3
« on: Sunday 19 March 23 21:21 GMT (UK) »
Nos waith dda o Wrecsam / Good Evening from Wrexham.
My grandfather was born in Passage West, County Cork back in 1893. I have the birth certificate showing that his mother registered the birth (his father was at sea) and that his mother was Katie (or Kate) McKenzie formerly Donovan. The residence is shown as Ferry Point, Passage.
My grandfathers parents Donald McKenzie and Kate Donovan married on 18 November 1891 at the Roman Catholic Chapel in Passage West. Kate is shown as a servant living in Passage West and the Father is John Donovan a shipwright. I would assume he was working in the shipyards in Passage rather that Cobh.
The marriage witness for Kate was Bridget Donovan, her sister, who is present in Cardiff as a boarder in 1901 living with Kate & Donald. Also present in 1901 in Cardiff was a younger brother Daniel Donovan (a carpenter) who would return to Cork.
By 1901 it would seem that John Donovan had died as the 1901 Irish Census shows her mother Bridget Donovan (widow, age 64, cannot read but speaks Irish & English) living with a younger sister Hannah Donovan (age 20, occupation Char-woman) living at Back Street, Passage West. Both shown as Roman Catholic.
My Grandfather spent some summers living with family in Cork at 13 Batchelors Quay in the city. Some of the family are still living there in 1911, Daniel Donovan (age 30, RC, Carpenter), sister Hannah Donovan (age 32, RC, no occupation given) another sister Mary Prior or Drain (writing unclear) a widow after 4 years of marriage, age 40 and a cook.
Family lore was that Daniel went off to South America building railway bridges (he helped construct bridges in Cardiff).
Kate Donovan appears to have been baptised in the RC church in Passage on 22 April 1855 and her mothers maiden name is recorded as Bridget Murphy. Bridget would likely have been 19-21 yrs at the time. A younger brother John Donovan may have been baptised on 28 December 1856 as Bridget Murphy and John Donovan are shown as the parents.
It is not clear where John Donovan and Bridget Murphy were married, it should be prior to 1855, or were they were born. I suspect as the area was industrialising and drawing people in that they may have originated further west in the County of Cork.
Having done the Ancestry DNA it is apparent that I have links with West Cork and some distant Irish American cousins appear most with little in the way of family trees but there is a faint suggestion that any link maybe via a Bartholomew Donovan born 1796 Clonakilty, died 1866 (?) although nothing convincing.
Any suggestions on how or where to deepen the information on this part of the family?
Show Posts