I am currently researching my Donovan ancestors who all left Bantry, Co. Cork for America and Australia in the late 19th Century. My great great grandfather was Jeremiah Donovan who married Johanna McCarthy in Bantry circa 1855. They had (according to family history) 15 children who all left except for the youngest, my great grandmother, Kate O'Donovan born in 1871 and who remained in Bantry. Except for the eldest Florence Donovan (d. 1930) who went to Herberton, Queensland, Australia we don't know what became of the others and have only sketchy early history of what happened to them. A brief outline of the names we have are -

Daniel Donovan (b.1860, d.Jan 1938) became a coal miner, who I believe went to Minooka, Scranton, PA and died in 1938. If I have the correct Daniel Donovan he married an Ellen Sullivan and his daughter Ann married a James Nallin.

Mary Donovan (d. 1892) who had married a James Downey. She had three children Johanna, Robert and Elizabeth. Johanna Downey is on the 1901 Irish Census as she was obviously sent to Ireland after her mother died but she returns to America in 1907. Robbie Downey went to Wales. It would seem that Mary died the same year Elizabeth was born (1892)and in the 1900 US census I find an Elizabeth Donovan who emigrated in 1892 already a widow (married name O'Brien) with an eight year old adoped daughter named Elizabeth. I'm assuming Elizabeth Donovan went to America to help look after the children when her sister died. She also had a son named Dennis Francis O'Brien. A photo of him was found in Bantry of him when he was 26 living in Stone Street, Walpole, Massachusetts.

Michael Donovan who died in 1918 in Boston. A mass card was sent to Bantry.

A Peter Donovan of Boston, Massachusetts in mentioned in a family letter. The letter states he was alive in 1930 and that he was a journalist.

Other family names that could be connected are Jeremiah, James and John.

This I have put together with census records, family information, etc. I have yet to obtain birth, death certificates. Would love to hear from anyone who thinks this sounds familiar.

Breda