Interestingly the Christian name Edmund runs in this branch.  The scholar Dr. John O’Donovan also had this name in his extended family.

For his researches:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GCiBrLiBZtDkU8Ug5hZn9HnIZgfN1dvK2kkfaDUb600/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16VJptRac8CKsG_ylR0Zm78DLE-rPwWHJ_q2n4HKpW5s/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eq_IayaxdUyWZWbpDf6LWlLNg7o-3tNJiqPGYIALy80/edit

Rev. Patrick Ernest Donovan (1861-1953), Foronaught, Myross, Skibbereen, West Cork, Irish Speaking Methodist Missionary.

Courtesy Wesley Weir.

His daughter was one of the early girls to attend Wesley College.

The First Girls To Enter Wesley College As Pupils In 1911

Both his Dublin and English house were named Myross.

Over the years members of the Donovan/O’Donovan families changed religion.  From the early 18th century the title  ‘The O’Donovan’ was held by family members who converted to the Church of Ireland.  Probably now in the USA members of the Diaspora are Mormons or Evangelists.

Census Years1901DublinMountjoyGt. Charles StreetResidents of a house
Residents of a house 32 in Gt. Charles Street (Mountjoy, Dublin)
Show all information
Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion Birthplace Occupation Literacy Irish Language Marital Status Specified Illnesses
Donovan Eileen Averell 7 Female Daughter Methodist City of L Derry Scholar Read and write – Not Married –
Donovan Norah Gwendolen 5 Female Daughter Methodist City of L Derry Scholar – – Not Married –
Donovan Muriel 3 Female Daughter Methodist Belfast, Co Antrim Scholar – – Not Married –
Hardy Sarah Ann 29 Female Domestic Servant Church of Ireland Co L Derry General-Housemaid Domestic Servant Can read and write – Not Married –
Donovan Patrick Ernest 40 Male Head of Family Methodist Co Cork Superintendent Methodist Minister Read and write Irish and English Married –
Shillington Sarah Averell 65 Female Mother in Law Methodist Co Armagh – Read and write – Married –
Donovan Thomas Eric 1 Male Son Methodist Belfast, Co Antrim – – – Not Married –
Donovan Mary Elizabeth 33 Female Wife Methodist Co Armagh – Read and write – Married

DONOVAN, Patrick Ernest

1888 Swanlinbar 2

1890 Portadown 2

1892 Coleraine (Portrush) FC 1

1893 Londonderry (City Mission) 2

1895 Holywood 2

1897 Belfast, 3

1900 Dublin, Abbey St &c 4

1904 Dublin, General Missionary 24

1928 Dublin, HM Supt of Colportage Sup 21

1949 Dun Laoghaire Sup 4

b. Forenaught, Myross, Skibbereen, Co Cork. 17 March

1861, son of Michael Donovan and Johanna (née Sheehy)

[RC]. Converted while working as an apprentice at R.S.

Wolfe’s Corner House, in Skibbereen. Founded

Londonderry City Mission, and rebuilt Abbey St, Dublin.

Appointed General Missionary in 1904 and served as such

for 24 yrs.

m. 5 Sept 1892 at Approach Rd Chapel, Victoria Rd,

London, Mary Elizabeth (Elsie), (Sister Eileen Children’s

Home, Bonner Rd, London), eldest dau of Rt Hon Thomas

Shillington of Portadown [CA.92.ii457 cf CA.22.4.21 p.63]

She d. 19 Dec 1939 [Obit ICA.6.1.39 p.14].

issue: Eileen Averell b. Marlborough Crescent, L’derry

Nov 29 1893 [CA’93.11.17] ent MCB 1905, and stayed on

as a student music teacher(MCB) LRAM. She moved to

Penrhos College, Colwyn Bay to teach singing where she

met and m. 12 Apr 1922, at Kingstown MC Charles

Dudley Yonge, School Master at Rydal School (1918-

1958), Colwyn Bay, N Wales. In retirement they went to

live at Myross, Havant, Hants to be near their daughter,

Patricia. She was b. 1928 m. Fred Dart and they in turn

had two boys: Patrick b. 1965 and Andrew b. 1970; Norah

Gwendoline b. 12 June 1895, at Bond Hill, L’derry

[CA.1895.ii297 & Holywood 60A.1.153] ent WCD 1911.

Gwen was an invalid who died 1960; Muriel (Patricia) b.

78 Cliftonpark Ave, Belfast, 25 March 1898 [Agnes St

#2.119] ent MCB 1911. She took such an objection to her

name Muriel that in her teens she refused to answer to it

and subsequent documents were signed ‘Patricia M.’ She

helped her father in the Bookroom in Abbey St, Dublin

and subsequently worked in various schools in England as

housekeeper or asst matron. On retirement lived in a

lonely cottage in Co Wicklow without running water. She

was persuaded by her bro Charles to move to Hants to be

close to her sister Eileen. There she had a small

modernised cottage at Emsworth where Patricia Dart kept

in touch with her. She d. 31 July 1982; Thomas Eric b.

Belfast, 11 Apr 1899 [Agnes St #2.161]. He hoped to be a

surgeon but did not succeed. m. May Searight. He d 1977

in the Gascoigne Home, Dublin having been predeceased

by his wife; Charles Ernest, b. 18 July 1902 [Dublin

Abbey St #966] ent WCD 1912-21, Dir of Ed, Sierra

Leone, WA. He was awarded the CBE. He m. Vi a

Rhodesian woman. When he retired they went to live in

Horley and finally to Somerset. He d. 27 Jan. 1979 and Vi

d. ca 1983. They had two children (1) Charles Desmond b.

1931 who married, lived in Hungerford, Hants and had

three children, Anne, Jane (d. aged 3) and Patrick and (2)

Barrie, b. 1934 who married, lived in Petersfield, Berks,

and had three children, Anna, Rebecca and Andrew.

Rep(c) 1907

Ref: ‘Evesdropping: Fragments of Methodist History’ by

R Lee Cole, ICA 15 Jun 1960 p7; Jones, G, Who

remembers P E Donovan? MN.91Oct, p. 2

d. at Myross, Sandycove, Dublin, 28 June 1953, interred

Dean’s Grange Cemetery, Dublin.

Abbreviations

aet. Aged

b. born

c. converted

ca. circa

cs Circuit Steward

d. died

ed. Education

e.m. entered ministry

ent entered

ƒ portrait

lp Local Preacher

m. married

mms manuscript

per permission to

qv quod vide = ‘which see’ – cross reference

s. son

wpc Without pastoral charge

Asst. Assistant

B Brethren (Plymouth or Christian)

BoE Board of Examiners

BOG Board of Governors

C. Curate

Chap Chaplain

CI Church of Ireland

CE Christian Endeavour

CD Chairman of District

CHC Crookshank’s History of Methodism in Ireland (3 Vols)

CS Circuit Steward

DCM Dublin Central Mission

DcM Distinguished Conduct Medal

D. Deacon

DS District Superintendent

DCS Dublin Connexional School

Ed Editor

EMP Education and Maintenance Fund (PMW)

FC Received into Full Connexion as a Methodist Preacher

Gov Governor

HM Home Mission station

HMF (His/Her) Majesty’s Forces

I Incumbent

(I)CA (Irish) Christian Advocate

IE Irish Evangelist

IM Irish Mission station

IR Impartial Reporter (Enniskillen)

Inst. Installed

JPL Letters of John Pawson, 3 volumes (1995)

M Methodist

MC Methodist Church or Chapel

MD Physician

MCB Methodist College Belfast

MCI Methodist Church in Ireland

MCSP Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (UK)

Mins Minutes of Conference

MM Methodist minister

MPC Methodist Publishing Company

NWT Taggart, The Irish in World Mission, 1760-1900

OBA Old Boys Association

Obit Obituary

Ord Ordained

OT Received On Trial as a probationary Methodist Preacher

P Presbyterian

Pr Priest

PC Presbyterian Church

PHSI Presbyterian Historical Society in Ireland

PES Public Elementary School

Pr Priest

PWM Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Society

QUB Queen’s University Belfast

R. Rector

Rep Representative to the British Conference

Ret. Retired

SC Secretary of Conference

Sup Supernumerary Minister, i.e. Retired

TCD Trinity College Dublin

ThT Theological Tutor

UCA Uniting Church in Australia

W. The Watchman [Pro-Bunting weekly]

WC Wesleyan Chapel

MCA Methodist Church of Australasia

WCD Wesley College Dublin

WMM Wesleyan Methodist Magazine