Cornelius J. O'Sullivan 1869 : Short Biography

My maternal great-grandparents both came to Boston, Massachusetts, sometime in the late 19th century.

Cornelius J. O’Sullivan (b. 11/7/1869) and Hannah Teresa Donovan (b. 9/24/1867) both came from Dunmanway.

According to family lore, Hannah’s family were itinerant farm workers, while Cornelius’s family were more settled in Dunmanway. The O’Sullivans, it’s said, didn’t approve of their relationship, perhaps because they were of unequal station, we do not know. Cornelius, it’s said, paid to send Hannah to Boston, and he emigrated not long afterward: they were married in Boston and had three children. Sadly, Cornelius died in his mid-30s from stomach cancer.

Here’s what I know about my ancestors in Ireland:

On Feb. 10, 1861, in Dunmanway, Cornelius Sullivan married Jane (“Johanna”) Gorman. Witnesses were Elizabeth Gorman and John Gorman. (The relationship of the two Gormans to the bride is unknown at this time.) We know of at least four children by their marriage: ANNE (b. 9/17/1865) — Godparents: Peter Mahony and Anne Mahony; MICHAEL (b. 8.5.1867) — Godparents: Patrick Murray and Jane Hickey; CORNELIUS J. (b. 11/7/1869) — Godparents: Thomas Murray and Mary Crowley; and JANE (b. 12/4/1871) — Godparents: Dan Brien and Mary Sullivan.

Parish records in Dunmanway do not record a marriage for my great-grandmother Hannah’s parents, William Donovan and Julia (Collins) Donovan.

There are records, however, indicating that William and Julia had the following children: We do have records of three children that William and Julia Donovan had while residing in Dunmanway: ELIZA (b. July 1, 1864) — Baptized by Rev. John Hurley, parish priest. Godparents: James Murphy and Mary Mahony; JOHANNA, or “HANNAH” (b. Sept. 24, 1867) — Baptized by Rev. John Hurley, parish priest. Godparents: John Hurley and Margaret Collins; and MARY ELLEN (b. March 15, 1878) — Baptized by Rev. Denis Forrest, C.C. Godparents: Patrick Donovan and Mary Wholey.

Once Hannah was settled in Boston, she paid for her sister Mary Ellen to come to Boston. Mary Ellen arrived in Boston on May 5, 1893.

We do not know when my great-grandfather Cornelius J. O’Sullivan came to Boston, but we do know that once he was here, he found work as a plasterer.

If Cornelius learned his trade from his father or someone else in his family, that may be a clue to finding my relatives. If there are working plasterers in Dunmanway today with the surname O’Sullivan, it may more than a coincidence.