The Quinn story began in America in 1850, when Michael Quinn came to New York, to escape the great Irish potato famine. Michael Quinn found work as a surveyor, mapping out Western Queens County under General George McClellan (later, commander of the Union Army during the Civil War). The borough of Queens was a little more than farmland and unspoiled forest back then… but Michael Quinn apparently liked what he saw and settled in the village of Astoria with his wife Mary Malone. In July 1871, a son, Thomas was born.

Thomas M. Quinn, as a young man saw the small yet thriving community, across the East River from Manhattan, develop into a commercial, industrial and residential center. Although, a licensed veterinarian, in 1896 Mr. Quinn established a funeral livery and undertaking business on Fulton Street in Astoria. Thomas M. Quinn saw the need to take funeral services from the home and conduct them in dignified, convenient and comfortable surroundings. Mr. Quinn probably didn't realize the impact of his business venture at the time, this was to be the birth of a "Legacy" in service to the community.

Thanks to his continuing commitment to the people of Queens, Mr. Quinn was elected Sheriff of Queens County in 1909 and served in that office until 1912. As Queens County continued to grow and expand with the rest of New York City, so too did Thomas M. Quinn & Sons. Before his death in 1926 Mr. Quinn and his eldest son Thomas M. Quinn II purchased a large building on Broadway in Astoria. This larger building serviced the Quinns client families for the next 30 years.

Under the direction of Thomas M. Quinn II, those next 30 years would see the "Quinn" name on seven other funeral homes in Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. Thomas M. Quinn II also expanded the firm's livery fleet and opened florist shops to meet the demand for funeral floral arrangements.

Like his father before him, T.M. Quinn II continued the "Quinn Legacy" of service to the community. In 1946, Mr. Quinn CO-founded the "Boys Club of Queens" (Now the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens) a local youth facility that is still sponsored and supported by the Quinn family today. In 1958 the Quinn Family purchased an even larger, four story building on 36th street and Broadway. "The Quinn Memorial Building" was named for Thomas M. Quinn II following his death that year. The landmark building that housed the Quinn Firm was the largest of it's kind in the nation and still serves as the company's headquarters today.