This post is related to Wally's on his Heaney and Quigg relatives - we are both descended from James Quigg and Mary Cain of Desertoghill, Derry via two of their daughters. I'm looking for more information on James and Mary's Irish parents and families. We can't find any info in the US.
James and Mary were both born about 1805.
They were married about 1832/3 and had their first two children in Ireland: Owen and Mary. They immigrated to Quebec, Canada in 1839, then moved to Welsford area in Petersville Parish, Queens County, New Brunswick. There they had three more daughters and a son. (I have contacted the NB genealogical society but they have unresponsive.)
James and Mary immigrated to California in 1885 and both passed in 1888 within a few months of each other.
I have been unable to get further back on James and Mary. Is there any hope in finding their parents or more about their families.
Mary Beth
Friday 14th Jun 2019, 04:14PMMessage Board Replies
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Mary Beth,
I assume the family were RC.
Desertoghill civil parish straggles 3 different RC parishes – Kilrea, Errigal & Tamlaght O’Crilly. None of those 3 parishes has records prior to 1846, so if that’s where James & Mary married and had their first 2 children, there will be no church records for them.
The 1831 census for Desertoghil has survived and there were about 11 Quig households. A couple were Presbyterian, including 1 James (2 males and 6 females in his household). The RC households were headed by Manus, Roger, John, Machel, Henry (2) & Charles (2).
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
The 1831 census just gave the head of household and the number of people living there plus their denomination. Presumably one of those was your family but you may struggle to work out which one, if you have no other leads. There were no Cain households in the parish but about 26 Kane & O’Kane. (Cain & Kane are interchangeable. It’s one of the most common surnames in Co. Londonderry).
If we knew which townland the families lived in prior to leaving Ireland it might be possible to point to likely siblings, but without that it’s a bit of a needle in a haystack.
There’s a tree on Ancestry that lists this family (Haney, Robina Marie family). It gives Owen’s date of birth as 15.12.1833; Mary about 1836 both born in Ireland, then Ann born 1837 in New Brunswick, followed by James born 1841 in Londonderry and then Susan 7.4.1843 in New Brunswick. If accurate that would suggest the family returned to Ireland between 1837 and 1841, before returning to NB, which somehow doesn’t seem very likely.
The tree gives James parents as James (1786 – 1860) and Bridget (mn not known) 1786 – 1872. No place of death for James but Bridget is recorded as dying in NB.
Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Friday 14th Jun 2019, 04:51PM -
A needle in a haystack indeed. I'll look for the Cain/Kanes and see what I find. Thank you so much for your quick response.
Wally and I are in contact along with another cousin, so I will share everything with them.
Mary Beth
Friday 14th Jun 2019, 06:05PM