SILLIVAN FAMILY HISTORY

This is a picture of Frances Jane (Finley) Sillivan and Manoah Hardin Sillivan, third of six children of Benjamin L. Sillivan and Eliza (Gentry) Sillivan. Large Version of Picture --------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to Char Yoeder in Lebanon, Oregon for the old Sillivan pictures--this one and the family gathering picture below. She is in the possession of the copies used. I remember them as copies. Photo restoration by ancestor-rescue.com

ORIGINS OF THE SILLIVAN FAMILY NAME While reading a while back about the Norman conquest of 1155 and the occupation of Ireland I learned that most common names thought to be of Irish origin are really early Norman (French) names. Such as Sullivan, Sillivan, Reily and etc. I had always been told that the original family name was Sullivan and that it was changed to Sillivan in a dispute with the Catholic Church some time back in Northern Ireland. Based on this rumor, my uncles Elmer, Jack, and Jim ( the youngest three ) all changed their names to Sullivan while my mother uncle Bud and aunt Mable all stayed with the Sillivan spelling. This confused a lot of people as to which of my cousins were related to each other, Probably confused my cousins too. But as it turns out they were Sillivans from the beginning and it was only a rumor and not a fact. Sillivan is a French name. --Bob Hoyt 1-2-2000

Benjamin L. Sillivan was born Aug. 8, 1786 (or 96) in Stokes County, North Carolina [per familysearch.org]. He married Eliza Gentry in 1825 when he was 39 and she was 25. [Betsy Skalland of Rocklin, CA LyzaBets@aol.com has the old documents such as Richard Gentry's (1700s?) will and court summons, Benjamin Sillivan & Eliza Gentry's marriage license (need copy for this website)]

Eliza Gentry was born September 20, 1800 at Huens Creek, Stokes County, North Carolina to Richard Gentry IV (b. Apr. 30, 1773 in Virginia) and Rebecca Lindsay BARNETT (m. Apr. 19, 1788 in Lousie County, Virginia).

Benjamin and Eliza had six children: Ira J., Edwin, Manoah, Frances Ann, Susan Rebecca, and Martha Poland Sillivan. They moved to Monroe County, Indiana before Susan was born in 1838. Just before he died on June 1, 1843 at Indian Creek, Benjamin made out a will. [In his will he mentions children not on record]

Manoah Hardin Sillivan (pictured at top of page) was born on Sept. 11, 1831 in Raleigh, North Carolina the third child of Benjamin L. Sillivan and Eliza Gentry. He married Frances Jane Finley on Apr. 6, 1854 when he was 22 and she was 21. [married Alice Neill, mother of Stella Neill on Apr. 5, 1854?]

Frances Jane Finley (pictured at top of page) was born on Feb. 7, 1833 in Harrodsburg, Monroe County, Indiana. She died on June 28, 1897 and was buried in Sargent, Custer County, Nebraska.

Manoah died on Nov. 8, 1908 in Spokane, Washington while on a trip. He was carried back to Nebraska and buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery Sargent. [Manoah spelling per graveyard records/gravestone - see: http://www.rootsweb.com/~necuster/cmterys/mthope.html]

The Sillivan Family - Sargent, Nebraska -- Assumed to be 1888 per ages of children. Large Annotated Version of Picture

Everett Fredrick Sillivan Born Nov. 21, 1880 in Seward County, Nebraska the oldest son of Thomas and Charlotte Sillivan. * Everett married Martha Omilia (Mattie or Minnie) Watson on Nov. 30, 1902 in St. Paul, Nebraska. Present were A. E. Watson, M.D. Smith - County Judge and Mrs. Bertha Watson. He was 22 and she 17.

Martha Watson was born on 14 Oct 1885 in Grenola, Kansas. She died on December 4, 1937 in Torrington, Wyoming.

Everett farmed in Nebraska for a while earlier in his life then became a Teamster in South Dakota where he dealt with the Indians of that region.

Everett and Martha had six children: Edna (below) Clarence (Bud) Mabel Albert (Elmer) Lester (Jack) James (Jim).
The children are pictured here with their father, Everett. Then a picture of Mabel when younter.

Sillivan Children - The oldest is Edna (born 1903) and then Clarence Lloyd (Bud - born 1905) the oldest boy.

It is unsure exactly who the others are. It could be Mabel (born 1907) in the center. But the two younger look like the same age. One of them could be Albert (Elmer - born 1909). But the other has to be a cousin (as could be the youngest three). Anyone have any other thoughts here? ~Randy

Later, Everett owned and operated a restaurant in Torrington, Wyoming called The Club Cafe (Pictured here with Mattie and Everett on the right) He sold the restaurant after the death of his wife . Everett died on 6 July 1939 in St. Paul, Nebraska. of Angina Tectaris and was buried in Torington beside his wife, Martha.

Edna Mae Sillivan

Born July 12, 1903 in Ord, Nebraska the oldest child of Everett and Martha Sillivan.

Edna married Frank Livingston Hoyt on June 12, 1925 in Bayard, Morrill County, Nebraska.

She was 21 and he was 26.

Following her graduation from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nebraska, she was a schoolteacher in a one-room rural school in the Bohemian Hills of Western Nebraska.

She rode a big black mule (one or Frank's) to school every day because he has long legs and would not get stuck in the high Nebraska snowdrifts. After about a year the mule almost ran into a closed gate that was usually kept open. That night Edna remarked to Frank that she didn't think Old Shine could see that well anymore. He laughed and said that Old Shine was born blind some 20 years ago!

There was a German-Russian immigrant farmer who had a big son in Edna's school and he was a bully and generally a trouble-maker so his farther told Edna to let him know if the boy misbehaved in school and he would "severely beat him with a string." Well, the boy remained in his defiant ways and even threatened Edna, so one day she came up behind him when he was in his seat and lassoed him, promptly got-tied him to his seat then spanked him with a yard stick. From that time on, he was a model student and even cried when she stopped teaching at the school.

Edna was a life-long Baptist and a long-time member of the Rebecca Lodge. She was also very active in the American Legion Auxiliary and did volunteer work at the Livermore Veterans Hosp. She was especially helpful to those veteran's who had lost both arms and both legs (the basket ward). She also did volunteer work at Tracy Community Hospital for many years and served as the president of the Hospital Auxiliary. Though the American Legion, she was the chairwoman of the committee to choose the Girls State Representative. She was also active in various other organizations and she was generally liked and respected in the Community.

Edna died on Dec. 7, 1970 in Tracy, California at the age of 67. Frank remarried Drucilla Patrick on Aug. 4, 1971. Frank died on Oct. 11, 1986, at the age of 88, in Tracy. where they are all buried.

Edna and Frank had three children: Carol Jean and Bobby Frank Hoyt. Bobby's twin sister, Betty, died when only 11 months old.