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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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.