Jeremiah “Jerry” Sullivan: A Miner Turned Farmer – 12 for ‘26

The last post was about John H. Sullivan (1854-1932). His parents were Jerry and Mary Sullivan. I wrote about the proof for my BCG certification portfolio. His death certificate named his father as John Sullivan. However, through researching his brother, Michael J. Sullivan, I found documentation that helped prove Jerry was John’s father.

Here is what I know about Jerry.

His birth date is a bit fuzzy, not uncommon for illiterate Irish immigrants. His tombstone gives the date of death of 6 November 1888, with his age of 77 years, which subtracts to 1811.[1] However, his age ranged all over the place in records he created or were created for him during his life in the United States. I’ll create a table showing the birth years at the end of this piece.

1870 Census in Michigan
The first record of Jerry found was the 1870 census, where the family was living in Franklin Township in Houghton County, Michigan, along with his proposed wife and four children. He was a miner with personal property valued at $125, which was about what the other miners on the page had. Neither Jerry nor his wife Mary could read and write, however, the older children attended school.

Sullivan, Jeremiah, 40, m, miner, Ireland
Mary 38, f, w, keeping house, Ireland
Jeremiah 12, m, at home, Ireland, attended school
Daniel 11, m, at home, Ireland, attended school
Peter 10, m, at school, Ireland, attended school
Michael 9/12, m, Michigan, b. Aug[2]

The youngest child, Michael, was born in Michigan. The next oldest boy was born in Ireland ten years previously, so the family came to the U.S. sometime between 1860 and 1870 if the children’s ages are correct. The census does not give us the type of mining nor the name of the mine where he worked. Houghton County was in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where many copper mines were founded. He likely worked the Franklin Mine, an underground copper mine with two shafts.[3]

Getting Homestead Land in Minnesota
On 7 March 1873, Jerry filed Homestead Application no. 7874 for land in Minnesota on the West half of the Southeast Quarter of Section 10 in Township 133 of Range 32. He swore he was a married man and a naturalized citizen. He signed with a mark.[4] This land of 80 acres is in Todd County, Minnesota.

In his proof dated 20 February 1879, he claimed he was 65 years old, the head of a family consisting of a wife and three children. That he was naturalized. He said he made his first settlement on 27 March 1873 and established his residence on 30 March. He built a house made of logs, 15 feet by 20 feet with a board roof, one door and 3 windows. It was two floors and had a cellar. He also built a log stable, 16 feet by 24 feet with a straw roof. He dug a well. He claimed his farm was wroth $300 and was only good for agriculture. He cleared 12 acres and grew grain and vegetables.[5]

The homestead file contained a copy of his final citizen certificate which he received on 27 February 1879 in Todd County, Minnesota. The certificate was recorded in the Todd County courthouse.[6]

Because the homestead act allowed 160 acres, Jerry applied on 29 April 1879 for an additional 80 acres, the east half of southeast quarter of Section 10.[7] This land was adjacent to his previous acquired land. He made his final proof on 6 August 1882, claiming he built the house on the original homestead and broke 7 additional acres on the new land. Only his wife and two children lived at home.[8]

Reading up on the land where Jerry settled, it may have been forested land.[9] Also, the Crow Wing River, not crossing his land, but crossed through the upper half of Section 10.[10] This explains why he had cleared so little of the land for farming and was able to build a two-story house out of logs, for there were plenty of trees to cut down.

His land was in Villard Township, one of the northern-most townships in Todd County. The Northern Pacific Railroad, which was completed in 1871, and a major road crossed through the middle of his property. The nearest towns to his property were Motley, in Morrison County, to the east, and Staples, in Todd County, to the west.

1880 & 1885 Census
In 1880, his family consisted of himself, his wife, Mary, and sons, Daniel, Peter, and Michael, the three children he likely referred to in the homestead proof.

Sulivan, Jerry, 61, head, married, farmer, b. Ireland, parents b. Ireland, cannot read/write.  
          Mary, wife, 53; housekeeping, Ireland, parents IR/IR, cannot read/write
          Daniel, son, 20; farmer, Ireland, IR/IR
          Peter, son, 18; farmer, Ireland, IR/IR
          Michael, son, 11, farmer, Mich, IR/IR[11]

In 1885, Minnesota had a state census. Jerry headed a household of his wife, Mary, and five younger people. Daniel, Peter, and Michael are the sons we’ve seen in previous census records. The two other girls, Mary Sullivan and Mary Simons, are unknown at this point. Mary was born in Michigan like Michael, but she did not appear in the household in 1880 and was not likely one of the two children at home in the homestead record.

Sullivan, Jerry, 70, m, w, Irel, parents foreign born
              Mary, 60, f, w, Irel, parents foreign born
              Daniel, 26, m, Ireland, parents foreign born
              Peter, 24, m, w, Ireland, parents foreign born
              Michael, 14, m, w, Mich, parents foreign born
              Mary, 13, f, w, Mich, parents foreign born
Simons, Mary, 16, f, w, Boh, parents foreign born[12]

Next door was Eugene Sullivan, his wife Kate, and six children.

Sullivan, Eugene, 32, m, w, Ireland, parents foreign born
              Kate, 32, f, w, Ireland, parents foreign born
              Mary, 9, f, w, Minn, parents foreign born
              Kate, 8, f, w, Minn, parents foreign born
              Eugene, 7, m, w, Minn, parents foreign born
              Joseph, 5, m, w, Minn, parents foreign born
              Francis, 4, m, w, Minn, parents foreign born
              Daniel, 2, m, w, Minn, parents foreign born[13]

Eugene also took out homestead land, the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 10 in Township 133 of Range 32 on 26 March 1873.[14] He added to his homestead the west half of the southwest quarter of the same section on 10 May 1879, which made his total land the southwest quarter of Section 10.[15] This land was west of Jerry’s land.

Jerry’s Death
Jerry Sullivan was killed by a train on tracks near his home. Two newspaper articles stated he died 6 December 1888 and reported on it on 8 December 1888.[16] The tombstone inscription shows he died 6 November 1888.[17] All three of these sources are derivatives. The newspaper articles are more prone to be correct, as they were reporting on current news.

The death was tragic. Two newspapers gave graphic details about the accident. The first here is from a local paper:

Killed by the Cars
     Such was the fate of Jerry Sullivan, an old settler in this vicinity, who owned a farm about four miles west of here and had started home Thursday afternoon under the influence of liquor. He had gone as far as the west switch, about half a mile from the depot, and there he stumbled and fell on the track just as freight train No. 16 was coming in from the west. At first the engineer thought he was a railroad man at work around the switch. He whistled, rang the bell, and then when the man didn't get out of the way, whistled again, applied the air brakes and reversed his engine, but it was too late to then stop the train, which was long and heavy, before it reached Mr. Sullivan, and he was mangled and mutilated in a frightful manner.
    San Francisco lives nearby and had seen Mr. Sullivan come staggering up the track. When he heard the whistle, he expected that the old man was in danger. He ran as fast as he could but the engine struck the unfortunate man while San was yet four or five rods away.
    A broken bottle was found beside the track near the place of the accident.
    The remains were brought to the depot and the Todd County coroner, J.J. Cates, sent for. He arrived yesterday, looked the ground over, heard the evidence, and decided that an inquest was unnecessary.
    Mr. Sullivan was nearly 75 years old, a native of Ireland, and came to America 27 years ago. He was formerly a miner, but settled on a farm near Motley about 18 years ago, when the Northern Pacific railroad was built through here. He was a strong, hard-working person for one of his years, and a good citizen. But he had a raging appetite for strong drink, and could not overcome it. His folks had notified all the saloon keepers of Motley not to give him any liquor, but he obtained it nevertheless and the consequence is only was has long been feared.
    The deceased leaves a wife and nine children, three girls (Mary, Julia and Johanna, all married) and six boys (Eugene, John, Dan, Jerry, Peter and Michael). Funeral will be held to-morrow, and the remains interned in the cemetery at this place.[18]

The other paper was from a few counties away. The news came with an editorial.

A Good Temperance Lecture
    The Motley Register says that Jerry Sullivan, an old resident in that county, was killed by the cars on Thursday last. He was under the influence of liquor and had gone as far as the west switch, about half a mile from the depot, and there he stumbled and fell on the track just as freight train No. 16 was coming in from the west. At first the engineer thought he was a railroad man at work around the switch. He whistled, rang the bell, and when the man didn't get out of the way, whistled again, applied the air brakes and reversed his engine, but it was too late to then stop the train, which was long and heavy, before it reached Mr. Sullivan, and he was mangled and mutilated in a frightful manner.

    Mr. Sullivan was nearly 75 years old, a native of Ireland, and came to America 27 years ago. He was formerly a miner, but settled on a farm near Motley 18 years ago, when the Northern Pacific railroad was built through here. He was a strong, hard-working person for one of his years, and a good citizen. But he had a raging appetite for strong drink, and could not overcome it. His folks had notified all the saloon keepers of Motley not to give him any liquor, but he obtained it, nevertheless, and the consequence is only what has long been feared.[19]

It seems that Jerry liked to drink and was probably too drunk to pay attention to the train coming. The railroad tracks ran across his property. This map shows the rail line crossing Section 10. The map was created later when his son, Daniel, owned the farm.[20]

Cemetery & Probate
The tombstone error could occur at multiple places: information given to engraver, or the engraver makes the mistake. Due to the traumatic way Jerry died, the information to the engraver could have been in error. Or, the tombstone was not made until sometime after the fact such as when the money could be save or at the death of Mary, his wife, in 1892, and by then the exact date was forgotten.

Death certificates in Minnesota didn’t begin until 1904. According to FamilySearch Wiki for Todd County, death records were recorded at the county level as early as 1870, but the FamilySearch Catalog does not have any vital records. For now, I am recording the death date as 8 December 1888.

Jerry died without leaving a will. Mary Sullivan, his wife, was appointed administrator on 31 January 1891. The son, Jerry Jr., stated his father died on 6 November 1888 (which agrees with tombstone and a hint that the tombstone was erected long after Jerry’s death) and that the surviving heirs, with their known addresses, were:

Mary Sullivan, wife
Mary Sullivan, dau, age 47, O'Neal City, Holt Co, Nebraska
Julia Murphy, aged 44, Atlantic Mine, Michigan
Eugene Sullivan, aged 40, Motley, Todd Co
John Sullivan, aged 38, Anaconda, Montana
Johanna Sullivan, age 35, Motley, Minnesota
Jerry Sullivan, aged 32, Detroit
Dan Sullivan, aged 30, ?? Minnesota
Peter Sullivan, aged 28, residence unknown
Mike Sullivan, aged 26, ?? Montana

That the value of the personal property was $200 and real property of 300 acres was worth $2000. He described the land as the Southeast quarter of Section 10 Township 133 of Range 32 and fraction of lot 7 of Section 10 Township 133 of Range 32 (which does not add up to 300 acres).[21] Later the inventory corrected the real estate to the southeast quarter of Section 10 and lot 7 containing a total of 191 acres, appraised at $1000.[22]

The distribution of the estate on 30 March 1892, gave Mary Sullivan, widow, undivided 1/3 share of land in fee simple. The children also received shares in the undivided land in fee simple, each getting 2/27 share.[23]

Mary died on 24 February 1892. She had stomach cancer for some time. Only her three sons, Dan, Eugene, and Jerry, who lived in Detroit, were mentioned in the obituary.[24]

She left a will, leaving her share of the property to her son, Daniel, and her personal property to both her son Daniel and her son, Eugene.[25]

Analysis of Jerry’s Birth Date

Analysis of Dates for Jerry Sullivan’s Birth
Year of Birth	Evidence stated	Source	Informant
1811	Age 77	tombstonea	unknown
1830	Age 40	1870 censusb	unknown
1814	Age 65	1879 homestead proofc	himself
1819	Age 61	1880 censusd	unknown
1812	Age 68	1882 homestead proofe	himself
1815	Age 70	1885 Minn state censusf	unknown
1814	Age 74	Obituary 1888g	unknown
a. Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74707993/jerry-sullivan : accessed 10 Oct 2026), Memorial# 74707993, Motley Public Cemetery, Todd Co, Minnesota, Jerry Sullivan; photo by Jim Childers. b. 1870 U.S. census, Houghton Co, Michigan, Franklin Twp, p. 22 (644), dwelling 152, family 162, Jeremiah Sullivan. c. Homestead Proof, Jerry Sullivan, 20 Feb 1879, application 7874, final certificate no. 4462; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C. d. 1880 U.S. census, Todd Co, Minnesota, Moran Twp, ED 133, sht 15b, dwl 6, fam 6, Jerry Sulivan. e. Homestead Proof, Jerrey Sullivan, 6 Aug 1882, application 10462, final certificate no. 5194; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C. f. 1885 Minnesota State Census, Todd Co, Villard, p. 398, fam 2, Jerry Sullivan. g. "Killed By the Cars," Motley (Minnesota) Register, 8 Dec 1888, p. 5, col. 3.

The 1870 census source for his birthdate of 1830 is clearly an outlier. As with most census records, we do not know who the informant was. The 1880 census is also a bit off. The news article about the death said he was almost 75 years old, but when the tombstone marker was put up, Jerry’s age ended up being 77 years old. The news article was not an obituary created by the family. His tragic death caused several newspapers to pick up the story. Short of checking the death records in Todd County, the birth date cannot be determined except to say he was born between 1811 and 1819, if throwing out the outlier date of 1830. One future step would be to contract Todd County Recorder for a possible death record.

Next up, look at the possible origins of Jerry and Mary in Ireland.

---

[1] Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74707993/jerry-sullivan : accessed 10 Oct 2026), Memorial# 74707993, Motley Public Cemetery, Todd Co, Minnesota, Jerry Sullivan; photo by Jim Childers.

[2] 1870 U.S. census, Houghton Co, Michigan, Franklin Twp, p. 22 (644), dwelling 152, family 162, Jeremiah Sullivan.

[3] “Franklin Mine, Michigan,” Grokipedia (https://grokipedia.com/page/franklin_mine_michigan : accessed 11 Oct 2026).

[4] Homestead Affidavit, Jerry Sullivan, 27 March 1873, application 7874, final certificate no. 4462; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[5] Homestead Proof, Jerry Sullivan, 20 Feb 1879, application 7874, final certificate no. 4462; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[6] Todd Co, Minnesota, District Court, Seventh Judicial District, naturalization records, Final papers, vol. A, p. 235, Jerry Sullivan, 1879; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7R-ST2R : accessed 10 Oct 2026), IGN 102010229, image 388 of 949.

[7] Homestead Affidavit, Jerry Sullivan, 29 Apr 1879, application 10462, final certificate no. 5194; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[8] Homestead Proof, Jerrey Sullivan, 6 Aug 1882, application 10462, final certificate no. 5194; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[9] Clara K Fuller, History of Morrison and Todd Counties, Minnesota (B.F. Bowen & Co, 1915), 213.

[10] Motley, Minn, topo map, 1963, imaged, TopoView (https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ht-bin/tv_browse.pl?id=b6fea3a0c3ccad6c0dd52d4b70d484f8 : accessed 11 Oct 2026).

[11] 1880 U.S. census, Todd Co, Minnesota, Moran Twp, ED 133, sht 15b, dwl 6, fam 6, Jerry Sulivan.

[12] 1885 Minnesota State Census, Todd Co, Villard, p. 398, fam 2, Jerry Sullivan.

[13] 1885 Minnesota State Census, Todd Co, Villard, p. 398, fam 3, Eugene Sullivan.

[14] Homestead Affidavit, Eugene Sullivan, 26 Mar 1873, application 7871, final certificate no. 4847; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[15] Additional Homestead Application, Eugene Sullivan, 10 May 1879, application 10461, final certificate no. 4847; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[16] "Killed By the Cars," Motley (Minnesota) Register, 8 Dec 1888, p. 5, col. 3. Also, "A Good Temperance Lecture," Brainerd (Minnesota) Dispatch, 14 Dec 1888, p. 1, col. 4

[17] Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74707993/jerry-sullivan : accessed 10 Oct 2026), Memorial# 74707993, Motley Public Cemetery, Todd Co, Minnesota, Jerry Sullivan; photo by Jim Childers.

[18] "Killed By the Cars," Motley (Minnesota) Register, 8 Dec 1888, p. 5, col. 3.

[19] "A Good Temperance Lecture," Brainerd (Minnesota) Dispatch, 14 Dec 1888, p. 1, col. 4.

[20] I am not sure where I acquired this cropped portion of a plat map. It’s a crop of just Sections 9, 10, 11, 16, 15, and 14, that show the railroad crossing Sections 9, 10, and 11, and Eugene Sullivan and Danl Sullivan ownership.

[21] Todd Co, Minnesota, Probate Court, Estate Records, Estate of Jerry Sullivan, case file 174, Petition for letters of administration, 31 Jan 1891; Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

[22] Todd Co, Minnesota, Probate Court, Estate Records, Estate of Jerry Sullivan, case file 174, General Inventory, 27 Apr 1891; Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

[23] Todd Co, Minnesota, Probate Court, Estate Records, Estate of Jerry Sullivan, case file 174, Final Decrees of Distribution, 30 Mar 1892; Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

[24] Staples World, 27 Feb 1892, p. unkn. It is a clipping of unknown source.

[25] Todd Co, Minnesota, Probate Court, Estate records, Estate of Mary Sullivan, will of Mary Sullivan, written 8 Feb 1892, probated 8 Aug 1892; Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

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