Part 11

PAGE 289

MR. ??? DONNAN, Wigtown, Scotland

TO: Natchez, Mississippi

1808 - 1934

PAGE 29O

MARRIAGE: ??? DONNAN, Wigtown, Scotland
TO: Isabella Dickson, Wigtown, Scotland

There were eight children: Peter, Andrew, etc.

The genealogy of this family is rather incomplete as I have not been able to
get in touch with any of the descendents at Natchez, MS; perhaps there are none
of them there now. However, from letters received from the Washington, Pa. family,
those in St. Louis, Mo., and especially from Mrs. Margaret Donnan Miller, 409 Bett
St., Columbia, Mo. who is a descendent of Andrew F. Donnan by his first wife in
Nateez, MS. To make a finished chart it is quite necessary to have dates of
birth, or children in the order of their birth, then in the history use the same
order. Having this only in part, have done the best I could but do hope some of
the family will take it up later, for from the little that we know it would be
quite unique.

I will quote some of the letters received from 1922 to 1936. When Mrs. Donnan
and I returned from California in 1915, stopped to see our cousins Luella and
Mary Donnan at Cochranton, PA, daughters of Rev. David Donnan. They spoke of Miss
Pauline Donnan, Joplin, Mo. singing at the commencement exercises of the Westminster
College, N. Wilmington, PA in June 1915 and we all wondered to what family she
might belong; so on March 6, 1922 I wrote to her and on April 10, 1922 received this
fine letter from her sister which I quote:

"409 Hett St. Columbia, Mo., April 10, 1922

On a very recent visit to my old home in Joplin, MO I fond your letter written
to my sister Miss Pauline Donnan and inquiring about the Donnan ancestry. My sister
was not at home so I answer. She is a graduate of Lindenwood College and a student
at Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pa., before going abroad to continue her vocal
studies. She was prima donna of the Royal Carl Rosa Opera Company in England for
several years before the World War and during the war devoted a great deal of time
to the men of St. Dunstaies, working out a method of her own to teach the blind singing.
She is a Colorature Soprano.

My grandfather, Andrew Donnan, was born in Wigtown, Scotland on December 12,
1814. As I have always heard the story it is that his father was a man of wealth,
and a dealer in horses and cattle and that Napoleon's fall gave such a backset to
his fortune that he decided to bring his family to America. My grandfather was the
youngest of, I think, 8 children and was 2 years old when his father came to America.
I do not know my great grandfather's given name, but he married Isabella Dixon or
Dickson. I have a beautiful little cut glass bottle which a cousin of her husband's
gave her for a wedding gift. My own grandfather, Andrew Donnan married Margaret
Christian Cameron on April 13, 1842 in Natchez, Miss. They had three children: Amy
Isabella Donnan, born February 14, 1843 died Jan. 30, 1920; Margaret Cameron Donnan
born June 4, 1843 died September 3, 1850; Andrew Fuller Donnan, born Aug. 6, 1849
died March 25, 1907. My grandfather married again after the death of my grandmother
on Feb. 24, 1850. I do not know the date of this marriage. There are 4 sons living
and 1 daughter who died in infancy: Alexander, Lyman, William, David and Ann.
Amy Isabella Donnan never married. My father, Andrew Fuller Donnan, married Pauline
Scott Keller on May 30, 1877. They had three children: Margaret Cameron Donnan, now
Mrs. Miller; Edith Keller Donnan, now Mrs. Silvers of Tacoma, WA and Pauline,
not married. Margaret Cameron Donnan Miller has two daughters, Majorie Cameron
and Amy Donnan. Edith Donnan Silvers has one son, Andrew Donnan Silvers. My grandfather's
oldest brother, Peter, was greatly interested in his family tree and had all
this data, but I believe his work was destroyed by a fire. As far as I know he had
2 sons, Pat and James and 3 daughtors, Mary, Mildred and Jeanette. James lives in
St. Louis, 3640 Shaw Ave., the last I heard. Cousin James may have more information
about the family. Cousin Jeanette may too. They spell the name DONAN because their
father in his researches thought he'd trace the family back through Scotland to

PAGE 291

France where it was spel1ed with one less N. I fear this is rather ramb1ing; if you
find it is anything you want in your work, I can get the recent dates more accurately.
I took the old ones from an old family bible.

Very truly yours, Mrs. Margaret Donnan Miller"

From this fine letter I have a good start on the southern Donnan family and
have been hoping to hear from Margaret again, before I closed. Remember that she
was the daughter of the youngest child, Andrew F. Donnan and now I give you a letter
from a descendent of the oldest child in the same family, Peter Donan; now if this
isn't unique in the history of a family. James Hall Donan, 1980 Rai1way Exchange
Bldg., St. Louis, Mo. special representative of Continental Casualty Co., Chicago.

"April 28, 1992
Your letter came in yesterday and I was certainly glad to get the history of
another branch of the family, I am exceedingly sorry that I am unable to give you
the information you are seeking. My father was born in Scoland and I knew only
one brother, his name was Andrew F. Donnan. The whole family followed my father to
America and the grandparents lived and died at Natchez, Miss. and they were buried
there. Uncle Andrew Donnan had a daughter named Amy; she died two years ago last
February. She lived for years at 6815 Virginia St., St. Louis. Mo. She was buried
in the Bellefortaine Cemetery beside her father. She had a brother Andrew F. Donnan
who was the father of this Mrs. Margaret Donnan Miller that you received a letter
from. I have a son in New York, 26 Broadway, Rm. 1500, N. Y. City, that is taking
an active interest in the family tree and I am sure if you should go New York
at any time and see him you would not only meet a very pleasant young man but he
would take an active interest in what you have at hand. I think he has some facts
that would be of some interest to you. My father, Peter, had a very complete book
on the fami1y history which was destroyed in a fire years ago. There is a William
Q, Donnan, a Methodist Preacher who is an Uncle to Margaret Donnan Miller and a
a cousin of mine living here at 3505 Gravois Ave. I seldom see him but I expect that
he can give you some informatian if you would write to him. Assuring you of my
appreciation of the matter you have in hand and of my desire to help you in any way
that I can and expressing the hope that I will hear from you again at frequent intervals
and that some day I might have the pleasure of meeting you, I am, with kind
personal regards, Sincerely yours, James H. Donnan
P.S. My father dropped an N out of his name right after he left Scotland and came
to America and they could never get him to put it back. His name was Peter. His
father and mother followed over here and they lived to 105 years of age. They were
living in Natchez, Miss. and they are buried there."

N0TE:. This letter checks others received and we regret that the history of his
ancestors was destroyed by fire, I will now quote a letter from his son James Anderson
Donan.

"26 Broadway, New York, May 10, 1922
It seemed rather strange to read a letter from an apparent stranger by the
name of N. W. Donnan; however, I am glad to learn that you are attempting to carry
on the work of gathering some family history which has been so utterly neglected in
the past. Unfortunately, I am unable to give you much information regarding the
older generations, because my close relatives, I am sorry to say, have been very few
on my father's side. I have a first cousin by the name of Holland Stokely Reavis
here in New York, whose mother was Miss Mildred Donan, of Palmyra. Mo., my father's
sister. I shall attempt to obtain some information from him and write you accordingly.
With kindest regards and sincere hope of meeting you, I am,
Sincerely, James Anderson Donan."

Working on other families, time passed swiftly and when I returned to this
file, I did not have any further answers so I wrote to Mr. Reavis a few years later
and the letter was returned. Desirous of obtaining more in this connection, I wrote
to the Donans in Mound City, MO, Rev. David J. Donnan of Santa Monica, Cal. who
lived there some years ago, said there were Donans there, but being spelled a

PAGE 292

little different, did not think they were connected. I quote the answer received.

"Mound City, Mo. April 12, 1935
In reply to your inquiry of April 4, I can give only the few following facts
based om recollections my father has on the subject. My grandfather, Fountain Donan
was the son of David C. Donan., who came with his father and mother from Virginia
prior to the founding of Greensburg, Ky., for which he aided in clearing the site.
The name of David's father we do not recall, nor is it known definitely what became
of him. There was some rumor to the effect that he did not return from a trip down
the Mississippi and that he founded a new household in the South and had a son Peter
often spoken of as "Colonel" Peter. Perhaps the Peter Donan of Natchez, Miss. was
the prototype of the "Colonel" Peter of the rumor, though there seems to have been
others of the same name. My mother is quite certain a minister of the Christian
Church told her many years ago of having known a Peter Donan some where in Missouri.
The minister's name is Rev. George L. Peters and he is thought to be at present in or
near Omaha, Neb. My grandfather was of the opinion that his ancestors were of
Celtic origin and came from Wales. As to the spelling of the name, a family Bible which
I have never had the opportunity of examining, records, I am told, the name variously
with one or two Ns. The pronunciation, in spite of the general tendency of
strangers to make it with the accent on the first syllable with either an open or a
closed vowel, has always been with the accent on the last syllable with a sluring
of the vowell of the first syllable, or, occasionally, with a long closed vowel in
the first syllable, even though unstressed. The Donan family mentioned by the Rev.
David J. Donnan did reside here years ago. As far as I know there was never thought
to be any relationship between that family and ours.

I regret that I am unable to furnish you any more definite information at present,
though I believe it does answer your query as to our being descendents of the
Peter Donan in question. It hardly appears that we are.
Very truly yours, Dwight F. Donan"

This is another step on this most delightful trip, would that I could ring the
door bells of all, thus accepting the kind invitations. I quote the letter received
from Rev. George L. Peters, Canton, Mo.

"April 21, 1935
I received your letter of the 16th a few days ago. The Peter Donan to whom
you refer lived in Palmyra, MO many years ago. As near as I can recall he was a
Catholic priest and I think lived in Macon. He came in contact with a Christian
preacher by the name of Jacob Creath who won him to the Protestant faith and to the
Christian Church. He afterward edited an Autobiography of Jacob Creath and wrote
an "Introduction" and "Supplement" to it. I do not know about his family nor if
there are any of his descendents living. I called on his only living descendent that
I know, his daughter, in 1920; she was then an elderly woman and has since died. If
you will write to Mrs. J. L. Moore, Palmyra, Mo. she can tell you if there are any
descendents of Peter Donan living there now. I have an idea that Miss Donan had
some interesting material which she inherited from her father. I am leaving for
California this evening to be gone a month, but when I return will be glad to go to
Palmyra and see what information I can get for you.
Very sincerely yours, George L. Peters"

Another letter from James Anderson Donnan, 26 Broadway, New York City

"April 22, 1935
I have been trying ever since receipt of your letter of Feb. 12th to find some
time to work out the answers covering the family. While I believe I have somewhat
more information than you indicate you have and perhaps in spots is somewhat more
accurate, I should need considerable time to sit down with you or sit down by myself
and work it out on a basis which would be understandable to others and sufficiently
complete. In the first place, my name is James Anderson Donan, who was in turn the
son of Peter Donan, born in Edinburgh, Scotland. My father was born in Paris, Mo.
Bellfontain Cemetery is in St. Louis, Mo. this you indicate to be the burial spot

PAGE 293

for Andrew Donan and his daughter Amy. I believe this is correct. Natchez, Miss.
came into the picture just as Pensacola, Fla. did as the home of Halls, one of whom
my grandfather, a Christian minister, married. I have no knowledge of Joseph Donan
or James W. Donan of New York, but as indicated above, J. H. Donan of Railway Exchange
Building, St. Louis, was my father, he died in 1928. Warrensburg, Mo. came into the
picture through the Reavis family into which Mildred Donan married. She was the
mother of Holland Stokely Reavis, who lived at 45 East 9th St., New York during the
winter and at Sweet Briar, Va. during the summer. I had one brother, Edward Lawrence
Donan, who died in Arkansas in 1924 and one sister, Margaret Wilcox Donan,
now married and living in Kirkwood, Mo. While I can give you a good deal of dope on
the family, unfortunately I have not had the time to sit down and work it out. On
top of that I am scheduled to leave here in a day or two on a two or three weeks
trip through our marketing territory and I am pushed to the guards. The only solution
as I see it is for you to drop in on me some time when you are down in New York
or for me to drop in on you some time when I am able to get into Schenectady, NY.
At any rate I am glad to know that there is an other Donnan in the picture and appreciate
very much your thoughtfulness in writing me. With best regerds until we meet.
James Anderson Donan"

In Iowa there are many Donnans, descendents of Alexander Donnan, Gaiway, NY
and David Donnan, Princetown, Schenectady County, NY so when I saw the picture of
a Mrs. Donnan and her daughter who had recently moved to Des Moines, Iowa and could
not check them with any of the two families mentioned, I wrote to Des Moines and
quote the answer:







'Des Moines, Iowa, March 20, 1936
Was somewhat surprised to receive a letter from a Mr. Donnan to a Mr. Donnan.
Nevertheless, it was really a pleasure to read your letter, and to know there are
some other Donnans in other parts of the United States than St. Louis, MO. My
father was W. Q. Donnan, a Methodist Minister for 33 years and he died July 25, 1934.
His father was Andrew Donnan, possibly the same "Andrew" you refer to in your letter.
I have but two uncles on my Father's side still living, namely, Alexander Coe Donnan
Lake Springs, Mo. President of the Rolla State Bank, Rolla, MO and David McAnally
Donnan, Rolla, Mo. retired, but who owns the Engineering and Manufacturing Company,
Pittsburg, Pa. My mother is still living at 6815 Virginia Ave., St. Louis, Mo. I
have one twin brother, my age, 38, living at 1017 Charleville Place, Webster Groves,
MO. He has been with the Travelers Insurance Co. in St. Louis for the last 15 years.
My Uncle Alec's wife, Ella Hyer, died last year; they have no children. My Uncle
David married late in life and has three daughters and one son. The oldest child is
around 12. My Uncle David has spent much time and money building up a family tree and
a request for the information you want on your ancestry is right down his alley. For
that reason I am taking the liberty of fowarding to him at Rolla, Mo. your letter of
March 16 and a copy of this reply to you. I am quite confident you will hear from
Uncle David within the next few days. I have been in the Sales Department of Shell
Petroleum for approximately 8 years and was transferred to Des Moines January 1st
1936 as Assistant Sales Manager of the new North Central Division with offices in
Des Moines, Iowa. This town is the only one I have ever lived in where you no
sooner light than the cameras start to clicking. In a hurry to get a new face in
their paper, they gave the wrong initial for my second name. They showed it as
G.D.Donnan, when G.C.Donnan is correct. By the way, the publishing of Mrs. Donnan's
and Daughter's picture in the Des Moines Register and Tribune, brought another Donnan
to our door. He was a young fellow; I believe his name was Robert Donnan and is
attending Drake University here in Des Moines. His home is in Newton, IA. He told
Mrs. Donnan he would return some evening when I would be at home. I imagine he has
been extremely busy with his studies because we have not heard further from him.
Please accept my apology for the length of this letter or continued reference to the
first personal pronoun. But to repeat, was certainly glad to hear from you. If you
find time to type an answer to this young book, will appreciate receiving it and if
you are ever in the neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa look us up.
Gerald C. Donnan"

PAGE 294

I reoeived two letters from David M. Donnan, one while he was in Niagara Falls
and the other on his return home, Rolla ,Mo.

"Niagara Falls, NY, April 17, 1936
As to David M. Conally Donnan of Rolla, MO. to whom Gerald Donnan of Des
Moines, Iowa referred in his recent letter to you, I must apologize for not having
written you at an earlier date. I want also to assure you that I will try to take
good care of your papers which Gerald sent on to me. I hope to be back in Rolla
the latter part of next week and will try to write you though I do not know that I
can add very much that will be of interest in making up the family tree.
Cordially yours, David M. Donnan"

"Rolla, Mo. July 15, 1936
I certainly owe you an apology for my delay in writing you further concerning
the Donnan "Family Tree" which my nephew Gerald C. Donnan of Des Moines, Iowa sent
me a long time since, quite naturally expecting that I would send you such information
as I had concerning this interesting matter. However, I think Gerald was under
some misapprehension as to the amount and importance of the information I might be
able to contribute."

(The next three paragraphs of his letter refer to those I had
in detail, Donnans at Washington, Pa., Richmond, Va. and Los Angeles, Cal. so I
omit them here. Continuing he says:)

"I am sorry that I am not in position to give you any worthwhile information
that would be helpful to you. I recall Colonel Pat Donan saying he had never met a
Donnan with whom he could not trace relationship or with whom he was ashamed of
relationship. I am sorry to be so long in getting the enclosed valuable papers back
to you. I hope you have not been greatly inconvenienced because of my tardiness.

In the event that I think of, or learn of other information that might interest
you, I will try to send it along. Incidentally, I picked up a magazine some years
ago on my way to Salt Lake City, which contained a picture of the Donnan Castle
in Scotland. On showing this to Colonel Pat who was in Salt Lake City at the time
he said "Well I guess I'm the one who does not know how to spell the name".
Unfortunately, this magazine was mislaid and I am unable to locate it.
Cordially, David M. Donnan"

All I have obtained on this family applies to the eldest son Peter Donnan, who
changed his name to Donan and the youngest son Andrew Donnan. Peter came to America
in 1808 and his parents and the other 7 children came in 1816 and settled in
Natchez, Miss. Now the question is: "What became of the other 6 children?".

"Silver Locks"