A boy named Louis

My Grandma Boyle's paternal grandparents were Eugene C. Sullivan and Louise Auguste Huth.  My research just revealed some facts about Louise's life. 

Family member name: Louise Auguste Huth Sullivan
Tree branch: Sullivan
Lifetime: 1867-1948
Relation: My 2x great grandmother (my mom's mom's dad's mom)

Louise was born in 1867 in Marshall, Michigan, in the palm of the hand near Battle Creek.  Her parents were William Huth and Magdelena (Lena) Dewieghter, both immigrants from Germany.  She was the middle child of five with two older sisters and a younger sister and brother.  Louise only finished the 5th grade.

Just a quick note about how I found this information. I've been searching for years and was frustrated by the brick wall, but finally had a breakthrough!

Louise was mistakenly listed in the census as a boy named Louis.  Maybe the census taker didn't understand her parents' accents or maybe two-year-old Louise had a short haircut and looked like a boy. I don't know, but she was hidden in the census.  But comparing with several other sources, this is definitely her.

Notice the 2-year old male named Louis.  This is my great great grandmother, Louise.

We next find Louise at 17 years old in Nebraska working as a domestic servant.  She married Eugene three years later.  Louise and Eugene had five children in Nebraska, and three lived to adulthood.  However, to date we only know of two of their children, Alfred and Percy.

By the time Louise was 53, her husband passed away and she had moved to Sunnyside, Washington.  She worked as a dressmaker, which she may have learned from her father who was a tailor.  She then moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1924.  She lived there for the rest of her life and passed away in 1948, 13 days after my mom (her great granddaughter) was born.  

Sadly, I can't find any pictures of Louise, yet.  This is all I have.

Third Balloon Company

We don't know much about my mom's grandfather.  It is assumed by all that he was a rat.

Family member name: Alfred Vernon Sullivan
Tree branch: Sullivan
Lifetime: 1897-1960
Relation: My great grandfather (my mom's mom's dad)

He may well have been a real rat.  After all, he gave my great grandmother an STD which ruined her life, then abandoned his three children.

Recently I looked into his military history.  

Alfred enlisted in World War I just six days after the US got involved.  It was April 12, 1917, 102 years ago today.  He served in the 3rd Balloon Company, which was part of the American Expeditionary Forces, the Air Service.  Many men like him from Nebraska, were in balloon companies, since the balloon school was in Omaha.

What was a balloon company?  In 1917, there were no satellites, and planes were in their infancy.  The Allies needed to spy on the Germans.  Enter balloons.  Ninety-three balloon companies were formed during WWI. They were called the "eyes of the army".

Balloon companies were sent behind enemy lines in order to raise a hydrogen balloon (yes, highly explosive) a couple thousand feet in the sky with two men called "observers" with a telescope in the basket.  The balloon was tethered to a winch truck which would move it and haul it back in when done.  The observers would communicate the locations of the enemy troops, not by wireless phone, but with a real phone.  Yes, miles of wires were hung out of the basket to the ground and back to the base! (Can't make this stuff up.) They also made real-time maps.

Alfred was not assigned as an observer, but was a "Chauffer".  Not to be confused with an upscale driver service, a chauffer in a balloon company drove the winch truck, a hydrogen truck or anti-aircraft truck.  Anything that needed driving.  

Since they were behind enemy lines or at the front line, they were sleeping in the open and constantly shot at.  During just one campaign in France which his company was involved in, 21 balloons were shot down.  So he had to dodge fireballs and parachuting observers plummeting from the sky.  Then they had to inflate new balloons on the spot.  A first hand account says, "Personnel weakened by inhaling choride gas, suffering from dysentery... soaking wet from almost continual rain... uniforms crawling with cooties... eating magotty food."

He was in France and Germany for about a year and a half.  One of the towns where they were given leave time was known for its licentiousness, perhaps the place where 20-year old Alfred caught syphilis.

I can't imagine that the guy did not have PTSD.  We don't know if that affected his decisions going forward, or if he just made bad decisions in general.

The Third Balloon Company was assigned to Germany after the Armistice of 11/11/1918 in order to keep peace.

The above facts are not intended to excuse his behavior in any way, however it is always good to understand the bigger picture of someone's life. 

If you're interested in more info about balloon companies, here are some links.

Link to fascinating article in the Omaha World-Herald

Link to North Omaha History - Fort Omaha Balloon School

Link to NY Times article from 1919

The paper trail of Alfred Sullivan

My mom never met her maternal grandfather.  When she was a child, she was told he had already passed away.  She didn't learn the truth until later.

Family member name: Alfred Vernon Sullivan
Tree branch: Sullivan
Lifetime: 1897-1960
Relation: My great grandfather (my mom's mom's dad)

Later, she learned that he had abandoned his young family and was never seen again.  That's all I knew growing up, and I believe that's all my mom knew too.

When I began my family tree research, the paper trail told the truth about what happened to Alfred V. Sullivan.  He, in fact, was still living when my mom was young.

After marrying Martha Goesch around 1919/1920, they had three children in eight years.  However, by 1930, their family was in shambles because of him.  Martha had contracted syphilis from Alfred and was put in an institution.  Instead of caring for his children, Alfred abandoned them.  On the brink of the Great Depression, the three young kids were split up and sent to live with aunts and uncles who loved them.

Sullivan family circa 1924. Alfred, Betty (my grandma), Martha and Lois.

Where did Alfred go?

His whereabouts are a mystery for 12 years. He disappeared.  He does not show up in records until 1942.

1928 - His youngest child born in Nebraska
1930 - Has already abandoned the family
1942 - Working for the WPA in Sheldon, Texas
1948 - Alfred is listed in his mother's obituary as living in San Francisco.
1960 - Death record, San Francisco.

Was Alfred aware that he had four grandchildren? His grandchildren were not aware that they had a living grandfather.  My mom was 12 years old when he actually died.

Why was mom told he was dead? Did they know Alfred would never be a part of their lives?  Did they even want him in their lives? He was definitely the black sheep. But I wonder what is worse?  Should you tell a child their grandfather died or should you tell a child he abandoned her mom and perhaps she may keep wondering if he would ever come back?  I just don't know.

Don't touch the headstone

Yes, I love hunting through cemeteries for my relatives. (Shout out to my husband and mom who come with me and are amazing finders of headstones, which can be needles in haystacks.) Yes, I seek dead people.

This is a quick post with a helpful trick I have found for documenting headstones.

Gravestone rubbings are so 20th century. Some people consider this not only a way of preserving the information on a headstone, but of preserving the art of the actual headstone.  This was ok when every human didn't have a camera in their back pocket  Also, unfortunately, rubbing the stone may cause more deterioration.  Please let it be.

But there are drawbacks when using a camera to document the wording on a headstone.  Moss, weathering and bad lighting are not your friends.  For example, I took this picture of my 8th great grandmother's headstone that has been in Woodstock, CT for over 260 years.

Can read the words? Are you sure??  Argh! After traveling for hours, the last thing you want is for your pictures to be unclear.  So here's my trick.

1. Take the best picture you can.
2. Then take a video of the same headstone and of your voice while reading the words out loud.

Simple but effective. Watch this clip.

Then when I get home and I want to document the dates and wording, I'm not second guessing myself. So, just for the record:

"In memory of Mrs. Hannah Peake, ye wife of Mr. Jonathan Peake, Dec'd October 16, 1756, in ye 90th year of her age."

Family member name: Hannah Leavens Peake
Tree branch: Pearson
Lifetime: 1666-1756
Relation: My 8x great grandmother (my dad's dad's mom's mom's mom's mom's dad's dad's mom's mom)