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Mary Connelly Sullivan Edited Manuscript, circa 1971-1975

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Sullivan, Mary Connelly, 1882-1974
Title
Mary Connelly Sullivan Edited Manuscript
Dates
circa 1971-1975 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.4 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 985
Summary
Mary Connelly Sullivan was a first generation Irish-American who ranched in central Montana from her childhood in the 1890s until her retirement in the 1940s. She was also a registered nurse. This collection contains edited drafts of her memoirs, Our Yesterdays and Some Other Days.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Mary Connelly was born on May 5, 1882, in central Montana to Irish immigrant parents Michael and Bridget Connelly. She grew up on her family’s Medicine Rock Ranch near the Marias River. Connelly attended the Columbus School of Nursing and subsequently worked as a nurse in Helena and Missoula. She married John Ernest Sullivan, a fellow Irish immigrant, in 1908. The couple had five children and ranched in the Dupuyer-Pendroy area until 1944, when they moved to Great Falls. Mary Connelly Sullivan died on March 30, 1974 in Great Falls, Montana.

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Content Description

This collection contains two drafts of Mary Connelly Sullivan’s memoirs, both edited by her family friend, Margaret Benzian, after her death in 1974. Sullivan’s writing offers insight on ranching in central Montana in the early 1900s, her experiences attending school at St. Peter’s Mission and the Columbus School of Nursing, and family life. Both versions of the manuscript feature an introduction, footnotes, and acknowledgements by Benzian. In 1984, Sullivan’s daughter Helena Sullivan Pannell published a version of the manuscript under the title A Montana Saga: Our Yesterdays.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

Mary Connelly Sullivan Edited Manuscript, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by chapter.

Custodial History

Sullivan transferred her original manuscript to Margaret Benzian in 1971. Benzian typed two drafts with edits and additions and donated those Ruth Cox of Scottsdale, AZ. In 2003, Cox donated the drafts to the Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Ruth Cox, 2003.

Processing Note

The original hand-written manuscript was transcribed by Margaret Benzian in the 1970s. After Sullivan’s death in 1974, Benzian added an introduction, acknowledgements, and footnotes. In 2023, the Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections placed each chapter of the manuscript in its own folder.

Related Materials

A Montana Saga: Our Yesterdays by Mary Connelly Sullivan and Helena Sullivan Pannell, 1984, can be found at several Montana libraries.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

  • Description: Introduction / Chaper 1: Beginnings on Shonkin Creek, 1876

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/1
  • Description: Chapter 2: Ranching on the Marias, 1888

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/2
  • Description: Chapter 3: Schooling at St. Peter's Mission, 1898

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/3
  • Description: Chapter 4: Nurses' Training School, 1903

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/4
  • Description: Chapter 5: "Connelly" and John E. Sullivan Marry, 1908

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/5
  • Description: Chapter 6: Life in the Shadow of the Rockies

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/6
  • Description: Chapter 7: Raising a Family and Sheep

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/7
  • Description: Chapter 8: A Visit to Ireland, 1926

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/8
  • Description: Chapter 9: The Sullivan Ranch in the Thirties

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/9
  • Description: Chapter 10: Fran Marries; This is War

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/10
  • Description: Chapter 11: Oh! Oh! An Inevitable Event

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/11
  • Description: Chapter 12: What's Next in a Busy Life?

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/12
  • Description: Chapter 13: One Foot Up and Ready to Go Again, 1953

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/13
  • Description: Chapter 14: Reminiscences in Retirement

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/14
  • Description: Background Reading, Acknowledgements, and Explanation of the Footnotes

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/15
  • Description: Footnotes

    First edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/16
  • Description: Introduction / Chaper 1: Beginnings on Shonkin Creek, 1876

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/17
  • Description: Chapter 2: Ranching on the Marias, 1888

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/18
  • Description: Chapter 3: Schooling at St. Peter's Mission, 1898

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/19
  • Description: Chapter 4: Nurses' Training School, 1903

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/20
  • Description: Chapter 5: "Connelly" and John E. Sullivan Marry, 1908

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/21
  • Description: Chapter 6: Life in the Shadow of the Rockies

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/22
  • Description: Chapter 7: Raising a Family and Sheep

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/23
  • Description: Chapter 8: A Visit to Ireland, 1926

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/24
  • Description: Chapter 9: The Sullivan Ranch in the Thirties

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/25
  • Description: Chapter 10: Fran Marries; This is War

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/26
  • Description: Chapter 11: An Inevitable Event

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/27
  • Description: Chapter 12: What's Next in a Busy Life?

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/28
  • Description: Chapter 13: One Foot Up and Ready to Go Again, 1953

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/29
  • Description: Chapter 14: Reminiscences in Retirement

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/30
  • Description: Background Reading, Acknowledgements, and Explanation of the Footnotes

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/31
  • Description: Footnotes

    Second edited draft

    Dates: circa 1971-1975
    Container: Box/Folder 1/32

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Irish Americans--Montana--Biography
  • Pioneers--Montana--Biography
  • Ranching--Montana--History

Personal Names

  • Pannell, Helena Sullivan, 1916-2004
  • Sullivan, Mary Connelly, 1882-1974--Archives

Corporate Names

  • Columbus School of Nursing (Great Falls, Mont.)

Family Names

  • Sullivan family

Geographical Names

  • Montana--Biography

Occupations

  • Nurses--Montana

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Benzian, Margaret, 1916-1990 (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Kristin Gates and Paige Moriarty
2023

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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