Biography of George Cheater
A Biography of George Cheater of Chamberlains

George Cheater was born 1790, in ____________________________. His parents were ____________________________________________________________________________.
He first appears in Chamberlains Newfoundland records in 1824. This was his marriage record at The Anglican Cathedral of St. John's the Baptist, St. John's, Newfoundland. He married Elizabeth Williams, a resident of Manuels, Newfoundland. She was born in 1802. Elizabeth was the daughter of William Williams, also a resident of Manuels. William Williams was once a resident of Chamberlains. He settled there in 1803. But by 1824 he was living in Manuels.

The wedding took place on the day before Christmas Eve. December 23
rd, 1824. You can just imagine a wonderful festive wedding. The witnesses present at the wedding were William Williams, Maria Smith, Thomas Hibbs and Thomas Tucker. William was either the brother of Elizabeth or her father.

Less than one and a half years later, on April 4
th, 1826, Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, a son named William Cheater. He was baptised on September 6th, of the same year. A son John, was born approximately a year later. In 1830, Elizabeth gave birth to George Cheater jr. Daughter Mary Ann Cheater was born in 1833

In 1835, George Cheater is listed in the South Shore Voter's List as a resident of Chamberlains.
That same year George Cheater's name appears again in the Medical Report of Dr. H. Henry Stabb, surgeon. Dr. Stabb visited the residents of Chamberlains, Topsail, Manuels, Kelligrews, Long Pond, etc. He listed all the heads of households in the homes he visited as well as the number of adults and children in each home. Dr. Stabb was there to vaccinate residents against the Small Pox virus. In this listing, George Cheater is listed as having 2 adults in his home, and 3 children. George and Elizabeth had 4 children by that time, but possibly one of them died. I have found no other records for William Cheater, so I believe that he died as an infant. I have found records and documents on the three other children.

George Cheater's name shows up again in 1838. This time as a witness to a wedding of two fellow Chamberlains residents. The happy couple were Patrick Casey and Elizabeth Anthony. They wed on November 11
th, 1838 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's.

In 1842, another son, Samuel Cheater, was born to George and Elizabeth.

1850 May 4, daughter Agnes Elizabeth Cheater is born .

In 1852, Mary Ann Cheater, George's daughter, married James Miller of Topsail.
        
In 1858, George had placed a fence across his property to prevent a public road from being built on it. William Mercer, another resident of Chamberlains, was ordered by an attorney of the time to pull down the fence. George sued them for trespassing and they were obliged to pay him a sum of money. This report appeared in the February 1862 Royal Gazette Newspaper. This shows George to be a man who stands up for what was his.

On November 17
th, 1859, George's son, George jr. got married. He wed Joanna Jane Westcott of St. John's. They were married in the same church his parents were married in. Joanna Jane was the daughter of William Westcott, native of Teignmouth, Devon, England and Joanna Griffiths, of St. John's.  Joanna Jane was born August 22, 1840. By this time the name had changed to Chaytor, as this is how it is spelled in the Church records of this marriage.

In 1860, a grandson was born to George. On September 5
th, 1860, Frederick William Chaytor was born. His proud parents were George and Joanna Jane Chaytor. This is their first child.

1862, the newspaper reported of the House of Assembly Petition regarding George Cheater and William Mercer and the fence. This is probably because it took this long for the case to go before the courts. The verdict was in George's favour though. I wonder how much money they had to pay him?
Also, a third George is born into the Cheater/Chaytor line. George and Joanna Jane Chaytor, give birth to a son George Samuel Chaytor, in 1862. That would make him George the 3
rd.

1860's. More grandchildren are born. Many of George's son John Cheater's children die as infants. Two named Samuel, as well as others.

1870's. More grandchildren are produced by George and Joanna Jane Chaytor, as well as from Samuel, and from Mary Ann Miller (her married last name).

1874. On January 16
th, 1874, George Cheater passed away in Chamberlains. He was 84 years old. George spent most of his life in Chamberlains, Conception Bay South, Newfoundland. At least 50 years. He is buried in the Topsail Anglican Cemetery. There is a headstone for him and his wife Elizabeth. This stone was paid for by their son Samuel.

1892. On December 15, George's grandson Fred Chaytor weds Mary Jane Dowden, of Chamberlains. Her parents are Thomas Dowden and Sarah Metcalfe of Chamberlains. Mary Jane was born in 1874.

1895 A great granddaughter, Alethea Sarah Chaytor is born on March 13
th. She is the daughter of Frederick William Chaytor and Mary Jane Dowden.


1896 Joanna Jane Chaytor, wife of George Chaytor and mother of Frederick Chaytor, dies. This happened on January 14
th, she was 56 years old. Cause of death ___________________.

1897 A son was born, Frederick Edwin Chaytor, to Frederick and Mary Jane Chaytor.

1899 Frederick Edwin Chaytor dies in March.

1900 May 14
th. Herbert Edwin Chaytor is born to Frederick William Chaytor and Mary Jane Dowden.
        December 3
rd, Elizabeth Cheater (later Chaytor), nee Williams died in Chamberlains. She was 98 years old. She lived through almost the entire 1800's and even got to live through most of the year 1900. She was around to see the birth of her great grandson Herbert.

1902 February, Jessie Chaytor is born.  She is the daughter of Frederick & Mary Chaytor.

1904 twins, James Frederick Chaytor & Mabel Florella Chaytor, are born to Frederick and Mary J. Chaytor, on August 28
th. James died 4 days later, on September 1st. Mabel lived.

1907 July 20
th, Mary Jane Chaytor dies of Consumption, also known as tuberculosis. She was 33 years old. She was the wife of Frederick Chaytor, and the mother of Aleathea, Herbert, Jessie, and Mabel Chaytor. Alethea was 12 years old, Herbert was 7 years old, Jessie was 5 years old and Mabel was almost 3. Mabel was taken in by her uncle Caleb and aunt Elizabeth Ann (nee Cook) Chaytor, who lived in St. John's.

1909 May 6,  Frederick William Chaytor, widower, remarries. The new wife is Ruth Ann Roberts from Upper Gullies, NF. Ruth was born in May 1880, according to the 1921 Census of Chamberlains.

1911 January 16, George Chaytor dies at age 81.  He is the husband of the already deceased Joanna Jane Westcott, the son of George & Elizabeth Chaytor, the father of Frederick Chaytor and the grandfather of Herbert Chaytor.  He is buried beside his wife in the Topsail Anglican Cemetery.

1913-1923 4 children are born to Fred and Ruth. Emma 1913, Frank 1917, Gertrude 1919, and Bertha 1923.

1921 August 11, Jessie Chaytor, age 19, daughter of Fred & Mary Chaytor, marries Richard Wescott age 23, of Petty Harbour, he is the son of Herbert Francis Wescott and Mary Chafe.  They move to Petty Harbour where they are listed in the census there.



1924 Mabel Florella Chaytor age 20 dies in St. John's. She is buried in the General Protestant Cemetery in St. John's. Her uncle and aunt who adopted her are later buried with her.

1926 October 3
rd, Frederick William Chaytor dies of throat cancer at age 66.

1927 January 11
th, Herbert Edwin Chaytor, son of Frederick William Chaytor, marries Bessie Shanno, a resident of Manuels. Bessie was born in Sydney Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, October 08, 1906. Her father was Kenneth Shanno, a former resident of St. John's, born in Lower Island Cove, Newfoundland. Her mother was Annie Smith of Newfoundland. 
The couple moved into the home where Herbert grew up. They were living with Herbert's step-mother Ruth and her 4 children.

At the time of the marriage, Bessie had been living with the Smith family of Manuels. They were possibly related to her mother. They had adopted her sometime before 1921. This leads me to believe that Bessie's mother died when Bessie was very young. Kenneth died in 1925 in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, by that time he had remarried (2ce?) and had other children. He was a fisherman, and I am sure that he wanted his children (there was a son Malcolm, too) to be raised with a mother in a caring home. It would have been impossible for him to care for the two and still work as a fisherman. Being a fisherman means long trips away from home. Bessie and Malcolm were placed in good homes. Bessie named her first son after her adoptive brother Graham Smith. If she had a bad life there, I am sure she wouldn't have done that. Graham Smith, who is still living, told a relative of his, that his mother, him, his sister and Bessie would take trips to St. John's to visit Bessie's real grandmother. This grandmother was Susanna Shano (nee Bursey). Bessie's grandfather was Archibald Shano, born in Lower Island Cove, but living as a fisherman in St. John's. Archibald's father was Charles Shano of Lower Island Cove, born 1817. His grandfather was Charles LeShane born in St. Malo, France in 1789. His great grandfather was Philip LeChenu, of France. Philip settled in the Burnt Woods area of Lower Island Cove in the 1790's. He died in 1830 age 81, making him born in 1749.

Malcolm's adoptive family lived in Chamberlains. They were Zachariah and Eliza Fowler. They must have been able to afford Malcolm, as they owned a store and had a servant, Absolom Vaters, listed with them in 1921. Malcolm was born in 1905, in Sydney Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. For a while Malcolm was working in the Fowler's store with his adoptive brother Lloyd Fowler. Malcolm died as a young man of tuberculosis, while living with Lloyd and his family.


I am told that Chamberlains is a beautiful place. In the early days of it's settlement, people from St. John's liked to take vacations there in the summer. It has a wonderful view of Conception Bay, and a beautiful beach. Many Chaytor's still live in Chamberlains today. My grandfather Frederick Graham Chaytor, who is the great great grandson of George, is still living there. My mother, Elizabeth Chaytor was born there. Every generation of Chaytor's in Chamberlains today have their great great …grandfather George Cheater to thank for starting the family in such a wonderful place. It must be a wonderful place to live if they are still there!
Six + generations of Chaytor's have lived in Chamberlains.

Cheri Wheeler March 22, 2001.