The Quigley family - from Kilfenora, Ireland to Kapunda, South Australia

 

                                            Kilfenora, C Cavanagh 1994.
Thomas Quigley.
My 3rd great-grandfather, Thomas Quigley (1817-1895), enlisted in the Honorable East India Company (EIC) Artillery at Limerick on 26 May 1845.  He stated that he was born in Kilfinora town,  Kilfenora parish, in County Clare, Ireland.    

Thomas Quigley served 20 years with the EIC and British Army in India. After his discharge in 1865, he and his wife and three children settled at Kapunda in South Australia.

Research in Kilfenora and in Kapunda revealed a wealth of family connections.
Quigley Siblings - weddings on 17 September 1853


The marriage of 4 siblings in Kilfenora, County Clare in Ireland was thought to be of sufficient interest to be copied for publication in various Irish newspapers, and for the "Evening Standard" in London.    Some of the other editions that printed the piece up were -

    Saturday 24 September 1853 -  London Standard, London, England page 2

    01 October 1853 - Tuam Herald - Tuam, Galway, Republic of Ireland

    03 October 1853 - Sligo Champion - Sligo, Sligo, Republic of Ireland

    08 October 1853 - Galway Mercury, and Connaught Weekly Advertiser – Galway …

    15 October 1853 – Roscommon Journal and Western Impartial Reporter


The Register for Saint Fachanan's RC Church in Kilfenora records the happy couples, listed with the charge for the ceremonies.  Payment dates vary from 3 September to 17 September, and the last date was probably the wedding day.


Transcribing the registrar's script, the families were - 

    Sam (Samuel) QUIGLEY and Bridget MULLINS          no witnesses recorded.

    James GLYNN and Margaret QUIGLEY        witnesses - John QUIGLEY and John GORDEN

    Thomas KINNEAR and Kate QUIGLEY         witnesses - John and Sam QUIGLEY

    Charles BURNS and Mary QUIGLEY            witnesses - John WILLIAMS and Mary LYSAGHT


Further records for Quigley's in Kilfenora -

John Canny was baptised at Kilfenora on 11 July 1843, with one of the sponsors being Thomas Quigley.  
John was the son of William Canny and Bridget Quigley, and she was my 3rd great-grandfather Thomas Quigley's sister. The child was born almost two years prior to Thomas's enlistment in the EIC, and he is likely to be the sponsor named.

John Quigley and Kate Hynes married at Kilfenora on 23 December 1857.  
Dispensation was given for Kate, and the fee paid was significantly higher.
One of the witnesses was Charles Burns, and he and Mary Quigley were one of the "married by wholesale" couples who wed in 1853.  John is a brother of Mary Burns (nee Quigley,) and my Thomas Quigley.


                                                                                                                Kilfenora - St. Fachanan,  C Cavanagh 1994
 From Ireland to Australia -
The following table provides details of the Quigley siblings, who all arrived in South Australia from 1854 to 1865, and settled in Kapunda.

 TABLE 1: Quigley siblings

The first to arrive was Kate Quigley with her husband Michael Kennare, on the "Hyderbad" on 14 March 1854. Six children were born in Kapunda.

Samuel Quigley and Bridget (Mullens) arrived on the "Sir Thomas Gresham" on 19 March 1854. One son was born and died in Adelaide, and a further four children were born in Kapunda. 

Margaret Quigley and James Glynn arrived on the "Trafalgar" on 28 Jun 1854. Five children were born in Kapunda, before James drowned in the River Light in 1862. Margaret married  Thomas Leonard in 1864.

Bridget Quigley and Michael (or William) Canny arrived on the "Bee" on 10 October 1858 with their seven surviving children.

Mary Quigley and Charles O'Byrne/Burns arrived on the "David McIvor" on 28 November 1859 with daughters Kate and Mary.  Son John had died in Ireland, and a further three children were born in Kapunda.

John Quigley and Kate (Hynes) arrived on the "Rockliffe" on 20 December 1864, with daughter Bridget.

Thomas Quigley and Susan (Evans) arrived on the "Coorong II" from Melbourne on about the 24 April 1865.                                                They had traveled from Calcutta, India to Melbourne on the "Louis Gervaux," and were accompanied by their daughters Mary, Margaret and Catherine.  A further two children were born after the family settled in Kapunda.
The registers of the Roman Catholic parishes in Kapunda include entries for the baptisms of children, and record the various family members who took the role of sponsors for nephews and nieces. 
I find it remarkable that these seven siblings and their spouses and children each undertook the long and rather perilous voyage from their home in Kilfenora, and then all settled in Kapunda.  I haven't found evidence of other family members, but there may be some who remained in Ireland, or who arrived in other Australian States.

A snip in time that reveals the very large family that resulted from this mass migration to Kapunda is evident at the celebration of the wedding of Edward Canny in 1873, described here "The Quigley's in hundreds there you could find"

A brief look at what was happening in each location gives an idea of why a move to South Australia may have been appealing.

Kilfenora
Kilfenora was described in the 1837 Lewis's dictionary as a "decayed market-town" with a population of 558 in the town and 2752 inhabitants in the parish.   It was a farming area, and the town's position as a market-place would have provided some employment.
The town is now promoted as -
*  one of Ireland's most historic villages, 
*  site of an early monastic settlement, with an abbey founded in the sixth century, and unique and ancient stone crosses,
*  gateway to the Burren - not the usual green vista expected of Ireland, but a rocky, moon-like landscape, home to compelling rock formations, caves and fossils, and unique flora. 
*  close to the Cliffs of Mohr
*  home of traditional Ceili music, 
*  the location for filming of "Father Ted."

Kapunda
Kapunda was established in 1839 and copper was discovered there by Francis Dutton and Charles Bagot in 1842.  Mining began in 1844 and scores of workers arrived from Cornwall, Ireland and Wales.  A railway line from Adelaide was operating by 1860, and the population in 1877 was almost 2,000 people.  
It was a prosperous place for a time, and the opportunities there must have been sufficient for the Quigley siblings to move their families across the world from Kilfenora.

Photos of Kapunda which I took in 1996, which are looking a bit aged.
The mine chimney and a mine shaft, view to the town from St John's cemetery, St John's reformatory (formerly the St John's Catholic Church), and a street view.


Further Reading, maps, places of interest, etc -

Genuki, includes a description from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837-
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl/CLA/Kilfenora

https://kilfenoraclare.com/
https://www.clare.ie/place/kilfenora/

Clare Library, Kilfenora and the Cathedral -
https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/kilfenora_town.htm
https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/kilfenora_main.htm

https://mapcarta.com/W460755980
https://www.ireland.com/en-au/destinations/regions/the-burren/

Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora -
https://www.galwaydiocese.ie/diocese/history/history-of-the-diocese

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attractions-g1028040-Activities-Kilfenora_The_Burren_County_Clare.html

Ireland Reaching Out - for genealogy research -
https://irelandxo.com/ireland/clare/kilfenora-clare

Passengers to South Australia -
https://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/SAassistedindex.shtml



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thomas Cavanagh (1797-1852) From Convict to Police Constable.

Image
  Thomas Cavanagh, (c1797-1852) was  born in County Sligo, Ireland in about 1797 and died in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia in 1852.  The spelling of his surname varied, and has been included as it appeared on the records referenced in this summary. Thomas Keveny was convicted at the March 1821 Assizes in Sligo for the crime of house robbery, and a sentence of 7 years transportation was handed down. Thomas was aged 25, and was 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a fair and freckled complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.   His occupation was a reaper.  The inferred birth year was 1795.   He boarded the vessel “Southworth” on 24 th October 1821 at the Cove of Cork, and it departed on 18 th November for Australia.  Thomas spent 9 days in the ship’s hospital with a fever, from 8 th -17 th November, when he was released as a convalescent.  The treatment may have been worse than the complaint - with purging, head shaving and various medical remedies...
Read more

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem

Image
  My grandfather, Les Hoddy, was appointed as a serving brother of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, on 2nd January 1958.  The appointment honoured his long-term commitment to service as a volunteer ambulance officer.  It also provided  recognition by his peers, as it is they who must nominate members to the Order. The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem was created in 1887  by a Royal Charter under the Authority of Queen Victoria, with origins dating back to the Knights Hospitaller in the middle ages. It is an order of chivalry and the Sovereign Head confirms all appointments to the order as she shall think fit.   Those selected have "generally acted in such a manner as to strengthen the spirit of mankind..and to encourage and promote humanitarian and charitable work aiding those in sickness, sufferering and/or danger..." The Order established the St John Ambulance Brigade in England in 1887,...
Read more

Beginning the blog: October 2021

Image
This blog was created in October 2021 with the assistance and encouragement of the Society of Australia Genealogist (SAG) "Blogger for DNA Enthusiasts" group. Creating short stories and research summaries will allow me to gather data and material collected during family research into a format suitable for sharing with close and more distant family members. Included will be references to analysis of DNA test results with consideration given to genetic genealogy standards and protocols. Refer to the "about me" page for details.
Read more