[Index]

Mary SULLIVAN (1828 - 1911)

Children	Self + Spouses	Parents	Grandparents	Greatgrandparents
Mary Ann REARDON (1852 - 1921) John REARDON (1854 - 1875) Elizabeth REARDON (1856 - 1934) Jane REARDON (1857 - ) Patrick REARDON (1859 - 1923) Thomas REARDON (1861 - 1928) Helen (Ellen) REARDON (1863 - 1885) Denis REARDON (1865 - 1945) Martha REARDON (1867 - 1943) Edward Peter REARDON (1870 - 1888) Alice REARDON (1873 - 1911)	Mary SULLIVAN (1828 - 1911) + John REARDON (1821 - 1899)

b. abt 1828 at Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland

m. 01 Nov 1851 John REARDON (1821 - 1899) at Tumut, New South Wales, Australia

d. 14 Dec 1911 at Tumut, New South Wales, Australia aged 83

Near Relatives of Mary SULLIVAN (1828 - 1911)
Relationship	Person	Born	Birth Place	Died	Death Place	Age
Self	Mary SULLIVAN	abt 1828	Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland	14 Dec 1911	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	83
Husband	John REARDON	abt 1821	Kanturk, Cork, Ireland	Feb 1899	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	78
Daughter	Mary Ann REARDON	17 Aug 1852	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	22 Jul 1921	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	68
Son	John REARDON	1854	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	Apr 1875	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	21
Daughter	Elizabeth REARDON	07 Apr 1856	Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia	17 Dec 1934	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	78
Daughter	Jane REARDON	1857	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Son	Patrick REARDON	1859	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1923	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	64
Son	Thomas REARDON	1861	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1928	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	67
Daughter	Helen (Ellen) REARDON	1863	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	Oct 1885	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	22
Son	Denis REARDON	1865	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1945	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	80
Daughter	Martha REARDON	24 May 1867	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	14 Feb 1943	Kingsford, New South Wales, Australia	75
Son	Edward Peter REARDON	1870	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	May 1888	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	18
Daughter	Alice REARDON	1873	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1911	Adelaide, SA, Australia	38
Son in Law	John SHAW	1846	Gundaroo, New South Wales, Australia	1925	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	79
Son in Law	James JEFFERY	08 Jan 1850	Tarcutta, New South Wales, Australia	29 Nov 1932	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	82
Son in Law	Patrick Hanley 'Andrew' MCGLINN	12 Feb 1875	Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia	11 Sep 1942	Newtown, New South Wales, Australia	67
Son in Law	John MCPHERSON
Granddaughter	Sarah Anne SHAW	09 Oct 1882	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia	30 Aug 1962	Nangus, New South Wales, Australia	79

Events in Mary SULLIVAN (1828 - 1911)'s life
Date	Age	Event	Place	Notes	Src
abt 1828		Mary SULLIVAN was born	Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland		69
01 Nov 1851	23	Married John REARDON (aged 30)	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69
17 Aug 1852	24	Birth of daughter Mary Ann REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69
1854	26	Birth of son John REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69
07 Apr 1856	28	Birth of daughter Elizabeth REARDON	Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia		76
1857	29	Birth of daughter Jane REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
1859	31	Birth of son Patrick REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
1861	33	Birth of son Thomas REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
1863	35	Birth of daughter Helen (Ellen) REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
1865	37	Birth of son Denis REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
24 May 1867	39	Birth of daughter Martha REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
1870	42	Birth of son Edward Peter REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
1873	45	Birth of daughter Alice REARDON	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Apr 1875	47	Death of son John REARDON (aged 21)	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69
Oct 1885	57	Death of daughter Helen (Ellen) REARDON (aged 22)	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69
May 1888	60	Death of son Edward Peter REARDON (aged 18)	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69
Feb 1899	71	Death of husband John REARDON (aged 78)	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69
1911	83	Death of daughter Alice REARDON (aged 38)	Adelaide, SA, Australia
14 Dec 1911	83	Mary SULLIVAN died	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		69

Source References:

69. Type: Book, Abbr: Relict of, Title: Relict of … Lives of Pioneering Women of Tumut and District, Auth: Tumut Family History Group, Publ: Tumut Family History Group, Date: 2001

- Reference = pages 99 - 101 (Name, Notes)

- Notes: MARY REARDON nee Sullivan by Val Wilkinson During the third week of October 1849, Mary Sullivan made the journey from her birth place in Ennis, County Clare, lreland to the Government Emigrant Depot at Plymouth in England. Along with 215 other Irish assisted emigrants, she awaited embarkation on the 'Thomas Arbuthnot', a government emigrant ship bound for Sydney. The term 'Irish Orphan Girl' was applied to many young females brought to Australia by the Government in an effort to relieve their suffering in Ireland and to address the need for more young females in the Colony. Girls from overcrowded workhouses were selected although in many cases they still had a parent living. Mary was one of 194 girls on the 'Thomas Arbuthnot' selected under such a scheme. Mary was born about 1832 to Matthew and Mary Sullivan and had become an inmate of the Ennis Workhouse during the dark famine years - her father dead but her mother still living in Ennis at the time of her departure. As Mary Sullivan and her thirty-nine companions set out from the Ennis workhouse, they took with them a sea chest of new clothes and other necessary items to see them through to their arrival in Sydney. The excited anticipation of their forth-coming journey would have been touched with sadness as they left behind brothers and sisters, relatives, perhaps destitute parents, and all that was familiar. At last, on Sunday 28 October 1849, the 'Thomas Arbuthnot' weighed anchor and the journey began. A few days earlier, the ship's Surgeon, Dr Charles Strutt, examined ihe passengers and declared them all "a decent set of girls". One wonders whether Mary had any inclination then of the role Dr Strutt was to play in her future. At last, after an uneventful passage, the ship arrived at Sydney Cove on Monday 4 February, but it was to be Friday before the girls were landed and walked up to the Immigrant Depot. Dr. Strutt was extremely concerned about the fate of these young girls and when there was talk of sending them on to Yass, he volunteered to go with them to ensure they were well settled with their prospective employers. On Tuesday 19 February 1850, Mary set out from Parramatta with 107 other girls accompanied by Dr Strutt, in a cavalcade of 14 horse-drawn drays. What started as an adventure must have surely become tedious as the weary miles passed in the heat and dust of the fading summer. At last Yass was reached on 2 March, where a few weeks were spent in resting as numbers of the girls were hired by respectable gentlemen from the surrounding district. Exactly a month after leaving Sydney, Mary once again stowed her trunk onto one of the drays and with the remaining 44 girls, headed further south to Gundagai. What a relief that this journey was only of a few days duration. Mary was probably one of the 12 girls Dr Strutt mentioned in his diary as being engaged on Friday 22 March. As Mary embarked on the last stage of her epic journey, we can only speculate on her feelings as she waved good-bye to her companions of the last five months. She was one of a number of girls employed in the Tumut district, so perhaps they travelled together for the last time, saying a tearful farewell as each turned off the road to her new home. Mary was employed by Mr George Shelley as a nursemaid for a period of 12 months. The Shelley family lived at Tumut Plains House on the Goobragandra River, some seven kilometres from the fledgling township of Tumut. Mary's duties would have included looking after the six young Shelley children, and assisting with the new baby born in 1850. Margaret Bradshaw, another of the 'Thomas Arbuthnot' girls, was also employed by George Shelley, so at least Mary had the comfort of a familiar face and voice as she began her new life in Australia. Before Dr. Strutt departed the Murrumbidgee for his return to Sydney, he undertook a tour of the district visiting all the employers' residences to ensure all "his girls" were well situated. On Wednesday 10 April Dr Strutt called upon the Shelley's at Tumut Plains House, seeing Mary and Margaret for one last time and perhaps wishing them every happiness for their future. Mary Sullivan was engaged for a term of 12 months, but whether she remained with the Shelleys beyond this period or set off to find her own situation is not known. Possibly she found employment in the young township of Tumut, at Mill Angle on the banks of the Tumut River where she had more opportunity to meet with the young people of the district. We do not know under what circumstances Mary met John Reardon, but romance blossomed, and on Saturday 1 November 1851, Mary Sullivan and John Reardon were married at Tumut by the priest from Yass, Fr Patrick Magennis. John had land at Gilmore so the couple settled there soon after their marriage. Mary gave birth to eleven children overthe next 22 years, all of whom survived to adulthood - surely a credit to her capability and skill in an era when infant deaths were common. The first child, Mary Ann, was born in 1852, then John, Elizabeth, Jane, Patrick, Thomas, Helen (Ellen), Denis, Martha, Edward and Alice followed at regular intervals. ln November 1870, Mary was faced with the dread of all farm-dwelling families. Whilst bringing in a cow their young child was bitten on the foot by a snake. It would have been Mary who held the child tightly in her arms as John cut away the bitten part of the foot, then again later when the doctor further scarified the bitten part and applied ammonia. While the incident ended happily with the full recovery of the child, it is not stated which child it was - possibly Denis or Martha. Mary's first tragedy was the death in April 1875 of her eldest son, John, at the age of 21 years after he had suffered for almost 12 months from phthisis (consumption). Ten years later Mary tenderly nursed her daughter, Ellen, for some 12 months before she died, also from phthisis, in October 1885 aged 22 years. In August 1887 Mary must have listened with a sinking heart as her youngest son, Edward Peter, began the dreaded coughing which heralded another case of consumption. Dr Mason was again called in, but all his skill and Mary's patient nursing could only relieve the symptoms until Edward passed away in May 1888 just 17 years old. Mary's three surviving sons, Patrick, Thomas and Denis did not marry, nor did her daughter, Jane. However, the other four daughters found life partners - Mary Ann married John Shaw, Elizabeth married James Jeffery, Martha married Hanley McGlynn and Alice married John McPherson. After working their farm at Gilmore for many years, old age demanded John and Mary should give up active work and leave running the farm to their sons. ln the early 1880's a neat cottage was built in Simpson Street for them to live their last years together in town. The weather-board cottage was surrounded by a neat garden with a beautiful show of colour from the summer flowers. A picket fence bordered the street, with a path leading to the front door. Mary had long been known for her midwifery and nursing skills, so the cottage in Simpson Street became a lying-in home for expectant mothers, and many a baby was safely delivered by Mary's skilful hands. Mary was always available for her own grandchildren's births and her pride can be imagined as each child came into the world. Mary lost her life's partner when John Reardon died in February 1899. His obituary notes him as an honest and industrious citizen, who had lived in the district for over 50 years. ln her last years Mary was lovingly nursed by her daughter, Jane, in her old cottage in Simpson Street. Mary died peacefully on 14 December 1911 over 60 years after she had left her lrish home. She was laid to rest in the old Tumut Cemetery beside her husband, and the three children who pre-deceased her. Nearby are several of her grandchildren who had fallen victim to childhood diseases so fatal in those times. ln the obituary printed in the Tumut and Adelong Times, it is mentioned Mary lost two brothers on the ship Dunbar which was wrecked off Sydney Heads in 1857. Research has shown there were no Sullivan brothers as passengers or crew on the ship, but it is possible her brothers came on another ship which was subsequently wrecked. Unfortunately it has not been possible to find any further details. Mary Sullivan arrived in Tumut as a "poor lrish orphan girl" but through her determination and toil successfully raised her family while assisting her husband to ??? [suddenly ends]

- Reference = pages 99 - 101 (Birth)

- Reference = pages 99 - 101 (Death)

- Reference = pages 99 - 101 (Marriage)

76. Type: Web Page, Abbr: Find a Grave, Title: Find A Grave, Locn: https://www.findagrave.com/

- Reference = https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199372604/mary-reardon (Name, Notes)

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