DONOVAN - CROWE help please

[anna_tom]

I am hoping that someone may kindly be able to help me break through a long standing brick wall please.

Searching for the parents of John Donovan. According to his marriage certificate to Mary Ann Crowe of September 1873 (St Francis Church in Melbourne) it lists his parents as John Donovan and Mary Corbett. I have him aged 29 at the time of his marriage - so birth date approx 1844. The marriage certificate states that he was born in Brighton, Victoria, although I have never been able to find any evidence of this. His occupation was miner and his usual residence was Ballan.

John Donovan had a brother, whom I discovered only last year through an obituary notice. His name was Thomas Donovan. He too was a miner and lived in Mount Egerton, not far from Ballan. Thomas Donovan married Catherine Kay in Creswick, Victoria in 1885. His marriage certificate however states that his parents were John Donovan and Margaret Darcy. Thomas died in 1903 aged 53, His birth approx 1852 in Geelong. I have never been able to find any evidence of his birth or baptism either.

I have death certificates of both brothers but conflicting information has prevented my search continuing further. John Donovan died in Charters Towers, Queensland, in 1917 but his mother's name was mistakenly given as Margaret Hogan (his mother-IN-LAW). On Thomas Donovan's death certificate his mother is given as Margaret Dwyer.

Thomas Donovan's death certificate says that he was born in Geelong and had lived in Victoria for 34 years, NSW for 10 years, Queensland for 5 years and Western Australia for 2 years. I have never been able to find evidence of Thomas Donovan living in these states either and am hoping someone may be able to provide a census/voters record check?

If anyone would kindly help me try to get over this hurdle I would very much appreciate it.

Thanks so much,

Anna.

[sparrett]

Anna,
What information is given in the obituary?

Apart from the Obituary, is there any  evidence that the two men were both sons of the same JOHN DONNOVAN?

Sue

[anna_tom]

Hi Sue,

The obituary was for Mary Ann Donovan (nee Crowe) and was published in the Gordon Advertiser newspaper in 1914. It talked about Mary Ann Donovan being survived by her husband John Donovan, a brother of the late Thomas Donovan of Egerton. It also confirmed Mary Ann's parents John Crowe and Margaret (nee Hogan) who were formerly from the Ballan rd, near Egerton but died in Deniliquin.

Hope this helps.

Anna.

[Jamjar]

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/15585032?searchTerm=%22mary%20ann%20donovan%22&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/15567201?searchTerm=%22mary%20ann%20donovan%22&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc

Re:Probate

There are 3 of them from 1914 -1917. Why would it take so long to settle?

Jamjar

[~MERLIN~]

Possibly their mother remarried?

CORBETT Margaret m. DARCY Michael 1857 #3959

[anna_tom]

Hi Merlin,

I purchased the marriage certificate of Corbett-Darcy to no avail. Michael Corbett m Margaret Darcy on Nov 20th 1857 in Duneed, Vic (near Geelong). She was a spinster according to the certificate and aged 22. There is some interesting further information though - and am wondering if it's worth following up.

Her parents names given as Mary Darcy (coincidence?) and Patrick Corbett. His parents are Patrick Darcy and Margaret Griffin.

The marriage entry beneath Michael Corbett and Margaret Darcy is for a Michael Darcy and a Margaret Griffin! Also from Duneed and her parents given as Michael Griffin and Mary McCarthy and his parents names as Thomas Darcy and Mary (looks like Mealy - hard to transcribe).

Were these people all related?!!

Am unsure how I can connect them to Donovan but am open to all suggestions!

I will keep hunting today and hoping some of you could assist me in trying to smash this brick wall.

Thanks so much for your efforts thus far!

Anna.

[anna_tom]

Hi Jamjar - thanks for helping me ..

I think after Mary Ann's death her husband packed up and left Deniliquin and moved to Charters Towers to be with two of his sons who ran Nelia Ponds Station. The third son remained in Deniliquin .. perhaps there was some family rift with the brothers. I have never been able to find out.

I am wondering if the elusive parents of John Donovan were convicts .. I just can't work out why I cannot find them anywhere despite years of trying. Both John and his brother Thomas were born in Australia, so their parents must be buried somewhere - it's amazing that there is no record of theie existence (that I can find anyway!).

Hoping someone out there can assist me!

Anna.

[anna_tom]

Hi Sue,

The only other evidence I have (apart from the obituary) I believe is rather convincing. Thomas Donovan's will/probate records show that the witness on documentation was John Crowe, brother of Mary Ann Donovan (nee Crowe) who also lived in Egerton.

Does this help you at all? I am still searching!

Anna.

[sparrett]

A woman named MARY BUTLER and a man named JOHN DONOVAN were having children in Melbourne between 1842 and 1849.
One of these was JOHN in 1843

 DONOVAN John
Father John
Mother Mary BUTLER
Birth Place MELBOURNE
Year 1843
Reg Number 36940
Denomination Roman Catholic
Parish St Francis, Melbourne
Fiche 525

Among the siblings was this birth in BRIGHTON

DONOVAN Bridget
Father John
Mother Mary BUTLER
Birth Place BRIGHTON
Year 1846
Reg Number 39411
Denomination Roman Catholic
Parish St Francis, Melbourne
Fiche 540

MARY BUTLER may have died in 1855

DONOVAN Mary
Father Butler John
Mother-
Age 36
Birth Place WATE (wild guess! WATERFORD)
Year 1855
Reg Number 5357

Other children were ELLEN and JAMES.

Have you previously persued this line?

Sue