Our Journey Through Time
The O'Sullivans were the only Irish clan who never surrendered to the English. As a result, the English banned the use of the "O" in their name and began driving them out of Ireland in 1604. Yet we were Irish through and through, with a love of instrument, singing, and speaking words into the world. In Gaelic, Suilabein likely means "sharp-eyed." Our clan motto is "Success to the Steadfast Hand," although observers would likely say "Success to the Stubborn Hand."
Every generation a remnant rose up to fight again, leading to new rounds of Irish being forcibly transported abroad. Our progenitor, Darby Sullivan, was seized and transported in 1657, likely following an Irish rebellion against Cromwell. Darby arrived in Maryland an indentured servant. His bond was sold to Peter Archer, a Quaker. His new land gave him a new start. His descendants slowly moved across Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama.
In 1891, the land of northwestern Alabama, like the South, was tired and spent. Jeremiah and Flora Sullivan decided to seek new land in Texas. They traveled first by wagon to Iuka, Miss., and then by train to Weatherford, where settlers could buy land from the railroad. Jeremiah's family lived off a Big Tom watermelon their first day in Weatherford. Renting farms during their first years, Jeremiah and Flora finally found a permanent home in Ballew Springs, on a farm they called "The Old Home Place."
Jeremiah Sullivan and Flora Rebecca Smith stand outside their farmhouse with all their family. They occupy a pivotal place in our family's journey. So many interesting lines of family and history converge in their lives and then flow out into the world in the lives of their descendants, which include us. The people in this one photo represent the five major lines of our Sullivan ancestry: the Sullivans, the Deakins, the Smiths, the Schencks, and the Allyns.
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Elizabeth Tilley and her family were members of an English Separatist church in Holland. The church members decided to lease a ship and travel to America. We know them today as "Pilgrims." John Howland was an Englishman looking for a new life. He heard about the Pilgrims and indentured himself to their leader, John Carver, to pay for his passage, even though he was not a Pilgrim. Both John and Elizabeth traveled on the Mayflower to start Plimouth Colony and both attended the First Thanksgiving. They fell in love, married, and started a family in the wilds of North America. We have a special reason to give thanks in November. They are our ancestors.
In 1630, John Winthrop organized settlers and ships to go to America and found a "shining city on hill." His small fleet of ships set sail from England in 1630 and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which later became the city of Boston. Although a Puritan, as were all the settlers, John Winthrop was moderate in his views. We are related to John Winthrop through Flora Smith Sullivan.
Darby Sullivan was a young man in Ireland after the English conquest. Following an Irish revolt in 1645, the English sentenced him, as they did many Irish, to being a "Transport" to America. He was transported to Maryland in 1659 as an indenture. After seven years, he started a new life as a farmer with his own land.
We and our spouses had numerous ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.
Michael Schenck, Sr.'s family were Swiss Mennonites from Eggiwil, Switzerland. They moved to Pfalz, Germany to escape persecution. Michael Schenck and his family traveled to Pennsylvania and settled with other Mennonites. He started a foundry that supplied cannonballs to the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His grandson, Michael Schenck III, moved to North Carolina. He built the first textile mill in the South, at Lincolnton, North Carolina.
W.L.Sullivan's story is fascinating. At age 6, he traveled by flatboat with his parents, Richard and Penina Sullivan, down the Tennessee River to Alabama to settle in St. Clair County, Alabama. He learned about mills from one of his mother's relatives. When he moved to Franklin County in northwestern Alabama, he opened a mill.
This is information about the person, place or story shown in the above image.
Dave Deakins served with the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe. He was a machine-gunner and suffered a severe shrapnel wound.
We had several relatives, close and distant who served in World War II on land, ships, and in the air. One did not come home. Read about their service.
We have had at least three sports champions in our family. John Floyd Sullivan was a professional baseball player, Joyce Sullivan was a professional bowler, and Christy Hayes is an Ultra-Marathoner.
We are called to remember, to discover the stories of our ancestors and pass them down to the next generation. When we recount their stories, we make them live again. Whenever we discover old photos, visit old homesteads, or tell the larger story of our family, we discover our roots. In finding them, we find ourselves. You may wonder how we came to be related to Pilgrims, John Winthrop and English kings. It all came about because a young woman from CT, Harriet Hannah Allyn, fell in love with a rootin', tootin' stagecoach driver, John Schenck, from NC. We owe our thanks and gratitude to the many heroes in our family who wrote out their notes and stories so that we would not forget who we are: Flora Smith Sullivan, Lu Sullivan, Imogene Steele, Jerralyn Bivens, Nova Menefee, Gene Sullivan, Betty Garnett, Judy Lee, and Dot Sullivan. I especially thank my Aunt Dot, who thirty-two years ago gave me a family history report commissioned by my Great Aunt Lu and asked that I use my skills in research to ascertain its truth. Little did I know how much fun the journey would be! Thank you, Aunt Dot! We also owe our thanks to Marsha Bryant of Genealogy Web Templates who created the wonderful template for this website. Her writing inspired me to create this website and the words above. Jim Austin
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We make every effort to document our research. If you have something you would like to add, please contact us through this link or at oursullivans@gmail.com.
