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About These
After a lifetime of relative indifference to my origins, sometime in the
mid-1990s my interest was peaked by a family legend that three
Cunneyworth brothers came up to Ontario as United Empire Loyalists after
the American revolution, and that one had subsequently drowned in a
shipwreck in Lake Ontario. I wanted to know more about these
"brothers" from the past.
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Now it appears, after considerable research, that the evidence supports
only a hazy shadow of the legend which provided my original motivation.
It seems the first Cunneyworths in Canada arrived from Yorkshire,
England, in the early 1830s, via New York state. It could be argued
that they did in fact come north from the US (west would be more accurate
in this case) "after" the American revolution, but they were not even
born at the time of the altercation.
In the meantime, I have been severely bitten by the genealogical bug. Genealogy is a game where every new clue brings a smile to my face, and any concrete fact gives me a rush not unlike certain faint memories from the 1970s. |
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Now I know more about my family than I ever thought I'd want to... and my respect for these fine people has grown with my knowledge. The Cunneyworths are, for the most part, a very ordinary group... but their very ordinary stories are nonetheless facinating. It brings me great joy to introduce that family to you here. |
I'd like to stress that these web pages represent only a small portion of my collected research. Please be patient while my somewhat voluminous genealogy information is being transferred to the wonderous World Wide Web. I'd rather be slow and careful than quick and sloppy. I have no desire to generate hundreds of web pages, only to change them all very soon after they're created. As my published information approaches those living generations of the family, I continue to learn more about family sensitivities which would never have dawned upon me when I started my research. Hopefully, my presentation of some arguably controversial facts has become more balanced, respecting the influence of historical prejudice while recognizing outright hypocracy, without sacrificing simple truths. Please refer to Privacy Issues for details.
I am perhaps not a shining example of the Cunneyworth family, obviously flawed to those who know me, with a long list of mistakes and regrets counted among my personal baggage. I seem to be one of the most determined to record the family history, however, so for the present, at least, I think we're stuck with me. My failings may, in fact, be an asset as an amateur genealogist, since they nurture a certain sympathy for other mere mortals who have contributed somewhat tarnished elements to the Cunneyworth mosaic.
This web site reflects the current state of my genealogical research into the earliest generations of the Cunneyworth family tree. I began with my paternal ancestry. (I had to start somewhere). I have since broadened the scope of my research to include my maternal line, the Oresky / Ohriska family from Slovakia, which I will address in a separate web development effort. The primary intention here is to trace the Cunneyworth name back to its origins "across the pond", as the evidence suggests, to Yorkshire, England.
Information is being accumulated in this Early Generations site for all known descendants of the first Canadian Cunneyworth family, including births, adoptions, deaths, marriages and assorted anecdotes. Please refer to pages on Accuracy of Information, Privacy Issues and Genetics for limits, controls and liberties regarding this information.
Surnames
Variations in the spelling of "Cunneyworth" are noted wherever they appear. Some examples of documented variations, typos and obvious errors include:|
Canningworth Coneworth Coneyworth Conneyworth Consworth Conyworth Cuneyworth |
Cunnieworth Cunningham Cunningworth Cunniworth Cunniwroth Cunnyworth Cunyworth |
When known, related names (maiden names, changed names, adoptions, maternal ancestors, etc.) are included for each individual. When surnames or first names are not known, they are denoted by the word "Unknown".
Many other surnames are mentioned in some context within these web pages.
Unions and SpousesNames of married couples are shown separated by a slash (/) and the woman's maiden name is included. A spouse name is shown in a web page heading for any union, even if the couple ultimately separated (with or without an official divorce), under one of the following two circumstances: |
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- There may be an official record of the marriage ceremony (for example,
vital statistics registrations, church records, etc.) regardless of whether or not
the union produced children. Other genealogists may encounter these records in their
research and confirm that they have not been missed in my own research.
- A common-law relationship has produced children. Regardless of the "official" (legal) status of the union, the children are members of the family tree and their parentage is recorded in this research. Common-law unions which produced no children are not associated with a web page for that union, but they may be described within a web page for an unmarried individual or for another "recognized" union.
Adopted Family Members
This web site acknowledges the obvious fact that a family is defined by much more than simple legal and blood relationships. In addition to common-law spouses, adopted family members are also recognized to be as much a part of the Cunneyworth heritage as any other relatives. Where known, birth parents are identified for adopted family members.Origins of the Cunneyworth Name
Origins of the Cunneyworth Name provides some speculations as to the linguistic origins of the Cunneyworth surname.A Humble Empire: Early Cunneyworth Migrations
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