[Granville-Hough] 8 Jan 2010 - The Single Mother

[Trustees for Granville W. Hough]

Date: Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:40:56 -0800
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: The Single Mother - 8 Jan 2010

LOUISA JANE ôOLD PUSSö SULLIVAN, GRANDMOTHER OF MINISTERS AND TEACHERS,
GEN 3.

Louisa Jane ôOld Pussö Sullivan (15 Nov 1853 Smith Co, MS - 15 Jan 1934,
bur Ed Sullivan Cem) should be famous
in the United States as the woman who was one hundred years ahead of her
time in establishing the single mother household. At least she was a
leader in Beat 3 of Smith County in this endeavor. For reasons not
explained to small children, she was known to people in the community as
ôOld Puss, ö though her relatives and friends must have known her name
was Louisa Jane. She had her own farm and generally hired some local
young man for the year to do her heavy work. As long as he worked to her
satisfaction, she shared her bed and board with him. At the end of a
year or two, when he had gathered in all the crops, she is said to have
worked with her brothers, Wild Bill and Neese to ôrun him off.ö This
went on for years and years until there were six children. Louisa never
claimed any were of virgin birth, and the community may have said lots
about it but no one seems to have filed any complaints. Some of the men
kept contact with their children and others did not. The community
accepted that they should all be called Sullivan, after their mother.
That much they were sure about. They attended school and church with
everyone else with no remembered prejudice. The six children were:

1. W. Taylor (5 May 1866 Smith Co, MS û murdered 16 Nov 1902 near
Saratoga, Simpson Co, MS) md Della Wood, and no records of children were
found.  Della must have remarried, but no record was found. Taylor may
have been a Veteran of the Spanish-American War.

2. Ellen ôToodieö (24 Oct 1871 MS - 6 Aug 1938, bur Sharon Cem) was
known to be a daughter of Jeptha
Cole, whose Cole children and grandchildren kept in contact with her. At
about age 14 she married Henderson Sullivan (24 Dec 1861 MS û 8 Jun
1934, bur Sharon Cem, Simpson Co, MS), son of Lod, and their ch were:
Willoughby A.; Ellia ôElö, Kiley; James ôJimö; Minnie; Louisa; Victoria
ôVickö; Henry Clay; Scrap; Lillian; Clemmie; and Chapman. Her family was
closely associated with Houghs (cousins) and Richardsons (neighbors).
The first five sons were Baptist ministers, but Kiley was mostly a
teacher. Chapman Sullivan, the last son, was a lifelong school teacher,
many years at Mize High School.  So the sons were all preachers and
teachers.

3. Narvel Richard ôDickö (24 Mar 1883 MS - 3 Mar 1962, bur Zion Hill) md
Lorah Elizabeth ôBettyö Sullivan
(25 Sep 1883 MS - 26 Dec 1967, bur Zion Hill) and their ch were: Anna M.
(md Hunon Gibson, classmate of Granville Hough); any others not known.

4. Sarah Ann (May 1887 MS - ) md Walter W. Dickerson (1898 MS - ), and
their DICKERSON ch were: Vera (unm); dau Freeman/Truman; Elnora; and
step-son Glen SULLIVAN (1911 MS), born before the marriage.

5. Effie J. (Feb 1890 - died unm). No children known.

6. Chester C. (10 Oct 1893 MS - 15 June 1966, bur Oak Grove) md Mamie G.
Harvey (1 May 1899 MS - 7 Jul 1973, bur Oak Grove), a cousin
and dau of Isaac F. ôBudö and Beatrice A. (Sullivan) Harvey, and their
ch were: Estelle (md schoolteacher W. L. "Dub" Richardson); Isaac Ray;
and Willie B. (dau).

Lineage is Louisa Jane Sullivan and various men;
Henderson ôHenceö Sullivan and Leah (Howell);
Thomas Sullivan, Sr, and Mary ôPollyö (Workman);

References for LJPussS, 14 Jan 2006:

Granville Hough recalls visits of Cole cousins who would stop and visit
Richardson and Hough relatives, then go by to see Aunt Toodie (Cole)
Sullivan.

Notes from Maxine Watts. Maxine remembered that Louisa Jane always had a
row of beautiful flowers near her simple home, but that her mother would
not allow her to visit. Another Sullivan man recalled that, when he was
a boy, he and several cronies were splashing about in a knee-deep
swimming hole in the creek of SullivanÆs Hollow when Louisa Jane
appeared on the bank with her shepherdÆs crook and startled them with
the question: ôHave you boys seed my sheep?ö to which the boys, ducking
down into the water to hide their nakedness, all replied: ôNo mam, we
ainÆt seed your sheep.ö Louisa Jane paused momentarily and said: ôI
guess you boys wish you donÆt never see my sheep,ö and departed.

P 124, 133, Ann R. Hammons, Wild Bill Sullivan, King of the Hollow, 1980

1860 Smith Co, MS Census, M653-591, p 342, with Henderson and Leah
Sullivan fam.

1870

1880

1900 Smith Co, MS, Beat 3, South of Base Line, p 84 B, Jane L. Sullivan
and ch Narvell, Sarah A., Effie J., and Chester C. Taylor and Ellen had
already departed.

1902. From: the Laurel Ledger, Laurel, Jones County, MS, Nov 22, 1902.
ôTaylor Sullivan, a member of the famous family of SullivanÆs Hollow,ö
was assassinated by unknown parties near Saratoga the early part of the
week. His head was shot almost off with a shotgun and an axe was used to
sever it almost from his body. Sullivan was armed, but his pistol was
found in his pocket.ö

1910 Smith Co, MS, Roll Sheet 14B, Louisa J. with Chester and Sarah.

1920

1930
----------------------------------------------
One of the much recalled anecdotes about Louisa Jane is that she met up
one day with her cousin, Thomas Franklin "Money Frank" Sullivan, and
they had a conversation about her son Narvel Richard "Dick" and his son
Peter Anderson Sullivan.  They happened to be born the same year, 1883.
       One or both the children may have been present, and Louisa Jane
suggested: "I'll bet that my Dick is bigger than your Peter." What may
have been just an innocent remark became a legend, with a different
meaning, of course.