to farming.
George married Susannah Wortley and raised 11 children: Barbara (1859); Jane (1860); Thomas (1862); Susannah (1864); Robert (1867); Mary (1869); George (1871); Jemima (1874); Ellen (1877); William John (1880) and David (1883).
The following pdf file tells their story and the stories of their descendants.