Monday, May 16, 2011

Matrilineal Monday

I am going to focus my first Matrilineal Monday post on the first female in my life-my mother, Jeanne Crowley.


The above picture was taken at the Grand Canyon in 2006

My mother is half Irish (County Cork and County Galway) through her father and half Acadian French through her mother. 

She was born in Woburn, MA, the second daughter and third child of John Timothy Crowley and Edna Margaret Roche.  She was educated at St. Charles Catholic School.  She married my father, Daniel Patrick Sullivan, Jr. in 1973 in Woburn, MA and had two children, my older brother Danny and myself (duh!)

My mother worked various secretarial jobs before she retired.  She looks forward to when my father retires so they can RV around the US.  She loves dogs, genealogy (but I do the work,) reading,  ghost stories and anything supernatrual.  She never considered herself Republican until 2000 but voted Republican the whole time.*

*This is not a political blog.  I have another blog for that.  I will not be ranting about politics here unless they impact genealogy such as laws that cut off access to records, etc.  However, my family is a political family so sometimes facts may come up or photos at political events may come up in this blog.  In fact, I look forward to a post when I can talk about my Grandma Sullivan and my political arguments.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Happy Graduation Day!






My boyfriend Bryon graduates from Albany Law School today.  I am so proud of him!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Surname Saturday-Sullivan






I decided that I am going to talk about a surname on my family tree every Saturday.  My primary surname is Sullivan.  It is believed that the Sullivan came from Southwest Ireland in the area called Munster.  My great-grandfather, Daniel Joseph Sullivan was born in Cappanacus, County Kerry in 1872.  He immigrated to Boston in 1873 and he married Sarah Corr in April of 1899 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Cambridge.



Daniel and Sarah had six children; Henry, Belle, Edith, Daniel (my grandfather), Charles and Sally Ann. Sarah died of the influenza in 1919 and Daniel died in 1950. My grandfather married Catherine Donahue in 1946 and passed away in 1990.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Family Photo Friday

Okay, it's only alliteration phonetically but oh well.

This photo was taken Easter 1982 and it consists of the five oldest Crowley grandchildren (I am bottom left).  I was about three and a half when this was taken.  Clockwise from top Peter MacKinnon, Daniel Sullivan (my brother,) Lisa MacKinnon, Heather Crowley and me.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Family Vacations and Travels

I am going to post a photo and a story from travels in my history into the past.  I am going to start in the past that so new that it is still in the present. Until I get to Maine for a visit, it will likely that my photos will be more recent.  When I go to Maine, I will break out the family albums and the scanner.  There will be some revenge on relatives in the form of facebook tag.

Last weekend I went to NYC.  I have lived in Albany for 20 months and have yet to be in the city.  I am not a fan of Albany.  While I had been to NYC twice, I have not been there properly since I moved to Albany 20 months ago, except for a BBQ in Queens.  I wanted to get out of Albany, so Bryon and I took a day trip down to NYC.  We drove down to Croton-Harmon and took the Metroland North into Grand Central.


Old Glory


We then went to Rockefeller Center


We went to the Top of the Rock


We went to Canal Street but I did not take pictures.  Canal Street was a fun and overwhelming experience.  We then went to McSorleys.  McSorleys are amazing.  It has been in continuous operation for over 150 years and they haven't changed a thing.  You can only order beer in even numbers and there are only two kinds, light and dark.  

Enjoying a dark beer.  Light beer is good but dark is better.


This is the wishbone collection.  Urban legend has it that during WWI and WWII soldiers would leave a wishbone when they left and took it down when they returned.  The wishbones up there represent the soldiers that did not make it home.


After McSorleys, Bryon had the great idea to take Tipsy Kerry to a dish store called FishsEddy.  It was awesome.  Lots of random dishes.  Surprisingly I did not break anything nor spend lots of money.





We then went to Little Italy and had Vodka Pizza and Cannolli.  Bryon then took me to a Five Guys (I was saying "NO MORE FOOD.") and in the back of the Five Guys was a staircase with a secret bar.  Here is a view from Bleeker Heights Tavern.


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Revivalism at it's best.

I decided it is time to revive my genealogy.  I have been tracing my boyfriends genealogy extensively on ancestry.com but it is time for me to expand out.  As far as career, I decided I hated going to school Health Information Technology.  I may be switching to Business Administration.  I have hopes that I can combine Business Administration with my History degree and finally get a genealogy business off the ground.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Grandma!  We miss you down here!


Catherine Ann Donahue Sullivan 
May 3,1914-November 19, 2004