The Names We Share

Recently I have been fleshing out my SULLIVAN/HUFERD family trees to print copies for the upcoming SULLIVAN Family Reunion. In doing so, I have been making some fun little discoveries, like the fact that my Grandpa SULLIVAN's 1st cousin, Margaret SULLIVAN, was married to a U.S. Representative. Pictured above: Portrait from the wedding of Margaret SULLIVAN and Neil LINEHAN, June 30, 1920 in Chicago, Illinois.   Pictured above: Neil J. LINEHAN Neil J. LINEHAN was elected as a Democrat to the 81st congress from 1949 to 1951, losing his reelection bid in 1950. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's third district. This district has been home to a significant Irish-American population for over 150 years. Numerous generations of my ancestors from different branches have lived in this district, including me. This district includes the Bridgeport neighborhood on the south side of Chicago.

The fact that my Great-Grandpa Blue was a Chicago Police Officer is one of those family history facts I feel like I've always known. When my Grandma Blue passed away and I was helping pack up the house, we found his retirement badge, physical evidence confirming to me it wasn't just a family story. As I began to dig deeper into my genealogy, I found his occupation listed a "policeman, city" on the 1950 U.S. census. Then I found his obituary, which listed that he had been a Chicago police officer for 20 years and retired in 1963. This means he began his career with the Chicago Police Department in about 1943. I also found him quoted and pictured in the "Surburbanite Economist - Beverly/Suburban Edition" issue from June 25, 1952 in a section called "Penny for Your Thoughts" where he discussed fishing. His occupation was listed as "city policeman" and his listed address matched what I had found for him in other records from around that time....