But HOW was she a cousin?
Helen’s mother (my great-grandmother Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh)
had married twice. So was Nell the
daughter of Mary Theresa’s brother or sister?
John Killeen’s brother or sister? John Walsh’s brother or sister?
Not knowing any siblings for either of the husbands, I
just started searching the obvious: Nell
Killeen. Nothing. Nell Walsh.
There was a Nell Walsh, right nearby in Portsmouth, Virginia, just
streets away from the Killeen-Walsh home on Charleston Avenue.
 |
| Cousin Nell about 1919 |
I gave myself several good pats on the back.
Then my Aunt Betty gave me an envelope of photos that had
belonged to Helen’s oldest sister Lillie Killeen. It turns out she and Cousin Nell had kept in
touch over the years, and Lillie had saved some of the letters. Nell had married Edward Francis Sullivan, and they lived in San Pedro, California. How ‘bout that!
Nell sent Lillie her granddaughter’s engagement
announcement in the paper. And that’s
when Nell’s genealogy came rolling out. Shoot! She wasn’t Nell Walsh afterall.
Heck, she wasn’t even NELL.
She was ELLEN Frances Glynn, daughter of John Joseph Glynn
and Mary Bridget Killeen who was sister to John Killeen, a.k.a. Husband #1.
Ellen “Nell” outlived all her Killeen cousins.
For Numerous Nice News and Notes, visit the A to Z April Challenge.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
That must make it so difficult when family names are used to find the proper registered name. We have an 'Aunt Fod' in our family but nobody remembers how she got that name or quite what her real name was.
ReplyDeleteNow "Fod" is an odd one. Nell doesn't really sound like a nickname.
DeleteI have an Aunt Cookie. As a kid, I always thought that was a strange name. It took me a few years to realize that it wasn't her real name. (It's Lillian.) :)
ReplyDeleteMy mom's good friend was Cookie, and her real name was Lucille. My sister knows some girls Cookie, Candy, and Taffy.
DeleteI just figured out who Aunt Toots was in my husband's family :-)
ReplyDeleteOh funny. Now, is the "oo" like in "boots" or like in "books"?
DeleteWhat an interesting theme!
ReplyDeleteA month of Blog...
Thanks for visiting!
DeleteYep, those nicknames can really throw one off the trail or in Nell/Ellen's case completely across the country. I had to draw a Tree Map to keep up with all those Cousin/Not Cousin/Nell/Not Nell twists and turns. After Mahulda, I bet you figured Nell was going to be a snap. I can hardly wait for your w'O'man.
ReplyDeleteMy Letter 'N'...Needle Nests
Sue CollectInTexasGal
AtoZ LoneStar Quilting Bee
Sorry for the spoiler, but "O" is rather a snooze. Be sure to come back for S and X though!
DeleteWow! A big thanks to Aunt Betty for giving you that envelope! Those pesky nicknames and name changes that we aren't aware of can certainly lead us down the wrong research path can't they?
ReplyDeleteMy great-grandfather decided to change his name from Watson Emory to Frederick Emory. I've wondered why he chose the name Frederick, but I may have figured it out. Is there a blog post coming about my hypothesis? Why yes...yes there is.
I'll be on the lookout for the mysterious Watson-turned-Frederick. Should be a goody!
DeleteI have Nell in my Danson family down three generations, where it was short for Ellen. I do like your alliterative final lines to your postings. I know some writers decry alliteration, but it always appeals to me and I like to come up with something appropriate where I can.
ReplyDeleteI have my own cousin Nell, but that's her name, not a nickname.
DeleteI like alliteration in small doses, and I do it just on A to Z to focus on the letter of the day.
WELL, I am shocked about cousin Nell!!! WOW.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know our cousin Nell is a real Nell. =)
Nell Yeah!
DeleteCan't you just hear those tongues wagging about this one? You must have a lot of fun discovering so many unexpected surprises in your research, Wendy.
ReplyDeleteSolving a mini-mystery is quite thrilling, I must admit. If I solve a BIG mystery, I'll probably have a heart attack.
Delete