Can anyone help? The earliest Donovan I can definately say is mine is Patrick Donovan who, according to the 1881 cencus was born in 1820 in Poplar, east London. I am however not so sure he was born in London, and strongly believe he was probably born in Cork and came to London. His wife Ellen was from Cork, too. n the 1881 cencus, he was living at 96 Prusom Street, St Georges in the East, east London, with his wife and children:- Daniel (my g.g.grandfather), born 1855, Patrick, b. 1856, Jeremiah b 1857, Mary b 1859, Michael b 1862, Margaret b. 1869 and James b 1869. All of his children were born in St |Georges in the East; in 1881, Patrick jnr and Michael worked around the docks, Jeremiah was a carman, James was a schoolboy, Mary and Margaret were domestic servants, but unusually, Daniel was a life insurance salesman - did this mean he had some degree of a halfway decent education? Patrick snr was listed as a musician. Also living with them is listed a Catherine Hegar! ty, a 70 year old widowfrom Cork, 'aunt to the head of the house'. Can anyone shed any light on this family, because my research is drawing a blank. Where did they fit in to the grand scheme of the Donovan clan? Was Patrick on of the four brothers who left Cork for London? His name, and those of his family, are not exactly unusual - can ANYBODY help with ANY ideas AT ALL?