Henry McQuillon 1845 - 1909

And his New Zealand descendants , Henry 1869, Alexander 1909, Jim 1944

 

Page updated 20/9/2023

Born Kinross to a mason who moved south within 4 years of his birth. Was a Railway Guard by 1871. Emigrated in 1883

14/7/2019. Have been contacted by a Jim McQuillan from New Zealand who is descended from a Henry McQuillan who was born in Kinross in 1845 to a father who didn't stay there but was a mason, i.e his Henry 1845 was the son of 1823 Henry: Jim was thrilled when he made this discovery

"Jim had taken a month's subscription to British Newspaper Archives primarily to find data on immigration to Australia that was in local newspapers for Dunfermiline and Fife around 1883 when Henry McQuillan and family emigrated from Dunfermline. But he also decided on 4/7/2019 to see what he could find searching for Henry McQuillan mason given as the father of Henry McQuillan 1845 in his marriage certificate. It was actually spelt McQuillon at the time of his marriage.

He then spotted in the Alnwick Mercury a Henry McQuillan (ending -an) builder who lived in Lesbury for whom there were several references in this newspaper, including one saying he was a Scotsman, as well as to other McQuillans. He then went to Ancestry.com to look at the census records for 1861 and other censuses of that time which indicated he was a stonemason and of an age which could fit, at which point his notes record "Wow, is this him?" He had used the McQuillan spelling and the early Alnwick Mercury reports were all with that spelling.

 

As background , in the

1841C Janet Couston was living at Curate Wynd, Kinross

William	Couston	Male	45	1796	Kinrossshire, Scotland
Catherine	Couston	Female	40	1801	Scotland
John	Couston	Male	20	1821	Kinrossshire, Scotland
Janet	Couston	Female	8	1833	Kinrossshire, Scotland

Janet Couston, a field worker, was Henry's mother : think her age above is wrong

.

Position of Curate's Wynd and a photo of a house there in 2019

1845. Henry McQuillon was born 1845 to Henry McQuillen & Janet Couston in Kinross . Although there is no baptism on SP for the years 1844-1846 and his parents did not marry: . His d.c. shows these parents. " His m.c gives his father as Henry McQuillon , mason"

He spent his childhood years with his maternal grandmother, Catherine Couston. Would he have known his paternal grandmother??, Janet Baxter/McQuillen, who did not die until 1866 in Lochgelly, Auchterderran- this ~ 20 k NE of Dunfermline, where he was by 1871 & ~ 20 SW of Kinross where he lived with his mother and grandmother Couston probably until ~ 1858

1851C. Henry McQuillon, 5, was living Curate Wynd, Kinross , his mother, unmarried, a Winder & Fuller.

The Couston street in Kinross is Curate Wynd and there are still some old stone houses there which could have been built involving a certain stonemason, perhaps learning his trade.

Could Jim find PHOTOS online of this area???

1861C. Henry McQuillon, 16, Ploughman, was living Mackie's Mill Farm Bothy, Markinch Fife

1861C. His mother, Janet Couston, unmarried outdoor worker, is still living at her mother's home, Curate Wynd, Kinross , now with 2 more illegitimate children, John Small & Alexander Small. She is at the same address in the 1871C, still an unmarried outdoor worker , with illegitimate son, Alexander Smale. And still there alone, unmarried outdoor worker, in the 1881C

 

1868. Henry McQuillon, 23, married Jane W Rintoul , 25, in Hospital Hill, Dunfermline on 5/6/1868 - Jim has the mc : gives father as Henry McQuillon, mason, Dec? - but not!!- and mother as Janet Houston ( should read Couston) . her father also a mason. His address Rose Street, Dunfermline: hers Hospital Hill, Dunfermline. Witnesses: Margaret Pintoul & Brodie Crawford

1871C .Henry McQuillon, 25. married, Railway guard, was living North Inglis Street Dunfermline, Fife .

1874. 2 of his children died on successive days at Grants Bank, Dunfermline

David Rintoul McQuillan, 3 May 1874, at 2 yrs, whooping cough 24 days

Margaret Macauley McQuillan, 4 May 1874, at 8 months, whooping cough 25 days

1881C.Henry McQuillon, 36. married, Railway guard, was living 2 Queen Anne Street, Dunfermline . Has called his first son Henry and his first daughter Janet

1882. His mother died March 5, 1882 8.30 pm. Death of Jess Couston  age 58  General paralysis over one year  (Janet also called Jessie).Field worker    single      Fife and Kinross Asylum, Parish of Cupar- info from Jim

Henry McQuillen 1845 with his wife, Jane Rintoul, in ~ 1882, just before leaving Scotland for Australia - photo taken in Dunfermline

Henry 1869 - taken 1911	Alexander(Sandy) 1909 - taken 1964	Alexander James (Jim) 1944 - taken 1984

The Descendants of Henry McQuillan 1845

1883. Henry, Jane & 3 children, Henry 14, Janet 8, Jane 6 & Margaret 1, emigrated in September 1883 from Glasgow on the SS Nuddea, spent about 2 months in Rockhampton, then went on to Dunedin, New Zealand by January 1884. By this time the family surname had become McQuillan, and did not change again ( earlier variations may well have merely been due to the whims of the parish priest/enumerators). Jim has a copy of a wondrous diary written by a James Lee, aged 38, the same age as Henry, whilst aboard the Nuddea en route to Rockhampton : it mentions the McQuillens : the young Henry aged ~16 seems to disembark by himself in Rockhampton, surely odd?, but feel the whole family must have got off there Infant Margaret died en route- this mentioned in said diary

Jim has completed the family history down to his time

 

Henry McQuillan family before leaving Scotland
Henry McQuillan 1845 Railway guard       b. Kinross, Kinrossshire
Jane McQuillan 1843 wife                             b. Dunfermline, Fife
Henry McQuillan 1869                                    ditto
David McQuillan 1872-1874                         ditto
Margaret McQuillan 1874-1874                 ditto
Janet McQuillan 1875                                     ditto
Jane McQuillan 1878                                       ditto     
Margaret McQuillan 1882ditto

September 1883 emigration from Glasgow on SS Nuddea to Rockhampton, Australia by November 1883. Death of Margaret November 1883 before Australia arrival.

January 1884 travel to Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

July 1884 move to Mataura, Southland where Henry gets position in NZ Railways
Isabella Kate McQuillan 1886                       b. Mataura

1887 move to Invercargill, Southland. 1888 move to Orepuki, Southland with Henry a railway guard

1890       Henry McQuillan 1869 butcher marries Ada Preston, Gisborne, Poverty Bay, NZ
Clara McQuillan 1890-1890                          b. Poverty Bay
Henry McQuillan 1891                                    b. Ormond, Poverty Bay
Jane McQuillan 1894                                       b. Orepuki, Southland
Ada McQuillan 1896                                        ditto
Margaret Rose McQuillan 1899                  ditto
Flora McQuillan 1901                                      ditto
Robert McQuillan 1904                                  ditto
Tom McQuillan 1907                                       b. Mataura, Southland
Alexander McQuillan 1909                           ditto
Ian McQuillan 1913                                          ditto

1904 Above family moves to Mataura farm with ensuing marriages and dispersal

1909. Henry McQuillan dies 20/4/1909, aged ~ 64

1942 Alexander McQuillan ,farmer, marries Elspeth Robertson and takes over family farm “Dunluce”
Ian McQuillan 1943                                          b. Mataura
Alexander James (Jim) 1944                        ditto
Margaret 1946                                                   ditto
Elizabeth 1948                                                   ditto
Ada 1950                                                              ditto
Rosalind 1953                                                     ditto
Andrew 1956                                                     ditto
Cynthia 1962                                                      ditto

 

2023 REUNION

In 2023 Jim had a reunion on 23/8/2023 in Amble, England with Harry McQuillan, 1933, descendant n Henry Mcquillan 1869, son of Henry 1823 & Isabella

This reunion was with several Northumberland McQuillens as well as with Dave McQuillen descended from John McQuillen 1819." 

McQuillen/McQuillan lunch at Wellwood Arms at 1 pm on Thursday 24 August 2023

In the photo from left to right are Martin and Linda McMahon, Andrew McQuillen, Liz McQuillen, Jane McQuillen, Teresa and Alastair McQuillen, Dave McQuillen, James McQuillen, Harry McQuillen, Jim McQuillan.

Notes: Linda McMahon is Nellie McQuillen's daughter, Andrew and James at the sons of Liz McQuillen and the late Edward (Ned). Dave and Jane McQuillen from Dumfries are descendants of John McQuillen, the older brother of Henry McQuillen 1823-1886. Jim McQuillan is descended from the illegitimate son of Henry McQuillen 1823-1886, named Henry McQuillan 1845-1906 who emigrated to NZ in 1883-84.

Jim McQuillan said "James McQuillen is the most active one in this group on McQuillen genealogy and I gave him the bottle of Bushmills whiskey from which some of us toasted the McQuillen family at the lunch. James has family history stuff on Ancestry.com and this may be added to following the discussions that took place during the lunch and family tree information shared between Alastair, Harry and James. The Bushmills distillery is close to Dunluce Castle where the McQuillans had their glory days as a fighting group, possibly Scottish mercenaries. It's a great place to visit "

Chris just happened to visit it on the 22/8/2023( just 2 days before this lunch!) , taking the photos below

 

Henry McQuillen 1823

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