In 1912 my grandparents George Nathaniel Carnegie and Jane Adina Mitchell were looking for a better way of life when they emigrated from Jamaica West Indies to settle in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Many Black families from that era faced challenges both racially and economically. George and Adina decided that Canada would provide new opportunities for them and the family they anticipated having.

Old cargo manifests tell us that family members travelled by ship to New York, where as it turns out, all of George’s younger siblings took up residence.  However, for him, Canada was the country of choice.

George and Adina were married on January 1, 1913 in the County of York, Toronto, at ages twenty-four and twenty-three.  As was common for the times they assumed the traditional roles of husband and wife.   George with his grade four education secured a job with Toronto Hydro as a janitor, where he worked for 42 years.   His entrepreneurial spirit eventually proved him to be more than an adequate provider for his stay-at-home wife.  He became an astute business man by buying and renting properties all over the Greater Toronto Area.