Donnan Family
 .
History

1750 - 1934


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INTRODUCTION, A.D. 449 - 1934


Before going into our family history, it is fitting to go back to Europe
and make a brief review of conditions during our early history, and especially
during the latter part of the seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth century,
when not only the DONNANS, but may others from all parts of Europe came
to America. Britain had been at war much of the time, calling on the young manhood
to defend her, only those who were perfect in body, mind and spirit, were
chosen to serve, on land and sea.

It was in A.D. 449 that the English landed in Britain; It is said that it
was known to the Phonecians, as, "Barat~Anac", or land of tin, as far back as
the year 1037 B.C. Some five hundred years afterward, the island was alluded to
by the Romans, under the name of Britannia, which subsequently became shortened
to Britain.

In A. D. 597 St. Augustine arrived in Britain.

Off the south West coast of Invernessshire, Scotland, about 7 miles, is a
small island shaped like a pear, and W. F. Skene, in his "Celtic Scotland", says
a monastery was founded in St. Columbas life on this island of Eigg by St. Donnan.

This St. Donnan went to Columkille to make his "Ammachrara" or "Soul
Friend", upon which Columkille said to him: "I shall not be Soul Friend to a
company of Red Martyrs, for thou shall come to red martyrdom and thy people with
thee", and it was so fulfilled, for on April 17, 617, St. Donnan of Eigg, was
burnt with all his 52 martyr clerics.

St. Donnan went with his monastic family to the Galliggadala, or Western
Isles, and they took up their abode in a place where the sheep of the Queen of
the country were kept. This was told to the Queen: "Let them all be killed",
said she. That would not be a religious act, said her people. Notwithstanding,
they were murderously assailed; at this time the cleric was at mass. "Let us
have respite until the mass is ended", said St. Donnan. "Thou shall have it
said they". St. Donnan the Great with monks were fifty two in his
congregation. There came the pirates of the sea to the island in which they
were, and slew them all, as stated, April 17, A.D. 617.

This was only one group of DONNANS, and is as far back as I can go at this
time; the same fortitude has remained with the name, ever since.

In A. D. 1066, William the Conqueror, was crowned king of England.
In 1078, the Jews first settled in England.
In 1154, Henry II, was crowned king of England.
In 1172, the English conquered the Irish.
In 1181, a digest of English laws made by Glanville, was published.
Eight years later, there was massacre of the Jews in London, only 111 years
after they first came.

In 1191, Richard, king of England, joins the crusaders, and defeats Saladin
who is made prisoner, by Henry IV, of Germany, was ransomed by his subjects for
400,000 Pounds in 1194, he was mortally wounded at the siege of Chalons in 1199 and his
brother, John, succeeded him. He shamefully mistreated the Jews, and in 1208
the kingdom of England was placed under an interdict by the Pope.

In 1283, England and Wales were united, and sought the conquest of Scotland,
but in 1297 Scotland revolted, and had various contests with the kings of England,

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till in 1314 Robert Bruce secured the independence of Scotland and his title to
the throne, by a decisive battle at Bannockburn; this was after Edward II had
been made king of England.

In 1296, Arthur and Aden De Donnan swore allegiance to King Edward the
Usurper, just a year before the revolt by Scotland.

In 1346 England and France were at war, and it continued till 1380; this was
during the reign of Edward III, and the state was reduced to bankruptcy. In
spite of this fact, war was again renewed with more vigor, till 1422.

In 1429, Joan of Arc led the French against the English.

In 1489 Thomas Cranmer was born, and his death at the stake sealed the fate
of the Roman Catholic Church in England.

It is interesting to note at this period, 1492, Columbus sailed from Spain
for the west, leaving August 3rd and reached the island of Cuba, October 28th,
after two months of great peril, in the end, mutiny by his men.

After going to Hayti, he returned home with spoils of the land, and was
hailed and honored as, "King of the Sea". He made three subsequent voyages and
on the third, had the satisfaction of landing on the mainland of America.

But history also tells us that in A. D. 1003 Count Eric of Norway encouraged
Biarn to continue his explorations, having been to Labrador in 1002, so he
makes his second voyage to Labrador and spends the winter exploring the coast as
far south as Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

In 1004, Lief, son of Eric, came to Greenland, then south to Rhode Island,
and called it Vineland. Now if he went back and reported that this was a land
of vines, it was just too bad his people did not send him back as the discoverer
of the new continent, 491 years before Columbus.

Then in 1497, Henry VII, sends out John Cabot, who discovers Labrador,
Newfoundland, and makes surveys of Hudson Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 496
years after Norway's men had been there.

In 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh founded the first English colony on Roanoke Island
and in 1607 Virginia was colonized, John Smith governor.

In 1614 the Dutch formed a settlement at New Amsterdam, N. Y., also a
settlement in New Jersey.

In 1619 the first legislative assembly was held in America.

Harvard College was founded in 1638, and the first printing press was
installed at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1664 the English captured New Amsterdam, and changed the name to New York.

In 1682 the Quakers under William Penn settled Pennsylvania.

In 1690 paper money was issued; this same year, the French and Indians
destroyed Schenectady, N. Y.

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In 1700 Ya1e College was founded, and on April 24, 1704 the first newspaper
was published in the new world.

On February 22, 1732, George Washington was born in Westmore1and, Virginia.

In 1761 Canada ceded to Great Britain and was annexed in 1763.

In 1765 March 22nd, the Stamp Act was passed, and the colonies held their first
congress at New York.

At this time resistance to the oppression of the mother country organized;
this was the beginning of the ending, as obnoxious duties were levied by Parliament
on teas, paper, glass and many other articles imported by the colonies.

In 1773 cargoes of tea from England were thrown into Boston harbor by masked
men. The following year, 1774, September 5th, the first continental congress
met in Philadelphia, Pa. and declaration of Rights issued. November 4, 1774
Ethan Allen leads the Green Mountain Boys rebellion to success, the beginning
of the revolutionary war with George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the
Continental Army. War was on, for it could be seen that England would soon
control America, and it would be ceded to them the same as Canada was in 1761;
this the colonies did not care to do, and July 4, 1776, declared their independence,
fighting for it till October 19, 1781, when at the battle of Yorktown,
Cornwallis surrendered to Washington, with 7073 men; seven years of war ended,
in which many nationalities living here took part, including the Scotch.

July 2, 1776 Congress resolved that these united colonies are and of
right ought to be free and independent states.

The principle underlying this bold and defiant resolution was the germ
and seed of the immortal, "Declaration of Independence", which was adopted on
the fourth day of July, 1776.

The success of this new country, with its natural resources, appealed anew
to all foreign countries, and many came to America, including the Scotch laddies.
The first census of the United States of America showing heads of families in
1790 records the following:

JOHN DONNAN, North Ward, New York City, 2 in family.

CRISSEL D0NNAN, Schenectady Township, Albany County, south of Mohawk, 5 in family.

LYDIA DONNAN, married John Downa1 of Albany County, one son William Donnan born
August 4. 1774.

Further record of John Donnan appears later under that caption, but the
other two I have not been able to trace.

ENGLAND and SCOTLAND

The Romans were in control of the island up to the Fifth Century A.D. when
they withdrew their forces, the South Britons, or the inhabitants of what is now
called England, were no longer able to withstand the attacks of their ferocious
northern neighbors, the Scots and Picts, so they applied to the Romans for help,
but they were in so many other conflicts that they refused to come to their
assistance.

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Then the Britons sought aid from the Saxons, who responded with 1600 men,
three ship loads.

The Scots and Picts not only had the Britons from the south fighting them
but many bloody battles with the Norwegians and Danes from the north, and in
1017 the Danes had control of the Britons, so we see they were fighting both
Briton and Scotland.

The Danes control over Briton continued till 1066, when William I, the Conqueror
came into control.

At the death of Malcolm Cannore, in 1093, four distinct races were discernible
in Scotland, There was first, the Gaelic or Celtic people speaking the Erse language
who lived in Argyle, Galloway, Iverness and nearly the whole of Scotland
to the north of the Firth of Forth. Second, the warlike Norwegians. Third, the
Saxons, a Gothic race, and Fourth, the Normans.

Gallowayshire, a district now comprising the counties of shires of Wigtown
and Kirkendbright was the home of many of the Donnans spoken of later. It was
the Novantia of the Romans. Christianity was first introduced into Scotland during
the Fourth Century at Whithorn in the southeastern part of Wigtownshire,
where Donnans were, and still are.

For years these conditions continued, even French and Germans entered into
the conflict, especially with the Britons. In 1292 when Balliol was on the
Scottish throne, "The Britons having declared war with France", the Scots under
their leader Balliol, declared war against France.

In 1296 the Scots were defeated at Dunbar, but the revolt under Wallace
(1297), was followed by that of Bruce in 1306, and the Scots remained unsubdued.
Robert Bruce secured the independence of Scotland and his title to the throne,
by the decisive battle of Brannockburn in 1314. He was succeeded by his nephew,
Robert Stewart, and by his eldest son Robert. The latter was a weak prince,
and the government was seized by the Duke of Albany, who stoned to death the
eldest son of the king.

James, his second son, to escape a similar fate, fled to France; in the
year 1424 he returned to Scotland, and having excited the jealousy of the nobility,
he was assinated in a monastery near Perth, that is on the Firth of Tay.

James the II, his son, an infant prince, succeeded him in 1437 and he was
killed by the bursting of a cannon at the siege of the castle of Roxbury.

James III ascended to the throne at the age of seven, his reign was weak
and inglorious and he was murdered in the house of a miller, whither he had fled
for protection.

James IV, a generous and brave prince, began his reign in 1468. He was
slain at the battle of Flodden.

James V., an infant of less than two years of age, succeded to the crown:
he died in 1542 and was succeeded by his daughter the celebrated Queen Mary.

She was succeeded by her son James, who in 1603 ascended to the throne of
England, vacant by the death of Queen Elizabeth, when the two kingdoms were
united into one great monarchy which was legislatively united in 1707.

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At the union of the kingdoms the political system of Scotland was almost
entirely incorporated with that of England.

The Court of Sessions is the Supreme Civil Court of Scotland. The Court of
Justiciary, or Criminal Court, composed only of judges of the Court of Sessions
is supreme in the highest sense, since its decisions in criminal cases are not
subject to any review. The principal subordinate judicatories are, Sheriff
Courts, established in each county or stewartry.

Sheriff substitutes, or judges ordinary, one or more holding separate courts
in different districts, decide in the first instance, subject to the review of
the principal sheriff, or sheriff deputy, whose decisions, though final within
the limits of his jurisdiction, are reversible by the court of Sessions; besides
the sheriff court, each county or district of a county has its Justice of Peace
Courts, in which judges decide on principles of equity in minor crimes, and in
towns of any importance are bailie, dean, or guild, and police courts with
limited jurisdictions.

After violent opposition then, the two countries now are known as the United
Kingdom of Great Britain; this union however, much as it was opposed by the
prejudices and interests of particular men or classes at the time, has contributed
very much to the prosperity of both countries.

This was during the reign of Queen Anne, who died August 1, 1714 and with
her ended the line of Stewarts who had held the scepter of England 112 years, and
that of Scotland 343 years.

Conflicts continued between the kingdom and France, Prussia, Austria and
Germany, due to their possessions not only in North America, but India and many
other places.

In 1752, the "New Styl" of reckoning time was introduced, the "Old Styl"
being eleven days behind; the third of September 1752 was called the 14th, and
the 1st of January was fixed as the opening day of the year, instead of the 25th
of March.

The French became uneasy about the success of the Briton and Scots in East
Indies and North America and in 1756 the Seven Year War broke out. Austria and
France allied against Great Britain and Prussia, who later became victors and
the former induced Spain to join with them, still they were losing and the war
ended by the Treaty of Paris, in 1763.

Now the expense or this war, which had been undertaken partly for the defense
of American Colonies, had added upwards of 72,000,000 pounds to the national
debt.

It seemed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain to be just that the
Americans should be taxed to assist in the payment of the interest. The Americans
did not deny the justice, but replied that if they were to be taxed they
had a right to be represented in parliament, in order that, like other British
subjects they might be taxed only in consequence of their own consent; otherwise
it would be taxation without representation.

Grenville, then prime minister, stood to his purpose, however, and introduced
a bill for imposing certain stamp duties on the American Colonies, who protested,
and by the influence of the great Pitt, who had steadily opposed the measure, the
bill was withdrawn. On the illness of Pitt (now Lord Chatham), in 1767 Townshend

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became premier, and again revived the project of taxing Americans by imposing
duties on tea, and in 1770, Lord North, as his successor, set himself to carry
this out, with the result that in 1775 the Colonies were declared in a state
of rebellion and war began, in which France and Spain joined the Colonies,
result of which was recognition of the independence of the colonies, as "United
States of America."

This struggle had added over 100,000,000 pounds more to Great Britain's national debt.

Now the Colonies were settled by people from all of these countries, including
Scotland, and some families were of course in the British army, while others
of the family connection were in the Colonies and fighting for representation,
if they were to be taxed.

This became one of the fundamental principles embodied in America's Constitution.
New conditions now existed, the defeat of the British as against the
success of the Colonies, had made an unrest among many of the European countries,
so that their young manhood, due to almost continuous fighting with some of the
other nations, sought the American shores by the shipload, landing from Nova
Scotia to Florida. Among these were DONNANS, others of them went to South
America, and some over to Ireland.

The D0NNANS then, as today, followed many vocations in life, and due to the
coast line and beautiful bays around Wigtownshire, some of them took to the sea,
and one of the families of DONNANS came over with his brother, who was captain
of a sea going vessel. When we consider that it took from two to six months for
the trip over, due to weather conditions, they had to know their business.

It's no in titles nor in rank;
It's no in wealth like London bank,
To purchase peace and rest.
It's no in making muckle mair,
It's no in books it's no in lear,
To make us truly blest.
If happiness hae not her seat
And center in the breast,
We may be wise, or rich, or great,
But never can be blest.

Having given some data on the history of the Britons and Scots, the following
lines are expressive of the thirty years that have flown by, since I first
started this work.

The years have linings just as goblets do:
The old year is the lining of the new,
Filled with the wine of precious memories,
The golden WAS, doth line the silver IS.

"Silver Locks"

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