Hi Matt
How intriguing! It certainly seems so close when there is a father of right name and occupation at 137 Pennington......that family is at 137 in the 1891 also, John is still a Carman and still the 2 children Catherine 5 and William 3- but also another child, John who listed between the other two. He is transcribed as age 15, but with a notation above it on the actual image, which I think could indicate months, weeks or days old.
I wonder if you are right about her being Catherine .....?
Have you seen this:
Births Mar Quarter 1888
SULLIVAN Elizabeth Katie St. Geo. East
Ref: 1c 406
Cheers
AMBLY
Hello again AMBLY
Yes I already have John (born c1889 I believe) as well as several other children born between 1892 and 1900.
I have not come across the Elizabeth Katie you mentioned though.
I know there is an Elizabeth Sullivan born to John and Mary Sullivan in c1887 (living at 5 Williams Place, Limehouse 1891-1901), and here is also an Elizabeth Sullivan born in St George in the East Workhouse to Sarah Sullivan (an unmarried woman - she was living with her parents at 71 Grove Street in 1881).
However the most interesting one I have found is Elizabeth Louisa Sullivan (born 12 April 1888 at 7 Gold Street, Prusom Street, London Docks, london) daughter of John Dennis Sullivan (who at the time was a Dock Labourer) and Elizabeth Jane Williams.
The thing about this family is that in 1881 Elizabeth Williams was living with her parents at 81 Old Gravel Lane. In 1890 [Florence] John Donovan was living with his parents Florence and Emma Donovan at 14 Meetinghouse Alley, Old Gravel Lane.
On the 1901 census John and Elizabeth Sullivan (as well as thier daughter Elizabeth L Sullivan) are living at 28 Meetinghouse Alley - practically doors away from my Donovans! From 1901 to 1907 the Donovans 4 Meetinghouse Buildings, Meetinghouse Alley, Old Gravel Lane. Furthermore in 1912 my great grandparents [Florence] John and Elizabeith were living at 12 Old Gravel Lane when their daughter Louisa Catherine Donovan was born. In fact [Florence] John and Elizabeth appear to be living at 12 Old Gravel Lane from c1912 right up to 1939 (details from Electoral Registers). Also [Florence] John Donovan's sister Emma Esther Rigluth (nee Donovan) was living at 89 Old Gravel Lane at the time. Her daughter Annie Elizabeth Rigluth (born 12 July 1914 at 89 Old Gravel Lane) was one of the witnesses at my grandfather's wedding in 1939 (she was his cousin).
The close proximety between the Sullivans at no 8 Meetinghouse Buildings, Meetinghouse Alley, and my Donovans at no 4 would seem to suggest this is my family however John's occupation is wrong and Elizabeth was born in this country (I have her birth certificate) not Ireland as my dad thinks (he seems to remember her having an Irish accent and calling his brother Patrick "Paddy") - however I've done a search for her in Ireland not found any Elizabeth Sullivans born in 1887 to a John.
Hope that made sense.
Matt
