I just came by this old post. Not sure if you're still on Ancestry, but Joseph Donavan was my great-great grandfather. You've got the spelling wrong - it's DonAvan. I can tell you a lot about him if you'd still like to know. The whole family were heavy free masons, so the masonic chapters in Denver, Colorado Springs, or Lincoln NE would likely have a lot on the family. There may also be some info in Pittsburgh PA, as that's where he was born. His father's name was Capt. William Trimble Donavan (Lincoln NE was founded in his frontier home), and mother's was Rosannah Baker. There are a number of articles on him in the Denver Post archives as well. Some spell the name right, others not so much. Donovan is the most common misspelling.