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A. J. Sullivan (I believe it to be Arthur James) was a Second Lieutentant of The London Regiment of The Royal Fusiliers and was killed in action in WW1.

It's possible his daughter, my grandmother called Margaret became orphaned when his wife died in 1918/19. Apparently the family could have lived in the Holborn area of London. She didn't recall much about her childhood and I don't know if Margaret had any other family to stay with or if there were any brothers or sisters. Her life from birth around 1906 to 1922 is very much a mystery.

Any help would be much appreciated.

From the CWGC website - have you tried a search on this site to see if anyone else is looking for the family,
Good luck,
Liz


Name: SULLIVAN
Initials: A J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)
Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Date of Death: 15/09/1916
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sp. Mem. A. 5.
Cemetery: DELVILLE WOOD CEMETERY, LONGUEVAL

Who was his wife please?

Unfortunately, Margaret never told any family member the first name of her mother but told us that she died during the flu epidemic in 1919.
Steve

Steve,

Do you have any certificates?

When and where did Margaret die and under what surname?

Rose

As a last resort it might be worth taking a chance and buying a copy of this birth certificate:

Births Sep 1906 (>99%)
Sullivan Margaret Holborn 1b 579

Or looking this up.

1911: SULLIVAN MARGARET F 1907 4 Holborn London

I've sent off for the birth cerrificate for Holborn in 1906. My aunt has since told me that when Margaret, her mother needed a passport she didn't have a birth certificate. They went to Somerset House and were unable to get a copy based on the information Margaret gave......born in London, thinks Holborn and a date of 30/07/1906. She did eventually get given a passport.

Margaret surname of Tucker died in 1998 at Southampton, I attended her funeral and have records of it.

Steve

Is there any evidence that A J Sullivan married anyone?

What proof is there that he was Margaret's father?

Margaret's birth may have been registered in her mother's name.............

I have no document to date to prove whether or not A. J. Sullivan was married or not. Margaret remembers her father visiting her at boarding school in uniform before he went off to war and that he was an officer.

Steve

What's stated on her marriage cert? Is a father listed and who are the witnesses? Did she have any siblings?

Rose

Is this her marriage?

Marriages Jun 1931
Sullivan Margaret Tucker Windsor 2c 1245
Tucker Frederick F Sullivan Windsor 2c 1245

Rose

Yes that is her marriage. My aunt is sending me a copy of the certificate.
Steve

Ok, I have a birth certificate and I'm unsure if it is my grandmothers as the date of birth is incorrect. It shows 04/07/1906. Her parents were Edward and Eliza Sullivan (nee Boylett). They lived at 5 New North Street, Holborn. Has anyone any idea on the background of this family as I can't trace them together in any of the census's that are available.

I now know that my grandmother spent some time at The Sisters of Mercy Convent in Midhurst, Sussex. It was commonplace for children from London to be sent there. Does anyone know the link with the convent and London? How and why were kids sent there rather than somewhere closer to home. That might give me another clue.

Any help would be most welcome.

Steve

Coincindence??

1911
SULLIVAN, Timothy Head Married M 24 1887 Carman London Strand VIEW
SULLIVAN, Eliza Wife Married F 37 1874 London Strand VIEW
>>SULLIVAN, Margaret Daughter Single F 4 1907 London Strand VIEW
SULLIVAN, Johanan Daughter Single F 3 1908 London Strand VIEW
SULLIVAN, Alexander Son Single M 0 (1 MONTH) 1911 London Strand VIEW
SULLIVAN, Joseph Son Single M 0 (1 MONTH) 1911 London Strand VIEW
SULLIVAN, Timothy Son Single M 0 1911 London Strand VIEW
BOYLETT, Maria Visitor Single F 14 1897 School Londond Strand VIEW
>>>BOYLETT, Eliza Visitor Single F 19 1892 Cook / Boarding House London Strand VIEW
METGE, Stephen Visitor Single M 57 1854 Covent Gardens Porter France VIEW
RG number:
RG14 Piece:
1202 Reference:
RG14PN1202 RG78PN41 RD14 SD1 ED6 SN189

Registration District:
Holborn Sub District:
Holborn Enumeration District:
6 Parish:
St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr

Address:
18 Eagle Street County:
London

Coincidence????

Marriages Mar 1910
BELLAMY John St. Giles 1b 835
BOYLETT Eliza St. Giles 1b 835 >>>>>
Madigan Bridget St Giles 1b 835
Sullivan Timothy St Giles 1b 835 >>>>>

Do you know which boarding school Margaret attended and when?

It may be possible to check the admission log and find her date of birth and parents' names there.

Gwyn

Thanks for your interest and replies. I'm looking into the Sullivan/Boylett connection, but the father is shown as Edward Sullivan, which throws into question the death of A. J. Sullian who is thought to be her father and died in WW1.

I do not know where Margaret went when she was orphaned when her mother supposedly died or any details of her mother. I have traced her aged 16 years to the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Midhurst, Sussex, where she is recorded as having come from Holborn, but no address or details of parents. The original admissions register was destroyed during WW2.

In 1925 until her marriage in 1931 she was working at the Holloway Sanitorium in Virginia Water. Records held by Surrey Council show no next of kin details for her. Her marriage certificate has no mention of her father, just a line drawn through the box, yet my grandfathers father's name appears and records him as deceased. If Margarets father was supposedly deceased I would have thought it would have recorded that.

Oh well back to my investigations.
Steve

Can you enlarge on this statement?

"yet my grandfathers father's name appears and records him as deceased."

Where does the name appear, on what record?

Also where and how did you first learn of the name A J Sullivan?

The marriage certificate shows the grooms father details as Charles Tucker deceased. Margaret's fathers name is not shown, yet she later told her family he died during WW1. So I'm curious to know why she didn't state he was ********** Sullivan, deceased and the registrar just drew a line through where his details should have ben entered.

My father researched A. J. Sullivan from the conversations he had with his mother and thinks he identified him as the soldier from the London Regiment. What other information he had to narrow down his search I have no idea and it's too late to find out more as he too is now deceased. I'm getting this information third hand from my aunt.
Steve