Ellen T. ``Nellie'' Shannon Family

Helena ``Ellen'' ``Nellie'' Shannon

Ellen Shannon at about age 18 just before her marriage

a.k.a.: Helena ``Ellen'' ``Nellie'' SHANNON
born: 31 Dec 1871, Killeinagh,near Ennistymon,Co. Clare,Ireland
died: 8 Feb 1958, Chicago, Illinois
bur.: 10 Feb 1958, Chicago, Illinois at Mount Olivet cemetery
spouse: John J. GAVIN: marr: Abt 1898, Keokuk, Lee Co., Iowa; born: Abt Dec 1875, Iowa; died: Abt 14 Jan 1954, Chicago, Illinois
bur.: 16 Jan 1954, Chicago, Illinois at Mount Olivet cemetery: occu: insurance broker in Chicago, and lumber dealer and teamster in Iowa
children:: Mary Gavin, (Aug 1899- Abt 1911). died age 12 of influenza; Helen I. "Nellie" Gavin, b. 10 Jun 1902 Iowa, d. June 1987 Palos Hills, IL. m. Thomas "Tom" Considine (b. Abt 1894-5); Catherine Cecilia ``Kathryn'' Gavin, (1909-1990), m. James F. Breen (1908-1976), bur. Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Worth, IL

Pedigree Chart

                      |--------
                      |
           |---------Michael SHANNON (1800, Ireland - 1860, Ireland)
           |          |
           |          |--------
           |
  |------James SHANNON (Ireland - 1888, Ireland)
  |        |
  |        |          |--------
  |        |          |
  |        |---------Mary NEYLON (1808, Ireland - Ireland)
  |                   |
  |                   |--------
  |
Helena/Ellen/Nellie SHANNON (1871, Ireland - )
  |
  |                   |--------
  |                   |
  |        |---------
  |        |          |
  |        |          |--------
  |        |
  |------Bridget HYNES (1847, Ireland - 1901-2)
           |
           |          |--------
           |          |
           |---------
                      |
                      |--------

An index of Co. Clare parish records includes Helena, born Dec. 31, 1871, as a child of James and Bridget. In 2003, I heard from Sharon (Breen) Kenny, a granddaughter of an Ellen ``Nellie'' Shannon. We have determined that Sharon's grandmother Ellen must be this Helena. The age of Sharon's grandmother Ellen matches pretty closely. Records of Sharon's mother (Ellen's daughter) had Dec. 30, 1873 as Ellen's birthdate. I believe the name Helena in the index was probably the latinized version of Ellen. The actual parish baptismal records are on LDS microfilm and show all of Helena's siblings, always with the Latin version of the names (e.g. Maria, Honoria, Dionysio, etc.) (I was unable to find Helena's baptism record on the microfilm.)

There are other reason for connecting Ellen with this Helena. Ellen had known sisters Nora and Delia (Shannon) Forrest who also came to the US, matching up with two of Helena's sisters. After Ellen first came to the US, she lived in Keokuk, Iowa, where she married, and later moved to Chicago. Sharon (Breen) Kenny believed that her grandmother immigrated at age 12. According to the 1900 census, Ellen immigrated in 1892 when she would have been about 20. Sharon also remembered a cousin of Ellen's named Jim Hynes. Helena/Ellen's aunt, Ellen (Shannon) Hynes lived in Keokuk at this time, starting in 1880, and she had a step-son named Jim Hynes. So this Ellen probably came to Keokuk, Iowa because her aunt lived there. Martin Hynes (husband of the older Ellen Shannon) may have also been related to this Helena/Ellen's mother, Bridget Hynes, since Martin was also from Ennistymon, Ireland, but I don't know.

Ellen's husband, John Gavin, was thought to have been a friend of Jim Hynes. In later years, Jim was often a guest of Ellen and John at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Ellen and John left Keokuk and moved to Chicago. In 1910, they lived at 3758 Lowe Ave with Ellen's sisters Delia, and Margaret and Margaret's husband Patrick Harhen. Another sister, Nora, lived just a couple blocks away with her husband James Harhen. After that, the Gavin's lived at 55th and Throop and then at 78th and Sangamon, which is on the far south side of Chicago. Ellen's sister, Delia, lived in the same neighborhood, in the 8000 block of South Loomis (next door to 8053 S. Loomis). In Chicago, Ellen and Delia knew and visited with their cousin, Isabelle Shannon of the Shannon chocolate company in Chicago. A neighbor of Delia remembers Isabelle frequently visiting with Delia, and Ellen's granddaughter said, that Ellen ``bought tons of candy from her cousin Isabelle.''

A Shannon family history written by descendents of Ellen's uncle Patrick Shannon mentions some south side of Chicago Shannon relatives who included Delia Forrest (she's the only specific person it names). This history says the "South Side Shannons" were children of the Patrick's brother who stayed in Ireland. It mistakenly names the brother who stayed in Ireland as William instead of James (William also came to the US), but I'm confident it is referring to this family. Ellen and family would have been part of that group, also. We don't know if any of Ellen's brother also lived in that area. Several of Ellen's brothers did immigrate to the US, but I don't know where they lived. Ellen's daughter Catherine was baptized at Nativity Church in Chicago. Her godparents were Michael Shannon and Gretta Shannon. We guess that Michael is probably Ellen's brother.

Census: 1900, Keokuk, Lee Co., Iowa
Census: 1910, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois at 3758 Lowe Ave.
Census: 1920, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois at 5533 So. Throop St.
Census: 1930, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois at 7843 S. Sangomon St.

Sources for this individual: @S818@

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