Simon Sullivan, son of Jeremiah Sullivan and Bridget
Torpy, was born in Franklin County, New York on May 4, 1863. Jeremiah and Bridget were parents of five
children: Simon, Mary, Ellen and
Margaret. Thomas died as a small
boy. After the death of Bridget on
October 2, 1867, Simon became a foster child in a neighboring home where he
learned the caring of a dairy herd. He also helped with other farm work and received his schooling. When he became of age, he left New York
state for Chicago, Illinois where he was employed by the city streetcar
company. He was a driver on the horse-drawn
cars. After several years in Chicago,
he left for Randolph, Iowa where his uncle and aunt, Richard Torpy and Mary
Sullivan owned a farm. His sister,
Ellen, lived close by. She had
married George Workman. Simon married
Eliza Belle Longinaker at Randolph, Iowa on February 26, 1895 in the home of
her parents, David Longinaker and Mariah Roby. Belle was born at Winterset, Iowa on March 31, 1865 and came
with her parents to Randolph at an early age. After their marriage, Simon and Belle lived one year in Fremont
County, Iowa, then Pottawttamie County, living near Council Bluffs and
Oakland. There, Inez, Katherine,
Jerry, Harry and Robert were born. Harry died at the age of one. Simon, Belle and four children moved back to Fremont County where Alice
and Charles were born. They lived
there until 1913 when they came to Elgin and made their home on farms in Park
Center and the Star Community. In 1920
they moved into Elgin. Simon died May
17, 1948 and Belle on July 24, 1962. Inez
married Joe Meis; Jerry married Iva Scott; Robert married Helen Olmsted;
Alice married William Wirges; Charles married Colette Taylor.
Source Unknown: Originally submitted for this website in Mar 2008