Hart Family - Ourfolk

This is a Sullivan family photo that was taken about 1943 or 44.
Front Row:
Zetta E. Taylor/Sullivan Frank James Sullivan Jr. Frank James Sullivan
Back Row:
Helen Z. Sullivan, Zella A. Sullivan, Joseph W. Sullivan, Francis M. Sullivan, Charles S. Sullivan
(Photo provided by Dan Sullivan Mar 2006)

Frank allegedly left home at an early age and broke all ties with family. Supposedly his father had placed him in a catholic school which he hated. He ran away from the school and his father returned him almost immediately. He ran away a second time and headed for Omaha where an uncle Silas had a meat cutting business. Silas told him to write his father for some money and they would go into business together. When he wrote his father he wrote back and told Frank to come back home and he would put him up in business. Frank said no, I've made my mind up and he headed west.Frank stated that he was born April 22, 1883, in Beloit, WI. When he married my grandmother Zetta Taylor they were married in Yreka, CA which was about a 2 or 3 day buggy ride from where they were living. There had to be a reason they did this. Frank stated on the marriage license that he was 35 years old (Dec 10, 1917) which would mean he was born in 1882. He also stated on the marriage license that his father was W. J. Sullivan born in Ireland, mother was Prisila Chrisman born in Pennsylvania.

Al -

Dan Sullivan's thought that Arthur C Bibbins changed his name to Frank James Sullivan is very plausible. Arthur was Charles Wesley Bibbins and Priscilla Crissman Bibbins' 2nd child - born 1882. They subsequently had a son born 3-4 years later who died before age 2. They then had a daughter born 1887 or 1888 who became very ill.

Priscilla and Charles had become disenchanted with local doctors thus contacted a faith healer (Christian Science) and followed her advice which lead to the child dying
from starvation. I have a copy of a highly critical front page article on this from the
Beloit newspaper.

Charles was divorced by 1910, was an inmate in the Winnebago IL State Farm House
in 1920, died in 1922 and was buried in the family plot - but in a section all by himself.
It wouldn't surprise me if Priscilla and Charles had an acrimonious divorce, that she
may have remarried and may have had enough distaste for her Bibbins background
that she may have convinced Arthur to change his name to tie in with his step-father.
I'd be interested to see what info Dan has on him to support this possibility.
I'll let you forward my reply to Dan

Charlie