52 Ancestors - Week 4: Invite to Dinner

Week 4: Invite to Dinner

There are dozens of ancestors I’d like to invite to dinner, but the first invitation would go to my Grandma Sullivan, Mary Josephine Bednorz. I have so many questions.

Marie Josephine Sullivan aka Grandma Sullivan

I know a bit about her young life from census data, my own research, and research done by Aunt Winona, her daughter-in-law, but not from any stories she told me. She never lived in the past.

Mary Josephine Bednorz was born on October 30, 1893 in Waverly, Wright County, Minnesota. Aunt Winnie’s information notes she was baptized in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waverly. Her parents are listed as Andrew Bednorz and Frances Marketon. But I don’t have either her birth or baptism records to confirm this information. Drat!

Her parents, Andrew and Frances immigrated to the US from – well, it varies from census to census. Andrew is listed as from Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, or German Poland. Frances is listed from Poland, German Poland, Germany and Szczedrzyk, Opole, Poland. National boundaries changed frequently in this era which may be the cause for the confusion. Family lore says Grandma was Polish. Better documentation is needed to sort out where exactly Andrew and Frances are from. At any rate, they arrived in March 1886 and Andrew worked as a blacksmith and farmer his whole life. The family lived most of their lives in and around Marysville, Wright County, MN except for a stint as a farm hand in Cass, Buffalo County, North Dakota. (1900 Census).

Marie, as she liked to be called, is with her family in census records up to 1905 and then she goes missing until her first son, Lucius Arthur, is born in Minneapolis, MN on June 11, 1915. A couple of intriguing census records for 1910 have Mary or Josephine Bednorz entries, one as lodger in St. Paul, the other as servant in Buh, MN. But neither of these records can be offered as proof. Furthermore, though family lore says Marie married William Augustine Sullivan June 6, 1914, in Minneapolis, MN State records has no entry for this marriage. Another family story tells how Marie met William when she was working at the restaurant in the Golden Rule Department Store in Minneapolis. But again, no confirmation.

Marie Josephine Bednorz around 1910

So my first questions would be about her family – where they came from, why they came, what were they like? What was your life like growing up? And I would ask about the period of her life when she left the family and then met and married our grandfather.

I know they were in Minneapolis for the birth of their first two children, Lu and Edwin (b Apr 8, 1917) and then were transferred to Le Pas, Manitoba, Canada for at least 2 years, maybe as many as 4 or 5 years. Grandpa Sullivan was a lumber grader and salesman and traveled much of the time. The Midwest was just being cleared of first growth forests and timbering and lumber were large industries.

William Augustine Sullivan, 1930s

Just how did a boy raised in Marshfield, WI, become a lumberman and how did he get to Minneapolis to meet and marry Marie Bednorz?

According to Grandpa’s WWI Registration Card (dated Sept 20, 1918 and signed by the Police Magistrate of Le Pas), he was a lumber inspector for Finger Lumber Co. Strangely, he lists his mother as his next of kin and his permanent address as his parents’ home in Marshfield, WI.

Why, Grandma? Why not you, his wife?

Two daughters, Mary Catherine (b Feb 9, 1919) and Dorothy Gertrude (b Apr 12, 1920) were born in Le Pas.

What was life like living in Le Pas? Did Grandpa travel while you were living there? How did you manage 4 small children? What were your living accommodations?

When they returned to the States before the birth of their 3^rd daughter and 5^th child, Ann Elizabeth Whelan Cecelia (Jan 20, 1922), they moved to Oshkosh, WI.

1924, Oshkosh WI. Marie Sullivan with Lu, Eddie, Virginia and Sylvia

From that time on, the facts of their lives are pretty well known and traceable. More children – 6 in all – were added to the family until Marie and William A. divorced in 1936. The youngest child, Gerry, was only 6 months old when they separated. He says his Mom told him that “Arthur” as she called him was an alcoholic and drank all his earnings. Toots (eldest daughter, Mary Catherine’s nickname) thought the stresses of making ends meet during the Depression may have played a large role.

What happened, Grandma? Was Grandpa the scoundrel Gerry describes? Or simply a man overwhelmed? Or something in-between? How did you manage the stress of being Catholic and needing to get a divorce?

She met and lived with Al Chappa sometime after her divorce. She and her kids moved in with him on his farm in Redgranite for a time and then they all moved back to Oshkosh around 1943 when Grandma bought her house on 747 High Street in Oshkosh, having received an inheritance from her sister. I believe Al and Marie married in 1951 and divorced in 1954.

The 1951 City Directory for Oshkosh, WI, shows Mrs. Marie Chappa living at 747 High St with Albert Chappa of the same address. Marie is a presser for a dry cleaning company and Al is a blacksmith with Wisconsin Axle. I know Grandma had this job for many years, doing clothing repairs and alterations for the dry cleaners.

What are the stories here? I’m hoping Grandma would be willing to share them with me, although I expect she would wonder why I felt these things were important. I wrote about Marie’s life when I first started this blog in 2013, but my knowledge of this part of my ancestral family has not advanced since that time. I wish I knew more.

But this dinner is not just about grilling my Grandma for names, dates and places. I would also want to share back with her the ways her genes and her legacy have affected and to this day still influence my life.

First, I would thank her profusely for making me dresses and tell her that my all-time favorite dress was the pink princess seamed polished cotton dress with the lace and black velvet ribbon. 

Lynn and Nancy wearing our Grandma Sullivan pink polished cotton dresses

I would tell her how I learned to sew, sewed many of my high school and college outfits, and continue to sew – clothes for my grandchildren, quilts, and gifts. These are gifts of love to my family, just as those dresses were gifts of love from my Grandma.

I would tell her how special her house was to us – the magical carved doors to the front parlor, the great play space and reading nook that was the porch on High Street, the little pantry kitchen, spooky basement, and the claw-foot tub in the bathroom.

Grandma's house looking toward the front parlor . Grandma is second from left.

I would remind her that, like her, I love to play cards – sheepshead in particular. And that I loved that she allowed us to be kids in her house and regularly shooed us outside to explore the neighborhood around her house – the museum across the street, the river area, and even walks down toward campus. And that we never lost anyone or behaved badly because, if we did, we’d be tarred when we got back.

I would show her a photo of her great-great granddaughter who looks like me, who in turn looks like my Mom, who all look like Grandma Sullivan. 

I would tell her that, as I look back from my adult perspective, I was lucky to have such a strong and resilient woman role model in my life.

Marie Josephine Bednorz Sullivan, about 1955

Grandma, you raised and nurtured your own kids and your grandchildren as well. I am doing my best to pass on this legacy to my kids and grandkids. I thought you'd like to know.

Love you Grandma.