SUMNER COUNTY, TN - BIOGRAPHIES - John SULLIVAN
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John SULLIVAN, Esq., farmer and eldest native citizen of Franklin County, IL 
was born in 1817, in what was then White County, IL He is the second of ten 
children who lived to maturity, of Edward and Sarah (SMOTHERS) SULLIVAN, 
natives of North Carolina, born in 1795 and 1796 respectively. Both went to 
SUMNER COUNTY, TN when children and were there reared and married soon after 
he returned from the war of 1812. In 1817 they finally settled in what is now 
Franklin County. Both were respected members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. The mother was one of the original twelve, and both died in 1870. Our 
subject, has been a farmer. In 1843 he married Martha, daughter of Matthew and 
Susan [SUMMERS] ING, born in SUMNER COUNTY County, TN, in 1825. Their children 
are Thomas, Joseph, Stanford, Silas, Lewis, Sarah (wife of John STULL, of 
Williamson County) and Mary. Both joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
1841. He has always lived in his native county, and since 1844 on his present 
farm of 80 acres. In 1846 he was made constable, and since 1849 has held the 
office of justice almost continuously. All his children have a good business 
education. Formerly a Democrat, and first voting for Van Buren, he has since 
the war been a Republican. He and his wife have been members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church for nearly 46 years, and led a happy wedded life for 43 
years. He was educated in the first log schoolhouse erected in the county, of 
the ground floor, no chimney order, located one mile and a half west of his 
present home, and the first teacher chosen from the best educated of the 
settlement. He afterward attended in abandoned log huts used for schools and 
churches; was licensed a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
1851; made deacon in 1863, and ordained local elder in 1882. Among the first 
houses in which they met was a Mr. SUMMER's, and from then until 1852 they 
were familiarly known as "SUMMER's Class." In 1852 a log church was erected on 
our subject's land, and in 1880 the log (18x24) house was replaced by a fine 
frame structure (30x40) near by, and on land owned by the son of our subject. 
Rev. L.A. HARPER is their pastor, with a membership of about 75.