PAGE 257

PART 7

MR. ??? DONNAN

Whitehead. County Anatrim, Ireland
Came to Detroit Michigan

Along in the 1850's to 1934

PAGE 258

MARRIAGE: Mr. ?? DONNAN, Whitehead, County Antrim, Ireland
TO: Jane Wilson, Whitehead, County Antrim, Ireland

There were nine children: John, William, David Reed, Sarah, Mary, Margaret,
Agnes, ??? and ???.

This family came to my attention through an article in a church paper which
read as fo1low: "The Blackhawk Pioneer Clan of the First Fresbyterian Church
of Healdsburg, CA under the direction of Rev. David J. Donnan has developed a
fine club with an all around program"

A letter to him was sent on to Helena, Montana, where he had accepted a call
to the First Presbyterian Church and in due time, December 24, 1925 he answered,
and has been a delightful correspondent since.

The Donnan farm just outside of Belfast, Whitehead, County Antrim, has been in
the Donnan family for more than 100 years, they having come over from Scotland.
John Donnan the oldest child of nine, stayed on the farm and his only son John and
two maiden sisters are now operating it. William Donnan came to America and settled
in Detroit, Mich. along in the 1850s, was married and went to housekeeping
there. He entered into the wholesale grocery business and was successful, building
up a businesa that was steadily on the increase. Some years later he sold out and
bought a farm near Joplin, MO. where he died in 1924.

There were no children to this union so this twig stopped at this point.

MARRIAGE: DAVID REED DONNAN, Whitehead, County Antrim, Ireland
TO: Annie Rachel Barker, Detroit, Mich.

There were two children: Winifred Annie and David John

David who was the youngest of the family at Whitehead, born 1853, a Scotch
Irishman, possessing characteristics of both, full of pep when he was 16 years old
decided he would come to America where his brother was at Detroit. This was in 1889
He took to commercial activities and worked for his brother in the wholesale grocery.

This was then a good business center and he entered into the activities of the
city and in 1881 he married Annie Rachel Baker, born in Detroit two years after her
parents arrived from London, England. They went to housekeeping, continuing
activities in civic affairs, Scotch and English as one.

On May 9, 1882 there was a daughter born to them1 WINIFRED ANNIE DONNAN.
eucated in the schools there and in Mound City, MO,, where they had moved, full of
energy, just entering life's work when she was taken sick and died in 1906 only 24
years old.

In l886 David and his family moved to Mound City, MO. and he accepted a position
with a Wholesale Grocery firm at St. Josephs, Mo. as a traveling salesman.

PAGE 259

After the death of their daughter in 1906 they moved to Pomona, Cal. where he
bought an orange grove and had a retail grocery business. Even in that wonderful
state with its delightful climate, sickness came this time to David in 1928
twenty two years after they had moved there and he was laid to rest.

MARRIAGE: DAVID JOHN DONNAN, Detroit, Michigan
TO: Elizabeth Ross, Park River, ND

There are no children.

David, second child of Annie, born May 9, 1890 at Detroit, MI a healthy,
active Scotch Englishman, educated in grade and high at Mound City, MO and Pomona
CA graduating in 1908, was associated with his father for several years then decided
to enter the ministry. He entered Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA
graduating in 1920, entered San Francisco Theological Seminary at San Anselmo, Cal.
graduating in 1923.

As college boys sometimes do, he fell in love with one of the fair sex and at
the close of his first year in the Seminary he married Elizabeth Ross, having decided
two heads were better than one, and it worked out that way. Elizabeth was
the daughter of John Ross a Scotch Canadian, well educated and entered not only
into the educational program, but the religious work as well.

David was called to the First Presbyterian Church at Healdsburg, CA, There
he was when the opening paragraph noticed in one of the church papers is quoted.
His early training in the business life serving the public in a store, helped him
to understand them better and their work here was fruitful, so much so, that he
received a call in 1925 from the First Presbyterian Church of Helena, Montana, one
of the most influential churches in the state. Here, too, the work was encouraging.
We had a young man from his congregation there in the General Electric Company who
spoke of his work in the highest terms.

An Intermountain Union College had been started in Helena by the Presbyterians
and Methodists and Sunday, September 1926 was designated as "Intermountain Welcome
Day", and the pastor Rev. David J. Donnan and his wife had 30 students as their
guests in the manse, a fine thing to do.

In 1932 he received a call from the First Presbyterian Church, Santa Monica,
CA and they decided to accept same; this is only about 50 miles from their old
home in Pomona. The work there is moving forward also, the Murrays, Tinnings and
Donnans there speak well of them; there were 32 welcomed into the fellowship on
Comnunion Sunday, November 4, 1934.

MARRIAGE: SARAH DONNAN, Whitehead, County Antrim, Ireland
TO: Robert Wisnom, Scotland

They have several children.

Sarah and Robert came to America and settled in San Mateo, CA. There are a
number of sons and daughters in the family, all widely traveled and one of them,
Mrs. CARL ELFVING recently sent to Rev. David J. Donnan this interesting material
that she found in the Library at Melbourne, Australia:

Extracts from old manuscripts in Melbourne Library:
"DONNAN",The well knoWn and ancient Galloway name of Donnan was no doubt taken
from St. Donnan. Arthur and Aden De Donnan swore allegiance to King Edward, the
Usurper, A.D. 1296.

PAGE 260


Kildonnan Parish of Kirkooln, Wigtownshire mentioned in the "History of lands
and their owners in Galloway" by F. H. McKerlie."

The above checks not only the name DONNAN, but the name MC KERLIE who came
to America and intermarried.

I would like to hear from the other sisters who are also widely traveled, but
that too will have to appear in the next compilation by someone else.


"Silver Locks"