Yavapai County AZ Archives Biographies.....Sullivan, Jeremiah W. 1843 - living in 1896
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 7, 2005, 7:28 pm

Author: McFarland & Poole

p. 569-570

  JEREMIAH W. SULLIVAN. Although it has been said that a "Jack of all trades is
master of none," yet it has been proved time and again that a man may engage in
a variety of occupations and succeed in them all if he has the requisite mental
abilities and the determination and energy to push his enterprises to a
successful termination. Jeremiah W. Sullivan is not only a prominent stock man
of this section, but was also a successful contractor and builder for many
years, and was also engaged in various other enterprises. He was born in Canada,
Northumberland County, November 28, 1843, and is of Irish origin, his father,
Timothy Sullivan, being a native of that country. The elder Sullivan first
settled in Ashtabula County, Ohio, but being an expert carpenter and contractor
was engaged in bridge building, lumbering and saw-milling in Canada for some
time. After reaching mature years our subject came to the United States -in the
employ of Robertson & Worthington, railroad contractors, who were building the
Ashtabula & Jamestown Railroad, and was soon afterward made foreman in clearing
the right of way. He spent the summer on the ill-fated Ashtabula Bridge, but in
the fall of 1865 went to Oil City and other places in Pennsylvania and spent two
seasons in the Susquehanna country, engaged in lumbering. During the winter he
was foreman in a lumbering camp, but thinking to better his financial condition
he started West. Making his way to Junction City, Kan., he remained there four
days, and then with two boys started back, but meeting with some men who joked
them about being discouraged, our subject again turned his face toward the
setting sun. He found employment in Ft. Leavenworth, and later in St. Louis, and
later contracted with the Government to drive a team to Ft. Union, New Mexico,
which place he reached October 13, 1867, remaining there in the employ of the
Government until 1868. He then started, with fifteen other men, for Prescott,
Ariz. They arrived in that city December 3d, and although they came there to
mine they turned their attention to other enterprises. Part of the time Mr.
Sullivan was engaged in carpentering and contracting, and one winter he took the
contract for 1,500,000 shingles. In the spring of 1871 he started for Washington
Territory and got as far as San Francisco when he met a party going to South
America, and he decided to make the trip also. He first went to Bolivia, later
to the Sandwich Islands, and from there to Portland, Ore. After a short stay in
the latter place Mr. Sullivan went to the Puget Sound country where he spent one
season engaged in farming, and then in 1872 went to Sitka, Alaska, on the
revenue cutter "Lincoln," in the employ of the Government to look after
smuggling Indians, timber cutters, etc. That winter he had charge of pile
driving on the Oregon Short Line, running from Portland to Sacramento, but which
is now called the "Shasta Route." In the spring of 1873 Mr. Sullivan embarked in
the cattle business in Wasco County, Oregon, in the John Day country, but during
the fall of that year came to Arizona to collect some outstanding debts. Here he
remained until 1876, during which time he contracted for the Government. Later
he settled in this Territory permanently and engaged quite actively in the
cattle business, which he has conducted since. His headquarters are now at
Seligman, near the line of the A. & P. R. R., and his large ranch is in
Williamson and Chino valleys. He also has a very large horse ranch and is one of
the prosperous men of the Territory. He ships his stock principally to
California, but considerable is sent to Denver and Kansas City. Mr. Sullivan is
a director in the Bank of Arizona, at Prescott. He is a member of Prescott Lodge
No. 1, A. F. & A. M., and a member of Chapter No. 3, at Prescott. During 1880,
81, and '82, he was supervisor of Yavapai County. It must not be supposed that
during his many trips across the plains that Mr. Sullivan escaped having trouble
with the Indians. In 1869 he was employed for three months by a man by the name
of Johnson, who had a contract for cutting shingles. Indians were numerous and
dangerous at that time; every man went armed, and while in the woods chopping
Mr. Sullivan and his companions generally had their guns handy. One day they
were chased to the camp by about twenty-five Indians, who fired at them as they
ran, but no one was hit. Hastily collecting about seven men they followed after
the Indians, and while examining the tracks made by the Indians, were fired upon
by them from a large juniper tree. They returned the fire with interest, and
reaching the tree saw where one of the savages had been wounded. The Indians
succeeded in making their escape. The next day Mr. Sullivan went to Prescott and
found that the same party of Indians had killed General Osborn two days before,
and another man by the name of "Tex." The latter was bald-headed but had long
whiskers and they scalped his chin. One day Mr. Sullivan started to go to
Prescott for mail, on foot, and when within three and a half miles of that place
discovered moccasin tracks, and soon after six Indians. These savages commenced
firing at him and he returned their fire with his navy-revolver, sending eleven
shots at them from behind a stump. They came closer and Mr. Sullivan was struck
in the neck by an arrow. He broke the arrow off up by the skin and then
concluding that it was getting too hot for him, started on a run for camp. He
felt a shot pass through his side as he ran and another whistled dangerously
close to his head. He reached the camp with no more wounds, but pulled out of
his neck about an inch and a half of the arrow. He had just been grazed in the
side, but his hat had been shot through. He had many other experiences, but that
was the most exciting.


Additional Comments:
From:

A Historical and Biographical Record of the Territory of Arizona
Published by
McFarland & Poole, Chicago, 1896



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