JOHN DONOVAN is the son of Maurice and Mary Ellen Shanahan Donovan. He was born on October 23, 1889, in Dubuque County, Iowa.
John Donovan married Loretta Carew (born in Jackson County, Iowa, on January 13, 1894, [daughter of Rodger Carew and Ellen Kennedy Carew]) on June 17, 1913, at St. Aloysius Church in South Garryowen, Iowa.
They had nine children:
- Helen Donovan McCarthy
- Leonard Donovan
- Rita Donovan McCarthy
- Bernadine Donovan Hodge Clinton
- Vincent Paul Donovan (later changed to Paul Vincent)
- Florence (Sister Maureen) Donovan
- John T. Donovan
- Maureen Donovan Curtis
- Elizabeth Donovan died two days after birth.

John Donovan died on June 15, 1966. Loretta Carew Donovan died on November 7, 1966.
They are buried at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Lansing, Michigan.

From left, back row: Paul, Maureen, John T., Loretta, Helen, Bernadine.
From left, front row (seated): Sister Maureen, John, Rita.
Thank you for letting me see the family histories here.. its beautiful to see as i am pretty much an orphan now, all my immediate family on the Donovan side is gone except my brother , nephews and my children now grown.
How can i put my family tree branch on here? My grandfather Michael John Willian came here to Alberta in 1906, with his brothers, from St Agathe Quebec, an irish settled town early in Canadas Confederation. Their roots stemmed from the great potato famine, my great grandparents being from ireland, coming here from Boston, by ship from ireland during the famine when many other irish did the same.. facsinating story i would love to share.