William Cunneyworth (1839?-1903) / Margaret Rolston (1839?-1926)


William's parents: Thomas Cunneyworth / Ann Reynard
Source: Marriage registration record: parents "T Cunningworth" and Ann "Renard"

William was the fifth child of Thomas and Ann, born c. 1839 in Ontario.
Source1: Birth year 1838 derived from age 33 in the 1871 Ontario census
Source2: Birth year 1840 derived from age 22 in marriage registration record
Source3: Birth year 1840 derived from age 41 in the 1881 Ontario census
Source4: Birth year 1839 derived from age 31 in the 1870 Illinois census
Source5: Leeds and Grenville Genealogy Society Census Records for the Township of Kitley lists Thomas Conneyworth in the 1839 census with 3 boys and 2 girls, suggesting William was born before the census was enumerated.

Margaret's parents: W. Rolston / Margaret King
Source: Marriage registration record: parents "W. Rolson" and "Magt" King

Margaret was born c. 1839 in Westmay, Ireland.
Source1: Birth year 1839 derived from age 32 in the 1871 Ontario census
Source2: Obituary clipped from an unidentified Owen Sound newspaper, provided by Mary Cunneyworth Nopper, gives age as 86 in January, 1926.
Source3: Marriage registration record lists age 21 in 1862, implying birth year 1841
Source4: Birth year 1840 derived from age 41 in the 1881 Ontario census
Source5: Birth year 1839 derived from age 31 in the 1870 Illinois census

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. William would have been the fifth child among the six reported in this census.

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 William), all but one in Canada. Other evidence (Catherine's 1881 Ontario census record) suggests that Thomas and Ann's first two children were 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 William's brother Richard, born c. 1843.

Margaret had a sister married to a Mr. Mackroadt, living in Portland, Oregon.
Source: Obituary clipped from an unidentified Owen Sound newspaper, provided by Mary Cunneyworth Nopper.

William and Margaret were married c. Dec 10, 1862 in Toronto, by William Gregg, minister of the Canada Presbyterian Church.
Source1: County Marriage Registers of Ontario 1858 - 1869
Note: Names in marriage register index are "Cunningworth" and "Rolson", William(?)'s father "J" and only marriage year recorded
Source2: Obituary clipped from an unidentified Owen Sound newspaper, provided by Mary Cunneyworth Nopper.
Source3: Marriage registration record for William "Cunningworth", age 22, parents "T Cunningworth" and Ann "Renard", and Margaret "Rolson", age 21, parents "W. Rolson" and "Magt" King, witnesses Margaret McGraw, James Doran

All records indicate that this was a well-traveled family within the Great Lakes area.

Sons John Thomas and William David were born c. 1863 in Toronto and c.1865 in Bronte, respectively.

William and Margaret moved from Bronte to Chicago, Illinois sometime between 1865, after the birth of William David, and 1868, prior to the birth of Margaret Ann.

There is a reference to William Cunneyworth in the FamilyTreeMaker Census Index for 1870 in IL (and MD).

The Ancestry.com database for the Illinois Census, provides the following additional information:
Year: 1870
Surname: Cunneyworth
Given Name: William
County: Cook
State: Il
Page: 234
Town: W. Chicago
ID# IL01724897

The www.censusmicrofilm.com web site identifies the 1870 Chicago, Ward 8 census microfilm as series M593, roll 203. An 11 X 17 print of the census microfilm page was subsequently ordered. The family is recorded on actual page number 120 (not 234). The census was enumerated June 22, 1870, but reflected information for June 1, 1870. William (age 31) is listed as a sailor born in Canada, with wife Margaret (age 31, born in Ireland, occupation: "keeping house") and 4 children: John T (6, born in Canada, "at school"), William (5, born in Canada, "at home"), Margaret A (2, born in Illinois, at home) and Mary J (3/12, born in March, in Illinois, at home). Interestingly, although all family members are identified with father and mother "of foreign birth", William is noted in column 19 as a "male citizen of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards".

Daughters Margaret Ann and Mary Jane were born c. 1868 and 1870, respectively, in Chicago, Illinois.
Source1: Vital Statistics marriage registration record for Margaret Ann and William Lyons
Source2: According to the 1881 Ontario census, daughters Margaret Ann and Mary Jane, were both born in the USA, c. 1868 and 1870, respectively.
Source3: According to the 1870 Illinois census, daughters Margaret Ann and Mary Jane, were both born in Illinois, c. 1868 and 1870, respectively.

William and Margaret moved back to Toronto from the USA sometime between June 22, 1870, after the 1870 US census was enumerated, and 1871, prior to the 1871 Ontario census. Their later children were all born in Ontario.

In the 1871 Ontario census, William "Cunniworth" (age 33) is listed as a sailor, with wife Margaret (age 32), 4 children and also a (brother or cousin?) John living in the same house (age 45), railway employee, born in England. All are listed as Church of England.

William is listed in LDS records as a carpenter and "car repairer".
William's occupation is listed as carpenter in daughter Mary Elizabeth's VS birth record, Oct, 1872, where the informant is identified as William Joyce of 13 ½ Richmond St., Toronto. It's possible that this William Joyce may be related to the Joyce family in Bronte who were also friends of the Ingledews. It's also likely that the cars our William was repairing during this period were railway cars.

William's occupation is listed as car repairer when daughter Charlotte's birth was registered as July, 1874 in Mount Forest, Ontario. His signature appears to be "Cunnyworth", mother's name spelled "Rolscon".

William's occupation was car repairer in son Issac's 1876 VS birth record. Mother's name was spelled "Rolston".

William's profession was listed in daughter Ruth Francess' VS birth record, March, 1878 as a "railway man", living in Mount Forest, Ontario.

The 1881 Ontario census for Orangeville, Wellington Centre, lists:
Wm. Cunneyworth, married, age 41, born in Ontario, Car Repairer, religion: Church of England
"Margret" Cunneyworth, age 41, born in Ireland, religion: Church of England
John Thos. Cunneyworth, age 17, born in Ontario, Trunk Maker, religion: Church of England
Wm David Cunneyworth, age 15, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
"Margret" Anne Cunneyworth, age 14, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Mary Jane Cunneyworth, age 11, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Eliza Maude Cunneyworth, age 9, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Charlotte R. Cunneyworth, age 7, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Isaac L. Cunneyworth, age 5, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England
Ruth Anne Cunneyworth, age 3, born in Ontario, religion: Church of England

According to daughter Isabella's VS birth record, she was born in July, 1881, when William's profession was listed as "yardsman", living in Orangeville, Ontario. Margaret's name is spelled "Rolston".
Isabella's obituary from an unidentified Owen Sound newspaper (c. 1952), courtesy of Mary Cunneyworth Nopper, states that she was born in Orangeville in 1881 and "came to live in Owen Sound at an early age".

Photo of William Cunneyworth seated

William Cunneyworth
Photo courtesy of Elaine and George Jackson

The family moved to Owen Sound c. 1885, according to Margaret's obituary clipped from an unidentified Owen Sound newspaper, provided by Mary Cunneyworth Nopper.

According to daughter Margaret Ann's funeral announcement, kept in (son) William David's family bible (now owned by Elaine and George Jackson), William Sr. lived at 87 Peel St., in Owen Sound, Dec 21, 1898.

Their son John Thomas was in Owen Sound July 27, 1889, when their grandson James died at the age of 2 months. It is possible that John was there to stay with his parents during his period of mourning over the recent death of his wife, Rebecca Jane (probably in childbirth), and to help care for their ailing infant.

Photo of Maude, Leonard, Lottie, Belle, May, Margaret Rolston, and Bertha

Two Generations of the Family
L-R Back: Mary Elizabeth "Maude", Isaac James "Leonard", Charlotte "Lottie" Rebecca
Front: Isabella "Belle", Mary Jane "May", Margaret Rolston, Ruth Francess "Bertha"
Photo courtesy of Mary Cunneyworth Nopper

Some detective work was required to determine (tentatively, at least) which daughters went by the nicknames "Maude", Mary "May" and "Bertha". Obituaries from unidentified Owen Sound newspapers, supplied by Mary Cunneyworth Nopper provided helpful clues. The obituary for son William David states that he is "mourned by four sisters, Misses Maude and Belle Cunneyworth and Lottie, Mrs. Percy R. Browne, all of Owen Sound, and Bertha, Mrs. Walter Wharton of Detroit". One obituary is for "Miss E. Maude Cunneyworth", the "E" suggesting Eliza/Elizabeth, stating that she is "survived by two sisters, Miss Belle Cunneyworth of Owen Sound, with whom she had resided at 355 11th St. E., and Bertha, Mrs. W. H. Wharton of Detroit". She was predeceased by three brothers and three sisters. Isabella's obituary says that she was "the last member of her family, three brothers and five sisters predeceasing her".
Mary Cunneyworth Nopper remembers Bertha as a happy person with a good sense of humour who married a Mr. Wharton and moved to Detroit. She also recalls that "May" worked in a clothing store in Owen Sound.

According to Vital Statistics death records, William "Cunnieworth" died in Owen Sound, June 12, 1903.
Source2: LDS records, transcribed by Carolyn Dyk.
Source3: Wife Margaret's obituary clipped from an unidentified Jan 1926 Owen Sound newspaper, provided by Mary Cunneyworth Nopper, erroneously states that William died "in this city, twenty-one years ago".

Margaret died c. Sunday, Jan 18, 1926.
Source1: Peel County BMD web site refers to an obituary in the Toronto Daily Star.
Source2: Obituary in the Toronto Daily Star, Monday, January 19, 1926, page 21.
Source3: Obituary clipped from an unidentified Owen Sound newspaper, provided by Mary Cunneyworth Nopper.

Margaret's obituary in the Toronto Daily Star, Monday, January 19, 1926, page 21, reads:
CUNNEYWORTH - At Owen Sound, January 18th, Margaret Rolston, widow of the late William Cunneyworth, in her 86th year. Funeral Tuesday afternoon to Greenwood cemetery, Owen Sound.

Another obituary, clipped from an unidentified Owen Sound newspaper, reads:
MRS. CUNNEYWORTH DIED ON S[UNDAY]

Resident of Owen Sound for the Past 41 years; Was 86 Years of Age

Owen Sound lost one of its most beloved residents Sunday evening in the person of Mrs. Margaret Cunneyworth who passed away at her home, 355 11th street east, after an illness extending over a period of some years. Mrs. Cunneyworth was very well known in this city and to those who were acquainted with her, her place will be a difficult one to fill. Her cheerful smile and encouraging manner was always in evidence wherever there was trouble or sickness and by her kind actions she [earned?] for herself a host of friends [who will ?tly?] mourn her death. Al[though sh]e has been in poor health [?] she was not seriously ill until two weeks ago when she suffered a stroke and her advanced age prevented her from recovering sufficiently to gain her strength. Margaret Rolston was born in the town of Westmay, Ireland, 86 years ago. She has resided in Owen Sound for the past forty-one years and previous to that was a resident of Toronto. In the year 1862 she married William Cunneyworth of Toronto and lived happily with him until his death in this city, twenty-one years ago. The late Mrs. Cunneyworth is survived by one sister, Mrs. Mackroadt of Portland, Oregon; eight children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The surviving children are: J. T. of Duluth, W. D. of Ottawa, I. L. of Hamilton, Mrs. Wharton of Windsor, Mrs. Percy R. Browne 448 7th street east, and May, Maude and Isabelle at home.
Mrs. Cunneyworth was a faithful member of the Anglican Church in Owen Sound [for] many years. The funeral will take place [on?] Tuesday afternoon to Greenwood Cemetary and will be in charge [of?] Rev. Dr. J. D. MacKenzie-Naught[on?] of St. George's Church.

Children:

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