Cornelius Quirk was my 2nd great grandfather on my mothers side. He came to Detroit Michigan in 1855 according to his declaration of intent. I haven't found a passenger list indicating who came with him but US census data suggests his wife Mary and an ~1 year old daughter Catherine were with him. Records indicate that Catherine was born in Canada but I haven't found where and not sure how long Cornelius was in Canada before coming to the US. His wife Mary's gravestone in Manitowoc County Wisconsin (they settled in Cato/Clarks Mills, Manitowoc, Wisconsin) says she was from County Cork and maiden name O'Neil. My DNA matches suggest Cornelius may have been from County Kerry (see below). I have not been able to determine if they married in Ireland or Canada but since they lived in different counties in Ireland I suspect they met and married in Canada. My DNA results suggest a connection with Michael Quirk (b 1857) and Ellen Quirk (b 1859) from Annascaul, County Kerry whose parents were Michael Quirk and Honora Kennedy. They share ~10 cM with my mother which means we'd be 5-8th cousins. Distant I know but a clue none the less. I have not been able to find an Irish record clearly and definitively connected to Cornelius or Mary. I also haven't found a Canadian record. Everything I have is US records and DNA clues. I am really hoping to trace Cornelius and Mary back to our families in Ireland and learn more about this part of my family. This has been a longstanding brick wall and any help and guidance would be greatly appreciated. Brian
