William John O'Sullivan

  General Notes:

William was present when Ned Kelly held up the town of Jerilderie in 1879. The incident is recounted in the Obituary for this brother Thomas published in the Narrandera Argus dated Friday June 8th 1945:

" When the Kelly Gang visited Jerilderie

The passing of Mr.T.D.Sullivan of Victoria Avenue Narrandera last week at the age of 91 years removed one of the few remaining links with the Kelly Gang visit to Jerilderie on the 11th February 1879. The bushrangers came across from Victoria to Jerilderie and after rounding up the 400 inhabitants of the township, locked them up, and robbed the Bank of N.S.W. They obtained about 2,100 pounds in cash, sovereigns and notes, which they placed into a bag.

The gang then went to the hotel and Ned Kelly went back to the bank to burn the books, apparently the raid had been carefully planned because of the two police officers ( cons. Devine & Richards ), the bank manager & others were completely surprised & taken into custody by Ned and Dan Kelly, Steve Harts & Jo Byrne.

Mr Sullivan, his brother the late W. Sullivan of Narrandera & the late Mr Jack Hynes who afterwards resided at Gillenbah, were among those who were locked up by the bushrangers. When giving his reminisous of the historic & daring raid on Jerilderie, Mr Sullivan would recall how he was selected by Ned Kelly & told to light the fire in which the bank books were burnt. Ned Kelly afterwards gave him a handkerchief which he kept for many years & Mr Hynes a belt which was later identified as that worn by sergeant Kennedy who with Cons. Lonigan & Scanlon was shot at by the gang in the Wombat Ranges, Victoria.

Mr Sullivan recalled the scare he and his brother and Mr Hynes got in the bush the night following the Jerilderie raid, they left Jerilderie & were making towards Narrandera, but were afraid to light a fire that night in case they should be mistaken for the bushrangers & fired upon. During the night they heard what sounded like someone approaching them through the scrub & were scared stiff. Their relief can well be imagined when a big kangaroo hopped close by them."

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William apparently moved to "Warri" at some stage after marriage as he was the informant on his father's death there. Up until 1915 they lived a few miles out of Narrandera on Barellan Road. Then they moved to Sydney and lived at Mascot with one of their daughters and her husband. From there they moved to Tumbarumba, by about 1935, where they both died and were buried.

William was the informant on his sister Mary Ann's Death Certificate in 1919. He was named Sullivan, rather than O'Sullivan and his residence then was listed as Narrandera.

  Noted events in his life were:

• He worked as a Labourer at the time of his marriage on 7 Jan 1885 in Corowa, New South Wales, Australia.

William married Catherine Mary Smith, daughter of Richard Smith and Catherine Ryan, on 7 Jan 1885 in Catholic Church, Corowa, New South Wales, Australia. (Catherine Mary Smith was born about 1860, died on 28 Apr 1942 in Tumbarumba, New South Wales, Australia and was buried in R/C Section Old Row C Grave # 12, Tumbarumba, New South Wales, Australia.)