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George HUNSLEY

Male 1826 - 1901  (74 years)


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  • Name George HUNSLEY 
    Birth 31 Aug 1826  Messingham, Lincolnshire Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Christening 24 Sep 1826  Messingham, Lincolnshire Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Gender Male 
    _UID 478F5AF094EB4DAFA3E2E6FB4D3947AE7CCB 
    Death 10 Feb 1901  Decatur, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 3
    Burial Greenwood Cemetery, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • George Hunsley arrived in America with his family and wife in 1850. It's difficult to work out exactly what his story is but the following appears to be what happened.

      1. The 1855 Illinois State census of Township 4, Macon County includes a George Hunsley. It lacks detail but indicates that his household comprised 2 males between 20 and 30 and 1 female between 30 and 40. Could the second male have been George's brother Henry? Where was Almina?
      2. The 1860 US Federal Census of Decatur Ward 1, Macon County, Illinois includes the following: George (34, drayman, born England), Jane (33, born England) and Almina (11, born England).

      Whilst the 1855 Illinois State census is of little real help, the 1860 Federal Census suggests that before he left England George had married someone called Jane and had a daughter called Almina. The IGI has the name of the mother of Almina as Mary Jane HARRISON but I haven't found a marriage that fits this idea, and it's noticeable that neither the 1860 or 1870 censuses refer to George's wife as Mary Jane. In fact it's likely that Mary Jane HARRISON was George's second wife - see below.

      A possibility is that Jane was Jane QUIBLE, whose marriage to a George HUNSLEY was registered at Glanford Brigg (14/619) in Q2 1848 (Jane's obituary says she married George on 15 May 1847 but maybe that should have said 1848). Almina's birth certificate should settle who her parents were but given the statement in Jane's obituary that she was "denied the blessings of children", I suspect that Almina was actually George's sister Charlotte's illegitimate daughter. All we can say with any certainty is that George's first wife was Jane, that they married around 1848/9 and had a (probably adopted) daughter called Almina.

      3. In 1865 George appeared in the Illinois State census again, in Decatur. This time his household was said to include 1 male 40-50, 1 female under 10 and 1 female 40-50. If this related to this George, the identity of the under-10 female is unknown but the ages of the 40-50 couple tally with the age George and Jane would have reached.

      4. The 1870 US Federal Census of Decatur, Macon County, Illinois shows: (both HUNSLEY) George (48, draying, born England) and Jane (44, keeping house, born England).
      Almina, 21, had evidently married Henry ARCHER - see his Notes - and was living in Decatur with two children, Nettie & Claud. Almena and Henry divorced about 1887 - case mentioned in the Decatur Daily Republican on 18 Oct 1887 (available at Ancestry). In this report Almina is spelled Almena.

      5. The 1880 US Federal Census shows: George HUNSLEY (54, expressman, born England), Margaret J HUNSLEY (52, wife, keeping house, born England), Wm. W HUNSLEY (23, son, expressman, born NY(?)), Geo. E HUNSLEY (son, 10, at school, born England) and Mary HARRISON (29, boarder, single, at home, born England).

      It's difficult to work out what this means. On the day the census was done, 9 June, George's wife Jane was still alive, so was 'Margaret J' actually Jane? According to Jane's obituary she was born on 4 February 1824 (although I suspect this should be 1825), so she would have been 55 in 1880, not 52. That said, 'Margaret J' is stated clearly on the census as 'wife' so even though the ages don't match, I think we must assume that 'Margaret J' was some kind of mistake, or an expansion of her name, for Jane.

      From Jane's obituary we learn that although she apparently couldn't have children, she adopted 4 daughters and at least two sons. So Wm W HUNSLEY and Geo E HUNSLEY were almost certainly adopted sons of George and Jane. Another adopted child was Nellie, who died aged 11 on 15 October 1878 and whose obituary appeared in the Decatur Weekly Republican on 17 Oct 1878 - as taken from findagrave.com:
      "At the residence of Mr. George Hunsley on E. Prairie street, on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 15, Nellie adopted daughter of George and Jane Hunsley, aged 11 years.
      Little Nellie was taken sick on Friday morning last and grew steadily worse until her death. Deceased was a promising child and her death is deeply felt by her adopted parents."

      6. The last census in which George appears is the 1900 US Federal Census of Decatur, Macon County, Illinois. It shows George HUNSLEY (born Aug 1826, 73, married 19 years, land lord, born England, arrived in US 1850) and Mary (born May 1850, 50, married 19 years, born England, arrived in US 1873). The appearance of Mary as George's wife suggests he married for a second time around 1881. The fact that her name was Mary and was aged 50 makes me wonder whether she was the Mary HARRISON who was with George in 1880.

      The 1884 obituary of George's father says that he, Charles, married 'the mother of the present Mrs George Hunsley (Mrs Harrison)' in 1879. On 2 Dec 1889 the Decatur Daily Republican published the following:
      "Died
      December 1st, at the residence of George Hunsley, 432 East Prairie street, Mrs Emily Hunsley, in the 75th year of her age.
      The deceased, whose name was Emily Richardson, was born in Wartenburg, county of Kent, England, and joined the Episcopal Church in her girlhood. She was married to Alfred William Harrison in 1844. Of this marriage two children were born. Thomas, who still resides in England, and Mrs George Hunsley, of Decatur, who came here with her mother in 1876. She was married to Charles Hunsley April 25 1879, and shortly afterwards united with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which she was a member to the day of her death. The funeral will take place from Stapp's Chapel at 3 o'clock this afternoon."

      Although he never appeared in censuses, we know that George and Mary had a son Roy about 1880: he was killed aged 17 in October 1897.
      An obituary in the Decatur Daily Republic of 26 Jan 1885 says that an unnamed infant son of Mr and Mrs George Hunsley died at the family residence on East Prairie street at 11;30 o'clock Sunday Jan 25th. The age of the child was 6 months and 19 days and it had been ill with lung fever for several weeks. The funeral was to take place on Tuesday Jan 27.

      7. The 1920 US Federal Census for Decatur includes: Mary HUNSLEY (roomer, 69, widow, arrived USA 1876, born England). This was almost certainly George's widow.

      8. George's obituary appeared in the Daily Review on 11 Feb 1901 (as reproduced at findagrave.com):
      "George Hunsley died at 3 oclock Sunday afternoon Feb 10 at his home on N. Main street aged 75 years and 5 months. Paralysis was the cause of death. Last Monday morning Mr. Hunsley suffered a stroke of paralysis. He had gone out to the back yard to feed his chickens and his wife found him when he had fallen. He was conscious but was only able to move one hand , the rest of his body being helpless. His condition has been such for the past week that death was not unexpected.
      Mr. Hunsley was born in England,Aug 31, 1826.He had lived in Decatur many years and for a longtime was engaged in running a drayline. Mr. Hunsley is survived by a wife. His son Roy Hunsley and Mr. Hunsleys brother were both killed several years ago at the Monroe street crossing of the Wabash railroad by being struck by a train while attempting to cross in a vehicle.
      Mr. Hunsley was a member of Grace Methodist church and the funeral will be held from that church at 2:30 oclock Tuesday. Rev. J.F. Wohlfarth will conduct the services and the burial will be in Greenwood."
    Person ID I44  Hunsley
    Last Modified 28 Jan 2014 

    Father Charles HUNSLEY,   b. 18 Jul 1804, Scotter, Lincolnshire Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 25 Dec 1884, Decatur, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 80 years) 
    Mother Ellen CAMPBELL,   b. Between 1806 and 1816, Messingham, Lincolnshire Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 18 Sep 1873, Decatur, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 67 years) 
    Marriage 23 Feb 1826  Holy Trinity, Messingham, Lincolnshire Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    • Married by banns. Charles Hunsley, bachelor of Messingham and Ellen Campbell, spinster of Messingham. He signed, she marked. Witnesses John Campbell and Benjamin Popple.
    Family ID F107  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Jane UNKNOWN,   b. Abt 1827, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Sep 1880, Decatur, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 53 years) 
    Children 
     1. Almena HUNSLEY,   b. Mar 1849, Messingham, Lincolnshire Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
     2. William W HUNSLEY,   b. Abt 1857, New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
     3. George E HUNSLEY,   b. Jun 1870, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Jan 1927, 1348 W Roosevelt St, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 56 years)
    Family ID F137  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 15 Dec 2013 

    Family 2 Mary HARRISON,   b. 13 May 1850, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 10 Feb 1930, Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 79 years) 
    Marriage 3 Nov 1881  Macon County, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    Children 
     1. Roy H HUNSLEY,   b. 8 Aug 1882, Decatur, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 25 Oct 1897, Decatur, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 15 years)
    Family ID F139  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 28 Jan 2014 

  • Sources 
    1. [S30] Obituary of 11 Feb 1901, Daily Review, Decatur, at findagrave.com.

    2. [S27] Parish Register at lincstothepast.com, December 2013 and later.

    3. [S57] Illinois Statewide Death Index, www.ilsos.gov, Jan 2014, Volume 2, Page 190, Cet No 5571. (Reliability: 3).

    4. [S27] Parish Register at lincstothepast.com, December 2013 and later, Messingham Marriages 1813 - 1837. (Reliability: 3).

    5. [S56] Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, www.ilsos.gov, Jan 2014.