52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #10 - Nora Sullivan

This is #10 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014.

Nora Sullivan (or O'Sullivan depending on the documents) was born around 1867 in Ireland somewhere.  Her father's name was Daniel Sullivan and her mother's name was Julia Connor, according to the information provided by her daughter on Nora's death certificate.

At some point in her life, Nora traveled to the United States, eventually landing in Chicago, IL before marrying Charles Follett (profiled here).  They were married on the 13th of November, 1890 at St. Malachy's church in Chicago. Theirs was a mixed marriage. One was Catholic, the other wasn't. As of this time, I don't know who was which though I can harbor a guess. The paperwork and information that we currently have hints that Charles was from England where most likely he was Anglican / Church of England.  Nora, from Ireland, has a much stronger chance of being Catholic.

Charles and Nora lived at 2301 Prairie Ave, in Chicago for many years. Their two oldest daughters, Sarah Ellen and Mae Hazel were born there in 1891 and 1893 respectively.

UK Incoming Passenger List

UK Outgoing Passenger List

Interestingly, their third daughter, Catherine (Kitty) was born in Ireland in October of 1897. For a long time, I was unable to reconcile that. However, I think I may have found some evidence for this. Nora and two children are listed on a UK Incoming passenger list arriving in Southampton, England on the 27th of May, 1897. Later, there is a Nora Follett with three children (two children, one infant) on a UK Outward Passenger list leaving Queenstown, Ireland for New York on the 27th of March 1898.  The only hesitation is that both times, one of the children is listed as either being "John" or "Jacob."  However, the other names, and ages, match up.

I wish that I had birth information other than a Census record for Catherine. Knowing where she was born would help me locate Nora's family in Ireland. 

8 months after Nora and the children returned from Ireland, Charles Follett died, leaving Nora to raise three girls alone. As far as I have been able to tell, Nora and Charles had no family in Chicago.  I am unable to tell how Nora provided for her family until some of the later census records.

In 1910, Nora is not working. Her daughter Sarah is a stenographer in a law-office, and Mae is a hair-dresser.  They are living at 3100 E. 31st street in the South Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. A 1913 Chicago directory has Nora and family living at 3732 Cottage Grove Ave in the Bronzeville neighborhood.  By 1920, Nora is living as a servant in the home of a man named James Esson in Wilmette, IL.

Nora died on the 18th of August, 1921 at the home of her daughter, Catherine.  Her job with the Esson's having not apparently lasted very long as Nora's occupation is listed as being a "housewife."  She was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

My husband and I made a trip there to find her grave. Her gravestone had sunk below the level of the ground and we had to pull away a thick mat of grass in order to find it.


Nora is a 2nd great grandmother on my mother's side.