Bartholomew Sullivan
The following story was given to me. It traces the family leaving Ireland in 1860. They moved to LaSalle, IL and later to Kansas. Bartholomew was born about 1811 the son Of Timothy Sullivan adn Mary Williams. He married Johanna Condon in 1843 in Kilbehenny Co. Limerick. They had nine children:
Timothy, William, Mary, John, John L, Margaret Michael B., Timothy & Richard.
Bartholomew Sullivan died in Ottawa Co. Kansas in 1881 and is buried inthe Mount Calvary Cemetery, Solomon, Saline County, Kansas
"We left County Limerick two miles north of Mitchelstown in the year of 1860 for the United States and we landed and settled in LaSalle IL. We lived here about 6 years and then started out again, this time coming west from LaSalle to St. Louis by water on Illinois rise and from there to Leavenworth over the Missouri River and from Leavenworth to Solomon by covered wagon, which took us about one month to make the trip from Illinois.
In party there was seven of us. Grandfather, Grandmother Williams, John, Margaret, Mike and Timothy. My son Richard was born in IL.
But we saw no hardships for want of anything which we could get, as we had money enough to make trip in first shape, and was able to work when we landed here. We encountered no trouble with the Indians which roamed the country quite frequently those days. Our only enemy were the mosquitoes. We never suffered for want of water, but several people did.
We all had the ague the first year we were out here.
We past the Union Pacific Railroad two miles east of St. Mary’s at Pawnee Creek in 1866 and it got as far as Solomon in the fall and then in the Spring of 1876 it got into Salina and they they moved headquarters to Ellsworth.
After that I can’t account for it. Only I can say that they drove the Golden spike into Utah in 1869, when two engines were placed bill to bill and they exchanged bottles and drove the Golden Spike.
We had a good living at home as we raised wheat the first year, and had it to sell the second year.
We raised some potatoes the first year on Aunt Riordan’s place. We landed in Solomon we went up the river to place they called Verdi, in Ottawa County, and I homesteaded a farm of one-quarter section and built a rock house on it with help of my oldest son, William. I was a stone mason by trade, my son William became very good at that work. He was young when he did this work.
We quarried all rock used from Donmyer’s hill just southwest of us short ways, it was called surface rock.
Grandfather died 25th of Jan 1881 and Grandmother died just six weeks later.
Grandpa Sullivan’s grandmother’s name was Williams and she was born in Wales and the Williams were all great lovers of education, and up to date classical men in those days.
On my wife’s side her name was Condon, and my son William was born in same house in (Kilbeheny) Co. Limerick, Ireland that his mother was born in. Her Father’s people lived and owned it for generations. In time of famine in Ireland they lost some of their possessions which was taken away by the neighbors who encroached on his rights. My. wife's’ Father, Mr. Condon died young, and my wife was oldest child and we were married and I was father to them all. I made a carpenter out of one of the boys and a tailor of another and both were good at their work. Uncle Bill Condon was a very fine tailor, had no education but was noted for his ability for well fitted suits."