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Morena/Good morning from New Zealand, 

My 2nd Great-grandfather was James McQUINLAN who was born circa 1830 in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland. His parents were John McQUINLAN (circa1800 - ?) and Mary McMAHON (circa 1800 - ?). He was possibly baptized in Glenravel, Antrim, Ireland on 20 July 1834.

James McQUINLAN served in the military as a Soldier in India in 1857 when he was 27 years old. He was in the 70th Regiment of Foot (Surrey). It appears his military career may have been between 1850 ? and 1865/66 ? He emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand in 1866 on the "Sea Breeze". James married Mary HENNESSEY (who was born circa 1842 County Tipperary, Ireland) on 24 December 1866 in Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

I would like to know more about James's parents and my whanau/family in Ireland. I am also interested in the history of the County of Monaghan and any other areas where the McQUINLAN and McMAHON whanau/families may have lived. They are my tupuna/ancestors and are very special to me.

Any assistance would be gratefully appreciated. 

Haere ra/farewell, Margaret Deuchar (New Zealand).

 

 

 

Margaret

Tuesday 6th Apr 2021, 11:17PM

Message Board Replies

  • Margaret:

    We are reviewing all messages in April which did not get a reply and noticed your message. Sorry for the delay.

    I think it will be difficult to find any info on your family.

    I searched the subscription site Roots Ireland and was not able to locate the 1834 record you mentioned in Co. Antrim. Where did you locate that record. Clones RC baptismal records (and I'm presuming your family was Roman Catholic) do not begin until 1844. Marriage records start in 1821 but I was unable to locate a James McQuinlan marriage record to a McMahon anywhere in Ireland. Possibly Mary's parish (marriages usually occurred in the bride's parish) no longer has records back to 1830.

    McMahon is a very common surname in Ireland. The number one county for McMahons is Co. Clare but the number 2 county is County Monaghan. This is based on Griffiths Valuation date from the mi-19th century.

    McQuinlan was a rare surname. Quinlan on the other hand is a very common surname.

    You can find a lot about Co. Monaghan on the Internet. Here are a few links:

    http://83.96.156.163/reading-room/digital-book-collection/digital-books…

    https://www.britannica.com/place/Monaghan

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Monaghan#:~:text=The%20county%20ha….

    Have you considered DNA testing?

    Let me know if you have questions.

    Roger McDonnell

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Wednesday 19th May 2021, 11:02PM

  • Hi Margaret,

     

    I wonder is there a possibility that McQuinlan is a variation of McQuillan? McQuillan would be a much more common name, I have actually never heard McQuinlan before. There is a few McQuillans around Monaghan, including Clones.

    Best of luck in your serching :)

    Claire Nic Philib, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Saturday 22nd May 2021, 07:45PM
  • Attached Files

    Kiaora/Hello Roger & Claire, 

    Thank you both ever so much for your assistance. John McQUINLAN & Mary McMAHON were the parents of James McQUINLAN, but I have often found surnames have been changed slightly in records held down here. It is very possible that McQUILLAN is the correct spelling as Ancestry searches often show this in "Hints". The 1834 Antrim baptism records for the son of John & Mary (James McQUINLAN) are an unverified "Fact" given to me by my distant cousin in Auckland, NZ. I'm not convinced it's an accurate fact.

    The links you have supplied give me an insight into the life my tupuna/ancestors lived in Clones & Monaghan. I know the Great Famine affected James as a boy & was pivotal in his leaving his homeland for NZ. He was definitely from Clones & surrounding areas. James McQUINLAN's wife was Mary HENNESSEY from County Tipperary, Ireland. They married in NZ.
    I am in the process of doing an Ancestry DNA test & hope the results help in the search of my Irish whakapapa/heritage for the benefit of the whanau/family here in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
    I will follow my search under the Mc QUILLAN surname in Monaghan & see what comes up.

    Attached is the NZ Death Certificate for James McQUINLAN which states the names of his parents.

    Many thanks, Margaret Deuchar.

     

     

     

    Margaret

    Sunday 23rd May 2021, 04:14AM

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