sullivan problems

[Matt Wilson]

Hi, I think ill have to abandon and restart a large part of my family history as after trying to find a Patrick Sullivan in a city of many ive had to rethink after finding he might have had a different wife. My great nan was Mary Emily Sullivan born oct 1 1889 in Swansea, her dad was Patrick Sullivan and mom mary ann Sullivan nee Fitzpatrick but I cant get any reliable info on patricks birth and death and parents from one census to another, my great nan certainly had a sister called Wilhelmina Sullivan and ive rejoined ancestry but cant get patricks history one hundred per cent, I thought his dad was timothy Sullivan who died in 1910 Merthyr Tydfil and then thought it might be someone else. So sorry for my hopelessness but any help in steering me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

[keyboard86]

  The marriage certificate do you have it?
Keyboard86

[groom]

I presume you have found the family in 1891 where Patrick's age is given as 23 and the 1901 where it is given as 42?  As he can't have been 23 in 1891 if Wilhelmina is his daughter, as she was 8 then, I think his age may have been transcribed incorrectly and should be 32 giving him a date of birth of about 1859. 

[Matt Wilson]

Ive bought timothys death cert and a few others which ill likely have to throw out now, theres  notices on freeddm that a Patrick Sullivan married mary ann fitzaptrick in 1881 and 1882 in Glamorgan but haven't bought either yet so don't know which is which. Yes, groom I found that which heightened my confusion as I cant get a reliable date of birth for him, ive made great leaps with my other branches but my Sullivan line is a mess. Thanks again for any help.

[keyboard86]

Hi from the GRO Index Wilhelmina Sullivan March qtr 1883 Swansea 11a 207 had mothers maiden name of Williams?
Keyboard86

[groom]

her dad was Patrick Sullivan and mom mary ann Sullivan nee Fitzpatrick

Where did you get that from? Using the GRO site that now gives mother's maiden names it looks as if Mary Emily and all her siblings from the 1901 census had a mother with a maiden name Williams.

SULLIVAN, MARY  EMILY     WILLIAMS     
1889 
D Quarter
SWANSEA  Volume 11A  Page 749

Snap. Keyboard. 

[groom]

Possible marriage

Marriages Dec 1882 
 
Sullivan    Patrick       
Williams    Mary Ann       
Swansea    11a   1111   

That certificate would give parents.

[Matt Wilson]

God that embarrassing, that's why dunces like me come to the professionals, my mom gave me the name Fitzpatrick so gave the Sullivan side a once over a long time ago but now im back on ancestry and the sullivans have my full attention its no wonder I got so muddled working with the wrong name.

[groom]

Easily done.    It is easier to check now that GRO have added mother's maiden names.

There are quite a few Patrick Sullivans born around 1859 Swansea, so I'm afraid that you may have to send for that marriage certificate to make sure that you get the correct father.