My Trails into the Past

In a previous post , my paternal grandmother, Anna M. Sullivan (1892-1979) began her teaching career in Montana after attending the Montana Normal School. She taught in several schools in Ravalli and Deer Lodge Counties. She married William Cyril Hork on 30 November 1922 and they moved to Southern California, where she raised four children. The timeline of her early career was easy to follow using newspaper articles. Her second career was not so easy. Sometime between 1937 and 1940, she left her abusive husband. She worked to support herself in a local café. [1] Later that year, her brother-in-law, Vir Quigley asked her to come to Napa and work in his café, The Cozy Corner. She and the four children, along with their dog, Nappy, lived with Vir at first. [2] Napa County Schools By 1944, she was teaching at the Yount School on the Silverado Trail, a one-room schoolhouse. [3] In 1945, the school opened with a large attendance, though the article did not say how many pupils. [4] The...

My paternal grandmother, Anna Marie Sullivan, was a school teacher. She was born 15 Oct 1892 in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana, to John H. Sullivan and Anna M. Gleeson. [1] She died 14 Feb 1979 in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California. [2] In that lifespan, she probably taught school for about 28 years. This post will be about what newspaper articles have helped me piece together her teaching career in Montana. Education Anna grew up in Anaconda, attending school there. She graduated from high school in June 1911. [3] Following high school, she attended Montana Normal School in Dillon, Beaverhead County, Montana, graduating in June 1914. [4] Two sources helped me put together her life at the normal school: the 1913-14 school catalog and the 1913-14 yearbook. The school catalog listed Anna M. Sullivan of Anaconda as a member of the 1913-14 class. [5] Besides listing the students who attended that year, there is a list of the faculty, the course requirements, and photo...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Night again -  Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings , is to: 1)  An Ancestor Who Lived Through a Major Historical Event — Pick one ancestor who was alive during a war, pandemic, natural disaster, or economic upheaval.  2)  What do the records tell you about how it affected them? Thank you to Linda Stufflebean for this SNGF challenge. Here's mine: I have been working on the Sullivan family this month, so I’ll shall choose John Cyril “Jack” Sullivan (1887-1978). The day before the first draft registration, Jack C. Sullivan, enlisted in the regular army at Fort George Wright in Washington on 4 June 1917. Because of that, he does not have a draft registration card. He was assigned to the Vancouver Barracks on 8 June 1917, joining Company E of the 4th Engineers as a Private. They trained at the Vancouver Barracks and then at Camp Greene in North Caro...

The last post discussed Jerry and Mary’s life in the United States, living in Michigan and Minnesota. I do not yet know when they arrived. None of their records point to the place where they came from. But the records of their children do point to both questions, though there is conflict. His children were all named in the probate file: Mary Sullivan, age 47, resided at O’Neal City [O’Neill], Holt County, Nebraska   Julia Murphy, aged 44, resided Atlantic Mine, Michigan  Eugene Sullivan, aged 40, resided at Motley, Todd County, Minn   John Sullivan, aged 38, of Anaconda, Montana   Johanna Sullivan, age 35, Motley, Minn Jerry Sullivan, age 32, Detroit, Minnesota  Dan Sullivan, age 30, Minn   Peter Sullivan, aged 28, residence unknown   Mike Sullivan, aged 26, Montana. [1] Below are vignettes about each child of Jerry and Mary. I will start with the youngest children first, as they appeared in censuses with their parents. ...