John H. Sullivan, my paternal great-grandfather, was born on
20 June 1854, somewhere in Ireland to Jeremiah Sullivan and Mary Sheehan.[1]
Somewhere in Ireland is the mystery. The family passed down
that they were from County Cork and likely near Castletownbere. After hiring a
local researcher, some family records were found in Eyeries Parish, but not the
marriage of his parents, nor the baptism of John.[2]
Likely his father worked in the mines and my researcher
suggested the family moved around looking for work.
There are many questions to ask John, but I worry I might
not understand him. My aunt said he had a very strong Irish brogue, even after
all those years. It is possible he came to the U.S. with his family when he was
about ten.
Where was he born? I
cannot locate his baptism record at the Catholic Parish Registers on the
National Library of Ireland website.
When did they arrive in the
U.S.? I cannot locate a passenger record although he stated he arrived
in October 1864, and his older brother, Eugene said he arrived in 1864.
When did he and Anna Gleeson
marry? The earliest records at Holy Family Church in Mitchell, South
Dakota do not exist.
What happened with the homestead
land? He and Anna each had 160 acres. He sold his acreage but hers was
sold by the sheriff. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to make a living off that cold
prairie land.
Where did he learn to be an
electrician? He worked at the Anaconda Reduction Works, but the early
records don’t seem to exist.
What did his wife really die of?
Her death certificate said she died of melancholia, contributed by
exhaustion. What was that about?
Where are you buried? I
have a photograph of his tombstone and was told it was in the Catholic cemetery
in Pomona, but they have no record and when I visited, I couldn’t find the
stone.
And finally, what did you like
to do for fun? What was one of your best memories of childhood and of your
parents? Once I had my questions asked, then I’d let him tell me
anything he wanted to say about his life and his parent’s life. It seemed he
lived away from them, never visiting, but his siblings knew where he lived, as
he was listed as a surviving brother in obituaries.
 |
| John H Sullivan with his grandchildren, Lorene Hork & Margaret Patterson |
#52Ancestors-Week 1: I’d Like to Meet
This is my sixth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.
How fortunate you have a photo of John Sullivan and two grandchildren! My husband has a Mary Shehen in his family tree (actually, two, mother/daughter) but they had already left Ireland and were in England by early 1800s so no indications of where in Ireland they were from, unfortunately.
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