Daniel Donovan was a son of Joseph Donovan and Mary Burke of West Cork, Ireland
Elizabeth Gallagher was a daughter of Patrick Gallagher and Sabina Cassidy.
Daniel Donovan (45) and Elizabeth Gallagher (30) married on 29 October 1892 in Boston, Massachusetts
Children born in Boston:
Mary Elizabeth Donovan, 10 Oct 1893. married John James Lynch
Joseph Daniel Donovan, 1 Nov 1894. married Katherine J Flaherty
John Daniel Donovan, 22 June 1896. John died on 1 Sep 1900
Census 1900:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9YP-CPV
We quote from the writings of Thomas J Donovan:
"PART 3 - As noted in Part 1, Daniel was baptized in Kilmacabea Parish, County Cork on 9 Jan 1841. So we can make the assumption he was born a few days earlier. No record of his arrival has been identified. Our first record that we categorize as possible, is the 1860 Federal Census in Brookline. In that document we find three young lads with the last name of Donovan. Daniel, age 19, is listed as a farm laborer. Also listed as farm laborers are Timothy, age 25 and Dennis, age 23. Were they relatives? Given the three young men were single, we have no way to determine their relationships.
Then, Daniel is not found in the early Brookline City Directories (started in 1868) nor the 1870 or 1880 Federal Census. Our next record in time was the death record of father Joseph, back in Ireland in 1866, discussed in part 1. Given the commonality of names, are these records correctly applied? Or did Daniel traveled back to Ireland during this time period.
Between 1879 to 1891, a number of Brookline City Directory lists Daniel, still single at that time, as a coachman, groceries, and laborer. He lived as a boarder on Kent Street, then Pearl and Emerald Streets. In that same time period, we find a Daniel Donovan identified in the Norfolk Registry of Deeds, buy and selling property and making loans. These records are difficult to follow and understand.
In general, some real estate transactions back then are peculiar if conducted in today's jurisprudence. For example, a property is conveyed to another person, then months or years later the property is conveyed back. Other documents look like a sale, but on close reading, the transaction is actually a mortgage. Other transactions involve a straw purchaser to facilitate the transaction.
As noted in Part 2, in August, 1890, Daniel made a loan to Jeremiah for $1,500, 5 years at 5%. The security was Jeremiah's properties in Boston and Pearl Street, Brookline. That loan was discharged by Patrick Murphy, Executor of Daniel's estate in January 1902.
In September 1891, Daniel made a major purchase of several adjoining lots on Lamartine Street, Jamaica Plan for $8,440. In real estate descriptions, it is difficult to determine if a purchase is of raw land or land with a house. In August 1895, he purchased another adjoining lot. The properties can be identified as 101, 103 and 105 Lamartine Street.
Originally, the Brookline connection and his three brothers were unknown. But the deed selling the 1891 property listed the grantee (buyer) as Daniel Donovan of Brookline. That information led us to Brookline and the discovery of the extended family.
On 29 October 1892, Daniel Donovan and Elizabeth M. Gallagher were married in Blessed Sacrament Church Jamaica Plain. Daniel's age was listed as 45, he was actually 51. Elizabeth age was listed as 30. The marriage records included the parents names which helps to confirm the family relationships.
Daniel and Elizabeth had three children, Mary Elizabeth - 1893, Joseph - 1894 (our grandfather) and John - 1896.
Sadly, John died in 1900.
After a relatively short marriage and three children, Daniel died of pneumonia on 13 December 1898. He was 58. On the same day, he had made his last will "In name of God, Amen. Be it remembered that I, …." The will stipulated all assets to his wife for her life or until re-marriage, then to the children. In the will he appointed "my friend, Patrick Murphy" as Executor.
The funeral was held at Blessed Sacrament Church. Burial was at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Roslindale. Inscription: "Daniel Donovan, Died December 13, 1898, Aged 58 Years, Native of Co. Cork, Ireland. Erected by his Wife". This grave site became the final place of 4 generations of Donovans. (see attached picture of monument, below).
Elizabeth M. Gallagher (1864 - 1906)
Daniel's death must have been difficult on Elizabeth. She is now head of household with three small children. She also had to deal with the real estate. Hopefully, the Murphys that lived a couple of doors down the street, were helpful. Remember, at this time there is no Social Security and no welfare.
In June of 1895, Elizabeth's mother, Sabina (Cassidy) Gallagher had come from Ireland or possibly Scotland to live with the family. She was approximately 65 years old. In 1900, Sabina reported she had 8 children with 1 living. Sabina was probably more of a burden than a help. She passed away in April, 1904. The death certificate listed "Marasmus due to senility, 2 years; influenza, 3 weeks." Sabina was buried in the Donovan grave site. Sabina's husband and Elizabeth's father was Patrick Gallagher. No information was found for him.
From the 1900 Federal Census, Elizabeth was living at 103a Lamartine Street, Jamaica Plain. Note: the original homestead with Daniel was 101 Lamartine Street, Widowed; Head of Household. Living in the household were the three children; mother, Sabrina Gallagher, age 70; and cousin, Kattie M. Coffey, age 22. No other information was found on Kattie. Not sure which side of the family she was a cousin of. Later in the year young son John dies of measles and diphtheria.
In October 1905, after being a widow for seven years, Elizabeth re-marries to John S. Cunningham. Three months later Elizabeth was dead. Two weeks later John was dead.
Our great grandmother, Elizabeth died on 5 February 1906. The death certificate lists "Endocarditis with Dropsy, 18 months, Cerebral & Pulmonary Oedema, 5 days." The place of death was 34 Lowell Street, that is in the vacinity of where Mass General Hospital is today. Elizabeth marriage to John Cunningham was by a Justice of Peace, not a Catholic ceremony. There would be no problem with a Catholic ceremony since her first husband was deceased. John S. was likely a Catholic, so no problem there, if correct. Was her marriage an attempt to provide for the children, knowing she had a heart problem? Elizabeth was buried in the Donovan family grave, ""Elizabeth M., Died Feb 5, 1906, Aged 42 Years".
John S. Cunningham (1866 - 1906)
John Cunningham, for a very short time the husband of Elizabeth, died on 17 February 1906. He was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury. From an article in the Boston Globe, "Two Men Fell Down Stairs". "John F. Cunningham, age 40, fell down stairs at the home he made for the last three weeks, in the house of Annie Dignan at 105 Lamartine St., after it is said, drinking heavily. Found dead in bed the next morning."
After the death of Elizabeth, what happened to the two children, Mary and Daniel? For a long time in our research, nothing was found. The children were lost. The next valid records found were as young adults, boarders in Brookline. We will pick up with our research on our great aunt Mary and our grandfather Daniel in due time.
As to the real estate. The real estate would go to Mary E. and Joseph. The records in Suffolk County are not the best. Not as good as Norfolk County. We can do more work in the future. to see what happened. But the property was sold and proceeds should have gone to the two children."
PART 11 - "Our great grandfather was the youngest of the four brothers that came to Brookline from West Cork, Ireland. Daniel Donovan (1841 - 1898) married Elizabeth Gallagher (1864 - 1906). We covered their information in Part 3. The three children of Daniel and Elizabeth were Mary, John and Joseph. John Daniel (1896 - 1900), the youngest child died at the age of 4 in 1900 of measles and diphtheria. Following we will cover our great aunt, Mary; our grandfather, Joseph; and our grandmother, Katherine (Flaherty). In addition, we will cover Katherine's sister Mary Frances and family.
Mary Elizabeth Donovan ( 1893 -1966)
Mary was born at 101 Lamartine Street in October 1893. She was baptized five days later at Blessed Sacrament Church, Jamaica Plain. At the death of her parents, she was 12 years old. Afterwards, Mary was first found in the records, along with her brother Joseph living in Brookline as boarders at the age of 22. Where was Mary, an orphan for 10 years? The normal search provided no results. As a fluke, a search of Patrick Murphy who was the Executor of Daniel's estate, provided the answer. The children were identified as wards of Patrick and Catherine Murphy in 1910 at 107 Lamartine Street. So Daniel's friend, after the death of Elizabeth, took in the two children in until their reaching an adult age.
Mary married John James Lynch (1884 - 1954) of Canton in 1918. She and John lived in Canton and raised one child, Margaret (1920 -1994). Margaret, also used the name Marguerite, married Francis M. Pearson (1922 - 2012). Frank, born in Sweden, served in the Army in 1946. Mary and Frank raised two children, John C. Pearson (1953 - ?), and David Francis Pearson (1956 - ?).
One issue was identified between Mary and her brother, our grandfather, Joseph. The issue related to their inheritance of the property on Lamartine Street, Jamaica Plain. More information is need to determine the outcome. It appears the property was sold. There are family rumors that Mary and Joseph had a falling out and did not speak for rest of their lives.
Joseph Daniel Donovan (1894 -1952)
Joseph, our grandfather, at the time of the death of his mother was 11 years old. At age 15, he is identified as a ward of Patrick and Catherine Murphy, living at 107 Lamartine Street. Then, as a 20 year old, he is a border, along with sister Mary, living at 36 Altherton Street, Brookline. On 19 June 1917, Joseph and Katherine Flaherty were married. Over the next decade, six children were born. About this time, he is a member of the U.S. Army.
There was no draft record found which sometimes mean the individual had already joined the military. Also, because of a major fire in 1973, many of the World War I and II records were destroyed. The only official document is an U.S. Army Transport Service passenger list. Sergeant Joseph D. Donovan, Supply Company, 101st Infantry, returning from Brest France to Boston, then to Fort Devens. Home address is listed at 4 Perry Place, Brookline. Later, in the Boston Globe obituary, he is identified in the 101st Infantry, 26 Division (Yankee division). Also, he was a Past Commander of John T. Fallon VFW Post 1050 in Roslindale. The VFW Post is defunct and no records are found.
Shortly after his service in the Army, he is employed by the Boston Elevated Railroad Co. as a clerk. The company later became the MTA and today the MBTA. Joseph rose through the ranks and became the chief clerk in the treasurer-comptroller's office. It appears railroading is part of the family heritage. Besides the cousins in South Station, two sons joined the "T", Thomas "Joe" and Daniel.
Joseph's education is surprising. He started off at Northeastern College Commerce and Financing. He then applied to Suffolk Law School. He was interviewed by Gleason L. Archer, the founder of Suffolk Law. In 1929, he was graduated with a Juris Doctor degree (JD). Surprisingly, he did not practice law.
After his Army service, Joseph lived in the family real estate on Lamartine Street. In 1927, he and Katherine purchased 22 Glenburnie Road. There is a family picture that would have been taken there. In 1937, the house was sold. The family then lived on Beech Street, Roslindale and the VFW Parkway, West Roxbury. In 1941, the family purchased a summer residence on West Avenue, Rocky Nook, Kingston. That property remained in the family until 1973. In 1943, the family moved back to Glenburnie Road, this time #8. That property, ultimately owned by daughter Gloria, was sold in 1993, after her death in 1989.
On 15 May 1952, at the age of 57, Joseph suffered a heart attack. According to family information, he had diabetes and was a heavy smoker. The wake was held at the family home and the funeral was at Holy Name Church. He was a member of Brookline council, K. of C.; St. Francis' Friary Laymen's Retreat League and the Holy Name Society of Holy Name Parish.
Katherine Josephine Flaherty (1894 - 1961)
Katherine was born in Galway, Ireland. Her parents were Thomas Flaherty and Katherine Gannon. No information is known on the parents. We were able to identify one older sister, Mary Frances (Flaherty) Reehill. Katherine immigrated to Boston in 1912 at the age of 18. Four years later, she and Joseph were married at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Brookline. At that time she was a dressmaker. Given that she married a native born person, she automatically became a naturalized citizen according to the laws at that time. It is unclear given the dates on records, but it appears, during Joseph's deployment in the Army, Katherine gave birth to their first son, Thomas.
From several records, it identified Katherine's native language as Gaelic. This most likely applies to all the earlier Irish relatives, Donovans, etc. Good news for the cousins, since Katherine was born in Ireland, we can apply for Ireland citizenship. Sorry kids, you are one generation too far to get automatic citizenship.
Katherine lived for the remainder of her life at 8 Glenburnie Road and owned the summer residence at Rocky Nook, Kingston. Remember those good old days, stop off at Howard Johnson restaurant on Route 3A, go to the kids dance at Rooky Nook Association club house.
Katherine died on 4 September 1961 at Faulkner Hospital as a result of a stroke. She was 67 years old. Funeral was at the Holy Name Church, West Roxbury. She was a member of the John T. Fallon Ladies' Auxiliary, Unit 1050, VFW, and the Sodality.
Mary Francis Flaherty (1877 - 1955)
Mary, Katherine's older sister, arrived in Boston in 1908. In 1922, she married to Charles Joseph Reehill. At the time of the marriage she was living at 101 Lamartine Street. Mary and Joseph settled in Medford, then Saugus. They had three daughters: Catherine Josephine (Reehill) Spencer; Mary R. (Reehill) Moschella; and Eleanor Ann (Reehill) "Kelly" Howland. Mary had applied for and obtained citizenship at the age of 56 in 1944. She died in 1955.
Charles Joseph Reehill (1895 - 1981)
Charles, husband of Mary, was born in Gorteen, Swanlinbar, Cavan, Ireland. He came to New York in 1920 from Scotland. He worked for many years at General Electric in Lynn. He applied and was granted citizenship in 1934. One of the witnesses was our grandfather, Joseph D. Donovan.
Children
Catherine Josephine Reehill (1924 - 1997)
Marriage in 1934 to Thomas F. Spencer Jr. (1924 - 1910). Thomas was a WWII veteran and an attorney at law. Catherine and Thomas had 7 children and at the time of Thomas's death, 11 grandchildren.
Mary R. Reehill (1925 - 1983)
Marriage in 1953 to Anthony C. Moschella (1922 - 1970). Anthony was a WWII veteran. Mary and Antnony had 4 children.
Eleanor Ann Reehill (1929 - 2018)
Marriage in 1952 to Neal G. Howland (1929 -2008). Divorced around 1979. Eleanor and Neal had 3 children and 6 grandchildren. She went by the name Kelly."
PART 13 - "The family tree of Daniel Donovan and Elizabeth M. Gallagher.
Generation
1. Joseph Donovan (1795 - 1866) and Mary Burke (? - ?)
2. Daniel Donovan (1841 - 1898) and Elizabeth M. Gallagher (1864 - 1906)
3. Mary Elizabeth Donovan (1893 - 1966) and John James Lynch (1884 - 1954)
4. Margaret E. Lynch (1920 - 1994) and Frank M. Pearson (1922 - 2012)
5. John C. Pearson (1953 - )
David Francis Pearson (1956 - ) and Teresa Anne Taylor (1959 - ) three children
3. Joseph Daniel Donovan (1894 - 1952) and Katherine Josephine Flaherty (1894 - 1961)
4. Thomas Joseph Donovan (1918- 1988) and Rita Agnes Kelly (1915 - 2013)
5. Thomas Joseph Donovan (1946 - ) and Elizabeth Louise Gallers (1946 - )
6. Thomas Joseph Donovan III (1970 - ) and Angelina Brennan (1970 - ) one child,
then Jung Hwa (Victoria) Kim (1970 - ) two step children
Karen Elizabeth Donovan (1971 - ) and Robert Francis Kierce (1998 - ) three children
Robert James Donovan (1973 - )
5. William Andrew Donovan (1948 - ) and Ruth Arden Glick (1947 - )
6. Jason Asbury Donovan (1979 - )
Amy Rebecca Donovan (1982 - ) and Derek Schmidt ( ) two children
5. Barbara Annmarie Donovan (1954 - 2016) and Louis Earl Smith (1957 - 2009)
6. Courtney Elizabeth Smith (1998 - )
5. Richard James Donovan (1957 - )
4. Daniel Francis Donovan (1920- 1995) and Margaret Virginia Degan (1921 - 2017)
5. Diane B. Donovan (1946 - ) and Paul William Towns (1945 - 1969), then John Rhodes ( )
6. Lisa D. Towns (1966 - ) and Steven Glenn (1966 - ) one child
Paul William Towns Jr. (1968 - ) and Tyler Tabor-Devens ( ) and ?? children
5. Deborah Helen Donovan (1950 - ) and Richard Wilson Glover (1949 - 2013)
6. Richard Wilson Glover Jr. (1970 - ) and Katie ?? (? - ) three children
Amanda Whitney Glover (1982 - ) and Scott Berta (? - ) and two children
Nathaniel Banks Glover IV (1987 - 2010)
4. Charles A. Donovan (1921- 2010) and Barbara Ann Brawley (1920 - 2007)
5. Katherine J. Donovan (1950 - ) and Richard E. Rotchford (1950 - ), then Hank Hoke (? - )
6. Robert H. Rotchford (1972 - ) and ?? ?? (? - ) several children
Barbara Rotchford (1973 - ) and ?? ?? (?- ) several children
Brian Charles Rochford (1975 - ) and Courtney Gage Lacasse (1978 - ) ?? children
5. Joseph D. Donovan (1951 - )
Regina Lucy Donovan (1955 - ) and Barry Lee Jackson (1947 - )
Charles Barry Donovan (1960 - ) and Carolyn L. Kuras (1962 - ) then Gail Troy (? - )
4. Kathleen Josephine Donovan (1924- 2007) and George Thomas Sweeney (1915 - 2000)
5. George Michael Sweeney (1947 - ) and Winifred G. ?? (? - )
6. Nancy A. Sweeney (1970 - )
Patricia V. Sweeney (1972 - )
5. Paul J. Sweeney (1949 - ) and Janet A. ?? (1952 - ) several children
Joseph D. Sweeney (1953 - ) and Deborah Ann Roberts (1958 - ) several children
Kathleen M. Sweeney (1955 - 2013) and William J. Curry (1955 - 2013)
6. William P. Curry (1984 - ) and Julianne McLane (1985 - )
Kaitlyn Curry (? - ) and Jay Barry (? - ) three children
Patrick Curry (? - )
5. Timothy Sean Sweeney (1960 - ) and Deborah Lynn Brown (1973 - ) several children
Noreen Sweeney (1962 - 1962)
4. Mary Gloria Donovan (1926 - 1989)
Barbara Ann Donovan (1930- 1932)
3. John Daniel Donovan (1896 - 1900)
This Part completes the family of Daniel Donovan, the youngest son of Joseph Donovan and Mary Burke."
