Ireland XO
Back to Message Board

Finding Thomas Quinn

LouthTallanstown (Louth)

My name is Diane Corcoran Nielsen and I am researching my great grandfather, Thomas Quinn.  I understand he was born in County Louth. Based on information in his death record he was born on 6 November, 1832. We understood that his parents names were Thomas Quinn and Mary Duggan.  We were always told he was born in Drogheda, but have found in other ancestor searches that often they use the name of the biggest town nearby, not the actual village or town of their birth. Maybe he was born in Drogheda and maybe a community in the area.   Searching in the Irish Catholic Registers 1655-1915 I found a baptismal record for a Thomas Quinn, son of Thomas and Mary (it looks like Dorgan, but could be Duggan) dated 14 Oct, 1834.  That would be almost 2 years after November 1832, but who knows if the birth date on his death record is correct or maybe this is not our Thomas Quinn at all. The digitized record is very hard to read but the transcription states this baptism was in Tallanstown, Louth.  I was hoping someone locally could help me learn the name of the Catholic church, an actual copy of that record or let me know how to do so.  If there is a record that matches a Thomas Quinn born to Thomas and Mary Duggan Quinn in County Louth in November of 1832, rather than this 1834 record, I would appreciate finding the right record.   I have not been able to find one myself. 

I am hoping to find other records for this ancestor and his parents. He may have had siblings, but I do not know since I have never found other records.  According to a biography, written by someone in the US that I am not certain is 100% accurate, Thomas Quinn attended medical training at the University College Dublin (then part of the Catholic University of Ireland).  He emigrated first to Canada in 1864 and graduated with a medical degree at the University of Toronto in 1865 then in 1868 emigrated to Muskegon Michigan in the US where he was a physician and surgeon. I know he practiced as a doctor in Muskegon Michigan. This information is according to a brief biography of him written about people from Muskegon in that era.  

I would appreciate help finding any records on Thomas and his family that would help me and his other descendants of Thomas Quinn learn about him, particularly more on this family, exactly where he was born, raised and attended school in Ireland since what we know from the biography is limited and may not be accurate.  My aunt also wrote in a letter to me years ago when I first started my interest in genealogy,  that Thomas Quinn left Ireland "following the death of his first wife".  I would like to know if there is a marriage record in Ireland for him, too, but finding such a record without the name of the woman who married him, may be close to impossible, unless such records include the name of the groom's parents and other information that would help determine that is the correct Thomas Quinn, a name I am finding is common in the records of County Louth. 

I understand that the attached photo of his mother, Mary Duggan Quinn. 

I hope someone can help me with this search.  I look forward to hearing.

Diane Corcoran Nielsen

dnielsen@ku.edu

4 replies

Local volunteer contacted.

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Diane, I will look some more at this later but I see on the Registers NLI site that baptisms in Tallenstown only commence in 1834 so may not be able to locate one, marriages commence in 1804 but no suitable marriage, I extended the search for his parents over the country as marriages were usually in the brides parish, and I see a Thomas Quinn marrying a Mary Doogan in 1826 in Drumconrath parish (sometimes Drumcondra) this is in County Meath but just outside the town of Ardee in Louth and close enough to Tallenstown, the date is 30th December 1826 and the only other information is witnesses are Patrick Callan (Louth name) and Owen Doogan, odddly to male names.

There are no baptisms recorded to these parents. 

I see two marriages for a Thomas Quinn in Louth both in Ardee, the one in 1860 is in January and his age is not recorded, the bride is McEntaggert and another one in 1870 which is probably more likely to a McParland, there should be a civil record of this and a death record also but will look later.

Regards

Pat

 

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Diane, my maths were a bit astray, the 1860 marriage of a Thomas Quinn to a Bridget McEntaggert in Ardee may be the correct one as I see a Bridget Quinn died in 1870 in Louth registration district Ardee. there were 5 births to this couple and the last one I see is in 1870 in Nov. and I see the death record is in Quarter 4 of 1870 unfotunately not all death certs are available free on line currently from 1864 and only start in 1871 I think, you can order the cert online for 4 Euro or about $ US 4 but ask for the ledger copy and not the full legal copy which is €20. You would see who was present at death if she died at home but I notice all the births are around Ardee and not in Tallenstown. You can search the Civil Records here and the birth of Mary is there in 1870 to view in original form.  https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ ; Select civil and follow instructions, The church records for Louth are not on the site and only 2 counties are. All the 5 children are born at different addresses around the Ardee area. I wonder about some of these Thomas Quinns as if your man went to University it suggests there was some money and most I think are described as labourers.

There is a Thomas Quinn in Griffiths Valuation in Tallanstown Parish, townland Arthurstown but I see one Thomas Quinn  at Oaktate, near Tallenstown in the Tithe Applottments in 1834, I have a census of Catholics and Protestants in Tallenstown in 1834 and there is only a  Christopher Quinn mentioned in a house of 5, assume 3 children. These are free online if you do not have the links let me know.

There is a site on Louth here http://jbhall.clahs.ie/ There are no certificates but headstones that have been transcribed are listed and I can access most of them.

Regards

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Pat,

Thank you so much for all this information!  I so appreciate your efforts.  Now, I need to follow through and see what I can figure out.  I am sure I will be in touch again as I sort through this information. 

 

Kindest regards, 

Diane

dnielsen@ku.edu

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.