10/29/13
Near the anniversary of Gertrude (Walters) Sullivan’s death 10/20 (1973), Mary Jane (Sullivan) Mescall rediscovered forty years later a letter in a chest drawer—a response to a note Janie had written informing the writer of mom’s death. Fortunately the writer, Madeleine Frye Sharpe, included a great deal of information about her family, and this became, for our generation, the first link with our great uncle John Sullivan, brother of our grandfather James. Apparently dad, William J. Sullivan, had kept up correspondence for years with his cousins, the descendants of his uncle John, but somehow the connection with that whole side of the family, John and his descendants, had become so lost to us, the children of William J., that we (my siblings and I) were totally flabbergasted to learn when discovering great grandfather Daniel Sullivan’s 1861 will, that our grandfather James had a brother, John.
Janie’s rediscovery therefore is an extraordinary find, a vital link, the first we have with the descendants of John Sullivan. The writer, Madeleine, is the second youngest of seven daughters of Margaret (Sullivan) Frye (sometimes listed in Canadian census records as Margarite). Margaret is the second oldest of 7-8 children born to John Sullivan and Johanna (Hanna). So we have information now about one of John and Hanna’s 7-8 children. In her letter, to be transcribed for the record, she gives information about her siblings.
The hope is that the descendants of these two branches of the family, John and Hanna, and James and Sarah, who shared farms side by side near Dunnville, Ontario, will be able to reconnect at some point and share more information about their shared past, possibly even information about the exodus from Ireland c. 1847 or 1848.
Vibraharp
What follows is a transcription of the note Janie discovered:
Dear Janie,
Your letter was so friendly I’m sure you won’t mind my using your first name. Excuse my tardiness in answering but have just recently returned from an out-of-town vacation. I was very sorry to hear that you had lost your mother last October. In her “1972” Christmas note she said “we must continue to keep in touch even though your dad had passed on.” He always had written the Christmas letter to me and was so proud of his family, God bless him! What wonderful memories you must have of them both.
About our relationship! My mother, Margaret Sullivan Frye and your dad were first cousins. Their fathers were brothers and lived on adjacent farms in Dunnville, Ontario, Canada. That made your dad and I second cousins so I guess we would be third cousins if that is the way such things are figured. I am beginning to confuse myself. Ha! In any event I’ll repeat, your dad and my mother were first cousins and you can take it from there.
I was the second youngest of seven sisters and the only one living. I lost my wonderful husband in November of 1949 and never remarried. We had no children. I sold our home, (which was built in “1941”) in the fall of “1972” and moved into an apartment. We were married in Buffalo in “1927” and sold our home in Snyder New York when he was transferred to Rome with the General Cable Corporation in “1936”. My six sisters were:
Alice Frye Sherman (oldest-died 9/24/1966)
Loretta Frye (died in infancy-4 yrs.)
Margaret Frye Manning (died April 5, 1970)
Catherine Frye Cassidy (died June 23, 1960)
Josephine Frye Ronda (April 21, 1967)
Agnes Frye Reimer (died September 6, 1969)
Alice had two sons, Arthur and Raymond. They are both married. Art lives in Buffalo and has a son single and married daughter with three lovely boy children. Raymond (nickname Buddy) lives in East Aurora with his wife and three children-one son and two daughters.
Margaret had four daughters-Catherine Madeleine (my namesake), Margaret Louise and Eileen. Their dad is also dead. They are all married. Catherine passed away in “1972”. Madeleine has a son (married) and a daughter who will enter college next fall. Margaret Louise has two sons age ten and eleven and Eileen like her Aunt Madeleine (me) is childless. All lovely girls and just like daughters to me. I would be lost without them! Madeleine’s married name is Mrs. Robert E. Fischer and she and her family live in Eggertsville. Margaret Louise is Mrs. H. Merton Smith and they live in Williamsville and Eileen is Mrs. Russell G. Manz and her home is in the town of Tonawanda. Wow! My hand is getting tired. Maybe you will be wishing you hadn’t asked me about my relationship to your family. At least you will get a break soon ’cause I’m running out of space.
Am enclosing several old snapshots which you may or may not have. Please keep them if you wish to. I used to spend teen-age vacations with my bachelor Uncle Jim Sullivan (my mother’s brother). That is when I got to know your dad’s family so well.
Well Janie dear, this certainly isn’t the neatest letter I have ever written. Had I known starting out that I was going to ramble on at such great length I would have set up my typewriter. That would have at least kept my margins straighter and words more legible. Oh well, I’m too lazy to start over again!
Your family of seven sounds wonderful and in these days of planned parenthood it was a joy to hear about them. You and your husband Terry are truly blessed! Maybe I’m old fashioned but I have always loved large families.
As for me, my hobbies are reading, golf and bridge for the most part. Used to swim, play tennis and skate but am not all that ambitious anymore.
Hope all of the foregoing will be of some interest to you. Would love hearing from you again.
Very sincerely and fondly,
Madeleine Frye Sharpe
140 West Linden Street
Rome, New York
February 26, 1974
P.S. After all of the foregoing how can I possibly have a “P.S.” to add? Notice that I forgot to mention that my sister Kathryn Frye Cassidy had two children-a daughter Lucille (Mrs. J. E. Connelly) who resides in Baltimore, Maryland. She has two married sons and a married daughter. She also has a son William E. Cassidy who is a bachelor living in East Aurora, New York.
By some strange coincidence and God’s will we three younger sisters-Josephine, myself and Babe (Agnes Frye Reimer)never conceived.
Best wishes to all!