Eliza Ann (Schamp) Sullivan (1818 - 1889)

Born 27 Jan 1818 in Pleasant Run, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA

Ancestors

Wife of John Sullivan — married 30 Nov 1839 in New Jersey, United States

Descendants

Died 15 Jun 1889 at age 71 in Beeville, Bee County, Texas, USA

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Biography

Eliza Ann Schamp was born Jan 27 1818 in Pleasant Run, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. She was not the stereotype of a Dutch girl, but a short brunette. It's said her eyes were so black that the pupil couldn't be distinguished from the iris. It is unknown how she would have met John Sullivan since the Dutch did not socialize with the Irish.

She married John Sullivan at her home in Pleasant Run NJ, 30 NOV 1839. They moved to Quakertown where John, in partnership with his brother J. Chrys Sullivan had a store. In 1841 came the birth of their 1st child. They later moved to Hackettetown in Warren County NJ.

Many years later their daughter, Rachel would talk of her mother (Eliza) trousseau having nine silk dresses. Her wedding dress plus one for each day of the week and an extra. Rachel would talk of her father (John) having "fine materials" in his store. Velvets, silks, satins and ribbons so the Sullivan girls always dressed very well. The ledger for the store is in the possession of Laura Natalie Sullivan Phillips.

The climate became an issue for John. He had incipient tuberculosis. His brother Chrys had moved to in 1846 to Galveston Texas and opened a store so John decided to take his family there.

Eliza's father (that was not happy about the marriage anyway) prevailed in leaving one of the boys with him to help him in his old age. He decided on Joseph Ely Sullivan who was 7 years old at the time. He would only rejoin his family after the end of the Civil War.

John went ahead and Eliza, pregnant and with small children went by riverboat down the Ohio, then into the Mississippi until they reached New Orleans. There they boarded another boat that took them to Indianola, a busy port in the Matagorda Bay. They then traveled by a mail boat to Corpus Christi. The trip took 2 weeks, arriving in April 1854. On Dec. 4, 1858 John died. Two years later her brother-in-law (Chrys) died forcing her to close the store and find another way to make a living. She was not penniless, she was the heir to Chrys Sullivan's estate. She opened a boarding house.

In the fall of 1865 the boarding house was in full swing. A young stranger enjoyed an evening meal. At the end of the meal he told Eliza his was her son, Joe.

In 1866 she returned to Pleasant Run as she was named in her father's Will and she had thoughts of returning home for good. She received $1000. from her father's estate which included a letter stating the money was to be for Eliza only and "shall in no way at any time be under the control of her husband".

She died Jun 15 1889 in Beeville, Bee County, Texas.

She is buried in Old Cemetery on the Hill, San Patricio, San Patricio County, Texas. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 12 February 2021), memorial page for Eliza Ann Schamp Sullivan (27 Jan 1818–15 Jun 1889), Find A Grave: Memorial #17890389, citing Old Cemetery on the Hill, San Patricio, San Patricio County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Kelly & Connie Byrd (contributor 47428292) . Gravestone picture has maiden name spelled wrong as Schampe.

• The Forgotten Colony by Rachel Bluntzer Herbert

• Family research by Laura N. Sullivan Phillips, DAR, DRT, Registrar General and Arlene Sullivan Byrd

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of My Family File 8.ged on 05 December 2010.