| George
Quinton was born on May 13, 1848 at Drogheda, Ireland (just north of
Dublin). He was the third and last child of George Quinton Sr. and Sarah
Godfrey. George came to Canada with his family in 1852 when George Jr.
was only four. The family, with other members of the Quinton clan, left
Ireland by "bark" or sailing ship. After almost reaching Newfoundland,
a storm blew them back to the west coast of Ireland. The Protestant passengers
found they had landed at a Roman Catholic village. Two male members of
the family were stoned to death in the village, in front of the rest of
the clan. One was believed to be George's uncle. The rest of the emigrants
were given water and released. It took them another six weeks to reach
New York. From there, they proceeded to London, Ontario by ox cart and
on foot.
George became a tinsmith
and in 1870 married Ellen Williams, and they had four children. In 1879,
George brought his family out west by rail to Minneapolis, then by Red
River Cart to Winnipeg. Much of the last part of the trip was made on foot,
and when they arrived in Winnipeg, it wasn't much more than a city of tents
and shacks. In 1882 both Ellen and one of their children, Orabelle, passed
away from Typhoid fever which was a raging epidemic in Winnipeg at the
time.
In about 1893, George re-married,
to Anna Maria Miller, who was born in 1860 in Devon England. They had six
children, but the first two died in infancy. The others were:
-
Cora
Violet Quinton, born November 28, 1896
-
Ethel Florence Quinton
-
George Godfrey Quinton
-
Albert Francis Quinton
In 1902, the family moved
to Spokane, Washington, and one week after arriving, the youngest, Albert,
passed away at only one year of age. They returned to Canada in 1911 and
settled in Saskatchewan. It was there that the family home was hit by a
tornado on June 30, 1912. George, Anna, Ethel and George Jr. were at home
(Cora was visiting relatives in another town at the time) and both Anna
and George Sr. were injured. They eventually moved to Winnipeg in 1917,
and eventually lived next door to their daughter Cora and her husband,
Fred Carroll.
George retired in 1929 at
the age of 71 and passed away at the age of 95 in 1943. He is remembered
at a quiet man with a great Irish wit. A talented musician, he entertained
the family playing the fiddle and telling tales of his life's adventures.
"He was like a leprechaun; he moved quickly, was so gentle and what a sense
of humor!" |
