Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Has it been found what ship Bridget Sullivan came to America in, and what date? I found a webpage that lists a "Bridget Sullivan, (age) 17, f, spinster, Ireland". This comes from the passenger list of the SS Wyoming which sailed from Liverpool and Queenstown to New York on July 10, 1883. That would make this Bridget like 26 in 1892.

Does it say in her testimony when she came to America?

Okay. A friend tells me that Bridget's ship was The Republic. And we know this because ____________?

Augusta, the answer is in Rebello (Where else? ) page 67:

"Note: Bridget's birth date has remained a mystery and conflicts with most dates on various documents and newspaper accounts. However, Bridget testified at the preliminary hearing in 1892 (p. 45) that she arrived in New York, "Six years ago, the 24th of last May." (May 24, 1886) and was, at the time of her testimony, "Twenty-five years old." The only in-coming ship to list a Bridget Sullivan on May 24, 1886, was the S. S. Republic. The manifest shows "Brigt. [Bridget] Sullivan, [age] 20, female, spinster, from Ireland, [to] United States, (boarded at] Qtown, [Queenstown, Ireland), [location or space occupied on ship), aftw, [rear), stg. [steerage] with 1 piece of baggage." If Bridget's testimony is correct, she was born in 1866 and was 26 years old when she testified in 1892."

Imagine being listed as a spinster at age 20.

Harry @ Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:47 pm wrote:...
Imagine being listed as a spinster at age 20.

What about that 17 yr old?
I was told that one ancestor made her age older to come to America. Was that unusual in those days?
We know men joined the army during the Civil War by swearing they were "over 18". (They put the number 18 on a piece of paper in their shoe!)

Thank you, Harry! Question answered and answered well. I remembered she testified about what year she came to America and what her jobs were before coming to the Bordens. I thought she said she did not know how old she was and we couldn't verify it for sure. That's because she didn't have a birth certificate, right? Didn't she give an 'iffy' answer about her age when she testified once?

RayS: I thought they took soldiers from the age of 16 - 60 in the Civil War. And younger boys lied about their age.

I'd think there was a rule about a single girl having to be so old to be sailing alone, so I'd think some would have claimed to be older. It would be interesting to know if there was such a rule and what it said.