George Shiels (1810-1877) & Mary White
George Shiels was born on August 9, 1810, in Eddlestone, Peebles, Scotland, the youngest child of Robert Shiels and Annie Dickson. While our main family story continues through his older brother Thomas, George began another branch of the Shiels family whose descendants would eventually spread well beyond Scotland.
At the age of 19, George joined the Scots Greys, beginning a life quite different from that of his farming family. In 1840, he married Mary White, and together they raised eight sons. Their family forms the beginning of the George Shiels (1810) Branch explored on this page.
A Young Man in the Scots Greys
On April 11, 1829, at just 19 years of age, George Shiels joined the Scots Greys. His military record provides something unusual in our early family history — a description of what George actually looked like. He stood 5 feet 10½ inches tall, with a fair complexion, grey eyes and red hair. Before entering military service, he had worked as a clerk.
George’s time in the military marked an interesting departure from the farming life that had shaped much of the Shiels family in the Scottish Borders.
George Shiels & Mary White — A Family of Eight Sons
George married Mary White on June 5, 1840, in Penicuik, Midlothian. Mary had been born in West Linton, Peeblesshire, in 1815. Together they raised a family of eight sons.
The family spent most of their lives in Midlothian. George worked at different times as a brewer’s laborer and a plowman, while his sons would establish families and lives of their own. Through them, this branch of the Shiels family continued into later generations.
- Robert Shiels 1841 - 1869
Robert Shiels was born in 1841 in Carrington, Midlothian Scotland. In 1862, Robert married Jane Robina Renwick and they had 4 children, George Aitchison 1863, Andrew 1864, Janet 1866 and Robina in 1869.
Robert died suddenly when he was only 28 years old, leaving Jane to raise the children on her own. None of their children ever married. Jane lived to be 66 years old.
- Ebenezer Shiels 1842 - 1845
Ebenezer Shiels was born in 1842 in Liberton Midlothian Scotland. He was the 2nd child of George Shiels and Mary White. Ebenezer died when he was only 3 years old in 1845 in Liberton, Midlothian Scotland.
- William Shiels 1844 - 1918
William Shiels was born in 1844 in Straiton, Liberton, Midlothian, Scotland. He married Helen Henderson in 1865 in Currie, Midlothian. They had 8 children, George 1865, William 1867, George Kirkhope 1870, Elizabeth 1872, Mary 1876, Jessie 1878, Jane 1881 and Helen 1884.
William worked as a Blacksmith for a period of time and then worked the rest of his career at the paper mill. Their first two children died quite young. One of their children went on to become a Police officer in England. From their three sons, there was only one male to carry on the Shiels name in the mid 1960’s.
- George Shiels 1846 - 1893
George Shiels was born in 1846 at Canongate, Midlothian, Scotland. He married Mary Skellie in 1872 and they had 6 children, Mary 1873, Margaret 1875, James 1880, David 1882. Annie 1884 and Jane 1888.
George worked as a Dock Worker and died when he was only 47 years old. They also lost two of their children quite young.
- David Shiels 1848 - 1921
David Shiels was born about 1848 in Canongate Edinburgh, Scotland. He married Jean Bain in 1878 at Leith, Scotland. In the 1881 census, George was listed as a Coal Carter. In 1891, he was a Quarryman and in 1901, he was a Stone Cutter.
David & Jean had 4 children, Jane Spowart 1877, Mary Ann 1879, Agnes Bain 1882 and David 1884. Their son David (1884) married and had six children, three daughters and three sons providing future Shiels to carry on the name.
- James Shiels 1853 - 1897
James Shiels was born in 1853 in Cannongate, Edinburgh, Scotland. In the 1881 census, he was living with his brother William and his family in the Village of Belerno and James was listed as a Carter.
James never married and died in 1897 when he was only 44 years old.
- John Shiels 1857-1939
John Shiels was born in 1857 in West Kirk Edinburgh, Scotland. John never married and died on Apr 5, 1939.
- Thomas Shiels 1861 - 1900
Thomas Shiels was born in 1861 in Easter Kinleith, Currie, Midlothian, Scotland. He married Isabella Dalgleish in 1881 and they had 4 children, Sarah Innes Shiels in 1884, George Shiels in 1885, Isabella Shiels in 1890 and Jemima Dalgleish Shiels in 1896.
In the 1891 census, Thomas was listed as a Brewers Laborer. Thomas died in 1900.
From Scotland to the Wider World
For several generations, many of George and Mary’s descendants remained in and around Edinburgh and Midlothian, but over time the family began to spread farther afield.
Some moved south to London, Essex and Kent in England. Others crossed the Atlantic to Canada, with descendants settling in Toronto, Ontario, and later in British Columbia. Another branch emigrated to the United States, establishing roots in Texas, with later connections to Florida. One grandson moved to Australia; however, he had no children.
What began with George and Mary and their eight sons in Midlothian had, within a few generations, become a family spread across Scotland, England and North America.
Stories Along the Way
Behind the names and dates are stories of families adapting to changing times, enduring loss and eventually carrying the Shiels family far beyond its Scottish beginnings.
A Family Changed by War
William Shiels’ daughter Elizabeth married Robert Blythe Campbell and raised six children. During the First World War, two of their sons — Alexander Bell Campbell and William Shiels Campbell — were killed in action in France, just five months apart in 1917.
A New Life in Canada
George’s granddaughter Agnes Bain Shiels married John Archer, and the family emigrated to Canada in 1920, settling in Toronto. Their son Jack later served as an Air Gunner with the Royal Canadian Air Force and was killed in action during the Second World War in 1943. Agnes eventually made her way west and died in Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1957.
From Scotland to America
A later descendant, Nancy Jack Shiels, married Paul Dean Jacobs in 1965. They emigrated to the United States and settled in Texas, another step in the gradual spread of George and Mary’s descendants beyond Scotland.
Discover More in the Shiels Family History Book
George and Mary Shiels began a large family whose descendants followed many different paths. This page has highlighted only a few of the people and stories found within the George Shiels (1810) Branch.
More detailed family records — including additional descendants, marriages, dates and places — can be found in the book Shiels Family History, available on Amazon. The book follows these families in greater depth and preserves the genealogical information gathered during many years of research.
Return to the Main Family Story
The main Shiels family story continues through Thomas Shiels (1795), George’s older brother and the next generation in our direct family line.