Series 3 - Quin-Park letters

153pp

Kerby A. Miller created his transcripts of the Quin-Park Letters from the original letters held in PRONI [reference number D1819]. These letters were deposited in PRONI by Samuel Park in 1965. Permission to publish the letters was confirmed by Ronan Park, Samuel's nephew, per letter of 23 April 1991.

Materials pertaining to a series of 8 letters written by members of the Quin (or Quinn) family in Barrytown, New York, and by John Park in Staunton, Illinois, between 1873 and 1883.
Per Ronan Park: ‘John Park of Staunton, Illinois was born in the Parish of Ballyclog and Donaghenry 19/9/1830. His father and mother were married in St. Mary's Stewartstown 23 September 1822; (Samuel married Catherine Kennedy). John had 3 brothers, James, Samuel and Robert and 2 sisters, Mary and Sarah. He was the 4th eldest. When John is writing May 16th 1883 from Staunton, Illinois, he is writing to his brother Samuel (13/10/32) who had a Grocery and Chinaware business in the Square, Stewartstown from 1870. This Samuel Park was my great grandfather! The Quin(n)s lived in the same parish, Ballyclog & Donaghenry in the townland of Lisnastraine, Barony of Middle Dungannon, County Tyrone. They were small farmers (meadow, rushy land) in total 14 acres - 2 roods. Times were bad on the land in the 1870s and 80s and as a result, many of the Quinn family emigrated to New York. Alice Quinn remained in Lisnastraine on the small farm and my great grandfather married her (mid 1850s). According to the Valuation Lists for Meenagh [...] A property change took place in 1874 when Anne Quinn's house changed to Samuel Park. From that period until 1949, the Park family owned the Quinn Lands and the Quinn family line seemed to die out except those Quinns who emigrated to Barrytown, New York. The old homestead of Samuel Park and Alice Quinn is still standing at Lisnastraine.'
The series consists of: Kerby A. Miller's transcripts of the letters; information on the Parks and Quin(n)s from Ronan Park; Bruce D. Boling biographical notes on the families; and photocopies of historical publications and baptismal records from Dutchess County, New York.