The Quinn Family Needs Us

The Quinn Family hopes that readers of Simply Saratoga Magazine can assist in our search for Missing Family Portraits

WRITTEN BY KATHLEEN QUIN

Jim Quinn started it all. Worked hard as a cooper, then somehow learned to make mash and finally, opened his own brewery. Ann Brady Quinn born and raised in Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland. While in Albany she married James Quinn. After he passed, she remained in the house on North Ferry for a couple of years.

n the early 1840s our family emigrated from Ireland, by way of Canada to Albany,

INew York. James Quinn, from Gurteen, County Longford, opened the James Quinn Brewery and Malt House after working in Albany as a cooper for several years. He married Ann Brady, of Edgeworthstown, County Longford. They married in Albany. Their son, Terence John Quinn (TJ), worked in the brewery with James. After James’ passing in 1866, TJ and his brother-in-law, Michael N. Nolan (Mike) opened the Quinn & Nolan Brewery at the same site, enlarging it considerably and finally, to make Lager, they built the Beverwyck Brewery in 1878. It stood on North Ferry Street, right next door to Quinn & Nolan. While in Albany, TJ was in the Common Council, State Assembly and finally, was the first Irish Representative from Albany in Congress. In 1878, while in his first term in Congress, TJ passed away. His three children joined the Nolan household, meaning that Ann Nolan, (TJ’s sister) had 8 kids to raise. While she tended to the household, Mike was busy with politics, becoming the first Irish Mayor of Albany. He was also elected to congress, serving for a time both in congress and as Albany’s Mayor. Both Mike and TJ were also Trustees at now historic St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands. The family had a large home in Albany across the street from the old St. Joseph’s Church. James Quinn had donated large stained-glass windows and Mike served as choir director with his rich baritone voice.

Michael N. Nolan

After Mike lost his beloved hunter jumper, Burke Cochren, in a terrible racing accident he was devastated and went out of the business. His son Francis (Frank) took over the stable and was very involved in racing. He also ran the brewery after his mother passed. Sir John Johnson was his prized horse, and images of Sir John can be found in Beverwyck's advertising.

The Nolans later purchased a large home on Circular Street in Saratoga Springs, as a summer home. The house still stands, in use by the Presbyterian Church. The family attended The Church of Saint Peter in Saratoga Springs and donated several large windows and the organ. While the family lived in the house, portraits of Ann Elizabeth Quinn Nolan’s family members hung inside. We have a little photo album that contains small black and white photos of the Nolan rooms, with large painted portraits hanging on the walls. We’ve done our best to enhance the images, but they don’t do justice to the paintings. Mike Nolan and his son, Frank, were very involved in the horse racing industry in Saratoga Springs, and several paintings of their horses also hung in the house. The last of the Nolan children, Blanche Nolan, lived in the house until she donated it to an order of nuns in the late 1950s. We assume the paintings remained in the house until then. Blanche passed away in 1965 and there was a large, multi-day auction of her belongings, with profits going to St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. We have the auction brochures. The paintings are not listed, so were not auctioned off. For the last five years, two of the Quinn cousins have searched and searched for the paintings of our elders, and their horses. We found one painting, of Reverand Proudfit as a baby, hanging in the Saratoga Springs History Museum, noticed by a volunteer a few years ago. The VanZandt painting of Mike’s prize horse, Bourke Cochran was sold in an online auction about 10 years ago. The auction house graciously contacted the purchaser, but no response was received. So, the search continues! We’ve placed images of the paintings with antique dealers in the area, published an article in the Maine Antique Digest, contacted museums and genealogy societies, all to no avail. We are sure the paintings are out there waiting for us! They depict James Quinn from Ireland and his wife Ann Brady Quinn, and at least two of their children, James Quinn Jr. (Uncle Bibby) and the lovely Maria Teresa Quinn who returned home from school at age eighteen and died of a fever. If the current owner would rather not part with the paintings, we understand. All we would ask is that they allow us to have a photographer take good images of our elders’ portraits. The paintings are large and would be difficult to ship and display. If the owner no longer cares to display the Quinn elders, and would be interested in donating them to a museum, we have an avenue for that. Please contact Kathleen Quinn through this magazine.

Blanche Nolan, the last of the Nolan family, who donated the house on Circular Street (The Lawns) to the order of Nuns. We have only two photos of Blanche.

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Unidentified. Our hope is that if it is found there is a name plate on the front, or something written on the back.