HumphrysFamilyTree.com

The genealogy site of Mark Humphrys

Home      Blog      Surnames      Ancestors      Contact

Search:

148,000 page views per month

€2k competition      Random page


My ancestors - O'Meara - Contents

Jim Sullivan
   
(Left) Jim Sullivan. Detail of 1910 photo.
(Right) Nell O'Mara. Detail of 1905 photo.
Jim Sullivan,
James Mark Sullivan, see search,
Irish-American lawyer, journalist and diplomat,
pioneer of film in Ireland,
born 6 Jan 1873, Killarney,
taken to US as child,
educ at schools in Palmer, MA,
reporter for Hartford Courant and Waterbury American,
night clerk, Hotel Jefferson (apparently demolished, see street view), 440 State St, New Haven, Connecticut, 1898-1902 (while going through college),
educ Yale Law School, New Haven, Connecticut, entered 1899 (age 26), won various prizes, Class Orator, LL.B. 1902,
lawyer in New Haven, 1903-04,
registered as lawyer in New York, 1904-16,
his daughter Sheila said he worked on the high-profile celebrity murder trial (1907-08) of Harry Kendall Thaw, but [Felter and Schultz, 2004] found no record of this, possibly he worked as a junior lawyer on the case for a short time,
living New York at mar 1910,
mar 11 Oct 1910, St.Munchin's, Limerick [GROI], obituary says 10 Oct,
to Nell O'Mara [born 6th June 1882],
he is listed as living NY state at time of appointment 1913,

U.S. ambassador to Dominican Republic, 1913-15:
he was appointed Aug 12, 1913 as U.S. Minister to the Dominican Republic, West Indies (the Dominican Republic occupies E half of island of Hispaniola, W half is Haiti),
he is sometimes described as "Minister to Santo Domingo", the capital (the oldest European city in the Americas),
see State Dept list (and here and here), he is listed as "Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary" (plenipotentiary, diplomatic envoy, representative, invested with full powers of independent action), "Non-career appointee",
he is listed as in Santo Domingo at Stephen's birth in Limerick, 2 Sept 1913, listed as "Governor of Sandomingo",
his sister Ellen was there with him in Nov 1913,
there was fighting between insurgents and the native government 1914, US sent warships to patrol the island 1914 [DANFS],
he was on 3-man US commission to mediate a peace, Aug 1914, "Both sides ultimately accepted the American suggestions which provided for the establishment of a constitutional government and the institution of elections under United States "observation"." [DANFS],
he left post, Jun 20, 1915,
US finally occupied the country 1916,

he settled in Ireland,
in Mar 1916 (NOT 1915) [Barton, 2004], [Felter and Schultz, 2004] he established the Film Company of Ireland, "the first indigenous Irish film company",
he was one of the pioneer film-makers in Ireland, the most important Irish film production company of the silent era,
it had no permanent studio, movies were made on location or in foreign studios, actors were Abbey Theatre people and independent actors, they aimed to make films to aid the nationalist cause, James J. Walsh was a director of the company,
headquartered on Sackville Street; the offices, along with 3 early short Irish theme films, were lost in Apr 1916 rising,

he fought with the rebels in the 1916 Rising:
he was living 43 Pembroke Rd, Dublin, at time of 1916 rising, near The O'Rahilly and the Humphreys', listed there in [Thom's, 1917],
pro-Sinn Fein, he went out on first day of Easter Rising, 24th Apr 1916,
he was jailed after the rising, was in Arbour Hill prison, was in Kilmainham with Dick Humphreys,
Pat Lavelle said: "My brother in law Dick Humphreys told me that Uncle Jim Sullivan was the life and soul of the prisoners up at Kilmainham gaol. Dick knew because he was one of them. He said that they were all feeling very gloomy, most of them sentenced to death or likely to be, and that Uncle Jim came in on them like a fresh breeze with his hearty laughter and his big voice and American wisecracks and without a tremor of fear; for who could touch an American citizen if all came to all",
apparently he was under threat of execution "but not executed due to his American diplomatic passport",
in fact, he would not have been executed anyway; many rebels were under threat of execution, but only 15 actually were executed,
Nell's niece Eithne O'Mara stayed with her at the time of the rising, when Nell's husband was in jail along with Eithne's future husband Dick Humphreys,
Film Company of Ireland moved office (must be later in 1916) to 34 Dame St, Dublin, 1st floor,
listed there (as "Irish Film Company") in [Thom's, 1917],

see Films of James Mark Sullivan, 1916-20,

Jim is still described as of 43 Pembroke Rd in Feb 1919 [CO 904], he was then in America, and had trouble getting a visa from London to get back into Ireland,
he was in America when Donal died Apr 1919, and took the first boat back, only to see his wife die May 1919,
Nell's address in grave record is still 43 Pembroke Rd, Dublin,
she died 17 May 1919, Strand House, Limerick, age 36 yrs [grave], [death notice], [GROI], NOT 19 May,
supposed to have died in Flu Epidemic of 1918-19, but [GROI] says she died of "enteric fever" (typhoid), apparently she got it from Donal,
see death notice in Irish Independent, May 20, 1919,
body brought to Dublin, funeral from Kingsbridge, 20 May 1919, bur Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, W.T. Cosgrave was at her funeral,
see death notice in Irish Times, May 24, 1919,

Jim was left to raise family on his own, took them back to US 1920,
[obituary] describes him as "first representative of Irish Provisional Government in America 1920-22",
registered as lawyer in New York, 1924-30,
retired 1930, settled in St.Petersburg, Florida,
address in grave record is 235, 11th Ave NE, St.Petersburg, Florida (see map),
he died 15 Aug 1935, St.Petersburg, Florida, age 62 yrs [grave],
body brought back to Ireland in 1936, see funeral notice, Irish Independent, Saturday, June 27, 1936,
body brought back on the California, landed at Dublin Sun 28 June 1936,
see item in Irish Independent, Monday, June 29, 1936,
bur 29 June 1936 with his wife in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin,
see brief biography,
had issue:
  1. Donal Sullivan,
    Dono, NOT Donald,
    written as "Donal Dhu" on grave,
    born 1912, Ireland,
    Una Lavelle has photo of "Donal" as infant 1916 with his mother,
    died 10 Apr 1919, age 7 yrs [grave],[grave record], shortly before mother,
    of same cause as mother [apparently she got it from him],
    NOT 1918,
    death not found in [GROI] 1918-20,
    he is NOT Daniel Sullivan, age 7, died 1919, Killarney district,
    bur Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.


  2. Stephen Sullivan,
    Steve, listed as "Stephen O'Mara Sullivan" at mar,
    born 2 Sept 1913, Strand House, Limerick [GROI],
    he is listed as "manager", living The Diamond, Monaghan town, at mar,
    mar 18 Oct 1939, St.Michael's, Inchicore, Co.Dublin [GROI] to Carmelita Fahy [NOT Carmel, NOT Fahey],
    they were mar by Fr.Paddy O'Mara, but not in his church,
    Carmelita was born 23 July 1914, 3 Mina Terrace, Islandbridge, Dublin [GROI], dau of James Fahy, Guinness clerk, by his wife Anne Kavanagh,
    see Fahy family in [Census, 1911], at "house number 16 in Islandbridge West Side", this seems to correspond to 101 South Circular Rd, at Islandbridge, Dublin; Fahy is not there anymore in [Thom's, 1919],
    Fahy living 3 Mina Terrace, Islandbridge (existence confirmed, but exact location unidentified) in 1914,
    Stephen and Carmelita met on the Isle of Man on vacation, early summer 1939,
    she was living St.Michael's parish, Inchicore, at mar,
    had issue:

    1. Geraldine Sullivan,
      mar 1stly and had issue,
      mar 2ndly to Ned May and had issue:
      1. Will May.
    2. Mark Sullivan.


  3. Ellen Sullivan,
    Nell, birth cert has her as "Ellen O'Mara Sullivan", bapt "Ellen Sinn Fein Sullivan", though later she went as "Ellen Maureen Sullivan",
    born 11 May 1916 (just after 1916 Rising, father must have been in jail), 43 Pembroke Rd, Dublin [GROI],
    mar 22 Aug 1935, St.Paul's, St.Petersburg, Florida, to Marlow White [born 31 July 1915] and had issue.


  4. Sheila Sullivan, born 1917, Ireland,
    she is NOT Sheila Constance Sullivan, born Dublin South, 1st qr 1919 [GROI],
    mar Michael Callaghan [Michael Anthony],
    he died 10th July 1965 [gravestone, Glasnevin],
    Sheila died 20th Apr 1981, age 64 yrs [gravestone, Glasnevin],
    had issue:

    1. Michael Callaghan, mar Suzanne O'Sullivan.
    2. Mary Rose Callaghan, mar Robert Hogan.
    3. Brian Callaghan, mar Anne Doherty and had issue:
      1. Michael Callaghan.
      2. Mary Rose Callaghan.
      3. Sheila Callaghan.
      4. Brian Callaghan.
    4. Olwyn Callaghan.
    5. Ellen Callaghan.
    6. Frankie Callaghan.
 

Nell O'Mara's wedding, 1910, Strand House, Limerick.
On benches: Bill O'Sullivan (left), Fr. Paddy (right).
Front centre group: think Phons (left), unknown 3 children (centre), think Joe (right).
Main row (left to right): Frank Healy, Norrie (front), Ethel O'Neill, Kat, Nell, think Stephen, Ellen Pigott, Stephen O'Mara, Jim Sullivan, Ellen Sullivan, Mary, James, Agnes Cashel, (unknown priest).
Note US flags.
See larger and larger and full size.


 

Nell O'Mara's wedding, 1910, Strand House, Limerick.
Left to Right: Nell O'Mara, Norrie O'Mara, their mother Ellen Pigott (died Oct 1910), Mary O'Mara, sister-in-law Agnes Cashel.
At front: Kat O'Mara.
See larger and full size.


 

Nell O'Mara's wedding, 1910, Strand House, Limerick.
The 2 parents and the 9 children.
Back (Left to Right): Stephen, Fr.Paddy, Nell, Norrie, Stephen O'Mara, Mary, Joe, James,
Middle: Ellen Pigott.
Front: Phons, Kat.
See larger and full size.



Grave of Sheila and Michael Callaghan, Glasnevin. Photo 2006. See full size.
Photo courtesy of Richard Humphreys.

Feedback form

Long version of this form.

Email me.

 
Upload additions and corrections to this site:
(Please include your email address.)
Upload a file (e.g. a picture):
Enter this password:

Help      Conventions      Abbreviations      Privacy policy      Adoption policy      Image re-use

     Bookmark and Share           Since 1983.