PAGE 299

Part 13

MR. ??? DONNAN

Tomb Street, Be1fast, Ireland

1800 - 1934

This Fami1y did not move to America

PAGE 300

MARRIAGE: ??? DONNAN, Tomb Street, Belfast, Ireland
TO: ??? ???,

There were three children: William, Daughter and James.

A letter from Prof. F. G. Donnan, F.R.S., 23 Woburn Sq., London, England,
dated October 16, 1934, gives me the following information in spite of the fact
that he says I have practically no record of my own ancestors.

(The 1994 Websters New Biographical Dictionary has the following entry: Fredrick
George Donnan 1870-1956. British chemist, b. Ceylon, Professor at Liverpool
(1904-13), University Coll., London (1913-37); known for work in membrane
equilibrium.)

My grandfather lived in Belfast, Ireland along in the 17th and 18th century
and back of that Scotland, but I can't say where. I am unable to give his first
name or his wife's maiden name, or any dates. The three ohildren born to them
were educated in the schools at Belfast where the family had an interest in social
civic and religious affairs.

MARRIAGE: WILLIAM DONNAN, Belfast, Ireland
TO: Jane Ross Tumley Liggate, Belfast, Ireland

There were two children, Dr. ??? Donnan and F. G. Donnan.

William, born in Belfast and educated there realized what education might mean
to a person, decided to give his sons the best he could, the boys in turn appreciated
the opportunity, improving their time while in and out of school.

MARRIAGE: DR. ??? DONNAN, Belfast, Ireland
TO: ??? ???

They have two children, both sons.

Born in Belfast, a healthy chap soon went to school and took to it, passing
along rapidly through Grade, High, then College where he decided to take up medical
work, taking the course to fit him for an M.D. He settled in the north of Ireland
where he built up a good practice. There were two sons born to them and like their
father and uncle took to school and are being educated for their chosen work.

F. G. DONNAN, Belfast, Ireland.
Frank, thus far, is not married; he too was a healthy lad and took to school
and fitted himself for research work, obtaindng an F.R.S. degree and is now
settled in London

Prof. Donnan, born at Tomb Street, Belfast, Ireland, came to to my attention through
a clipping taken from a Rochester paper by our daughter in Batavia, NY. and sent
to me. It shaved a snap of three distinguished scientists from London who were in
Rochester, September 6, 1924 and read as follows:

"One of the most distinguished guests Rochester has entertained in
sometime stands in the center of this photograph, Sir Robert Robertson,
head of the British Government Laboratories in London, who stopped
in Rochester yesterday on his way to attend a conference of the American
Chemical Society in Ithaca, NY. At his right is H.E.Watson of the
Indian Institute of Science and at his left, Prof. F.G.Donnan, head
of the chemistry department of University College, London, England.

PAGE 301

"The three noted scientists were taken by members of Rocheter Section
of the American Chemical Society on tours of inspection through the
plants of the Eastman Kodak Co. and the Bausch & Lomb Co. and last
night they were guests at an informal dinner at the Rochester Club.
The delegation had stopped at the General Electric Co., Shenectady,
NY, where they were entaitained in the same way."

While I was being introduced to one of the chemists of the GeneralElectric
Company recently as Mr. Donnan to Mr. Arthur L. Kimball, he said, Donnan, lets
see, I met a man by that name, where was it? 0h! I recall one of three British
scientists who visited our laboratories a short time ago and he said he came from
Ireland and I wondered at it for the Irish are not chemists, now your saying it
is a Scotch name explains it. They were a very interesting group.

Prof. Donnan was tall, square shouldered and had lost one eye while experimenting,
but could see through things quickly with the other one, had an interesting
personality. The delegation went to Washington, DC. and attended the annual
meeting of the Smithsonian Inst. where Prof. Donnan gave a paper on "The
Mystery of life" Excerpts from it are as follows:

"Evidence to support the theory that life was not introduced to the earth from
outside scores, but developed spontaneously in the primeval ocean. The inorganic
salts present in the circulating fluids of animals", he pointed out "corresponds in
nature and relative amounts to what we have good reason to believe was the
compostion of the ocean some hundred millionon years ago."

Discovery of minute living organisms much smaller than bacteteria is cited by
Donnan as leading to the supposition that the secret of life will be found to be
merely a matter of atomic arrangement. These infinitestimal organisms are so small
that they are not only invisable in the most powerful microscopes, but they pass
easily through porcelain filters. Science, nevertheless, has succeeded in measuring
them. Their diameters are around fifty millionths of a millimeter.

"This result gives rise to strange hopes", Donnan says, "If we can find
a complete continuity of dimensions between the living and the non-living
is there really any point where we can say that here is life and there
no life?"

The second child of Mr. and Mrs. Donnan, Tomb St., Belfast, was a daughter
and I have nothing in connection with her activities. When we go over to Belfast
will look into this matter of so many Scotch boys going over there, maybe they
enjoyed the Irish wit.

MARRIAGE: JAMES DONNAN, Belfast, Ireland
TO: ??? ???

They have four children: Wiilliam, Daughter, Son and Daughter.

James third child born in Belfast, where he was educated and entered into
business; in spite of being born in Ireland he was a Scotchman. I am told by another
family of Donmns who's parents came from Ireland that there are whole settlements
of Donnans in some places there. James did his part toward the education of his
children and later was sent to the Island of Ceylon by the govenment, an India
possession, where he remained till retired with a C.M.Q. to his credit.

PAGE 302

MARRIAGE: WILLIAM DONNAN, Belfast, Ireland
TO: Teef Revilly, Belfast, Ireland

They had three children, two daughters and one son.

William, the oldest child of James born in Belfast, where he was educated
in grade, high and a military school and spent most of his life in Ceylon where
he was Colonel in the Indian Army; now deceased, and his three children are livmg
in England.

I have no doubt that many interesing stories could be related from his experiences
on that beautiful island under the control of the British.

Here again we find that success and honor followed the family name and we
hope that it will continue not only with them, but all others spoken of in this
genealogy.

"Silver Locks'~