Any Info on: Francis Garden Denovan & wife Countess Wilhelmina Platen Hallermund

[Forfarian]

Wilhelmine died  30th January 1869 aged 71 and there is a memorial at Clunyhill Forres - no doubt buried there.

I wouldn't guarantee that. People can be named on a stone without actually being buried under it.

This is Stone Number 0520 from Clunyhill

No 520 is the number assigned to the stone in the Moray Local Heritage index at http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp

Going back to the index, the actual entry for Mr Platen-Denovan reads
Reference No.: NM148616
Surname: PLATEN-DONOVAN
Occupation: INSURANCE AGENT
Place of Birth: LEITH
Father's Name: FRANCIS GARDEN DONOVAN
Mother's Name: CHRISTIANA
Biography: WORKED FOR SCOTTISH WIDOWS INSURANCE COMPANY
Spouse's Name: COUNTESS PLATEN HALLERMUNDE
Date of Death: 23 FEB 1918
Age: 77
Headstone Ref: Fc520
Place of Death: INGLEWOOD FORRES
Newspaper Articles
FG [i. e. Forres Gazette] death 27/02/1918 page 3 column 5
FG obituary 27/02/1918 page 3 column 5

So there is evidently some confusion as to exactly who was married to whom! From the 1841 census J Platen-Denovan is presumably John, who was listed as aged 3 months. It would, presumably, be instructive to look at the Forres Gazette of 27 February 1918.

Wilhelmina's entry reads
Reference No.:NM035401
Surname: DONOVAN
Forename(s): WILHELMINE
Maiden Name: HALLERMUNDE
Spouse's Name: FRANCIS GARDEN DENOVAN
Marriage Narrative: PARENTS OF J PLATEN DENOVAN
Headstone Ref: Fc520

Knowing how the index works, I don't think that there is any separate source of information for Wilhelmina, but in that case I don't understand why there isn't a separate listing for Francis, or for Christiana (whoever she may have been).

Edit: having re-read the transcription above, "Died at Forres on 23rd Feb 1918 J Platen-Denovan formerly of Edinburgh youngest and 14th child of Francis Garden Denovan, British Consul at Copenhagen and Christiania respectively. And Wilhelmine Countess Platen Hallernunde his wife."  a chink of light has dawned. Christiania is the old name for Oslo. If you replace the full stop after Christiania with a comma, it then makes perfectly correct sense.

[tidybooks]

Hi All,

I have found a Scotsman report of a trial in Stirling Spring Circuit Court, 17th April 1869 of a Francis Denovan or Francis Platen Denovan, who had jumped bail after the diet had been called for embezzlement and theft from a Govan Coal and Iron Co, whom he was the shipping agent for. Could this be when they have moved to Liverpool.

Not sure about the name, would this be Francis Gardon Denovan or one of his sons?

Tom

[Forfarian]

Not sure about the name, would this be Francis Gardon Denovan or one of his sons?

AuntyGene said in the first post above that FGD sr died in 1860, so it must be the son.

Francis Platen Denovan was married in Sculcoates, Yorkshire, in 1883. In the 1891 census Francis P Denovan, 30-something (hard to read), born Grangemouth, was at 36 Wellington Street, Kingston-on-Hull, with wife Ada, 25 and daughters Aurora, 7, Wilhelmina, 5, and Florence, 2, and son Frank, 1. Occupation is also capable of different readings - something like ship agent's manager.

This isn't be the whole story, because in 1876 Margaret Sarah Denovan, daughter of F P Denovan, married John James Simpson and Georgina Louisa Denovan, daughter of F P Denovan, married Elis Adolf Sandelin, both in Gothenburg, where F P Denovan was a shipping agent.

Francis Platen, Margaret Sarah and Georgina Louisa were three of the children of Francis P Denovan and Ellen McCulloch, and they were all born in the parish of Falkirk. The youngest child indexed in the IGI was born in Crieff in 1867, which would fit quite neatly with a hasty departure to Sweden in 1869. I have not found the family in the 1881 census.

[Forfarian]

The late Mr Platen-Denovan. We record in our obituary column today the death of Mr Platen-Denovan here on Saturday last in his seventy-eighth year. He was a native of Leith where his father was at one time Norwegian Consul, and he spent the best part of his life in a responsible position in the service of the Scottish Widows' Fund Life Assurance Society in Edinburgh. On his retirement he frequently visited the Forres Hydropathic and was well known and esteemed for his good qualities. His well-earned leisure was occupied in cultivating a taste for music, literature and natural history. A permanent residenter at Cluny Hill House, he was widley known and respected by the Forres people and the visitors at the Hydro. [Obituary in Forres Gazette, 27 February 1918]

At Inglewood, Forres, on the 23rd inst, J Platen Denovan, formerly of Edinburgh. Funeral to Cluny Hill Cemetery today, Wednesday, at two o'clock. All friends respectfully invited. This is the only intimation and invitation. [Death announcement in Forres Gazette, 27 February 1918]

Died at Forres 23rd February 1918 J Platen-Denovan, formerly of Edinburgh, youngest and 14th child of Francis Garden Denovan, British Consul at Copenhagen and Christiania respectively. And Wilhelmina, Countess Platen Hallermunde, his wife, both now deceased. [Inscription on stone in Cluny Hill Cemetery, as transcribed and published by Moray Burial Ground Research Group] I have not been to Forres to see the actual stone to check whether or not that misleading full stop is on the stone.

Grave no 2397, allocated 1901, Nov 25. John Plate Denovan, Cluny Hill House, Forres.
Date of interment 1819, 27 February, the said John Platen Denovan, age 78. Sum paid for grave £10/2/6. [Forres Cluny Hill Cemetery Register]

Death certificate, Forres 1918/137/21. John Platen Denovan, insurance accountant (retired), single, died 1918, February 23, Inglewood, Forres. Father Francis Garden Denovan, British Consul. Mother Wilhelime Denovan, maiden surname Platen.

I have corrected the listings in LIBINDX.

[AuntyGene]

Hi

I am seeking any information on Francis Garden Denovan who was born in Edinburgh in 1790 to
Campbell Denovan and Mary Farquahar.  Francis was a merchant in Leith, Edinburgh, which became a family business.  I know that at one time he was the British Consul to Denmark as in 1815, he married Countess Wilhelmina Frederika Hedwig Platen Hallermund in Copenhagen. He returned to Edinburgh with his bride, where they remained for the rest of their lives and had about 11 children.  I also belive Francis had consular duties in Norway as well.  Considering his position as British Consul to Copenhagen, I cannot find out very much information on him.  I have a lovely portrait of his wife Wilhelmina, taken when she was just 17 but there must be a portrait somewhere of Francis Garden Denovan.  Can anyone suggest where I may look?  As I said, he was also a merchant and business man in Leith/Edinburgh and probably a mason.
There must be somewhere in Edinburgh that keeps portraits of prominent men, any suggestions please.  I think Francis was buried at Grey Friars but his headstone long gone (?).

Many thanks
Aunty Gene

[Forfarian]

Just to avoid anyone duplicating what has already been done on this family, this is the original thread

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,617412.0.html

AuntyGene - if you want to revive an earlier thread, all you need to do is post another message on the end of it, and it will bring it back to the top of the list. It is not necessary to start another thread on the same topic.

[tidybooks]

Hi Aunty Gene etc,

I have merged the two topics, as there is too much information already researched, as already stated, to refresh your topic, just add another post, do not need to change title.

Tom

[AuntyGene]

Hi

Many thanks for your reply, letting me know that there was a report in the Scotsman about the trial in Stirling Spring Court on Francis Platen Denovan.  Would you be able to send me a copy of this report please or if not, give me a link or website where I may be able to see it.

Many thanks

Aunty Gene

[tidybooks]

Hi AuntyGene,

I have sent PM, please give me your email address by PM, so I can send it.

Tom