Wednesday, April 17, 2019

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.



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