Quinn Family Legacy Reunion

2010

Family Stories

Please submit your stories for publication on this page to

You may also attach photos if you would like

There are many interesting stories about the Quinn's over the years.  Here is part 1 of Dick Brown's story.

Dick currently lives in Florida with his wife Margo and they are planning to be at the Reunion next year.

"I was born in Chicago in 1935 to Irene Elizabeth Quinn and Gerald Cassidy Brown.  'Bill' Brown as Dad was called was a victim of  Demon Rum, an alcoholic.  Mom had to rely on her sisters for support and generally dad would take the money to feed his habit.  The Quinn's gave mom an ultimatum:  Leave dad or fend for yourself.  She had to leave him.  There became a rift between the Browns and the Quinn's.

The War!  My brother and I were off to an orphanage, the girls and mom to live with mom's twin Eileen and her husband.  They had no children.  That's how we spent the war years.... More later."

CONTINUED...  "At the end of the War my brother and I went to live with Aunt Mildred 1st born of Francis J. Quinn and her husband Les Mickelson.  They were childless and wanted us to get back to family life though we were still separated from our mother and sisters.  My brother Don felt a great responsibility to have us united  but at 15 or 16 years of age he wasn't quite up to the task...but he tried.  He ran away and went west where I think he joined up with the California Quinn's.  We should get more on this from those more familiar with that part of the story.  I went to St. Mary's grammar school in Riverside, IL where Aunt Mil and Unc lived.  I graduated in 1949 and went to High School at Fenwick.  A very good Catholic prep school.  I worked at Western Electric summers and in my senior year worked 4 to 8 after school.  Dan Ginn a Naval Academy grad and Bell Labs engineer took a shine to me and wanted to see me go to college.  I had no hopes for that since we had no money.  He said "no problem, there are scholarships".  I decided on Business and he went to the Harvard Club of Chicago with my case.  They interviewed me and offered me the scholarship...all I needed was my High School Principal's recommendation.  When I told him my story he said "Absolutely Not".  He said they were a bunch of commies and I would lose my faith.  Well Dan said "guess you'll have to go to a catholic school, Notre Dame is the best."  We didn't get a scholarship but we got a student loan and I made it through 4 years....more later"

"I had a student deferment which would expire on graduation day.  I didn't want to get drafted into the army and I preferred the Navy because if you did buy the farm you would be clean and well fed when it happened.  Then I thought about what I would like to do in the Navy...fly airplanes.  So I went to NAS Glenview and signed up, took all the tests, passed and seven days after graduation I was in an airplane for the first time in my life going to Pensacola as an Aviation Officer Candidate.  For 16 Weeks I was screamed at by the Marine DI, drilled, went to class and got thru it.  But...about halfway through they changed the deal.  I had enlisted for 3 1/2 years.  1 1/2 training and 2 on active duty.  My choice was finish boot camp get commissioned and get out...OR stay in for 5 years and finish the Program.  I wanted to fly and I had no other plans so 5 years it was.  Got commissioned Ensign USNR-R.  My uncle who was a Navy man said 'Congratulations Ensign, you now enjoy the lowest rank in the US Navy...lower than whale poop'.  The sailors knew it..they wouldn't salute..so what, I was on my way to FLY.  The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor was my first plane.  My instructor was a JG just out of the fleet and a nice guy.  We had 12 training flights with thumbs up on each one..then came 13.  I knew what it was but I was still surprised when we landed at one of the grass fields and he told me to taxi off the runway, got out and said 'make 5 touch and go's and pick me up'.  OMG!!! this was it!!! all alone in an airplane no one to bail me out... well it was a piece of cake!  We went back to home base and I had to pose for an official USN photo to send to my home news papers.  The Chicago Tribune never ran it!??  But here it is and the plane behind me is the actual plane I soloed in.  On to Basic training and the SNJ (Super Navy Jet).  First learn to fly all over again, then fly in formation, then night flying all in a bird that was obsolete in 190!  More...

In The Beginning

Daniel Quinn was born in Ireland in 1783 at about the same time that King George III of England was signing the Treaty of Versailles which ensured British acknowledgement of the United States of America as an independent and sovereign nation.

At the age of 15, Daniel witnessed the United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798 led by Theobald Wolfe Tone.  A short time after the British defeated the rebels and executed their leaders, and in fact perhaps because of it, Daniel left Ireland and took ships passage to a new life in the New World of North America.

Limerick City was a big centre for emigration into Canada due to the Timber Trade from Canada to Limerick.  So outward journeys were advertised by the local timber merchant Francis Spaight & Sons - the cost of passage was about 3 pounds.  There is a good chance that Daniel chose Limerick as his port of departure.

Sailing north around Newfoundland and then down the St. Lawrence Seaway, his ocean going ship docked at Quebec City.  Transferring then to a smaller vessel capable of navigating the narrower channels, Daniel proceeded west to Montreal.

In Montreal, Daniel found what he had been searching for, an opportunity to possess his own piece of land.  Traveling by wagon and by foot he continued west and south about 47 miles to the area around the newly formed village of Hemmingford, Canada.  After 6 weeks travel by boat and another 3 days by land, he had arrived.

In Hemmingford, just 4 miles from the border with New York, Daniel set about adapting to the new surroundings.  A stonemason by trade, he was able to find work and began building his home.

Daniel met a lovely girl also from Ireland by the name of Judith Smith.  In this frontier world Daniel, a catholic, could marry Judith, a protestant. That would probably not happen back in Ireland.  They had at least 3 children, a boy and 2 girls.

In 1819 Judith took sick and died.  Daniel, unable to care for 3 small children and earn a living, turned the children over to his in-laws to raise.

In 1823, after courting for over a year, Daniel again married.  His new wife was a catholic girl by the name of Mary Ryan.  Mary was 21 and Daniel was a 39 year old widower.

The Smiths wanted to continue raising their grandchildren, mainly to ensure that they were brought up in the protestant faith.  Daniel agreed, and he and Mary devised to start their own family together.

BUT THAT (as they say) IS ANOTHER STORY..

Sheila & Maureen

Dick  &  Don

Click picture   to enlarge.

Notre Dame       graduate

U.S. Navy Pilot