DONOVAN-HAMPSHIRE CO. WVA
arms...@silcon.com
Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie & her sons John A. & Joseph J. Donovan
were in San Francisco CA.
Where were they between the years 1854 and 1867? Was the overland
route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
Any help would be appreciated.
Ruth Armstrong
bob gillis
On 3/14/2010 12:14 PM, arms...@silcon.com wrote:
> Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie& her sons John A.& Joseph J. Donovan
> were in San Francisco CA.
Have you looked for John and Joseph Donovan in the 1860 Hampshire
County, Virginia Census? West Virginia was admitted to the Union on 20
Jun 1863.
> Where were they between the years 1854 and 1867? Was the overland
> route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
Same answer as above.
bob gillis
bob gillis <robert...@verizon.net>
singhals
> Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> were in San Francisco CA.
>
> route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
>
Up the rivers to Pittsburgh then down the Ohio to the Mississippi
was a popular travel route. The Railroad west out of Cumberland Md
to St. Louis Mo would have been available as well.
Which was cheaper -- hard to say. the B&O Museum in Baltimore Md
may have info on rail fares of the time period.
In 1854, Hampshire County was a fair bit bigger than it is tody. I
think the Railyards in Keyser which is now in Mineral County had a
lot of Irish workers.
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
bob gillis
Further to what I wrote before.
On 3/14/2010 12:14 PM, arms...@silcon.com wrote:
> Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie& her sons John A.& Joseph J. Donovan
> were in San Francisco CA.
>
> Where were they between the years 1854 and 1867? Was the overland
> route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
Now having found the location of Hampshire County, now WV formerly
VA, either before or after the Civil War Annie and family would
probably have taken a boat or raft down the Potomac River to
Cumberland and then a canal boat to Washington, a vessel to Norfolk
and a ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco.
The railroad across the USA to San Francisco was not completed until
1867
You can determine when by the 1860 Census.
singhals
> > Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> > Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> > Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie& her sons John A.& Joseph J. Donovan
> > were in San Francisco CA.
> >
>
> Have you looked for John and Joseph Donovan in the 1860 Hampshire
> County, Virginia Census? West Virginia was admitted to the Union on 20
> Jun 1863.
>
The surname does not appear in my transcriptions of the 1850 through
1870 census for Hampshire county. I don't see it on the Mineral
County transcription either. I checked the LDS indices to the 1850,
1860, and 1870 and found no family matching.
WV Vital Records on-line shows no Donovan/*von/*vin births or
marriages in Hampshire or Mineral county, and the only Donovan death
reported is in 1925.
FWIW.
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
Gerry
bob gillis <robert...@verizon.net> wrote:
> Further to what I wrote before.
>
> On 3/14/2010 12:14 PM, arms...@silcon.com wrote:
>
> > Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> > Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> > Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie& her sons John A.& Joseph J. Donovan
> > were in San Francisco CA.
> >
> > Where were they between the years 1854 and 1867? Was the overland
> > route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
>
> Now having found the location of Hampshire County, now WV formerly
> VA, either before or after the Civil War Annie and family would
> probably have taken a boat or raft down the Potomac River to
> Cumberland and then a canal boat to Washington, a vessel to Norfolk
> and a ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco.
By the mid 1850s most passengers from the East coast to California did
not go around the cape, but crossed over to the Pacific ocean through
Panama.
> The railroad across the USA to San Francisco was not completed until
> 1867
>
> You can determine when by the 1860 Census.
>
> bob gillis <robert...@verizon.net>
singhals
bob gillis wrote:
> Further to what I wrote before.
>
> On 3/14/2010 12:14 PM, arms...@silcon.com wrote:
>
> > Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> > Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> > Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie& her sons John A.& Joseph J. Donovan
> > were in San Francisco CA.
> >
> > Where were they between the years 1854 and 1867? Was the overland
> > route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
>
> Now having found the location of Hampshire County, now WV formerly
> VA, either before or after the Civil War Annie and family would
> probably have taken a boat or raft down the Potomac River to
> Cumberland and then a canal boat to Washington, a vessel to Norfolk
> and a ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco.
If they were in the right corner of Hampshire at the right time of
year, they _could_ have just walked across the river to get to
Cumberland. The C&O canal would have been the waterway-of-choice
between Cumberland and DC. But a trip 'round the Horn would have
been expensive. Would a widow-lady have had the money to pay for
herself and at least two children?
> The railroad across the USA to San Francisco was not completed until
> 1867
I thought that was only the direct route; but not having needed to
know, I don't, and will take your word for it.
Cheryl
singhals <sing...@erols.com>
Huntersglenn
> Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie & her sons John A. & Joseph J. Donovan
> were in San Francisco CA.
>
> Where were they between the years 1854 and 1867? Was the overland
> route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
>
The 1880 Federal census shows another child - Michael/Mike Donovan,
who was born in Ireland around 1846. He, his wife and children, and
a servant, are all living with Annie:
Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San
Francisco, California; Roll T9_76; Family History Film: 1254076;
Page: 349.1000; Enumeration District: 142
Joseph is also living with Annie in that census, and John is married
and with his wife and children. They are shown as Donnovan: Source
Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco,
California; Roll T9_76; Family History Film: 1254076; Page:
361.1000; Enumeration District: 143
Back in 1870, the Donovan household consisted of Anne, Mike and John
- haven't yet found Joseph:
Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: San Francisco Ward 11,
San Francisco, California; Roll M593_84; Page: 438B; Image: 38;
Family History Library Film: 545583
The family is listed right after another Donovan family - that of
Pat Donovan, also born in Ireland, as is his wife, children and
another woman.
They are living in what appears to be an apartment of some sort, as
there are other families listed under the same household number.
Pat Donovan, 38, Grocer Ret, born Ireland
Mary, 37, Keeping house, born Ireland
Stewart, Mary, 40, Keeping house, born Ireland
Johannah Donovan, 3, born California
Pat Donovan, 1, born California
I found a contender for the family in the 1850 Federal Census,
living in New York:
Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: New York Ward 1 Western
Division, New York, New York; Roll M432_534; Page: 137B
John Haley, 30, Laborer, born Ireland
Jane Haley, 22, born Ireland
Bridget Haley, 7/12, born New York
Ann Donovan, 28, born Ireland
John Donovan, 35, born Ireland
Michael Donovan, 4, born Ireland
Ellen Donovan, 1, born Englands
I haven't been able to locate the family in 1860, but it looks as if
the family of John and Ann Donovan in 1850 could be the right
family.
It could be possible that the family was enroute to California when
the 1860 Federal census was being taken and were missed.
Hope that helps some,
Cathy
Huntersglenn <hunter...@cox.net>
arms...@silcon.com
> > > Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> > > Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> > > were in San Francisco CA.
> > >
> >
> > Have you looked for John and Joseph Donovan in the 1860 Hampshire
> > County, Virginia Census? West Virginia was admitted to the Union on 20
> > Jun 1863.
> >
> > bob gillis
>
> The surname does not appear in my transcriptions of the 1850 through
> 1870 census for Hampshire county. I don't see it on the Mineral
> County transcription either. I checked the LDS indices to the 1850,
> 1860, and 1870 and found no family matching.
>
> WV Vital Records on-line shows no Donovan/*von/*vin births or
> marriages in Hampshire or Mineral county, and the only Donovan death
> reported is in 1925.
>
Cheryl,
Thank you for taking the time to look up the 1850, 1860 & WV
records.
We really have a break thru from the 1870 CA census saying "John A.
born in VA & Joseph J. born in VA" to an obituary for Joseph J.
saying "Native of Hampshire Co. VA". Very few obituaries mention
the county and state.
I'll contact the Archivist for the Richmond Diocese again to see if
he knows where the records for this area are kept.
Thanks again.
Ruth Armstrong
bob gillis
> > Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> > Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> > Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie& her sons John A.& Joseph J. Donovan
> > were in San Francisco CA.
> >
> > arms...@silcon.com
>
> Have you looked for John and Joseph Donovan in the 1860 Hampshire
> County, Virginia Census? West Virginia was admitted to the Union on 20
> Jun 1863.
>
> bob gillis
Ruth Armstrong wrote to *me* saying she had looked at the 1860
Census but nothing about where she looked or what she found. I told
her to reply to the list with what she found but I have not seen any
message from her.
I think the information she gave in her original message was from
some California source and is very doubtful.
arms...@silcon.com
I have the following sources for the Donovan family:
1. 1880 US CA census for San Francisco.
2. Ann Donovan obituary which lists her sons MJ & JJ Donovan.
3. John A. Donovan obituary "native of Virginia.
4. J.J. Donovan obituary "native of Hampshire Co. VA" He died
July 3, 1893 in San Francisco.
Ruth Armstrong
arms...@silcon.com
> > Searching for father of John A. Donovan b. 1852 in VA and Joseph J.
> > Donovan b. 1854 in Hampshire Co. WVA. Mother was Mrs. Annie (Ann)
> > Donovan. In 1867 Widow Annie & her sons John A. & Joseph J. Donovan
> > were in San Francisco CA.
> >
> > Where were they between the years 1854 and 1867? Was the overland
> > route used at any time or was boat by water more inexpensive?
> >
I was led to the NY 1850 census thru a possible family tie. Michael
James Donovan formed a painting partnershiip with a Mr. Conway whose
wife was Annie born ca 1858 in New York state. Even the name Ellen
Connell listed might be another married daughter of John and Annie
Donovan.
Ruth Armstrong