John Donovan was a son of Jeremiah Donovan and Margaret Hurley.

John was born in England and was in the US for the Massachusetts State Census of 1855

Mary Sullivan was a daughter of Jeremiah Sullivan and Bridget McCarthy.

 John Donovan's first marriage to Mary Sullivan 

John Donovan (22) and Mary Sullivan (20) married in Brookline, MA on 14 January 1876.
 

Children born in Brookline:

Jeremiah F Donovan, 21 Oct 1876

Margaret Donovan, c. June 1878

Annie L Donovan, 26 Oct 1879

Daniel Donovan, 7 Sep 1881

John Donovan Jr., 7 June 1882

Margaret M Donovan, 15 Oct 1882

 John Donovan's second marriage to Margaret Jane Cook 

                             John Donovan                                  Margaret Jane Cook

Margaret Jane Cook was a daughter of Jacob Cook and Margaret Maher.

John Donovan (35), a labourer and Margaret Jane Cook (25), a dressmaker married on 28 August 1890 in Brookline.

Children born in Brookline:

John Joseph Donovan, 28 Nov 1891

James Donovan, 11 May 1894

Benjamin Gerard Donovan, 7 July 1897

Charles Everett Donovan, 25 Jan 1900

Jane Donovan, 27 Apr 1905

We quote from the writings of Thomas J Donovan:

PART 4 - extract  - John Donovan (1851 - 1919)

John, the oldest son was born in England. His occupations listed from various records: teamster, laborer, lamplighter, gardener. He was married twice and had a total of 11 children. He lived in Brookline for all of his adult life. He, along with brother Joseph, inherited the father's assets in 1901. As to the father's house, John deeded his half interest to his brother as he already owned a home at 47 Brook Street.  According to Jeremiah F. (John's son) application for a passport, it lists that John was Naturalized in 1873. However, no records of the application for citizenship were found.

John died on 26 April 1919 on Pierce Street of Acute Myocarditis with Dilatation of Heart. It appears he died on the job as a gardener of a heart attack. His burial was at Holyhood Cemetery, St. Joseph Avenue, walk #35, lot 918E. (see attached picture of headstone, below).

His first wife was Mary Sullivan (1857 - 1885)

Mary was born in St. John, New Brunswick about 1857. Mary and John were marriage on 14 January 1876 in Brookline. Mary died on 24 November 1885 from tuberculosis. Together they had six children. Sadly, three died in the first year of life, while daughter Margaret M. died at the age of 24 of tuberculosis. Note: there were two children named Margaret. Margaret died in 1878, 4 months old, while Margaret M. was born later, in 1883.

His second wife was  Margaret Jane Cook (1865 -1926)

Margaret was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia about 1865. The marriage was in Brookline on 28 August 1890. In some instances Margaret went by her middle name Jane. Together John and Margaret Jane had five children. One child died within a few weeks after birth. After her husband died she continued to live at 51 Brook Street. At that time her son John was listed as head of household. Margaret Jane died on 14 February 1926.

Grandchildren of Jeremiah Donovan and Margaret Hurley

In Catholic Irish culture, it is always nice to have a priest or nun or a politician as part of the family. We have to recognize sometimes rascals creep in. To be featured in the Boston Globe, in almost all cases, is not positive. Most of our ancestors did make it to the Irish social listings in the Boston Globe (death notice of wake), although sad, not negative. Following we will examine the grandchildren of Jeremiah and Margaret and a few others.

Jeremiah F. Donovan (1876 - 1931), oldest son of John and Mary Sullivan

Jeremiah F. is the first Donovan that was not a laborer, gardener or coachman. He obtained an education and became a pharmacist-druggist. He married Elizabeth R. Keary in 1905. Elizabeth was born in September 1879, Chatham, New Brunswick. They had five children.

During his career he dispensed various medications to help cure various ailments."

"The tree of John's family follows. It is interesting to note that there are no children from the children of John's second marriage.

Generation

1.    Joseph Donovan (1795 - 1866) and Mary Burke (? - ?)

2.        Jeremiah Donovan (1823 - 1901) and Margaret Hurley (1834-1882)

3.            John (1851 - 1919) and Mary Sullivan (1857 - 1885)

4.                Jeremiah F. Donovan (1876 - 1931) and Elizabeth L. Keary (1879 - 1962)

5.                    Dr. Robert Joseph Donovan (1906 - 1989) and Mary Henrietta McCarthy (1907 - 1995) and nine children

                       Elizabeth Rose Donovan (1908 - 1940)

                       Paul J. Donovan (1911 - 1997) and Frances Therese Leahy (1913 - 1994) and three children

                       Mary Rita Donovan (1917 - 2002) and Francis Xavier  Scannell (1917 - 2013) and four children

                       Leo Charles Donovan (1920 - 1990), possibly married

4.                Margaret Donovan (1878 - 1878)

                   Annie L. Donovan (1879 - ?) and Joseph Lawrence Marmaud (1874 - ?)

5.                    Dorothy Marmaud (1901 - 1966) and Nicholas T. Young (1899 -1959) and two children

                       Wendell Marmaud (1903 - 1903)

                       John Edmond Marmaud (1904 - 1965) and Anna Mae Morgan (1905 - 2000) and three children

                       Mary Louise Marmaud (1908 - 1986)

4.                Daniel Donovan (1881 - 1881)

                   John Donovan Jr. (1882 - 1882)

                   Margaret M. Donovan (1883 - 1908)

3.            John (1851 - 1919) and Margaret Jane Cook (1865 -1926)

4.                John Joseph Donovan (1891 - 1932) and Mary Bridget Cotreau (1888 - 1969)

                   James Donovan (1894 - 1894)

                   Benjamin Gerard Donovan (1897 - 1951) and Lillian May Murphy (1900 - 1986)

                   Charles Everett Donovan (1900 - 1952) and Mary C. Fay (1901 -1988)

                   Jane Donovan (1905 - 1992) and Edward Francis Conley (1900 - ?), then Howard E. Fuller (? - ?)"