James Robert Quillen

Biography

James Robert Quillen was born on August 14, 1853 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, Pennsylvania. His parents were James M. Quillen and Mary Jane (Patterson) Quillen.

James married Clara Etta (Weight) Ricker on November 2, 1884 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. Together they had the following children: Myrtle Louise (Quillen) Horn; Mary E. Quillen; Charles Robert Sylvester Quillen.

He died on May 16, 1940 in Homer, Dakota Co, Nebraska and was buried on May 18, 1940 in Dakota City Cemetery, Dakota City, Dakota Co, Nebraska.

• Census: 1860 James R. Quilin (5), Washington Township, Jefferson, Pennsylvania, United States
• Census: 1880 James Qualen (23), Baldwin, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

His date of birth is also given as 11 August 1854. He was a carpenter, cabinet maker and farmer. He was almost certainly the James R. Quilen (5), who appears on the 1860 census as the son of James and Mary Jane.

I have not located him, or any other member of his family on the 1870 census. There is a marriage for a James Quillen and Eliza J. Johnson on 2 July 1878 in Boone County, Iowa. If this was he, this was an earlier marriage before he married Clara Weight. He is not likely to have been the James Quillen who appears on the 1860 and 1870 censuses of Jasper County, Iowa.

He appears on the 1880 census as James Qualen (23), a farm laborer living in the household of Luke Devlin at Baldwin, Pennsylvania.

He was almost certainly closely related to the James M. Quillen who was enumerated on the 1880 census at Scott, Fremont County, Iowa. That James was 51, born in Pennsylvania, and working as "common laborer." He was married to a Sarah M., age 39, born in Pennsylvania. They had a daughter Glenola G., age four, born in Pennsylvania. Also in their household was Bessie L. Knell, age 17, and Aurelia M. Lant, age 12. I suspect his age has been read wrong.

In 1885 he was listed as James Quillan (26), in the household of Ora and Carolina Landreth at Sidney Township, Fremont County, Iowa. James' wife is shown as "Claretta Quillen" in the same household. They are listed as single, but were married the previous year in Council Bluffs. The Landreths were listed on the census as being the same age as James (27), but they do not seem to have been relatives of either James or Clara.

James and Clara probably divorced sometime between the birth of their last child in 1889 and her re-marriage in 1892. I have not been able to find a divorce record. They were not divorced in Andrew County 1880-1887, in Atchison County 1845-1929, or in Holt County 1889-1898. They might have been divorced in Iowa.

James moved to Homer, Nebraska, outside Sioux City, Iowa, about 1910, but he does not appear on the 1910 census there (Omadi Precinct). However, there was a James R. Quillan (55), a carpenter, of the right age at New Kensington in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. James might have traveled east to visit his family. His cousins Lewis and Anna were living there.

The 1920 census shows him living alone and working as a carpenter engaged in building houses. Two months before his death he moved to the Bachert home in Homer (post office address Dakota City). He died of a cerebral hemmorhage. Mrs. John Bachert was the informant for his death certificate.

According to his granddaughter Evelyn Horn he was a cabinet maker. According to his death certificate he was a farmer. His death certificate says he was never married.

Sources

• 1860 Census