Tom Remembers Living on Latrobe, 1918-1929

Excerpt from "Notes About Things I Remember" by Thomas A. Sullivan, March 4, 1996.

Move to Latrobe Avenue

18 N. Latrobe

"When I was 10, the City announced they wanted to buy my grandmother's [Bessie Thompson Madigan's] house to expand their ward storage yard. She sold and bought a home on Congress Street.  Father had about $1,000 in the bank and bought a two-flat in Austin, at 18 N. Latrobe Ave., a nice area on the far west side of Chicago.  Helen - who was about 5 at the time - and I were fascinated for some reason with a large closet with two doors.  We lived on the second floor, mother died there 48 years later.

"Our tenant downstairs was Mr. Hutchinson.  He was a school teacher and loved to work with his hands as did my father.  The two of them did a lot of work modernizing the house.  I can't remember the details.  He taught shop at Crane High School and was very against my buying a clunker of a touring car for $20.  "I wouldn't even buy it for junk for my students to work on at school."  I ignored his advice and we loaded it up with friends and went for a ride one Sunday, after that single day it broke down and never ran again.  We pushed it out in the street and the City finally towed it away.  My Mother then bought me a model T Ford Coupe for $25 and it lasted about 5 years and started breaking down while I was rushing Margaret to the hospital at 2 a.m. for Tommy's birth.  But, the car DID make it to the hospital with Margaret and Tom.

"During those earlier years I lived on my bike, a second hand one that I liked to take apart.  We would ride other kids on the handlebars and do tricks like standing on the seat, etc.  We would ride out to the Des Plaines River, about 4 miles, for variety.  I walked a lot along the river also, I think it was with my Father.  When I say we, Eddie Peterson was my buddy.

"In St. Mel High School I played football sophomore through senior year.  It's now Providence-St. Mel, a highly rated Black school.  At home there was a group of about 5 boys and 5 girls who spent lots of time together.  Strangely we didn't pair off but escorted different girls as the occasion presented itself.  We didn't drink but spent lots of time at the piano singing.  My memories of my teenage years come flooding in, but they are of no general significance.  Suffice to say that both Helen and I got married from Latrobe Avenue, and after the Hutchinson moved Helen and her family moved in.  My bedroom was empty so Elaine slept there for convenience and privacy, making more room downstairs for Larry Jr.  When Mother died Helen sold the house and moved to Lake Shore Drive - a smart decision."

Helen writes about being a child and teenager

In The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre, Helen takes a moment to answer a few questions about herself.

What were you like as a child?

I was shy.  My Mother used to say I was afraid of my own shadow.  She said "You let people walk all over you!  God help you when I die!"  I guess I was a mope.  I always had lots of dreams but never fulfilled them.  My Mother always talked about how I would never cross a street without hanging on to my Father's hand; while my brother Tom would run head first into the traffic, and that's how he lived -- going right up the ladder to his highest potential.  I was the opposite. But next month I'm going to be 84.  Don't mess with me.  I'll tell anybody off!  My Mother would be PROUD!

What was your greatest fear when you were a teenager?

That I would never stop growing.  I was afraid I would be 6 feet 5. When my Mother's friends would see me every so often, they would always say "Helen I think you've grown a foot since the last time we saw you."  I didn't like to hear that at all

I thought I'd never have a boy friend or ever get married.  And, if my Mother and Father died, I'd be all alone.

To whom did you turn for advice?  Why that person?

I wasn't much for asking advice but my Mother always gave me advice anyway.  Tom would give me some advice too.  I remember I was going on my first date, Tom decided to talk to me.  He said never to let a boy take advantage of me; and not to let them touch me where they weren't supposed to.  Then he pointed to my breasts and said, don't let them touch your breasts.  I guess I said OK, turned red and walked away.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your teen years?

It was hard at first.  It seemed I was just a little girl and then all of a sudden I blossomed into a tall young lady.  I had lots of insecurities at first, but it all turned out OK.  When I think back it was a fun time.  No big worries, just what we were going to do for fun.  I went up to Long Lake a few times with Mary Alice (Hopkins).  Her folks had a cottage there.  I went up to Lake Lawn Lodge on Delevan Lake, Wisconsin, for the first time with Ruth Nott.  I loved it and went back again many times.  Mary Alice would borrow her brother Ish's car and she, Junadell and I would ride all over Chicago.  We had club meetings and a group of us would get together every few weeks.  We saw all the latest movies, ate many a hot fudge sundae, took long walks in the summer, usually down Madison St. or Washington Blvd.  In our late teens we wound up with Jim Moffett, Jim Cullen and Larry McIntyre.  We took rides in Jim Cullen's roadster.  Had parties at our houses.  Had my first drink! Never enjoyed myself.  My dates were nice, good looking, tall, but I just never could relax and was glad when the date was over.

Yet, when we got mixed up with Larry and the two Jims I enjoyed myself and when Larry first kissed me, I knew I loved him right away!  There never was anybody else.

Tom Sullivan Describes the Area Where he Grew Up

Excerpt from Thomas A. Sullivan's Memories, March 4, 1994.

Tom begins his 12 page "Notes About Things I Remember - Mostly Trivia" noting that the write up has been requested by his grandsons.

"I was born at home on Fillmore Street in the Westside of Chicago, in the upper of a two-flat owned by my grandmother (maternal [Bessie Thompson Madigan]).  It was a true 'back of the yards' neighborhood.

"We faced north.  In our long block from the east:

• St. Louis Ave, going west
• An empty lot
• The Pattons, a little brick home with three generations of widowed or unmarried ladies
• Our brick two-flat
• An empty lot
• The Maloneys, four rough-necked boys and a girl
• A yard owed by our city ward for storage of trucks and maintenance equipment
• A saloon
• Central Park Avenue

"On the north side of Fillmore street, facing south:

•  A City pumping station for water
• More City Ward equipment
• A swimming pool
• A factory making screens
• Homan Ave.
• This is a two block stretch as St. Louis ended at Fillmore

"Behind the above is the Chicago-Northwestern Railroad tracks and behind it a multi-storied Sears Roebuck building that stretched the two blocks from Central Park to Homan Avenues.

"None of this is meaningful to anyone but me -- I spent the first ten years of my life here, and here Helen was born, at home, on 3/11/14.  This was the Center of my Universe."

 This Google Maps shows were 3511 W. Fillmore was located.

Tom Sullivan's Memories of Fillmore Avenue, 1908-1918

Excerpt from Thomas A. Sullivan's Memories, March 4, 1994.

My Early Life - 3511 W. Fillmore Avenue, Chicago

"My Father had a workroom in the basement of Fillmore Street and he formed a number of things out of pipe. He had a crude ability for woodworking but metal was his forte.  I remember him making a wide swing on the second floor porch where we lived.  I must have been about three as I could just stand and look out the kitchen window while he worked.  This is the earliest memory I have.

"When they built the swimming pool across the street I was about seven.  A friend of my Father's was in charge and I used to go over every day and play along the edges of the pool.  One day he asked me if I wanted to learn to swim.  I greed and he threw me in.  I thrashed around and nearly drowned.  He had to jump in clothed and pull me out.  That ended his interest in me.  I still hung around until the job was done but he ignored me.  Guess he thought I didn't try.

"Another memory - one day my Father and I took Helen to Garfield Park in he buggy.  He was sitting on a bench at the top of a hill while I pushed the buggy.  Suddenly the buggy got away and rolled down the his dumping Helen in the pond.  My Father raced down and fished her out, ruining his shoes, trousers and the rest of the day.  I must have been eight.

"In my first year I went to Our Lady of Sorrows School because they had a bus.  I was five but good at spelling because of my Mother's efforts at home before that time.  I used to place second in all the spelling bees after a girl who had a lock on first.  all through grammar school there always was some girl who would beat me at most subjects, tho I generally was among the top boys.

"My second and third year where at a "German" school a few blocks from home.  For some reason my folks didn't like it so fourth, fifth and sixth were at St. Agatha's about a mile from home - where I was baptized.  I used to walk there in the morning, back and forth at noon, and home in the P. M.

"It didn't help much, I was still a fat kid.  The Jews were just starting to move into the neighborhood.  When we walked in orderly class lines from the school to the church they threw pennies out the window and pandemonium developed.  After a couple of instances the kids were threatened with eternal damnation if they didn't stay in line so the Jews gave up.  We had the B.V.M. sisters who prided themselves on teaching so my seventh and eighth grade3s at St. Thomas Aquinas were a breeze.  We had moved to Latrobe Ave. by then.

"To wind up Fillmore Street - Ruth [Rooney] would come to visit from Denver a couple of times a year.  Her Father worked for the Santa Fe Railroad so he would get some sort of a deal for his family when he traveled.  Ruth was bound to make a gentleman of me: tipping hat, ladies first, men walk on the outside, etc.  My Mother was strict on table manners but didn't bother with other things, but Ruth made up for it."

 Ruth Rooney and Tom Sullivan, c1910.

 From Helen Sullivan McIntyre's Album.  Photo entitled "Pals"

Helen remembers Tom when they were young

Helen writes in The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre about when Tom and she were young:

Tell about your brothers and sisters and your relationships with each of them when you were little.

I just had a brother called Tom.  He was 5 1/2 years older than me.  We didn't do too much together.  He always seemed so grown up.  Although I did remember when I was about 6 we would play down in the basement.  We'd fill the double wash tub with water and sail home made boats.  My tub was the Atlantic Ocean and Tom's was the Pacific Ocean.

I also remember when I was in second grade and Tom was in eighth grade at St. Thomas Aquinas School, I became sick to my stomach and the nun said I should go home.  She said do you have any friends or relatives in the higher grades that could walk you home.  I thought and thought, finally I said I know Joe Differman in 8th grade.  So she had him brought down to my room and he took me home.  He was a good friend of Tom's.   When Tom got home he was mad and asked me why I said Joe and not him.  I said, "Oh, I forgot you were in 8th grade!"  He sure thought I was dumb!

We also had some white rabbits in cages in the back yard.  We never cleaned their cages and sometimes forgot to feed them and a couple died.  My Father got disgusted and opened the cages and let the rest run away.  We were upset - but had no more rabbits.

What other memories would you like to share?

Tom was in 8th grade at St. Thomas Aquinas and I was in 2nd grade.  He was an altar boy at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.  One day the altar boys were told to bring their cassocks home to be washed and ironed.  When I saw my Mother ironing this pretty, white lacy thing I thought she had made me a new dress.  I wanted to wear it.  She told me it wasn't mine, it was Tom's  I started to cry.  I said "Why is Tom getting a new dress and not me?"  My Mother tried to explain why, but I still was jealous.

My Mother always had Christmas Eve with all her relatives.  We always had the biggest real tree ever but there was never any presents put under the tree until Santa Claus came.  When it was time for him to arrive, Tom and I were told to go and wait in the kitchen, a bit later we would hear the doorbell ring and a few minutes after that we were called back into the living room and there was loads of presents under the tree.  One Christmas Eve we were waiting in the kitchen and the bell rang.  I said "Oh that's Santa Claus!"  Tom said " There is no Santa Claus, That's Mother ringing the bell.  Then she hurries upstairs and puts all the presents under the tree."  That was when I didn't believe in Santa Claus anymore!

Al and Nell Sullivan on Honeymoon, 1907

Al and Nell spent their honeymoon in Denver, Colorado, per their daughter Helen.  They married on August 20, 1907.  In 1907, it is believed Nell's sister, Nanette, was living in Denver.  They most likely traveled to Denver to visit with Nan, her husband George and their then 2 year old daughter, Ruth.

Helen pasted the photo into one of her albums, making it the front page.

  I thought it appropriate to keep her "artistic" rendering of the photo!

Tom Sullivan's Early Memories of his Parents and Sister

Excerpt from "Notes About Things I Remember" by Thomas A. Sullivan, March 4, 1996.

Mother, Father and Helen

"Mother was the most important person influencing my mind and career.  We had a blackboard and she used to teach with it faithfully every day.  Before I started school in Sept. 1913 at 5 yr., 3 mo., I knew the alphabet backwards, count well above 100, and spell common words.  My table manners were good but my clothes consisted of "Buster Brown" suits and long curls which were cut off just before starting school.  When I found I was the only one in the school in Buster Brown, that ended.

"My Father tried to bully me rather than explain.  I tended to go my way without confiding in him.  For example, when he announced, when I was in eighth grade, that he was taking me down to St. Ignatius High to enroll me, I told him I had already registered at St. Mel several months before.

"My Mother was very concerned about Helen's birth.  I was much overweight and she had a bad time, but Helen was normal but a fussy baby.  I was a much older person (5 years) and ignored her as she wasn't a boy and hence from a different world.  We grew up separately, she had her friends and I had mine.  I didn't get to know her until Mother died when she suddenly took over as the head of the family and began to get me in line as part of her world."

 Photo of Nell and Al Sullivan, Helen in car window, on a vacation trip late 1920s

Memories of Al Sullivan by his Daughter

From The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre:

What memories do you have of your father during your childhood?

"How hard he worked.  He was a steamfitter and put the heat in all the houses on the north shore.  He'd leave at 6:30 in the morning and come home about 4:30 dead tired.  He was always dirty from the work and rushed to the bathroom to wash up.  On hot summer days he would come home not only dirty and tired but his clothes were wringing wet!  He used to tell me how he would walk on the high steel girders while the homes were being built.  The girders were only a foot wide and he was up 2 or 3 stories with no protection on either side.  I would say "aren't you afraid you'll fall?" He'd say "No, just always keep looking up - never down."

 This photo, taken in the 1910s, shows Al Sullivan (second from right) at work.

  Behind him is some of his steamfitting handiwork.  

"I remember his sitting in his den reading western magazines one was called Argosy.  He loved the western stories and bought several magazines a month.  Whenever we would ask him what he wanted for his birthday or Christmas, He'd always say, "Just a few kind words."  He loved to listen to Laurel and Hardy on the radio.  I can still see him sitting in the living room and laughing his head off.

"He liked to tell funny stories and our alderman Tom Casey would always stop by to listen to him.  He was very conservative and didn't feel like spending a lot of money foolishly yet he saw we had great vacations and everything that we needed.  He was a great guy.  Now that I realize it -- I wish I had told him how much he meant to me!"

What other interests did he have?  What were his hobbies and what did he do for fun?

"He loved to read, especially western story magazines.  He loved flowers.  We had the prettiest backyard on Latrobe ave.  There were roses, phlox, lilacs, peonies, geraniums, daisies, petunias, verbenas, four o'clocks. He also made a little vegetable garden with onions, carrots, radishes and tomatoes.

"He loved music and Sunday morning after Mass he would always bring home a new record for our Victrola or a new roll for our player piano.  He loved movies and stage plays.  He loved the water and taking boat rides. He loved a nice box of chocolate candy.  He also loved Christmas.  He'd buy the biggest real tree in the lot and always have to saw off the top to fit in our living room!  He also always bought real holly wreaths for all our windows."

Which of your father's physical and personality characteristics did you inherit?

"His tallness, sense of humor, the love of the water, being near a lake and going for boat rides.  He loved to read and so did I.  He loved plays, movies and music and so did I.  He couldn't carry a tune and neither could I. He was a good dancer - not me."

What else do you remember about him?

"I remember how he loved my mother.  He'd say "How's my baby," "You look so pretty today."  Even when people were around he'd say "Doesn't Nell look pretty."  Mother would get so mad -- she'd say "Oh Al, stop it, don't be so silly."  I guess she was embarrassed, but he never did stop it!  I often wished Larry would talk to me like that!"

Memories of Nell Madigan Sullivan by her Daughter

Helen Sullivan McIntyre, over a period of 10 years, answered questions, glued pictures and in general wrote down her thoughts in a book/journal called The Story of a Lifetime.  Here are a couple of memories about her mother, Nell Sullivan.

What memories do you have of your mother during your childhood?

I had long curls, almost to my shoulders.  Every night before I went to bed she would curl my hair around her finger, then wrap the curls in a piece of white cloth and when I would wake up in the morning my curls were perfect.

Every Friday night I had to take a tablespoon of "syrup of figs" for my bowels.  I hated the taste and had a hard time swallowing it so my Father got some tiny pills instead.  I couldn't swallow the pills and kept spitting them out.  Mother would call Father into the bathroom and say "Al, make Helen swallow the pills!"

One Easter I was about 6 and Mother made my outfit.  It was a pretty blue silk coat with a white lace collar.  A pink straw hat with a fluffy blue feather that matched my coat, white shoes and stockings.  All the neighbors told Mother that I looked so cute but I never like the outfit, I felt too dressed up.  I think what got me was the feather.  Now it all sounds very pretty to me!

When I was 7, my cousin Mary Sullivan and I were flower girls for our cousin Evelyn Hoy's wedding.  Our Mothers made us white net dresses with ruffles.  Mine was the prettiest.  I had ruffles from the waist down with a big white stain sash and hair bow.  Mary only had about 4 ruffles and a smaller sash.  I thought my mother did the best job.

What interests did she have?  What were her hobbies and what did she do for fun?

She belonged to several clubs.  The Culture Club at the LaSalle Hotel, Friends of American Writers at the Edgewater Beach Hotel and one at the Stevens Hotel, I don't remember what that one was.  She had her Neighborhood Club, the North Side Club (friends that lived on the north side) and St. Thomas Aquinas Mother's Club.

She and my Father loved to go to the movies or see a play or ride up to Twin Lakes or Lake Geneva and maybe take a boat ride.

Which of your mother's physical and personality characteristics did you inherit? 

I don't think I inherited any of my mother's characteristics.  She was short, out-going, always ready to help, friendly, always on the go -- I was none of these things.

What else do you remember about her?

She was a bit impatient.  She wanted things done right away.  If it snowed a lot, she wouldn't wait for my Father to get home from work, she'd go out and do the shoveling herself.

One day my Father was supposed to paint the back porch and steps from the 2nd floor to the basement.  He had to work and said he'd do it next Saturday.  She didn't wait.  I came home from school and she had painted it all.  It looked very nice too!

Helen's likes, daydreams, happy memories as a child

From The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre, Helen records some of the things she enjoyed when she was young.

What games and activities did you enjoy?

I loved to swim.  I loved to read.  I liked to write poems.  I loved movies.  I liked to walk.

Who were your favorite radio and television shows?

Arthur Godfrey, Johnnie Carson, Laurel and Hardy Comedies, Amos and Andy, Jack Paar and Rosie O'Donnell - my latest favorite.

Did you ever have a special place where you went to be alone?

I don't think so -- maybe the BATHROOM!

What did you daydream about?

Being a Movie Star, writing a book, being a dancer, a singer, an artist, a model, a poet, being pretty, being popular, being shorter.

What were your favorite things to eat?  Are there any smells, flavors, sounds, songs, etc. that bring back memories of your childhood?

Ice cream, hot dogs, my Mother's home made cakes and cup cakes  I loved the smell of them as they baked in the kitchen.  I remember the organ grinder across Madison Street with his little money, playing nice songs.  If you gave him money in his tin cup, the monkey would tip his hat.   My Father playing "Moonlight and Roses" on our player piano.

How did you spend your summers?

Always at the beach, lake, pool, sitting in the sun -- swimming -- trying to dive, never learning.  Playing tag, jump rope, jacks, run sheep run, red light, blind man's bluff.

Where did your family go on vacations?  Which is your most memorable vacation?

Helen Sullivan, mother Nell Sullivan, and cousin Mary Collette Sullivan

Up to Lakewood, Michigan or Eagle Lake, Wisconsin.  I remember Eagle Lake because my cousin Mary Sullivan would come up with us. That's where we learned to swim.  We had lots of fun.   The cottage had a row boat and we'd go rowing everyday.

What birthday do your remember most? Why?

When I turned 11 my Mother had a party for me as usual.  I hadn't been feeling good for a few days.  The day of the party my face looked very fat.  My Aunt Mae said, "Helen, I think you are putting on a lot of weight".  I started to cry.  I didn't want to be fat.  Then I felt sick and went to bed.  The next morning I woke up with the mumps.

How did Al and Nell Sullivan Meet?

From The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre:

How did your mother and father meet?  How long did they know each other before getting married?  What do you know about their courtship and wedding?

(My parents met) At St. Ignatius Hall across the street from Holy Family Church (in Chicago).  My Father went there every weekend.  They had dances and he loved to dance.  My Mother was engaged to John Burke.  He became sick and was in the hospital, so one Saturday night she went to St. Ignatius Hall with a friend of hers and her friend's boyfriend.  My Father saw her from across the room and thought she was the most beautiful girl in the place.  He asked her to dance, she did and he fell in love with her.  He wanted to date her but she told him she was engaged and wouldn't go out with him.

He kept pestering her to date him.  She said he was a pain in the neck! Then sadly John Burke died and she eventually dated my Father and she fell in love too.  They went to dances and saw all the good plays in town.  They had fun and were married about a year or so later.

A Day with Daddy, c 1916

Tom Sullivan wrote the following story in 1987 as a "memory gift" to his sister Helen in celebration of her 50th Wedding Anniversary.  Another story Tom wrote for the event is posted at McIntyre/Sullivan Genealogy about Helen and Larry's 50th Wedding Anniversary.

A Day With Daddy, by Tom Sullivan (11/6/87)

About the earliest interesting incident involving Helen that I recall was an afternoon in Garfield Park.

We lived on Fillmore Street and it was probably a mile walk to the park.  Mother usually took care of Helen and me while Father was at work, and on weekends he had projects around the house which kept him busy.  One Saturday, however, he announced he was going to take the children to Garfield park and Mother could just stay at home and take it easy.

Mother got us ready for the big event, I was about seven years old and Helen about two.   She was in a stroller.  When we got to the park Father sat down on a hill about ten feet high which overlooked the lagoon.  At the bottom of the hill was a sidewalk and then the water.  While he was on the bench I decided to push the stroller a bit.  The grass was rough and I lost control -- the stroller and Helen going down the hill and into the water.  It wasn't deep and when it hit the water the wheels stuck and Helen was pitched in head first.  Father meanwhile had taken off after her as soon as he saw what was happening.  He was in the water seconds after Helen hit it and fished her out with no harm, except --

Her nice clothes were a mess, Father's trousers and shoes were wringing wet and I was bawling in expectation of what was going to happen to me for ruining the outing.  Somehow we got home, I don't remember the trip but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant, and Father had to face Mother and explain what had happened to his charges.  I don't remember him volunteering again.

Wounded Tom Sullivan, 1925

This drawing, done by Ruth M. Rooney, first cousin of Tom Sullivan, shows Tom as a "wounded" football player. We assume that Tom must have been injured playing football in 1925, the date of the drawing, but do not know this for sure. He would have been 17 years old at the time and a student at St. Mel High School in Chicago.  This framed drawing hung on the wall in his home. At his death, his grandson, John, became the proud owner of the drawing.       Image courtesy: John Sullivan.

Alex and Nell Sullivan Certificate of Marriage, 1907

Alex and Nellie were married at St. Agatha Church located at 3147 Douglas Boulevard in Chicago on August 20, 1907. Witnesses were Peter O'Sullivan (I believe this was his brother Peter, I don't know why the priest wrote the "O" before Sullivan) and Clementine Madigan, Nell's first cousin, the daughter of her Uncle Michael Madigan.

Alex Sullivan, Birth Certificate, 1880

Alexander Sullivan was born on March 24, 1880. The birth certificate shows that he was the seventh child born to Ellen Connor Sullivan and Philip Sullivan who was a grocery keeper. At the time of his birth the family lived at 90 Sholto Ave, Chicago.

Helen Sullivan and Thomas D. Sullivan, 1937

Helen Sullivan is pictured here in 1937, most likely at Halloween. She is with her nephew, Thomas D. Sullivan the "pirate." They are standing in the backyard of 18 No. Latrobe in Chicago, where Helen lived with her parents. She wed the following month.

Hummel Madonna

When Nell's grandson, Thomas D. Sullivan, was in the Army in Germany, he sent this "Flower Madonna" to her as a gift. She loved it, mostly because it came from her Grandson, but also because it is so beautiful. The porcelain piece was first made in 1935 by sculptor Reinhold Unger who created the original from drawings by Sr. M. I Hummel.

Lamp Lighter

This brass statue of a lamp lighter (or street urchin lighting a cigarette) on Rue Barree was once an electrical lamp that sat on a table in Nell Sullivan's home at 18 North Latrobe. The plaque on the front reads: GAVROCHE Par A. de Ranieri (Statuaire). The works of sculptor Artiste de Ranieri are in a special collection held by the Musee Labenche d'art et d'histoire in Brive-La-Gaillard, France. On the back of the statue is an imprint that reads: Made in Paris, France. Nell always loved this statue. Although there is no proof, it may have been given to her by her brother John who was in France during WWI.

Helen M. Sullivan, c1919

Even as a young girl, Helen liked stuffed animals more than dolls. Ted, her favorite bear when she was young, went everywhere with her. Helen told the story about what happened to Ted one day. It seems that her Father, Al, decided that Ted was dirty and falling apart so he tossed him in the garbage behind their home on Latrobe. Nell found Ted in the garbage and was very upset because she knew how much Ted meant to Helen. She rescued the bear and Helen says Nell yelled at Al for being so insensitive. If you look at the McIntyre/Sullivan blog you will see another stuffo that Helen loved.

Thomas A. Sullivan, c1909

Thomas, being Al and Nell's first child, had many photos taken of him. I'm not sure what he is wearing in this photo, perhaps they were preparing him to become a doctor. His hair is so wavy with such a neat part. And those shoes with faux spats are tres chic.

Helen Sullivan and cousin Mary Collette Sullivan, c1920s

Mary Collette Sullivan (1914-1997) and Helen Sullivan (1914-2008) were first cousins. Mary Collette was the daughter of Philip M. Sullivan, brother of Alex Sullivan, and Nonie Mahoney. The two of them, because they were the same age, were very close. Often Mary Collette would join Helen and her parents and go to Lakewood, Michigan. They learned to swim there and enjoyed rowing on the lake. Mary Collette enter the Daughters of Charity religious order on July 19, 1946 taking the name Sister Mary Ellen.

Helen M. Sullivan McIntyre 1914-2008

The second child of Al and Nell Sullivan, Helen Mae was born on March 11, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas Grammar School, Chicago and Trinity High School, River Forest, Illinois.  At the age of 23 she married Lawrence F. McIntyre on November 26, 1937 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.  She lived on the west side of Chicago and as her family grew she moved into the two flat that her parents owned on Latrobe Ave c1949.  Helen and Larry raised two children, Laurence F. and Elaine M.  Once her children were in school, Helen went to work.  She worked at Apollo Savings and Loan on west Madison Street.  Apollo eventually moved to Michigan Avenue and Helen followed.  She then worked for Home Federal Savings on State Street in the mortgage loan department where she learned about condominiums being built on the shores of Lake Michigan.  In 1967, Helen, Larry and their daughter Elaine moved to their condo on Sheridan Road.  Many people keep journals or diaries, Helen recorded her thoughts, dreams, fears and good times in poetry.  A book entitled The First 90 Years;The Poetry of Helen Sullivan McIntyre was completed for her 90th birthday party.  Helen died of acute respiratory failure on September 29, 2008.  See also McIntyre/Sullivan Blog. Photo: High School graduation, 1931.

Thomas A. Sullivan 1908-1996

Thomas A. Sullivan was born July 7, 1908 in Chicago, Illinois, the first child of Al and Nell.  On his birth certificate he is named Aloysius Alexander but on his baptismal certificate from St. Agatha Church in Chicago, July 18, 1908, he is named Thomas Aloysius.  He graduated from St. Mel High School and married Margaret Mary Carmody (February 12, 1910-May 27, 1982) on Christmas Eve, 1929 at St. Mel's Church.  They had one child, Thomas D. Sullivan. After Margaret's death he married twice again: Dorothy Mae Sprafka (1914-1992) on December 23, 1985 and Lorraine Alice Cooper (1913-2007), December 5, 1992.  Tom died while undergoing heart surgery on July 11, 1996 in Venice, Florida.
Tom had a long career with A. O. Smith starting in 1950 and retiring in 1973 as Vice President and Division General Manager.  His undergraduate degree was in mechanical engineering from the Armour Institute, now Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.  He received a masters degree in economics from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  See also the Sullivan/Carmody Blog

This is his high school photo c1926.

18 N. Latrobe, Chicago

Al and Nell bought this two flat c1919 and moved in with their son Tom and daughter Helen. They lived on the second floor.  Tom and Helen each married and move out on their own.  Around 1949, Helen moved back with her husband Larry McIntyre and their two children, Larry Jr., and Elaine. They lived on the first floor. Nell died in 1966 and the house was sold in 1967 when Helen and Larry McIntyre moved to Sheridan Road.  It burned down in the late 1970s.

Holidays at the Sullivans on Latrobe Avenue, 1946

Standing left to right: Helen and Larry McIntyre, Al Sullivan with arm around Nanette Madigan Rooney, Ruth Rooney, Larry McIntyre, Jr., Thomas D. Sullivan, Ruth's boyfriend Ray, sitting: Margaret Carmody Sullivan, Burdette Harbison, Christmas Eve,1946

John J. Burke, 1900

Nell Madigan was engaged once before she married Alex Sullivan. Her first fiance was John J. Burke who died c 1905. Her engagement ring was configured with three jade stones. It has been passed down through the family. John was a good looking young man as can be seen in the photo.  The back of the photo reads: "John J. Burke, February 14, 1900."  I have been unable to determine anymore about John Burke as there are a number of individuals in Chicago with the same name and approximate age.

Nell Madigan's engagement ring

The opal engagement ring was given by John J. Burke to Nell Madigan over a hundred years ago.