Bridget Quinlan

Notes by Terri Vance on 5/2/2012:

I found a letter that my grandmother, Florence Elizabeth (nee Williams) Vance and her cousin, Dr. Henry Clyde Werts, typed up on August 20, 1950 in Los Angeles. The letter was titled Quinlans. It was the key to discovering my Quinlan roots.

The letter begins...

"Jeremiah Quinlan and his wife and family left Ireland and settled in Canada near Walkerton about 1853. Then left Canada and settled in Kansas U.S.A, near St. Mary's, about 1867. Leaving part of the Family in Canada."

In the Quinlan letter the following are listed as Jeremiah and Bridget Quinlan's children:

Tom, Patrick, Bridget, Katie, William, Ellen, Julia, Mary

Paragraph of Florence Vance's letter pertaining to Bridget Quinlan:

Bridget Quinlan married Martin Skelly. They had four boys and several girls. Pat and Will never married - both dead. Katie never married. She also is dead. Julia, married Godlib Bower. They had several children. Alice married Pat Holleran. They had several children. Mrs. Graybill and her husband had several children. I do not know her first name. Tom married and lives on a farm near Delia, Kansas. Jim Skelly married too late to have children. His wife's name is Stella. Maggie married Hugh Trainer. He died and she married a farmer near Delia, Kansas. She is dead. Alice and Mrs. Graybill, Jim and Tom are living.''

In the 1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, (Source Citation: Year: 1851; Census Place: Glenelg, Grey County, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule: A; Roll: C_11723; Page: 35; Line: 39) I found the following:

Jory Quinlan, Male, age at next birth date 45, abt 1807 Ireland
Bridget Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 37, abt 1815 Ireland
Mary A Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 16, abt 1836 Ireland
Patrick Quinlan, Male, age at next birth date 11, abt 1841 Ireland
Bridget Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 9, abt 1843 Ireland
Margt Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 7, abt 1845 Ireland
Catherine Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 5, abt 1847 Ireland
Willm Quinlan, Male, age at next birth date 3, abt 1849 Ireland

Note: All the family members are listed as Yeoman and Roman Catholic. (Where is Thomas in 1851? He would be about 14 years old in 1851.)

In the 1861 Census of Canada (Source Citation: Year: 1861; Census Place: Greenock, , Bruce, Canada West; Roll: C-1011; Page: 1) I found the following:

Jeremiah Quinlan, Male, age at next birth date 55, 1806, Ireland, Married, Farmer
Bridget Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 50, 1811, Ireland, Married
Thomas Quinlan, Male, age at next birth date 24, 1837, Ireland, Single, Farmer
Patrick Quinlan, Male, age at next birth date 20, 1841, Ireland, Single, Farmer
Bridget Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 18, 1843, Ireland, Single
Margaret Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 17, 1844, Ireland, Single
Catharine Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 14, 1847, Ireland, Single
William Quinlan, Male, age at next birth date 13, 1848, Ireland, Single
Helen Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 10, 1851, Upper Canada, Single
Judith Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 6, 1855, Upper Canada, Single
Mary Quinlan, Female, age at next birth date 4, 1857, Upper Canada, Single

Note: All the family members are listed as Roman Catholic. The census lists 1 family member as being absent. (Missing family member must be Mary A. Quinlan that was listed in the 1851 census. She would be about 26 in 1861. Maybe married or did she die and they named their youngest daughter after her?) The census states that 1 male and 3 females are attending school within the year. It states the Quinlan's house is a 1 stores log house with 1 family living in the house.