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Missing Sullivan

  • 23-01-2017 2:13am
    #1
    .BrianJM
    Subscribers Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭


    Is anyone missing a 'Sullivan' in their family tree?
    He could be my G-grandfather.
    Briefly, I have no problem with lineage back to him but there it stops.

    He joined British army in 1858; gave his age as 20, and said he was from Kilcummin co. Kerry.
    No date of birth given on any documents.
    Therefore; if you have an untraceable John Sullivan who was born 1837/38, probably Kilcummin area, we might be able to help each other.

    There's quite a few John Sullivans born around then and I can't genuinely connect to any of them. Also, he could have been born anywhere and the family moved to Kilcummin and there's no mention of religion.


Comments

  • #2
    pedroeibar1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,108 ✭✭✭pedroeibar1


    .BrianJM wrote: »
    Is anyone missing a 'Sullivan' in their family tree?
    He could be my G-grandfather.
    Briefly, I have no problem with lineage back to him but there it stops.

    He joined British army in 1858; gave his age as 20, and said he was from Kilcummin co. Kerry.
    No date of birth given on any documents.
    Therefore; if you have an untraceable John Sullivan who was born 1837/38, probably Kilcummin area, we might be able to help each other.

    There's quite a few John Sullivans born around then and I can't genuinely connect to any of them. Also, he could have been born anywhere and the family moved to Kilcummin and there's no mention of religion.

    You will not be lucky enough to find anyone 'missing' your John Sullivan.

    Generally the location of birth is accurately given (later to be used for remitting pay, pension etc.,) so I'd concentrate on Kilcummin. However, ages frequently are overstated, so I would take a wider gap, allowing for him to join up at 16 or 17. There are not that many of them, work by process of elimination.


  • #3
    .BrianJM
    Subscribers Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭.BrianJM


    You say 'not many'! There's much more than enough.
    But which is mine?
    Given a place and approximate time, the best I can do with a list of births, christenings or baptisms is to pick one at random, [and we all know that that's simply not good enough]
    If my GGF had a brother or sister then maybe, just maybe, someone has a family tree with a person who has 'vanished' after leaving Ireland.


  • #4
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,614 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    The advice may not be palatable but it is sound.

    Take each of the 26 John Sullivans on that list and work to eliminate them by finding their marriages in the locality, etc. You should be able to narrow it down significantly. At stage, you may well have to admit defeat and sum up with a statement like "one of these 4 men is likely to be my ancestor but I cannot prove it".

    Have you considered a DNA test to connect to other Sullivans?

    Genealogy Forum Mod



  • #5
    pedroeibar1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,108 ✭✭✭pedroeibar1


    .BrianJM wrote: »
    You say 'not many'! There's much more than enough.
    But which is mine?
    Given a place and approximate time, the best I can do with a list of births, christenings or baptisms is to pick one at random, [and we all know that that's simply not good enough]
    If my GGF had a brother or sister then maybe, just maybe, someone has a family tree with a person who has 'vanished' after leaving Ireland.

    Pre-Famine families tended to remain in the same place so Kilcummin is quite possible.

    Do the army records show a next of kin?

    There are only seven John Sullivan Kilcummin baptisms in the appropriate timeframe. (The others are sponsors/parents so can be ruled out on age grounds.)

    Have you looked at naming patterns? A clue would be that John's eldest son would most likely be named after the grandfather.

    You say you have 'lineage' - what about other siblings? See if they have a Kilcummin Sullivan parent.

    Forget about finding some random 'missing' Sullivan, there will be thousands of Americans looking for the family of a Sullivan born c 1830 in Ireland.

    As Pinky has said, DNA (Y-DNA) might be a help and could turn up a clue or two. Seven possibles is nothing compared to what some genealogists have to face. wink.png


  • #6
    .BrianJM
    Subscribers Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭.BrianJM


    pedroeibar1 wrote: »
    Pre-Famine families tended to remain in the same place so Kilcummin is quite possible.

    Do the army records show a next of kin?

    There are only seven John Sullivan Kilcummin baptisms in the appropriate timeframe. (The others are sponsors/parents so can be ruled out on age grounds.)

    Have you looked at naming patterns? A clue would be that John's eldest son would most likely be named after the grandfather.

    You say you have 'lineage' - what about other siblings? See if they have a Kilcummin Sullivan parent.

    Forget about finding some random 'missing' Sullivan, there will be thousands of Americans looking for the family of a Sullivan born c 1830 in Ireland.

    As Pinky has said, DNA (Y-DNA) might be a help and could turn up a clue or two. Seven possibles is nothing compared to what some genealogists have to face. wink.png

    Naming patterns: no sons, four daughters and Irish traditions were probably of little importance. (He left Ireland at an unknown time - signed up (in South England) for army where he later got married.)

    I'm happy with lineage from him to me. All documented with the exception of his birth place/date.

    Don't know if there are siblings.
    ME wrote:
    If my GGF had a brother or sister then maybe, just maybe, someone has a family tree with a person who has 'vanished' after leaving Ireland.


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  • #7
    .BrianJM
    Subscribers Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭.BrianJM


    pinkypinky wrote: »
    The advice may not be palatable but it is sound.

    Take each of the 26 John Sullivans on that list and work to eliminate them by finding their marriages in the locality, etc. You should be able to narrow it down significantly. At stage, you may well have to admit defeat and sum up with a statement like "one of these 4 men is likely to be my ancestor but I cannot prove it".

    Have you considered a DNA test to connect to other Sullivans?

    Basically, I have already given up on my only known Irish connection. Just thought I'd try something I hadn't tried before. [Nothing ventured; nothing gained.]

    As for y-DNA: mine is out there in various databases (and in my signature) but I don't think there would be tenable link between me and my mother's mother's mother's husband.

    It's all relatively unimportant though...
    ...maybe if I was younger!


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