My primary sources for all known details about Patrick Sullivan and his wife Mary are the 1861 and 1871 Censuses. Interestingly, Census information can cause as much confusion as it provides clarity. Information can be mis-spelled, mis-heard, scribbled illegibly, or the document can be so badly damaged due to the ravages of time that little useful information is available from it. The information required at the time was so much less than we would like to find now. One of my problems is that information from one census contradicts another census, and parish records contradict each other and the censuses! Most notably, I refer to the spelling of my great, great grandmother's surname, Mary Keeley. She has been named as Keeley, Kelleher, Kelliher, Gallagher, Keeliher and Geelor to name a few!

In 1824, somewhere in County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, a boy was born to one of many Mr. and Mrs. Sullivans. The father was possiby called Timothy, and the mother Elizabeth*, although this will probably never be known for sure. Some five or six years later, a girl was born in the same county, to a Mr. and Mrs. Keeley (or one of the numerous variations mentioned!). We can guess at their early circumstances, and their religious involvement in the Catholic Church, but what I can say is that by the time he was adult, Patrick could write, (at least his own name), but Mary could not. By 1850, they had met, courted and married, moved from Cork to Waterford, and were about to have their first child. How much their movements were influenced by family considerations, or by the effects of the Famine, or work, or aspirations, I can only guess, but whatever caused them to be in Waterford did not stop them from having their second child while they were there. In 1852, Elizabeth was born.

The next documented event in their lives is the birth of their third child, Patrick in Hulme, Manchester in 1854. Obviously their emigration from Ireland to England occurred after Elizabeth's birth, and before Patrick's. It is likely therefore that they crossed the water in 1853. By the Census of 1861, Patrick and Mary, and Timothy, Elizabeth and young Patrick had two more sisters, Mary Ann, born in 1857, and Catherine, born in 1860. Patrick was working as a journeyman Shoemaker, Mary as a Power Loom Weaver, Timothy, at the tender age of ten was working 'at a ropery' Elizabeth, at 9 was at school, as was young Patrick.

Address	Name	Rel. to Head	Condition	Age	Sex	Occupation	Born
74 Stott Street	Patrick Sullivan	Head	Married	37	Male	Journeyman Shoemaker	Cork
ditto	Mary Sullivan	Wife	Married	32	Female	Power Loom Weaver	Cork
ditto	Timothy Sullivan	Son	Unmarried	10	Male	At a Ropery	Waterford
ditto	Elizabeth Sullivan	Daughter	Unmarried	9	Female	Scholar	Waterford
ditto	Patrick Sullivan	Son	Unmarried	7	Male	Scholar	Lancs. Manchester
ditto	Mary Ann Sullivan	Daughter	Unmarried	5	Female	-	Lancs. Manchester
ditto	Catherine Sullivan	Daughter	Unmarried	8 months	Female	-	Lancs. Manchester

Address	Name	Rel. to Head	Condition	Age	Sex	Occupation	Born
2 Rice Court	Patrick Sullivan	Head	Married	44	Male	Shoe Maker	Cork
ditto	Mary Sullivan	Wife	Married	40	Female	Power Loom Weaver	Cork
ditto	Timothy Sullivan	Son	Unmarried	21	Male	Dyer	Waterford
ditto	Elizabeth Sullivan	Daughter	Unmarried	19	Female	?????? Maker	Waterford
ditto	Patrick Sullivan	Son	Unmarried	17	Male	Cloth Mill	Lancs. Manchester
ditto	Mary Ann Sullivan	Daughter	Unmarried	14	Female	Card Room	Lancs. Manchester
ditto	Catherine	Daughter	Unmarried	11	Female	-	Lancs. Manchester
ditto	John Cornelius	Son	Unmarried	4	Male	-	Lancs. Manchester
ditto	????? Hooley	lodger	???	-	-	-	Ireland

As can be seen, the information is not entirely consistent. In 1861, Patrick was 37 years old. 10 years later, in 1871, he is shown as being 44! Obviously this can be cleared up by reference to other sources, such as Parish Records, or Birth/Death Certificates, if they exist or can be found. In this case, the first reference (1861 Census) is correct. Patrick eventually died in 1882 at the age of 58, according to his death certificate.

I have copied the following details from the original St. Wilfred's R.C. Baptismal Registers which are kept at the Lancashire Record Office in Preston, North West England. I have no knowledge of Latin, and I hope my copying has been accurate. I am sure of the dates.

Die 14 Februarii 1856 nata et die 24 Februarii 1856 baptizata est

MARIA HONORA SULLIVAN filia PATRICII et MARIA SULLIVAN (Olim Gulohar?) conjugum:

a me LAWRENTIO CANONICA TOOLE

Patrinus fuit GUL. STUART Matrina fuit CATHARINA HAUCK

Address: 54 Stott Street

Die 26 Julii 1860 nata et die 5 Augustii 1860 baptizata est

CATHARINA TERESA SULLIVAN filia PATRICII et MARIA SULLIVAN (Olim Geelor) conjugum

a me THOMA BILLINGTON

Patrinus fuit JOANNES BURKE Matrina fuit MARIA DALTON

Address: 2 Rice Court, Lord Street

Die 15 Februarii 1867 nata et die 24 Februarii 1867 baptizata est

JOANNES CORNELIUS SULLIVAN filia PATRICII et MARIA SULLIVAN (Olim Keeliher) conjugum

a me LAWRENTIO CANONICA TOOLE

Patrinus fuit GULIELMUS MARA Matrina fuit CATHARINA MARA

When Born	When Baptised	Person Baptised	Father	Mother	Godfather	Godmother	Minister
Dec. 4 1854	Dec. 10 1854	Marianne Power	Michael	JOHANNA SULLIVAN	CORNELIUS SULLIVAN	CATHERINE MORRIS	W. Dunderdale.

Die 5 Augustii 1853 et die 24 Februarii 1856 baptizata est

CATHARINA SULLIVAN filia MICHAELIS et MARGARET SULLIVAN (Olim CRANE) conjugum:

a me LAWRENTIO CANONICA TOOLE

I failed to copy details of the godparents, not noticing a possible connection.