Thursday, October 5, 2017

V.L. Sullivan

I was able to find a lot about my actual roots the past few months. My biological mother's name is Ruby Mae Halfacre, and I have that on very good authority. For the source of my information was a friend of Ruby's and was actually there in the hospital at the time of my birth. The identity of my biological father is still a little iffy, but I am 99% sure that it is V.L. Sullivan. It will be about another year before Arkansas is ready to release original birth certificates.

Ruby Mae Halfacre was born on November 15, 1928 in Swifton, Arkansas, which is a small town a few miles from Newport in Jackson County. She physically died on April 28, 1980 in Newport. It is rather interesting to me that she died on Sam (my first wife) and I's third wedding anniversary and a little less than a month before our oldest daughter's (Vicki) second birthday.

Ruby's father was also born in Arkansas on November 24, which is the day I was born on. Although, her father was born in 1878 while I was born in 1957. He physically died on October 23, 1936 in Jackson County, Arkansas (a day after my adoptive mom's 10th birthday).

Ironically, Ruby married Howard Halfacre, who must have been a cousin (at least I really hope). They had several children together, and then he physically died in 1950. So, he could not be my biological father.

Sometime between 1950 and 1955, Ruby and V.L. Sullivan hooked up. For they had a son by the name of Jimmy in 1955. If they were ever married, she did not take his last name, and they stayed together until her death in 1980.

V.L. was born on March 8, 1914. I failed to find where. He physically died on November 29, 1989 and is buried next to Ruby in Auverge a few miles outside of Newport.

I failed to find a bunch of things about V.L.—including even what V.L. Stands for. I hope to get in touch with my supposed older brother someday to fill in the blanks about both of our biological parents. I know that he drove a school bus in the Newport district for many years, but I have not been able to find a good telephone number for him so far. Going down there is completely out of the question with Arlynda and I being in such poor physical health.

Since Jimmy was merely two years-old at the time of my birth, He probably has no idea that I exist. Subsequently, he would not have any idea why they did not keep me, but it seems fairly clear to me. For V.L. would have been 43 at the time of my birth and Ruby 39. With them already having lived a rather rough life, along with having a two year-old at home, they probably just did not feel like they had the wherewithal to care for another baby.

By the way, I rather like the idea of actually being physically born a Sullivan. For I found that the solidly Irish name comes from a word in an old, old form of Irish Gaelic that means hawk-eyed. As I have said on a number of occasions, I was created to be our Heavenly Father's Fishhawk, who is an aggressive fisher of men (and women, of course). The aggressiveness has waned considerably since 1993, but the desire to introduce as many as possible to our Heavenly Father (starting with those who believe they already know Him well) still burns like a raging inferno in my heart.

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23 comments:

  1. I always enjoyed looking into my family history. Most families are a mix of sinners and saints, so it keeps things interesting.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Gorges!!! Ancestry.com charging over $45 a month for the full service limited the search considerably. It sure looks easy on the "Who Do You Think You Are?" TV show. Sigh.

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  2. Some great research results here. I love the name Ruby Mae Halfacre, and love the "hawk" connection as well! Here's hoping you can learn even more.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Silver Fox!!! I wish I could have done more, but my overall energy level has been much lower than normal for me the past several months. I greatly appreciate you being so kind in your reply to me feeling bad about not commenting more on your site.

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  3. Very satisfying to discover the information.
    Not sure how you can discover more, newspaper records if available perhaps.
    Well done!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Adullamite!!! I hope to do more after confirming who my biological father is.

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  4. I hope you are able to find out all the information you're searching for and are able to get in touch with your brother.
    I can't imagine not knowing all the details of my birth or my parents. I consider myself lucky

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Ann!!! There are some other details I was made aware of that I am not ready to disclose yet. Suffice to say, I have a very twisted family.

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  5. Very cool discoveries Jerry! Congrats and I hope you find all the answers you seek in time.

    I was saddened to see the MIA SiteHoundSniffs - hesitant to ask about Grayson...

    Herald it my brother!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Masodo!!! Despite being over 12 years-old now, Grayson still acts like a puppy. It was on account of my physical health and financial situation that SiteHoundSniffs had to die. I hope BlogDogIt becomes a household name for you and yours.

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  6. Jerry, Glad you have determined / located more info. 3 decades ago, I was able to located both my history and to learn who my parents were. Was an Appalacian baby - both parent were Irish. Met my birth father but never my birth mother although I have both of their complete geneology. Even have the birth and death certificate for my mother. My birth father earned the silver star in the Battle of the Buldge. The best news was to learn I had an older sister and we were reunited. She was 2 yrs older and knew she had a brother and was haunted by being seperated until we were reunited. We then kept in contact. I visted her again last year befor she died. Keep looking.

    Are you aware that if you can legally request the birth certificate of your mother or father from the county/state they were born in -- if is known -- by self requesting their birth certificate -- might have to certifying you were their son. You might have to do research to get "their" original birth date and where born. Then contact the designated office identified by that state for the county you were born in. Regards, Bill (Editor, ARRA News Service)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Bill!!! I am really glad to hear that you were able to meet your biological father. My adoptive dad was also in the Battle of the Bulge with the 1st Infantry Division. He was not there very long, though. For his squad was out on patrol when the lead scout tripped a mine, and my adoptive dad was severely wounded. When he woke up in a hospital in Paris several days later, he saw his first sergeant in a bed across from him. The first sergeant told him that they were the only ones left of their company. For German tanks had rolled right over their position in the first wave of the battle.

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  7. I think it's good to find your roots! Hope it goes well for you....

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Kim!!! Be assured that I greatly appreciate the encouragement.

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  8. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Anonymous!!! Whoa, I'm blushing, but the credit is not mine to keep. For the source of the material comes from our Heavenly Father.

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  9. Thank you for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for
    your next post thank you once again.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Anonymous!!! You are most welcome.

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  10. Interesting to find out about your past Must be a lot of work. Good luck Hope you get to meet your brother

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Marja!!! Maybe someday.

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  11. Thanks very interesting blog!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Anonymous!!! Be assured that I greatly appreciate the encouragement.

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  12. How interesting to find out so much about your roots. I have been researching family trees too and there's a lot of Irish in mine. Your situation is somewhat different but I am so glad that you have this wonderful sense of purpose! Hope to see some more posts soon.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Jenny!!! Arlynda has had some added problems lately, and my energy level has been even lower than usual. So, I have had to drift back into the proverbial shadows again. I hope to be back out and about in cyberspace soon, though.

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