He married Lucy A. Orvis, daughter of William Orvis and Lydia Parker. Richard and Lucy had seven children, listed on this website, and lived in Chenango County, New York, later relocating to Schoolcraft, Michigan.
Richard was a shoemaker. One day in about 1857-60, Richard simply disappeared on his way home from work. None of the townspeople knew what happened to him. Was he the subject of foul play? Did he abandon his family and go west?
An old family rumor has it that he joined the Union Army and died in a southern prison camp. But, there is no record of a Richard Quinlan that matches our Richard fighting in the Civil War, and later memories of family members discount that theory.
We cannot find Lucy in the 1860 census, but her children are all farmed out to friends and relatives, and have been located. Our knowledge of Lucy's ancestry and her descendants is fairly complete.
We have no records of where Richard's father Thomas came from, his ancestors, or the last name of Thomas' wife Mariah.
Any help on these issues would be greatly appreciated.