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The Elusive Origins of Laughlin Quin (ca. 1712–1774)

Carteret County, Colonial North Carolina

Abstract

Laughlin Quin (ca. 1712–1774) of Carteret County, North Carolina, left descendants whose lives and records survive in cemeteries, family Bibles, and court archives. Yet his parentage and birthplace remain obscure. This article examines available evidence—including colonial records, autosomal and Y-DNA testing, and oral family tradition—to connect Laughlin with the O’Quin family of Kilmallock, County Limerick, Ireland. While a direct paper trail remains elusive, genetic evidence and circumstantial context suggest kinship with the O’Briens of Thomond and the Earls of Dunraven, but the precise link remains to be proven.

Introduction

Among the Quin(n) families of eastern North Carolina, Laughlin Quin, who died in Carteret County in 1774, stands as an early progenitor whose origins remain unidentified. He appears in colonial records by the mid-eighteenth century, leaving a will of unusual size and historical importance. Despite decades of searching, no definitive record of his parentage or birthplace has been located. This article examines the evidence—from traditional sources to modern DNA studies—while also preserving the family traditions that sustained his memory.

Methodology

This study employs a triangulated approach:

Archival Records: wills, deeds, land grants, and gubernatorial records of Carteret County and colonial North Carolina.
Genetic Genealogy: autosomal DNA results from FamilyTreeDNA (Kit #151962), focusing on segment analysis and triangulated matches with O’Quin and Nash descendants.[1]
Oral and Family History: Rivenbark family newsletters, recollections of living relatives, and field research at family cemeteries in Duplin and Carteret Counties.[2]

Findings

1. Genetic Connections to Ireland

Autosomal DNA links the author to Donogh O’Quin of Kilmallock, County Limerick, Ireland, and his wife Gabriella Nash.

Matches to Nash descendants range from 43cM–8cM across 21 individuals, with the longest segment at 42cM.
Matches to descendants of Donogh Óg O’Quin and Judith O’Riordan show 45cM–8cM across 4 individuals, with the longest segment at 21cM.

Their son, Donogh Óg (“the younger”), is listed as 124th in the pedigree of the O’Brien Kings of Thomond, ancestral also to the Earls of Dunraven at Adare, County Limerick.[3]

While no parish record yet confirms Laughlin’s placement in this family, DNA strongly suggests shared ancestry.

2. The Last Will and Testament of Laughlin Quin

Laughlin’s will, dated 17 February 1766, is a remarkable document. Written on an oversized hemp sheet, the will measured larger than sixteen joined folio pages—an extravagant expense in colonial America. The cost and careful hand suggest Laughlin was educated and of means.[4]

The will names:

Wife Mary Quinn, formerly Mary Canaday
Sons William Quinn and Thomas Quinn
Daughter Margret Quinn

The phrasing “children heirs of my beloved Mary” raises the possibility of children from a previous marriage, though this remains unproven.

Governor Josiah Martin, the last Royal Governor of North Carolina, proved the will on 5 February 1774.[5] When Whigs attacked New Bern in April 1775, Martin fled to the HMS Cruizer, carrying Laughlin’s will among official papers. For decades thereafter, the will was used at the North Carolina Archives as a training text for new archivists.[6]

3. The Best-Quinn Cemetery

In 2010, fieldwork led to the rediscovery of the Best-Quinn Cemetery in Duplin County, on the property of A.D. Quinn. Here lie three generations of Laughlin’s descendants:

Jesse Quinn (grandson of Laughlin)
Watson Franklin “Frank” Quinn (great-grandson)
Franklin “Pugh” Quinn (great-great-grandson)

The original wooden markers have decayed, but the cemetery remains a vital link to the family’s presence in North Carolina.[7]

4. The Jesse Quinn Family Bible

The Jesse Quinn Family Bible, now in the care of Kim Hasty of Raleigh, offers further continuity. Handed down through Minnie Victoria Davis (first wife of Franklin Pugh Quinn), the Bible preserves genealogical data otherwise lost to county courthouse fires and neglected records. Its chain of custody reflects decades of preservation by Davis and Marcus descendants.[8]

Discussion

The evidence establishes Laughlin Quin as a man of literacy, wealth, and influence in mid-18th century Carteret County. His oversized will, proven by the Royal Governor, underscores his social standing. Genetic evidence strongly connects him to the O’Quins of Kilmallock, though the specific genealogical bridge remains undocumented.

The use of “Mary Canaday” in his will remains unresolved. Was this her maiden name, or a surname from an earlier marriage? The possibility of stepchildren complicates reconstruction of Laughlin’s household.

Family tradition—preserved in the Rivenbark Newsletter and at reunions—provides context but requires cautious interpretation. Still, the stories and cemeteries give substance where the paper trail has failed.

Conclusion

The life of Laughlin Quin (ca. 1712–1774) remains only partly illuminated. His descendants carried forward his name in Carteret and Duplin Counties, and today DNA evidence ties them back to Limerick. The precise parental link remains unproven, but ongoing Y-DNA and autosomal testing may yet bridge the gap.

This case demonstrates the value of integrating traditional genealogy with modern DNA evidence. Even when the paper trail runs cold, new technologies—and old cemeteries—may eventually bring the story full circle.

Notes

FamilyTreeDNA, autosomal results for author, Kit #151962. Full match details on file with author.
Bobby Williams, Rivenbark Newsletter, circulated quarterly 1970s–1990s; personal correspondence and family reunion discussions.
Pedigree of the O’Briens, Kings of Thomond, compiled from Irish genealogical manuscripts; see also Dunraven peerage genealogies [exact citation forthcoming].
Carteret County Wills, 1766, “Loflin Quin.” North Carolina State Archives; examined by author, 2008.
Robert J. Cain, Records of the Royal Governors of North Carolina, 1765–1775 (Raleigh: N.C. Division of Archives and History, [year]), pp. [placeholder].
Oral testimony of archivists, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC, 2008.
Field notes of author, site visit with father, Duplin County, NC, 2010.
Oral testimony of Kim Hasty to author, Raleigh, NC, 2010; Bible traced through Minnie Victoria Davis to Dorothy Marcus Davis.

SR 1174 (Turner Street) in Beaufort, Carteret, NC

Laughlin Quin's 1st Entry in North Carolina

The North Carolina Archives

Provincial Carolina

Was he born in:

North America? Difficult to prove.

Ireland? Just as uncertain.

Scotland?Just as uncertain.

England? Just as uncertain.

France? A distant possibility.

The truth is that Laughlin Quin could have been born almost anywhere—most plausibly in the Province of Maryland, the Colony of Virginia, or the Province of Carolina, which by his time had already begun to divide and sub-divide.

The Province of Carolina was originally granted by the Crown in 1663 as an English colony in North America and the Caribbean. It existed under the Kingdom of England until 1707, and thereafter under the Kingdom of Great Britain until its partition into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1712.

Geographically, the Carolina charter was vast. It covered territory that today includes parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The name “Carolina” itself derives from the Latin Carolus, meaning Charles, in honor of King Charles I.

Estimating Arrival to Carteret County

A plea in the court record states that Loflin Quin, by his own admission, was then about sixty years of age. This allows us to approximate his birth year mathematically:

1772 – 60 = 1712 (approximate birth year).

In the same record, Loflin further claimed to have paid taxes in the county for “thirty-odd years.” Using this span, we can calculate a probable range for his arrival in Carteret County:

1772 – 31 = 1741
1772 – 33 = 1739
1772 – 35 = 1737
1772 – 37 = 1735
1772 – 39 = 1733

From these figures, it can be reasonably estimated that Loflin Quin arrived in Carteret County between 1733 and 1741.

Unfortunately, no published records yet identify his whereabouts before this period, nor do they provide evidence of his exact point of origin. His path into Carteret remains undocumented.

Mary (Canaday/Kennedy) Quinn

Mary Canady (sic. Kennedy) Quinn, born about 1728 in Windsor, Bertie County, Province of North Carolina, is said to have met Laughlin Quin through cousins residing in Culpeper County, Virginia, where her great-grandmother had once lived.

Although married to Laughlin, Mary never resided in Carteret County. Instead, she lived with her children on her mother’s and grandmother’s estate in Bertie County, where she was also recorded under the variant surname Cannady. Later in life, she settled in Duplin County, near Potter’s Hill, where she died 16 February 1793. Mary was buried on her own land, which has since passed into other hands and, regrettably, been plowed over.

Children of Laughlin and Mary Quinn

James Quin (ca. 1732–1804), Revolutionary War soldier; married Elizabeth Ann Rigby (1765–1792).
QMSgt. Caleb Quin (ca. 1743–1833), Revolutionary War soldier; married Virginia Jane Johnston (1761–1840).
Margaret Quin (ca. 1745–14 Aug. 1840); married Ronald Leamon.
William Quin (ca. 1743–1790), Revolutionary War soldier; married Millie Himes.
Enoch Quin (ca. 1747–1832); married Mary Ann Dennis.
George Quin (ca. 1748–1805); married Nancy Countryman Stewart (1766–1850).
David Quin (1 June 1749–28 May 1837); married Ellen Jane Peters (1800–1848).
Abner Quin Sr. (ca. 1748–1815); married (1) Mary Sheppard (1751–1788); (2) Sarah Bell (1775–1822).
Cpl. Thomas Windham Quin (ca. 1750–1812); married Catherine Brittain Ford (1765–1783).
Loflin Quin Jr. (ca. 1752–1824); married Barbara Bostic (1760–[death date unknown]), Dublin, Ireland.

Mary and Thomas Sell the Original Land Grant

At the September Court of 1778, Carteret County Court Minutes, Volume IV, record the sale of 100 acres originally granted to Loflin Quin in 1749. This was the same tract that had been returned to the Crown in 1750. On 8 September 1778, Mary Quinn (widow of Loflin) and her son Thomas Quin conveyed the property.

The deed was proved by the oaths of Richard Canaday and Francis Garner and entered into Carteret County Deeds, Volume IV (March 1778–June 1789). This transaction underscores Mary’s continued role in managing family property after Loflin’s death.

Mary Quinn in Duplin County

By November 1784, records place Mary Quinn (widow) in Limestone, Duplin County, North Carolina, where a survey was made for 100 acres of land. The tract lay adjacent to, or in close proximity to, lands granted to her children for Revolutionary War service.

Among these children, Abner Quin acquired land in Duplin, Onslow, and Jones Counties but ultimately remained on the 320-acre tract in Carteret County, where his father Loflin Quin was buried.

When Mary Quinn died in 1793, David Quin acted as executor of her estate, suggesting he was the eldest surviving son and a principal heir.

The Life of Laughlin (Loflin) Quin

1747 – The Spanish Alarm

Laughlin Quin first appears in the historical record during the Spanish Alarm of 1747. He is listed in Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, CSR22-0046 (Volume 22, pp. 262–268), titled “Payroll for Thomas Lovick’s Regiment of the North Carolina Militia.”[1]

This undated document (covering June 14–September 10, 1747) records the names of soldiers who answered “sundry alarms” to repel Spanish privateers attacking Beaufort and its harbor (then known as Topsail Inlet, not to be confused with present-day New Topsail Inlet in Pender County).

On page 265, second from the bottom, appears the name of Laughlin Quin, who was paid on September 10, 1747, for six days of service. This suggests he served from approximately September 4 through September 10, the period during which the Spanish privateers withdrew. This entry provides the earliest known record of his presence, his allegiance to the Crown, and his association with fellow Carteret settlers.

1749–1750 – Planter

In the September Court of 1749 at New Bern, Colonel Thomas Lovick (his former commander) appears as “Esquire” and assigns 100 acres and 100 lbs. of flax seed to “Loflin Quin, planter,” near the mouth of Jumping Run Creek and Bogue Sound, adjoining Lovick’s own land and that of George Read, the regimental clerk.[2]

In 1750, Laughlin returned the grant, declaring the land unsuitable for flax, and surrendered his remaining seed allotment. George Read witnessed the release. (A later grant in 1764 added 220 acres to the original 100, forming the 320-acre tract that would remain in the family.)

1753 – Witness to a Deed

At the June Court of 1753, Loflin Quin witnessed a deed transferring 200 acres on Bogue Sound from Ann Wilkins to Samuel Chadwick Whitehurst. The deed was also attested by Valentine Wallace and ordered registered by the court.[3]

1758 – Tax List of Joseph Bell

In 1758, Joseph Bell compiled a tax list of Carteret County’s 320 residents. Laughlin appears as a taxable individual—yet notably without a household. His wife Mary and their children are absent from Carteret’s rolls. Instead, Mary’s relatives, including her brother-in-law Owen Canaday, appear nearby. This suggests that Mary and the children may have been residing with her kin in Bertie County at the time.[4]

1761 – Juryman

At the August Court of 1761, Beaufort Town nominated a jury to lay out a road from Newell Bell’s property on the north side of the Newport River to New Bern. Loflin Quin was among those appointed jurors.[5]

1764 – Land Grant of 320 Acres

In the November Court of 1764, Carteret County Deed Book 18, p. 103, records Grant No. 177 to Loflin Quin, dated November 9. The grant consisted of 320 acres on the north side of Bogue Sound, adjoining Jumping Run, David Shephard, and Col. Lovick.

This tract remains linked to the Abner Quin line, with portions today lying within the Croatan National Forest and adjoining modern Newport, NC. Laughlin’s grave is located on this private land, still maintained by Quin descendants today.[6]

1765–1766 – Jury Duties

In 1765, the December Court again ordered Loflin and others to lay out the road to New Bern. Constables were instructed to deliver summons personally, with penalties imposed for non-compliance.

In 1766, Loflin was again appointed juryman for the same road, with the court setting a September date to complete the order. These records confirm Laughlin remained in good health in the mid-1760s.[7]

1766 – Last Will and Testament

On February 17, 1766, Loflin Quin composed his last will and testament. The document, preserved among the papers of Royal Governor Josiah Martin, was later carried off from Tryon Palace when Martin fled in April 1775.[8]

The will, written on oversized hemp paper, was proved on February 4–5, 1774, shortly after Laughlin’s death. The text provides our first mention of his wife by name:

“I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Mary Quinn, formerly Mary Canaday…”

This reference to her “former name” has prompted debate: was Canaday her maiden name, or the name from an earlier marriage? The document names only three children—William, Margret, and Thomas—though tradition holds that Loflin and Mary had several more children.

Witnesses included William Coale, Sarah Coale, and Abigail Coale. On the reverse, Governor Josiah Martin endorsed the will on February 5, 1774, attesting to its validity.[9]

By 2014, the original will had become too fragile to handle. It was retired and digitized in high resolution, now accessible through the North Carolina State Archives.

1772–1773 – Petition for Tax Exemption

In March Court, 1772, Laughlin submitted a petition for relief from taxation, declaring:

He had lived in Carteret County for “thirty odd years.”
He had paid taxes faithfully since his arrival.
At age sixty, he was no longer able to support his family while also paying taxes.

The court forwarded his request to the Assembly in New Bern. On January 27, 1773, the General Assembly granted his petition, exempting him and several others from paying public taxes and duties.[10]

1774 – Death

Based on the endorsement of his will, Laughlin Quin likely died on Friday, February 4, 1774. His will was proved before Governor Josiah Martin the following day, Saturday, February 5, 1774. He was buried on his 1749/1764 land grant at Jumping Run, in present-day Newport, NC.

Analysis

This sequence of records outlines a man deeply embedded in his community—militiaman, planter, juror, taxpayer, and finally, petitioner for relief in old age. His will not only fixes the date of his death but also provides the first recorded name of his wife, Mary Canaday (Kennedy?) Quinn, and at least three children.

The absence of his family on the 1758 tax list strengthens the theory that Mary and the children lived with kin in Bertie County during those years. Combined with the Canaday family presence there, it is plausible that Mary’s origins lay in that county.

Loflin’s trajectory from militia service in 1747 to his death in 1774 mirrors the evolution of Carteret County itself: from contested frontier harbor to settled agricultural community, with Loflin Quinn’s name woven through its earliest civic and military records.

Sources:

Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, CSR22-0046, “Payroll for Thomas Lovick’s Regiment of the North Carolina Militia” (1747).
Carteret County Court Minutes, September Court 1749.
Carteret County Deeds, June Court 1753.
Joseph Bell’s Tax List, Carteret County, 1758.
Carteret County Court Minutes, August Court 1761.
Carteret County Deed Book 18, p. 103, Grant No. 177, 9 Nov. 1764.
Carteret County Court Minutes, December Court 1765; December Court 1766.
North Carolina Secretary of State Papers, Miscellaneous Box, Last Will and Testament of Loflin Quinn (1766).
Endorsement by Gov. Josiah Martin, 5 Feb. 1774.
Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, CSR09-0170, Petition for Tax Exemption (1772–1773).

1642 Gaelic Catholic Confederates

King James' Irish Army List of 1689

The Down Survey of Ireland was conducted between 1655 and 1656 by William Petty, a physician, scientist, and administrator serving under the English Commonwealth. The purpose of the Down Survey was to create a detailed land survey for redistribution of Native Irish lands to English soldiers and creditors after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653). Called the “Down” Survey because the results were laid down on paper in the first systematic cadastral survey in Western Europe. The Survey was commissioned by the English Parliament, under Oliver Cromwell and conducted by Sir William Petty and a team of surveyors that utilized chain and compass measurements. Within this survey we see that Quin is often identified as Catholic and Quinn as Protestant, which is not always the rule.

Below is the genealogy of Capt. Thady Quinn from the King James' Irish Army List by D'Alton 1689.

To assist you in discerning for yourself this ancient sept that is recognized in the native Annals from the earliest date of surnames are those of Ulster who commemorate amongst the heroes who fought at Clontarf in 1014, Neill or Niall Ó Cuinn. Widely spreading over Ireland this family held territory in Limerick, Clare, Longford, Westmeath, Wicklow and Derry. In the first County the name has later been ennobled, with the titles of Barons Adare and Earls of Dunraven.

In 1095, died of the plague Augustin O’Quinn, Chief Brehon of Leinster
In 1188, Edwina, commemorated as ‘daughter of O’Quin of Muinter-Iffernan in Thomond (Clare), and Queen of Munster,’ died in her pilgrimage at Derry, ‘victorious over the world and the devil.’
In 1252, Thomas O’Quin was Bishop of Clonmacnoise, as was John Quin of Limerick in 1505.
The Patent Rolls record pardons to Thomas O‘Cuin in 1318
To Maolmurry O’Coigne of Castlemartin in 1395
1402, King Henry the Fourth granted to Thomas O’Coyne, clerk,‘of the Irish nation and blood, liberty to use the English law and language.
in 1404, David and John O‘Coygne, of the County of Kildare, sued out a license of pardon and in 1413,
Henry the Fifth granted to James O‘Coyne, clerk, with the additional liberty of acquiring lands in mortmain for religious uses.
Walter Quinn of Dublin was preceptor to Prince Henry, on whose death he published an epitaph in 1613.
The Act that in 1612 confiscated Ulster by the attainder of the Earl of Tyrone and his confederates, included Murtogh O’Quinn, ‘late of Dungannon,’ and Teague Modder O’Quinn of the same place.

Cromwell’s memorable Ordinance of 1652 excepted from pardon for life and estates of:

Brien Modder O'Quynne and Turlogh groom O"Quynne of Monagowre, County Tyrone
Mr. John Quin, grandson of John Quin, Bishop of Limerick 1505 was one of the 24 whom Henry Ireton excepted from mercy and one of the 7 men he hung without trial immediately upon the capitulation of Limerick.

Henry Ireton (1611–1651) was an English Parliamentarian General, Oliver Cromwell’s son-in-law who became Lord Deputy of Ireland during the Cromwellian conquest. I should note that Bishop Terence Albert O’Brien died beside John Quin.

The others I can locate are:

“the Major General” (understood to be Hugh Dubh O’Neill) — commander of the garrison (the text doesn’t spell his name, but O’Neill fits the role; he was condemned but ultimately reprieved).
The two bishops: Terence Albert O’Brien, bishop of Emly (executed), and Edmund O’Dwyer, bishop of Limerick (escaped in disguise).
Francis Woulfe, O.F.M., guardian of St Francis.
Captain Lawrence (Laurence) Welsh, a priest.
Dominick Fanning, alderman (executed).
Thomas Stritch (Stretch), alderman (executed).
Edmund Roch, burgess.
Captain Patrick Fanning.
John Sexton.
David Rochford.
Sir Patrick Purcell, major-general (executed).
Major Pierce Lacy.
Captain Ulick Lacy.
Geoffrey Barron (Barron) — lawyer and Confederate treasurer; surrendered himself and was executed by Ireton’s court.
Colonel Fennell — an English Royalist officer; hanged with Bishop O’Brien and Ald. Stritch.

https://celt.ucc.ie/published/E650001-023/text001.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

The Attainders of 1642

Richard & Laughlin Quin of Ballyhooke Demense, County Wicklow
Edmund O'Quin of Ballenteskine, County Wicklow
Christopher Quin of St. Audoen's Parish, Dublin
Christopher Quin of St. Michan’s. parish Dublin, a merchant.

In a patent of Clare lands granted in 1680 to Dame Lucy ‘Fitzmorrice’ and her son Richard Fitz-Morrice, there was an especial saving of rights of Thady Quinn, possibly the above Captain, to certain lands therein, and to a mortgage on others of the grant.

On this Army List, besides the above Captain Thady Quinn there is:

Daniel Quinn was a Quarter-Master in Colonel Nicholas Purcell’s Horse
Robert Quinn in Lord Dongan’s Dragoons
Christopher ‘Quin,’ a Coronet in Colonel Symon Lutrell’s
James ‘Quinn,’ a Lieutenant in Major General Boiseleau’s Infantry.
Captain Thady Quinn was attainted in 1691, when his estates in the County Limerick became vested in the Crown

The other Outlawry's were:

William Quin of Dublin
Richard Quin of Athy, County Kildare
Hugh Mc Turlogh O’Quin of Cornetule, County Tyrone
Brian Oge Mac Turlogh O’Quin of Glunoe, County Tyrone

Donogh Oge O'Quin

Dál gCais - The Dalcassian Sept

The Earl of Dunraven, Mount-Earl's Line

The Dál gCais or Dalcassians are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál Cas. Their known ancestors are the subject of The Expulsion of the Déisi tale and one branch of their blood-line went on to rule the petty kingdom of Dyfed in Wales during the 4th century; probably in alliance with the Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus.

Brian Bóruma is perhaps the best-known king from the dynasty and was responsible to a significant degree for carving out their fortunes. The family had built a power base on the banks of the River Shannon and Brian's brother Mahon became their first King of Munster, taking the throne from the rival Eóganachta. This influence was greatly extended under Brian who became High King of Ireland, following a series of wars against Hiberno-Norse kingdoms and the Chiefs of other Irish clans, before dying famously at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Following this the Dál gCais provided three more High Kings of Ireland; Donnchad mac Briain, Toirdelbach Ua Briain and Muirchertach Ua Briain.

From the 12th–16th centuries, the Dál gCais contented themselves with being reduced to the Kingdom of Thomond. They attempted to claim the Kingdom of Desmond for a time, but ultimately the MacCarthys held it. The Kennedy's also held the Kingdom of Ormond for a time. Some of the better known septs included O'Brien, Moloney, MacNamara, O'Grady, O'Gorman, Galvin, Kennedy, MacMahon, McInerney, and Clancy. During the 13th century Richard Strongbow's relatives the Norman de Clares attempted to take Thomond, but the Dál gCais held firm.

My O'Quin family rises in the genealogy and pedigree of Thomond, a Dalcassian sept who derive their surname from Niall Ó Cuinn who was slain at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. This family was formerly represented by the Earls of Dunraven in the modern era that ended with Thady Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 7th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl (27 October 1939 – 25 March 2011) an Irish hereditary peer “aliased as a Quin” was originally a Taylour. In fact, the 5th, 6th and 7th earls were genetic Taylours as well.

M, #259687 Last Edited=7 Jan 2008

There is within the peerage an unknown Quin who is the 2nd son of Donogh Quin and Judith O'Riordan, a child and is assumed the father of Laughlin Quin born in either 1712 or 1713. Donogh died in 1671.

The citation is [S37] BP2003 volume 1, page 1237. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]

Download the book from Internet Archives then search the book for QUIN. Your results will appear in the pages pane.

Born George Taylour on March 10, 1792, he was the second son of Thomas Taylour, 1st Marquess of Headfort, and Mary Quin the only daughter and heiress of George Quin of Quinsborough, County Clare.

In 1813 he was restyled by Royal License as Lord George Quin, in accordance with his maternal grandfather’s will, becoming George Taylor Quin. In April 1814, he married Lady Georgiana Charlotte Spencer, daughter of George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer. Together they had three children: two sons and a daughter. His eldest son, Richard Robert Quin later achieved the rank of Rear‑Admiral.

George Quin inherited substantial estates in Counties Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary, totaling over 5,000 acres by the 1870s:
~2,850 acres in Clare~889 acres in Limerick~3,078 acres in Tipperary

In May 1866, part of his holdings in the barony of Tulla Lower (County Clare) was listed for sale through the Landed Estates Court.

George Taylor Quin lived to the age of 95, passing away on February 6, 1888. Thusly the 5th, 6th and 7th Earls bore Taylor yDNA, not Quin yDNA.

Lord Dunraven was born in 1939, the third child and only son of Richard Wyndham-Quin, 6th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl and his wife Nancy Yuille. He was educated at Ludgrove School and at the Institut Le Rosey, Switzerland. In 1956, while a schoolboy, he contracted polio in the Cork epidemic and was bound to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.

He succeeded to the earldom and its subsidiary titles in 1965 upon the death of his father of which we share a common ancestor in prior to creation of the earldom. The First Lord of Dunraven lived in Kilgobbin House and all the other Lords of Dunraven have returned to live there with their own families. The 7th Earl, Lord Dunraven died at his home on 25 March 2011, at the age of 71 after suffering from a short illness. As he had no sons and as there were no other surviving male line descendants of the 1st Earl of which he was related via Mary Quin as aforementioned. The earldom and subsidiary titles became extinct upon his death in 2011.

Dunraven Royal Coat of Arms

The Quin and Quinn Septs

More about a sept

A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family whereas the term is used both in Scotland and in Ireland,

Irish Clans

In Irish sliocht, meaning "progeny" or "seed" and may indicate the descendants of a person The word may derive from the Latin saeptum, meaning "enclosure" or "fold", or via an alteration of the English-language word "sect".

Síol is a Gaelic word meaning "progeny" or "seed" that is used in the context of a family or clan with members who bear the same surname and inhabited the same territory, as a manner of distinguishing one group from another; a family called Mac an Bháird (anglicised as "Ward") might be divided into septs such as Síol Sheáin Mhic Bhriain, Síol Chonchobhair Óig, Síol Sheáin Chuinn, or Síol Chon Chonnacht.

Each of these individual septs may further subdivide into more septs, which may sometimes lead to the development of novel surnames and/or the rise of the family such that it may be considered a clan in its own right. Such septs were common in Scotland, where the clan system was well-developed.

Historically, the term "sept" was not used in Ireland until the 19th century, long after any notion of clanship had been eradicated. The English word "sept" is most accurate in referring to a subgroup within a large clan, particularly when that group has taken up residence outside their clan's original territory (e.g. the O'Neills, MacSweeneys, O'Quin and O'Connors).

Related Irish clans often belong to larger groups, dynasties, such as the Dál gCais, Uí Néill, Uí Fiachrach, Uí Cuinn and Uí Maine.

Recently, Edward MacLysaght suggested the English word "sept" be used in place of the word 'clan' with regard to the historical social structure in Ireland, to differentiate it from the centralized Scottish clan system. This would imply that Ireland possessed no formalized clan system, which is not wholly accurate. Brehon Law, the ancient legal system of Ireland clearly defined the clan system in pre-Norman Ireland, with its electoral system limited to the senior sept's members (see derbfine), which collapsed after the Tudor Conquest in the 16th century. The Irish, when speaking of themselves, employed their term "clann", which means "children" in Irish.

Scottish Clans

Septs are families that followed another family's chief, or part of the extended family and that hold a different surname. These smaller septs would then be part of the chief's larger clan. A sept might follow another chief if two families were linked through marriage, or, if a family lived on the land of a powerful laird, they would follow him whether they were related or not. Bonds of manrent were sometimes used to bind lesser chiefs and his followers to more powerful chiefs. According to the Oxford Companion to Scottish History, the MacMartins of Letterfinlay who were a sept of the Clan Cameron would have seen themselves as distinct within their own lands, but would have also seen themselves as Camerons if operating elsewhere outside Lochaber. Bonds of manrent and friendship tied obviously non-related kin groups into a wider military, political, and land/food resource sharing clanship.

Today, sept lists are used by clan societies to recruit new members. Such lists date back to the 19th century, when clan societies and tartan manufacturers attempted to capitalise on the enthusiasm and interest for all things Scottish. Lists were drawn up that linked as many surnames as possible to a particular clan, regardless of whether there was an actual historical connection to that clan surname. In this way, individuals without a "clan name" could connect to a Scottish clan and thus feel "entitled" to its tartan.

Also, common surnames, found throughout the British Isles, were linked to particular clans. For example, the surname Miller/Millar was made a sept of Clan MacFarlane, and Taylor of Clan Cameron, Mason was made a sept of Clan Sinclair. Furthermore, patronymic forms of common personal names were also linked to particular clans. This has led to the false impression that many surnames have one origin and are all related to one another, and that such surnames are historically connected to one particular clan.

Ancient Ireland, Principal Territorial Divisions before the Anglo-Norman Invasion

Sept Divisions

Family Seats

Annaly Sept of the Ó Fearghail, County Longford

O'Farrell Lords of Longford seated in Annaly are the Ó Fearghail who are an Irish family of County Longford. The paronym means "descendant of Fearghail", whose name means "man of valor". Fearghail was a great-grandson of Angaile, who was a 10th-century King of Fortúatha. Angaile conquered Annaly, and he is the namesake of Annaly. His Ó Fearghail descendants were the Princes of Annaly for 6 centuries. The Ó Fearghail produced 7 Bishops of Ardagh. The name became Farrell, and Kevin Farrell became Cardinal Bishop of Dallas, Texas. The overtook the Ui Cuinn.

According to the historian C. Thomas Cairney, the Ó Fearghail were part of the Conmaicne Rein tribe in Ireland who came from the Erainn tribe who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland from about 500 and 100 BC.

The Ó Fearghail Chieftain historically sat at the Ó Fearghail stronghold of Longford with another Ó Fearghail seat at Moatfarrell in the eastern part of Annaly, between Ballinalee and Edgeworthstown. From the early 11th century until the colonial confiscations by James I in the early 17th century, the Ó Fearghail ruled Annaly as a principality. This rule was disrupted by repeated English invasions in the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 15th century, the Ó Fearghail regained complete control and had divided into the North Annaly ruling White Ó Fearghail and the South Annaly ruling Yellow Ó Fearghail. The Ó Fearghail principality was greatly undermined in 1552, when King Edward VI granted much of the lands of Annaly to Baron Delvin, including the Holy Island and lands of the Ó Fearghail. By 1618, the Ó Fearghail of Longford were finally deposed as Princes of Annaly by King James I, losing all of their lands and privileges. After the fall of the tribal Gaelic Order, many became tenants of their old land with English and Scottish landlords.

An Chraobh, Stewartstown, County Tyrone related to the O'Neill Kings of Tír Eoghain Hereditary Quartermasters
1 Seated in County Antrim
1 Seated in Raphoe, County Donegal
Clann Cuain, seated near Castlebar, County Mayo
17th Century Quin was common in Waterford
In 1890, numerous in Counties Dublin, Tyrone, Antrim & Roscommon
Quinn is one of the 20 most common surnames in Ireland.

Quinn of Annaly

Three Generations