Chronology: 1778 to 1952

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Our father and mother, being cousins, had to get a dispensation from the Bishop of Galveston for their marriage. Such dispensation having been duly obtained from Bishop Dubuis of Galveston, the Bishop himself did them the honor by coming over by boat from Galveston to Indianola to officiate in person at the Marriage Ceremony, as evidenced by reference to their Marriage Certificate. A copy of this marriage certificate taken from the records of the former Catholic Church of Indianola, Texas (which records are now in charge of the Parish priest of the Church at Lavaca, Texas) reads as follows:

CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE

Church of Our Lady of the Gulf, Port Lavaca.

This is to Certify that Daniel Sullivan and Annie Cotter were lawfully married on the 5th day of January, A.D. 1868, according to the Rite of the Roman Catholic Church and in conformity with the laws of the State of Texas. Rev. C. M. Dubuis, Bishop of Galveston, officiating, in the presence of John Boyd and William McClary, witnesses, as appears from the Marriage Register of Indianola Church, page 7.
Dated April 2, l932.

(signed) D. N. Buckley, Pastor

NOTE:
Indianola lost about 2000 of its inhabitants in the great storm of September 16th 1875, and again some 2000 in the 1886 storm which finally wiped out the town.

However, the Indianola Church records were saved and carried to Port Lavaca, Texas, and placed with the Custodian of the records of the Church of Our Lady of the Gulf at Port Lavaca, where they now are.

DANIEL SULLIVAN and ANNE COTTER SULLIVAN (our parents) had seven children: William, Eleanor, Annie, Daniel, John, Mary Elizabeth and Walter, whose histories are as follows:

1. William Cusack Sullivan. Born at Indianola, Calhoun County, Texas, September 29, 1868. Died at San Antonio, Texas, October 26, 1930. Unmarried. He attended school at Victoria, and then was a student at St. Mary's College, San Antonio, Texas, and at University of Pennsylvania's Pierce School of Business.

2. Eleanor Alice Sullivan. Born at Indianola, Texas, June 28, 1870. Died at San Antonio, Texas, April 21, 1931. She attended School at the Ursuline Convent, San Antonio and then at Notre Dame College, Maryland. Married James Robert Collins of Atlanta, Georgia, in March 1894. He died at Harlingen, Texas, in 1947 and is buried there.

Of this marriage there was but one child, Eleanor Sullivan Collins, born March 12, 1895 at Atlanta, Georgia and baptized at Catholic Church in Atlanta.

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