Madness Monday: The Wife of James Quigley 1800-1885, Ireland to Sussex, New Brunswick

In the these three posts, I go over over the the paternal fourth great grandparents I'm missing.  The parents of Katharine Poliak, the mother of Alzbeta Tomecek, and the mother of Alzbeta Valuch. So that's four names missing out of 32 on the paternal half of my ancestry (i.e. 1/8 or 12.5% missing, or more positively, 87.5% done!)

My mother's side is more complete than that.  I'm missing the name (possibly only the surname) of the wife of James Quigley. James¹ QUIGLEY was born about 1800 in Londonderry, Ireland and died 4 Mar 1885, Sussex,[1] age 85.[2]  James immigrated to New Brunswick in 1840[3] with his son Robert².  He received a land grant of 50 acres on 24 Dec 1852 in Sussex and possibly two more 100 acre land grants in Alma, Albert County on 30 Aug 1876 and 9 Mar 1883, respectively, although this may be his son James² QUIGLEY.[4] It is likely that there was a connection, however, to Alma since his grandson John³ (William², James¹) married Agnes Jane SMITH of Alma in 1887.  He married first in Ireland about 1820 a woman whose identity cannot be positively made.  According to Gray (see footnote #1), an Isabella QUIGLEY died 3 Sep 1840 age 3 y (?).  Since I have not read the actual transcription and the reader was unsure of it, there are two explanations.  Either Isabella was James's daughter b. 1837 and d. 1840 age 3 years or she was James's wife b. 1803 and d. 1840 age 37.  Since the name Isabella is used in ensuing generations, I lean toward the latter conclusion.  James married secondly on 30 Jan 1845[5] Elizabeth NORRING or NORRY b.c. 1807, died 26 Jun 1867, Sussex[6].  No probate records for James¹ QUIGLEY is recorded in Kings County.  Both James and his second wife Elizabeth are buried at Kirk Hill Cemetery, Sussex, NB[7]. 

On the other hand, James arrived here with four sons, all of whom name a daughter Margaret. It is possible that the first wife of James Quigley and mother of James, Jr., John, Robert and William T. Quigley died in Ireland between 1827 (birth of William) and 1841 the date of arrival in New Brunswick.

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[1]         Records of Rev. James Gray, Kings Co. 1857-1898 (hereinafter “Gray’s Records”).

[2]         Johnson, Daniel F. Vital Statistics from New Brunswick Newspapers Volume 62 1884-1885 (the author, St. John, NB, 1995), entry #2848, which gives the date as March 1, 1885, same age and birthplace Londonderry.

[3]        1851 Census for Kings Co., New Brunswick.

[4]        Land Grants for New Brunswick.

[5]        New Brunswick Marriages.

[6]        Vital Statistics from New Brunswick Newspapers.

[7]        Kirk Hill Cemetery Records, Sussex, New Brunswick.