Genealogist & Family History Researcher - Dale Sullivan

My name is Dale Sullivan and this is my website.

This is me standing on Pero's Bridge in the middle of Bristol's Harbourside in the winter sun.

I have getting on for 30 years experience researching my own family history.  In addition, for the last 5 years I have been doing research for my father-in-law for his Sullivan and Stillie ancestors and for friends, I then decided to make this my full-time profession.

Prior to concentrating full time on family history research I was a Senior Buyer at a large engineering company.  My main brief was the purchase of  IT equipment and software but in addition to that I handled all manner of transactions for the company.

I started my research way back in the 1970's and it was a truly family affair, with myself, my mother, aunt and maternal grandmother all delving into our family's past.

For many years we concentrated purely on my maternal grandmother's tree, spending a week a year in the North East area.  I can still remember the stares we got back in the 70's, four women entering a pub without a man! .  We continued our trips until about 10 years ago when my grandmother became frailer and not able to travel as far.  Therefore, in the intervening time, we have had to rely on the internet, researchers and archivists in the area instead.

My own maternal line is one of miners (of various minerals), carpenters and the backbone of our farming history, the agricultural laborer.  None seem to have owned land, or been wealthy, so far, but there have been the occasional intrigues of illegitimacy, suicide and accidental death. 

With a first name of Dale and a maiden name of Taylour (where did that "u" come from?), it was only a matter of time before I wanted to know the source of both.

So my mother and I then looked into my father's ancestry, which has proved to be much more varied.  The Dale came from my father's grandmother Alice Dale who married a chap called Augustus Moseley Hills (Hills and Dale!).  The name has been given to a number of my relatives as a middle name, but, so far, I am the only one in the family to have it as a first name.

The "u" in Taylour was only entered into our surname in the early 20th Century, prior to that we were just plain "or".  My great grandfather John Hybart Taylor, pictured right, must have wanted to appear a little more distinguished, (after all the "our's" are landed gentry!).  If that wasn't enough, it also seems that around the same time the family briefly went double-barreled with the Hybart! We have yet to establish a reason for this.

My dad's side so far has thrown up a Sailing Master on the HMS Enterprise, well beam me up Scotty!  Lodging house keepers, inn keepers and Post Office workers.  Much more interesting.

As I said, I have been researching my husbands paternal line.  Sullivan (Roman Catholic Irish) and Stillie (Calvanist Scots), all new areas and denominations.