There is no listing of Uncle Pat's baptism on www.irishgenealogy.com - there are very few baptismal records from the 1900s online.
We know that Uncle Pat cried after Ma when she left for America with Aunt Catherine. But I can find no immigration record for him.
There is a 1930 listing in the United States Census for Brooklyn, New York for a Patrick O'Sullivan boarding at 459 Third Avenue. He is a 25 year old office clerk who immigrated in 1924. I don't know if this is our Patrick - if it is, he emigrated a year after Larry. We saw that their sister Mary paid for Catherine to come out to the United States within 6 months of Mary emigrating, and then Catherine paid for Nellie to come out within a year. So maybe it was the same with Larry and Pat.
There is also a 1930 listing for a Patrick and Michael O'Sullivan on St. Mark's Avenue in Brooklyn. They were both born in the Irish Free State. Patrick is 28 year old. He immigrated in 1925 - he has taken out papers for naturalization. He is working as a conductor for the railroad.
Michael is 21 - he immigrated in 1926 and has also taken out papers for naturalization. He is a laborer - it looks like he works in construction, but I am not sure of the first letter in that word.
The problem with this is the age difference of 7 years between Uncle Pat and Uncle Mike. According to the 1911 Irish Census, it was only a two year difference although we know that the census is not always accurate.
So we have two possibilities for 1930. But where has Pat been up to now?
1931 and 1933 show a listing for Patrick Sullivan working as a chauffeur and living at the rear of 556 Belvidere Avenue. Below is the 1933 listing for Plainfield, New Jersey.
The 1935 directory for Plainfield lists Patrick J. O'Sullivan and now also lists Aunt Helen - so did they get married since 1933 or was Helen just not listed in the previous issues? They are living at 718 Central Street.
Uncle Larry O'Sullivan is listed just above Patrick at 1127 Watchung Avenue. They are both chauffeurs. I wonder who was driving first? Did one get the other a job?
Patrick, Helen and their family are still living at 718 Central Street in the 1940 U.S. Census. They own the house which is valued at $5500. Helen is the one answering the questions. Pat is 38 years old, finished the 8th grade, and was born in Eire. Interesting that Helen was born in Northern Ireland 37 years ago - she finished 6th grade. She reports they lived in the same place in 1935. She said Pat worked 50 hours the week of March 24-30, 1940 as a chauffeur for a private family.
Pat and Helen have 3 children - Laurence was born in New Jersey and is 7 years old - he attends the first grade. The other two children were also born in New Jersey. Patricia is 6, and Jeremiah is 2. They have yet not attended school.
The O'Sullivans are living at 718 Central Street in Plainfield in 1943 and 1944, and Pat is still a chauffeur. Then the trail goes cold.
This is Hannie Keohane, my mother's sister, and it must be Laurence below - the date on the picture is 1940. Nice picnic - I like the cast iron frying pan on the fire, the picnic basket, and it looks like a bottle of milk. What are they cooking?
Does it look like they are eating hot dogs? That must be what Hannie was cooking. Hannie, Jeremiah, Patricia, and Laurence.
Below is Uncle Pat holding Jeremiah and Hannie in the back with Laurence, Rita Keohane, and Patricia in front. The Keohanes must be visiting the O'Sullivans in Maine.
The O'Sullivans are back in York Beach, Maine for vacation in August 1941.
Here is Uncle Pat and his three kids. I love the pipe! And look at the big houses in the background!
Below, this must be the house where the O'Sullivans were staying in 1941 - 91 Broadway. Uncle Pat, Patricia, and my mother, Ellen Keohane, on the top steps, and Jeremiah and Laurence below them.
I think my mother was helping to take care of the kids during the O'Sullivan's vacation. Look at the car - I wonder if that was Uncle Pat's?
I know my mother loved Uncle Pat - she said he and Aunt Helen were a lot of fun.
My mother, Aunt Helen, and Jerry.
1958 postcard of Derrynane Harbor, near Waterville, "Ring of Kerry", Ireland - it was sent from Sneem in July or August.
"Greetings and Salutations. We were to Waterville. The Scenery is magnificent. Having a good vacation. All here are fine. Going to Dublin and on to my home today. Best from Patrick and Helen."
Uncle Pat and Aunt Helen came up to my parents 25th wedding anniversary in 1972. I remember them staying on Marshall Street sometime with us - they were in the back bedroom on the driveway side - not sure if it was for the anniversary or not. I also remember being in our dining room after the anniversary party at the Hibernians, and Jerry O'Sullivan singing "Bad, bad Leroy Brown - baddest man in the whole damn town …" Those O'Sullivans sure were a lot of fun!! We had a great time with them.
Here are Pat and Helen at the Hibernians with Paul Navin between them - Paul was married to my mother's sister Peggy Keohane.
Here is a 1975 letter from Uncle Pat to my grandmother - he mentions Uncle Mike's daughter Eileen who came out to the U.S. and visited us in Watertown and also went to Plainfield to see Uncle Pat and Uncle Larry.
"718 Central St
12 – 18 – 75
My Dear Sister Margaret,
Just a line to let you know we are all well here. hoping you and all your family are feeling well also. I suppose you are getting ready for Christmas. It is such a busy season for everybody. We had a letter from Mike last week. They are all fine at home. They are expecting Eileen home for the holidays and are looking forward to see her. She is such a good kid. We all had a great time while she stayed with us this past summer. She said she had a great time in Watertown."
"Larry and family are very well. He is still doing a little work although he will be 76 years old in January. I am doing a little too. I am a crossing guard for the school children. I like it. Helen is feeling good and she is very busy getting ready for Christmas. We might take a trip to the old country this coming summer if all is well. I wish you could come to see us once again, maybe some one in the family could bring you. We would be delighted to have them a few days. We have plenty of room for all our own. In closing I wish you and all the family a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. With love to all, Br. Pat."
I’m always touched by the affection that comes through in the letters and pictures from Uncle Larry and Uncle Pat for Ma and her family – they were very young when Ma emigrated to Boston – and they later emigrated to New Jersey. But the bond lasted.
"The Children of
Patrick and Helen O'Sullivan
request the honor of your presence
at the celebration of their parents'
Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary
on Friday, the fifth of September
Nineteen hundred and eighty
6 p.m. Mass - St. Bernard's Church
George Street, Plainfield, N.J.
7 p.m. Dinner - Snuffy's Restaurant
Park Avenue, Scotch Plains, N.J.
R.S.V.P. (201) 757-2080"
The background in the picture below does not look familiar to me - perhaps it was taken in New Jersey. Uncle Larry is on the right, Paul Navin in the pink shirt, and my father taking a puff of a cigarette on the far left. The woman and man in the middle may be O'Sullivans from new Jersey.
Below is Aunt Helen, Uncle Pat, Peggy Keohane Navin, Rita Keohane Walsh, and my mother, Ellen Keohane Manning. My grandmother and Uncle Pat's half-sister, Margaret Moriarty Keohane is seated in front. This was at my aunt Hannie Keohane Huliston's house on Marshall Street in Watertown about 1982. Pat would have been about 80, and Ma would have been 88.
I am holding my son Danno in one arm and holding onto Uncle Pat with the other. I think it was during this visit that Uncle Pat told me how tough Schoolmaster Palmer was at the Glenlough School in Sneem.
Uncle Pat with his sister and my grandmother.
Christmas card from the O'Sullivans
'83
To the Mannion Family
To wish you a
blessed Christmas
and a New year
of happiness
"Happy Holidays"
Aunt Helen and Uncle Patrick
Dear Ellen & John
Well it's Christmas time again. Hope you'll all have a "merrie" one and a very, very peaceful & happy New Year -
Remember us to Peg & Rita.
Hope we'll see you soon. Jerry's daughter Karen who graduates from Notre Dame in June gets Wed Dec 84 &
will be wed & live near Boston. He's a Michael Flynn. Pat & all are fine - 12 of the family will be here Christmas Day.
Hope Mom is pretty good. God bless you all. Love, Aunt Helen
"and she brought forth her firstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger …
Luke 2:7"
Uncle Pat died just after Christmas on December 28, 1983, and Helen died eight years later on May 30, 1991.
The Social Security Index on www.ancestry.com listed Patrick O'Sullivan who died in 1983 in Plainfield, New Jersey. His birthdate is given as 23 August 1901. His Social Security number is 148-16-4051. With this information, we can look up his social security application, and we can get his birth certificate from Killarney.
So we have seen that Pat and Helen had Laurence and Jeremiah - both are dead - and Patricia. There was also Gene - I presume Eugene. I wonder why the name Eugene? Uncle Mike had a Larry and a Jerry so they must be O'Sullivan family names. Maybe Eugene was on Helen's side. I don't remember if Uncle Pat had any more children.
I do know that I wish I had known Uncle Larry and Uncle Pat better.
No comments:
Post a Comment