George and Alice apparently married in Stapleton, Cunbria, England and by 1841 George worked as a farmer in Skelton, Cunbria, England. In 1851 he was working as an agriculturl labourer in Hesket-Newmarket.
In 1854 the family emigrated to Upper Canada, where they settled on Lot 29, Con 3,
Elderslie Township, Bruce County, Ontario.