See also: George Cunneyworth / Lizette Roe
George's parents: Thomas Cunneyworth / Ann Reynard
Source: George's Vital Statistics marriage registration record for his second marriage, to Lizette Roe.
George was born c. 1833? in Kitley Township, Ontario.
He was the third child of Thomas and Ann and the first Cunneyworth to be born in Canada.
Birth year 1833 derived from age 38 in his 1871 Ontario census record.
Birth year 1839 derived from age 42 in the 1881 Ontario census.
Birth place and birth year of c. 1837 is derived from his marriage registration record for his marriage to Lizette Roe c. Oct 20, 1886 at age 49.
Birth year 1835 derived from age 60 c. April 21, 1896 in Necropolis cemetary records.
Birth year of 1835 is also derived from age 60 in LDS death registration record for George.
Esther's parents were Unknown McGraw / Unknown
Esther was born c. 1833 in Ireland.
Birthplace and year derived from the 1871 Ontario census.
Ontario Genealogical Society, Leeds & Grenville Branch, Census Records for the Township of Kitley in 1839 lists a Thomas Conneyworth as head of a household consisting of 1 male and 1 female adult with 3 male children and 2 female children. This information correlates well with our Thomas and Ann, the 3 male children in this census being John born c. 1829, George c. 1833 and William c. 1838, and the 2 female children being Catherine (born c. 1831-32?) and Susan (c. 1836?).
Connie Spencer originally informed me by email of the Leeds and Grenville Genealogy Society index for the 1841 Ontario census for Kitley township which includes the following information for a Thomas Conyworth: 1 male adult, 1 female adult, 3 male children and 3 female children. Sometime later I confirmed this 1841 listing myself in the Ontario Genealogical Society, Leeds & Grenville Branch, Census Records for the Township of Kitley publication. The third female child would have been George's sister Ruth Ann, born c. 1841.
I was unable to locate the 1841 census in a subsequent visit to the Ontario Archives. I did confirm, however, that in the 1842 Kitley census, a Thomas "Cunyworth", nonproprietor of real estate (i.e. a tenant), farmer, was the head of a family in one inhabited household, with 3 natives of England, 5 natives of Canada of British origin, and had resided in the province for 10 (or 11?) years. The household included 1 male and 1 female aged 5 or under, 2 males and 2 females older than 5 but younger than 14, 2 married males aged between "30 and not 60" and 2 married females between "14 and not 45". An "8" appears (erroneously) in the column for "Number of lunatic [females] above five and under 14 years of age", next to the column titled (more reasonably) "Number of persons in each family belonging to the Church of England".
This implies that Thomas and Ann had 6 children (3 girls and 3 boys) in 1842 and shared the house with another couple, who were not members of the same church. One girl and one boy were born c. 1837 - 1841 (since the same number of children were reported in the 1841 census), and the remaining 2 girls and 2 boys were born c. 1829 - 1836 (including George), all but one in Canada. Other evidence (Catherine's 1881 Ontario census record) suggests that Catherine was also born outside Canada, however. Both married couples and one child (John) were born in England.
Ontario Genealogical Society, Leeds & Grenville Branch, Census Records for the Township of Kitley in 1844 lists a Thomas "Canningworth" as head of a household consisting of 1 male and 1 female adult with 4 male children and 3 female children. This information correlates well with our Thomas and Ann. The fourth male child in this census would have been George's brother Richard, born c. 1843.
Toronto City Directories for 1861 through 1868 document the following addresses for George Cunneyworth:
1861: 62 Bishop Street, occupation: mariner
1862-63: 327 Richmond west, occupation: laborer
1864-65: 41 Bishop Street, occupation: laborer
1866: 43 Bishop Street, occupation: laborer
1867-68: 43 Bishop Street, occupation: watchman
No information is directly known regarding George and Esther's marriage. Since their eldest child George was listed as 8 years old in the 1871 Ontario census, they were probably married by 1862 - when they were both 29.
George was listed as a labourer in son Thomas' VS birth record, living at 120 Robinson Street, in July, 1869.
Toronto City Directories for 1871 through 1881 document the following addresses for George Cunneyworth:
1871-72: Tecumseth, occupation: laborer/carpenter
1872-73: 71 Tecumseth, occupation: laborer
1873-81: 83 Tecumseth, occupation: laborer
Lovell's Province of Ontario Directory for 1871 confirms that a "Cunnyworth" George, laborer, was living on Tecumseth.
The National Archives online index to the 1871 Ontario census contains an entry for George "Cunnyworth".
The actual 1871 Ontario census shows George, age 38, birthplace Ontario, Church of England, Anglican, labourer, unable to write, with wife, Esther, age 38, born in Ireland, unable to read or write, and 4 children: George (age 8), Robert (6), Mary Jane (4) and Thomas (2), all born in Ontario. Richard was born one week after the (April 2) census was taken, that is, c. April 9, 1871.
According to Richard's Vital Statistics birth record, George was a carpenter, living on Tecumseth St., Toronto at the time of son Richard's birth in April, 1871.
Caroline Dyk has also noted a Richard Cunneyworth in LDS Birth Records with this date.
In their son Charles' 1874 Vital Statistics birth record, George "Cunyworth" was described as a labourer and mother/informant Esther (who "cannot write") was identified as "H. McGrath". Esther's address was listed as Tecumseth St., Toronto at the time of Charles' birth in March, 1874.
Note: Many other Cunneyworth relatives lived in the same area, north of Old Fort York across the CP and CN railway tracks:
Toronto City Directories show George's younger brother, Richard, living nearby at 44 Elizabeth 1867-68, at 85 Tecumseth 1875-76, at 92 Niagara 1877-78 and at 32 Niagara in the 1879-81 directories. Richard and his wife Mary Ann lived at 85 Tecumseth St. when their daughter Susan was born in November, 1875. (They moved there from Bronte, Ontario). Richard and Mary Ann moved to 32 Niagara St., which intersects Tecumseth St., before November, 1878 and remained there until at least May, 1884, according to son Edwin Cecil's birth registration record.
Toronto City Directories show George's older brother, John, living in the same neighbourhood at 36 Bathurst in 1873-74 and later with brother Richard at 32 Niagara in 1880-81.
The Toronto Directory for 1878 shows George's brother-in-law, Oliver Buck (and presumably his sister Harriet Maria), living two doors down from George (and Esther?) at 87 Tecumseth.
George and Esther's son George William Cunneyworth and Susan Ann Eason were around the corner at 564 King Street 1880-1890.
Their grandson William Victor Cunneyworth and Lilla Ella Maud Speiran lived not far away at 644 Wellington in July, 1914.
Ted Robins has a painting of this family neighbourhood titled, "Houses on Niagara Street" by John Kasyn, known for his Toronto street scenes of working class homes (often depicting his trademark garbage cans in the pictures).
"Houses on Niagara Street" by John Kasyn
Photo courtesy of Ted Robins
A FamilyTreeMaker index states that a George (spelled Cunnyworth),
Labourer, was living in the Toronto region in 1871, and quotes the source of this information as
Lovell's Canadian Dominion Directory for 1871.
The names George and Esther appear in the LDS IGI database, as transcribed by Carolyn Dyk, where they were listed as the parents of Thomas (LDS IGI marriage record c. 1894) and Richard (LDS IGI birth record c. 1871).
Esther died sometime prior to April, 1881, when George was listed as a widower in the 1881 Ontario census.
The 1881 Ontario census for St. Andrew's ward, Toronto, lists:
"George T. Cuneyworth", widower, age 42, born in Ontario, Labourer, religion: Church of England, with 5 children:
George W. "Cuneyworth", age 17, born in Ontario, Labourer, religion: Church of England
Robert "Cuneyworth", age 15, born in Ontario, Chair Maker, religion: Church of England
Mary Jane "Cuneyworth", age 13, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Thomas "Cuneyworth", age 11, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Richard "Cuneyworth", age 10, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Ted Robins reports that George Cunneyworth died c. 1896 and a (son?) Thomas Cunneyworth paid for the plot. I have the receipt (No. 3262) on file, courtesy of Ted. This was subsequently backed up by Necropolis cemetary records for George (grave #31). The plot was owned by a Thomas Cunneyworth. Fern Plomp says this was her grandfather, George's son Thomas (1869-1920). According to his LDS death registration record, George died April 21, 1896, at 60 years of age.
Children: