http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm This web site is dedicated to Shiels Family history and to all those Shiels members that have said "no d". Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Web Easy by Avanquest Publishing USA, Inc. William James was born January 27, 1833. He was the youngest child of Thomas Shiels and Barbara Jean (Cranston) Shiels and was only six years old when his father died. He lived with his mother at the family home called East Mains near Biggar, Scotland. After Thomas's death, William's mother went on to become a teacher and she continued to live with William and his family for the rest of her life. William is shown on one census record as an agricultural labourer although family tradition states he was a bootmaker. We have recently discovered that only his son's were bootmakers. http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada On January 14, 1859 he married Agnes Brown, daughter of David and Margaret (Shiels) Brown, of Libberton, a village near Biggar. David was a mole catcher. Agnes was in born June 1832. William James and Agnes had nine children, six boys and three girls, Thomas (1859), Margaret (1860), David (1862), Barbara (1863), John (1864), George (1865), Adam (1867), William (1872) and Agnes (1878). William James and Agnes stayed in Scotland all their life although many of their children and grandchildren emigrated to North America. William James died on April 14, 1911. Agnes died December 5, 1917. Both are buried at Coulter. http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada Thomas was born January 30, 1859. He was the first child of William James and Agnes (Brown) Shiels. He was born in Corstorphine and lived as a boy at Eastmains with the family. Then he lived in a small house in Coulter main road and walked into Biggar and back to work six days per week. He was apprenticed to a bootmaker and worked at the trade all his life. His brother George was also a bootmaker. George's sons William and Robert and his daughters Mary and Agnes all worked for Thomas in his business. This business was called "Shiels the Bootmaker" and was located in Biggar. George and William worked in the back shop, making and repairing boots, and Mary, Robert and Agnes worked in the store, selling and keeping the books. http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada Margaret was born in January 5, 1860. She was the second child of William James and Agnes (Brown) Shiels. She worked as a domestic servant until 1881, when her son Robert was born. Margaret married George Thompson, a baker on April 13, 1883. He was the son of Thomas and Mary (Graham) Thompson of Edinburgh. They emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1883, leaving Robert to be brought up by his grandparents William and Agnes Shiels. George and Margaret had a daughter Kathleen after arriving in Winnipeg. According to her sister Barbara’s will in November 1929, they were living at Suite C, Cadallic, Winnipeg, Manitoba. There was no mention of George in the will and we can presume he was deceased before 1929. In an update to Barbara’s will in September 1943, Kathleen is also deceased and Margaret returned to Scotland to live with her sister Barbara at East Mains. We recently learned that when Margaret returned to Scotland, she simply returned to East Mains unannounced after about 50 years. When her sister asked why she had not written, she simply replied that she had nothing to write about. Later she told Moll that George had been a baker for the CP Railway and they had gone across Canada twice. She also told Moll that she had three other children that died at an early age. Margaret died November 14, 1947 and is buried at Coulter. http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada http://www.mts.net/~dshiels/shiels_006.htm Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:06:46 GMT Dan Shiels - Winnipeg, Mb, Canada