SULLIVAN RESEARCH

I have compared notes with John Conway who has good information that may lead to our families having a common relation in Ed Sullivan and to our Sullivan roots in Ireland. 

John's ancestors came from County Kerry and Immigrated to America settling in the mid-west in the 1890's.  His family oral history says that they are related to Ed Sullivan through Florence Sullivan.  The family tie stems from Denis O'Sullivan who was related to Florence's father Michael O'Sullivan.  Denis and Michael Sullivan may be brothers or cousins.

John Conway's family web: http://www.fritziinc.com/

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John Conway's family history - see Rootsweb family tree http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=DESC&db=fritziinc&id=I32872.  You can import a GED file into PAF to see the relationships more clearly: see Ged file of Conway family http://www.fritziinc.com/tree/web65.ged .  The relationship to our family is incorrect.  Both John Conway and I have only hypotheses on the specific family link.  However John has provided good details of our Sullivan family which would provide a good foundation for the hypothesis of the link itself.

In Johns own words - The best info on my great grandmother Abby Sullivan Flynn was she married Mike Flynn and they came to US in 5/1889...via info from wife of son John Flynn.  Originally my grandmother (Abby s daughter) said she was only child of Flynn s born in US.   But info later showed she had 2 other sisters born in Texas.   Apparently after arrival Mike Flynn worked for railroad and was in North Texas above Dallas area...near Gainesville. Then about 1893-4 they came into Oklahoma near Overbrook Oklahoma (which is close to Ardmore) and my grandmother was born there 12/10/1895. This was is in Chickasaw Indian territory in Oklahoma Territory.  They later migrated north towards Shawnee Oklahoma and settled there where other members of Flynn family had settled nearby.   Mike Flynn was killed in railroad accident 4/30/1905 around Shawnee or Oklahoma City area.  Railroad yards in Oklahoma City called Flynn Yards.  That is roughly how my Sullivan side got here.  Robert James Sullivan side came from Ireland to NY to Kansas to Oklahoma.
 

Denis Sullivan, wife Ellen Sigerson, son was Cornelius and daugther Abby:

  • Cornelius Sullivan was born in 1846 in Claddanure. He married Mary O'Neil on 28 Feb 1878 in Kerry Ireland.  Mary O'Neil was born in 1851 in Gurtagowan Sneem Ireland.

    They had the following children:

    • Mary Sullivan was born on 11 Mar 1880 in Kenmare Kerry Ireland. She died in May 1969 in Boston Ma.

    • Ellen Sullivan was born on 11 Mar 1880 in Kenmare Kerry Ireland. She died in 1903 in Boston Ma.

    • Patrick Sullivan

    • Johanah (Hannah) Theresa Sullivan,

      • daughter Mary Anna Dechene Mahoney

    • Abbey Sullivan was born in 1887 in Kenmare Kerry Ireland. She died in Boston Ma.

    • Denis Sullivan

    • Katherine (twin) Sullivan

    • Julie (twin) Sullivan was born in 1890 in Kenmare Kerry Ireland.

    • Cornelius Sullivan was born in 1891 in Kenmare Kerry Ireland. He died died young in Kenmare Kerry Ireland.

    • Annie Sullivan

  • Abby Sullivan Flynn m Mike Flynn, arrived in U.S. May 1889;   with brother Dan Sullivan in 1930's and with at her daughter Abby Ludmilla Flynn Byrons home in 1937

    Abby told her children, Abby B and Theresa C that they had a link to Ed Sullivan.

    • daughter Abby B. 12/10/1895

    • daugther Theresa C.

    The Sneem Ireland info came partly from my grandmother, partly from her brother Johns 2nd wife Elizabeth and finally from Mary Dechene Mahoney the granddaughter of Cornelius Sullivan...another child of Denis Sullivan and Ellen Sigerson.

    We had a letter from 1927 that confirmed Dennis S and Ellen S as parents of my great grandmother Abby Sullivan Flynn. Same letter also confirmed Cornelius as witness to wedding...who was Abby S Flynn s older brother. Mary Dechene Mahoney saw info and recognized as her grandfather. She is still alive in the Boston area and we have traded info. She helped with info on Sneem as well.

    Details of the letter:

    Michael Flynn of Garanagaul, Bonane, son of Michael and Ellen Mcgillicuddy of Garanagaul got married to Abrigail Sullivan of Cladananuir in the presence of Rev D Barnett C.C. , the witnesses being Cornelius Sullivan, Cladananuir, and Michael Flynn Garachnagall, Bonane in the year 1876 , Feb 24th
                 Signed D J Marshall D.O.

    My 1927 letter from Kenmare Presbery also told where marriage took place. I have pictures of the church, when my cousins Jay Doolittle went over a year or so back to have his son swim the English Channel...they took pictures of Geranaghoul church:

       

Flynn's and Sullivan's came from area known as Beara Peninsula on the border of County Kerry (East of Kenmare) and County Cork.  McGillicuddy's from west side of Kenmare near Ring of Kerry.

  • Sullivan Siblings born in Claddanure, Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland.  Emigrated in early 1900's

    • Patrick b. 2/14/1880

    • Jerry b. 12/6/1882; m Minnie Guihan James

    • Daniel b. 1888

    • Stephen b. 2/15/1894; Immigrated to U.S. then returned and died in Ireland 1972

    • Eugene b. 1899

    • Maryann b. 1901 - m. Hartigan in U.S.; (1) daughter Anne Marie Shapiro

Sullivan Dandy family supposedly from Mary Anna Dechene Mahoney (whose mother was Johanna Theresa Sullivan...the daughter of Cornelius Sullivan...who was my great grandmothers older brother).  I was told by one of our Sullivan cousins that this particular line is referred to as Sullivan Dandy family. They still live in the same home and area as many years ago. Mary had visited them about a year ago. I do not know why is called Dandy...but that was the name.