| Notes |
- 1871 Wellington Co. Directory, Sunley, Wm., Stoves & tinware, works Market Square, house same location.
. SUNLEY, William , (d.), was b. Helmsley, Blackmoor, Yorkshire, Eng. He came to Canada in 1831 with his family, & after stopping in Toronto for about 4 years, where he worked at shoemaking, in 1835, came to Eramosa Tp., & purchased 200 acres of land, lot 9, con. 2, which he cleaned & lived upon until a few months before his death, which took place in Guelph at the home of his son William.
In the early days when trout were plentiful, it was a familiar sight to see Mr. Sunley fishing in the various Eramosa streams with fly at which he was an expert & an authority in the Eramosa district. In religion he was a Congregationalist, & was a Reformer in politics. He m. Rachael Coats.
Issue: Robert (d. Michigan), William (d. Rockwood), Elizabeth (d.), m. William Hampson, in Toronto; George (d. Guelph), John (d. Guelph), Henry (d. Guelph), Mary (d.), m. Joseph Parkinson, Eramosa, & Noah (d. Guelph).
Of these, George was b. in England, in 1815, & was apprenticed there to a tinsmith, but when the family decided to come to Canada he was bought off, & came with them. On arriving in Toronto he engaged, to complete his trade, with one Musson. Upon Musson's death in 1834, he left Toronto & came to Guelph, where he started the first tin smithing business in the place, being located on the Waterloo road. He later removed to Macdonnell Street, & afterwards to the present Sunley site on Market Square. About 1855 he took Robert Melvin as partner under the firm name of Sunley & Melvin, & as such the business was conducted until his death in 1857. Some years previous to this he bought the Matheson interest in the foundry business of Smith, Matheson & Co., & the business was conducted as Smith, Sunley & Co., until Mr. Sunley's death. The foundry business was on the site of the present opera house. Mr. Sunley had planned to build a large foundry & a new residence in the summer of 1857, but his sudden death on the 30th March of that year changed all this, & cut short the career of one of the most prominent men of the city. He was a member of the Guelph Town Council, Reeve for one year, & was Mayor from Jan. 1st, 1857, until his death in March of that year, being the second Mayor of Guelph.
He was an uncompromising Reformer & a warm supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie, who attended his funeral in Guelph. Mr. Sunley was tendered the nomination for the local House, but refused to accept as he wished to devote his energies to his business, & enjoy his domestic happiness to a greater extent.
In 1839 he m. Sarah, dau. of the late Mark Tovell. In 1860, his widow m. Thomas H. Taylor (d.), 1882, Z& she still survives at the age of 86. His family were: Mary (d.), m George W. Jessop (d.), formerly Appraiser of Customs, Ottawa; William, Elizabeth, m. John Hall (d.), who was an architect in Guelph; George, on Kirkland Street; Hannah, m. James E. Sheridan, Syracuse, N.Y., & 2 sons died in infancy.
[1858 Guelph Directory, Robert Sunley, saloonkeeper].
. William Sunley, b. in Guelph, 1841. In 1862, at 21 years of age he continued the business started by his father, & has been in it since. He is an active worker in Reform ranks, but won't accept municipal office. He is a Methodist in religion. He m. Chloe A. Sheridan, who d. in 1883. Surviving issue: Mrs. Chas. W. Morton, Guelph; Mrs. Wm. B. Ker, Toronto; A. Alberta, at home.
William Sunley was one of the earliest members of the Maple Leaf Baseball Team, being the first pitcher of the team, & continuing as such for 10 years. He has always been a supporter of field sports, also been a very prominent Odd Fellow, being one of the charter members of Progress Lodge, I.O.O.F. Is a Past Grand, Past Patriarch & Past District Deputy Grand & Past District Grand Deputy Grand Patriarch. He was initiated in Reliance Lodge, I.O.O.F., & 3 years later drew out to organize Progress Lodge.
. Noah Sunley was nearly 3 years of age when he came with his parents to Canada, & 6 years of age when he went with them to Eramosa Tp. In his boyhood days he used to go with his farther on fishing trips, & the liking for a day's sport with rod or gun never left him, as his evidenced by the fact that he was known to hunt foxes all day after he attained the age of 70.
[1858 Guelph Directory: Noah Sunley, tinsmith].
. As a young man he came to Guelph & learned the tin smithing trade with his brother George, after which he engaged in the tin smithing & stove business on Macdonnell Street West, for some time. He then moved to the present site of the Canadian Express & G.N.W. office where being burned out, he rebuilt & continued until 1862, when he retired from active business for about 8 years. After this he started a nursery & flower business having 40 acres in Galt's survey, & 5 acres of Grange Street, where he lived. He continued this business until his death in 1904. Mr. Sunley did not aspire to political or municipal office but took a decided stand as an advocate of protection, & was an ardent supporter of James Goldie, when he ran on the M.P. ticket, & later of Sir John A. Macdonald, but did not join hands with any party.
Mr. Sunley was a great friend of the late Dr. John Howitt, & often accompanied him on his professional visits, & as he was a great reader as well as a great observer himself became quite proficient in medicine.
In 1848 he m. Esther Ann, dau. of the late Henry Webster of Fergus (she d. 1894, age 67).
Issue: William (d. 1849), Elizabeth Turton (d. infancy), Annie, m. Edwin Parkinson. Ex-Alderman of Guelph; Samuel C., William (d.), Elizabeth (d.), Rachael, Guelph, & George H., Vancouver. Of these, Samuel C., b. Guelph, 1854, was with his father until his death, & now continues the nursery business established by him.
. Henry Sunley, b. Yorkshire, Eng., received half of the homestead which his son Noah now owns. He m. Eliza, dau. of James Benham. Issue: Mrs. William McFarlane, Eramosa; Noah, Mrs. John Sockett, Eramosa; Mrs. Leonard Parkinson, Eramosa; James (d.), & George (d. 13).
. Noah was b. & raised in Eramosa Tp. He first bought lot 26, con. 4, but later sold it & purchased the original Sunley homestead. He has been prominent in the municipal affairs of the township, being Councillor, three years, & Reeve, 2 years. He m. Anna A., dau. of Thomas Day. Issue: Edith E., Henry & Louis. James (d.), m. Elizabeth Hawkins, & lived & died on the homestead. Issue: Mary , George, Ida, & Roy (d. 14).
Ref: Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington, 1906.
. 1895 Sep 26, Mr Noah Sunley, who has been confined to the house for the past few weeks, is not improving very rapidly.
Ref: Guelph Daily mercury newspaper.
Research & transcriptions by PJ Ahlberg. 2016. Thank you. - - -
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Est 1810 ± - 1857