In October 2014, I had the opportunity to visit my cousin Thomas D. Sullivan's home. As I was leaving he asked if I would like to look at some of the albums his mother, Margaret Carmody Sullivan (1910-1982), had put together. Of course, I said YES! He suggested I take one home with me so I could give a closer look at the many photos included. The one I chose was titled "Prior to 1950."
The album includes many photos of Margaret and her husband, Thomas A. Sullivan (1908-1996), but there were also several photos of ancestors of both Margaret and Tom. One such photo of Philip Sullivan (1840-1915), grandfather of Thomas A. Sullivan, I had never seen before. It is possibly the oldest of all the photos I have of direct ancestors.
The front of the photo, which is on hard card stock, shows Philip standing next to a Victorian-style tufted chair. He is dressed formally but his cloths look warn, especially his shoes. It is not known if there was a particular purpose for which the photo was taken. On the verso of the photograph, is the name of the photography: J. Battersby, 62 North Clark St., Chicago. There is also a 2 cent cancelled postage stamp attached with the cancellation date of February 4, 1885.
If the photo were taken around 1885, Philip would have been about 45 years old which seems to be in keeping with the age he looks in the photo. In 1885 he was still living in Chicago and probably still running the family grocery store. All but the last (Philip M. Sullivan 1885-1959) of his 10 children would have been born by this date.
Seeing this photo gives me hope that other "old" photos of the family may still yet be located.
Source: Photo album created by Margaret Carmody Sullivan currently, 2014, held by Thomas D. Sullivan.
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