Some transcriptions of records on ancestry.com follow. There are many trees for this family on Ancestry. Some gives John’s mother’s name as Ann Welch. Note John's actual birth year was 1849.
1908 Michigan death
Name: John L Sullivan
Gender: Male
Race: White
Marital status: Divorced
Death Age: 56
Birth Date: 11 Oct 1851
Birth Place: Maine
Death Date: 8 Jan 1908
Death Place: Mancelona, Antrim, Michigan, USA
Father: John Sullivan
File Number: 542
Before settling in Michigan, John lived in Iowa, where his wife was born (as per 1880 census). In 1870, his father John was not in the household. His mother, Ann, was 45 and was born in Ireland. Here John has a sister, Mary.
1880 U.S. federal census of Iowa
Name: John Sullivan
Age: 27
Birth Date: Abt 1853
Birthplace: Maine
Home in 1880: Ellington, Hancock, Iowa, USA
Dwelling Number: 27
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Alice Sullivan
Father's Birthplace: Ireland
Mother's Birthplace: Ireland
Occupation: Laborer
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members Age Relationship
John Sullivan 27 Self (Head)
Alice Sullivan
20 Wife
Pearl Sullivan
2 Daughter
Mary Sullivan
7/12 Daughter
1870 U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS OF IOWA
Name: John Sullivan
Age in 1870: 15
Birth Date: abt 1855
Birthplace: Maine
Dwelling Number: 413
Home in 1870: Dubuque Ward 4, Dubuque, Iowa
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Dubuque
Father of Foreign Birth: Yes
Mother of Foreign Birth: Yes
INFERRED MOTHER: ANN SULLIVAN
Household Members Age
Ann Sullivan
45
John Sullivan 15
Mary Sullivan
12
In 1860 the Sullivans were in Maine. John and Ann had three children: John, James, Thomas. This census claims John the younger was born in 1849. In the 1850 census, John was a year old.
1860 U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS OF MAINE
NAME: JOHN SULLIVAN
Age: 11
Birth Year: abt 1849
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Place: Maine
Home in 1860: Portland, Cumberland, Maine
Post Office: Portland
Dwelling Number: 327
Family Number: 1916
Attended School: Y
Household Members Age
John Sullivan, laborer, b. Ireland
40
Ann Sullivan, b. Ireland
34
John Sullivan 11
James Sullivan
6
Thomas F Sullivan
5
1850 U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS OF MAINE
This census also shows John’s birth as 1849.
Name: John Sullivan
Gender: Male
Race: White
Age: 1
Birth Year: abt 1849
Birthplace: Maine
Home in 1850: Portland Ward 1, Cumberland, Maine, USA
Line Number: 33
Dwelling Number: 352
Family Number: 503
Household Members Age
John Sullivan, laborer, b. Ireland
38
Ann Sullivan, b. Ireland
21
John Sullivan 1
