Donne, Anthony of Carmarthen and London born c 1693

[jacqueline cox]

I have seen a family tree on Ancestry that gives the parents of Anthony Donne of Red Lion Street Holborn, watchmaker, who died 1751, as Robert Donne born Kidwellyc 1660 and Katherine. The source citation is "another family tree"! Since Anthony's will left his house in Carmarthen to his own elder son Anthony, I thought it an indicator that this was where he came from. This is my first foray into Wales and I know nothing about Welsh sources as early as this. Can anyone help me my confirming Anthony's parentage or point me in the right direction? The family tree goes back to the mid c13th so I don't want to get too excited by a possible Victorian fantasy of nobility!

[Morganllan]

Hello Jacqueline 

You probably know that you can search for Marriage Bonds and pre-1858 Welsh Wills on the National Library of Wales site:

http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=487

This site has Donne/ Dunn records extracted from Pembrey PRs:

http://jevanshughes.users.btopenworld.com/dunnvr.htm

There are some references to the Donne family on Kidwelly History site:

http://www.kidwellyhistory.co.uk/

The Dwnn/Donne/Dunn family seem to have long connections with Pembrey Parish so it is worth looking at the pedigrees in "Heraldic visitations of Wales and part of the Marches":

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,559632.0.html

Kind Regards
Morgan

[jillgrw]

Hi,
I'm really curious to know more about Anthony Donne's ancestors and descendants.  What you have said tallies with what my mother's uncle Walter Donne wrote to us about the family way back in the 1970's.  He told us of his great grandfather(?) Griffith Donne being apprenticed to the clockmaking trade in 1794, and spoke of an earlier ancestor, also a clock maker, by the name of Anthony Donne, admitted to the company of watchmakers in 1707.  He said that long ago the family had been yeoman farmers at Llangendeirne.  This is only a short distance from Kidwelly, so this must be the same family of Donnes.  Walter spoke of having seen a family tree, but I have no idea where.  He was a very old man at this stage, and although I did meet him once when visiting England in 1977, I did not know any of his daughter's family, and have lost touch.  I would love to know how to find the family trees you speak of.

Clock making has been a strong tradition in the Donne family, spanning many generations over a a couple of centuries at least.  The most recent one I know of was Morgan Donne, a cousin of my great uncle Walter.  Morgan and his father Lewis Donne were in business together in London, and got a US patent for some kind of clock mechanism.  Morgan Donne died in 1935, and I don't know if the buisiness continued after his death.

Jill

[jacqueline cox]

I can send you far more details on an Open Office file if you send me your email address private message would be best. The Carmarthen side goes back into the Middle Ages and would need a skilled genealogist to sort it, but it goes back with no problems to the beginning of the Tudoe period. I know much more about the c18th London Donnes and the family in Red Lion Street. My family tree is on Genes Reunited; I don't put it on Ancestry because it then belongs to Ancestry. Also I don't like people stealing it, and abusing it! So contact me on Genes if you are a member. If not, basic membership is pretty cheap. My ancestor was Robert Donne born 1763/4, the oldest brother of Griffith the clockmaker.
Jacqueline

[jillgrw]

Hi Jacqueline.  That sounds fantastic, but I'm a bit confused about how to go about this.  I'm not a very experienced user of these sites, so don't know what you mean by 'private message' - is that an option somewhere in this site, or do I have to go to Genes Reunited (I don't know that site, so I may have to do a bit of searching.)  Whatever, with the information you describe it certainly sounds worth the effort.
Griffith the clockmaker was my g-g-g-grandfather, so that makes us some sort of umpteenth cousins.

Jill

[Morganllan]

Hello Jill 

Welcome to Rootschat!

New members must make at least three postings before being allowed to use the Persoanl Message (PM) facility.
See Help-Page:  http://www.rootschat.com/help/pms.php

You will be able to send a PM with your email address to Jacqueline 

Kind Regards
Morgan

[jillgrw]

Thanks Morgan - I'm on quite a steep learning curve right now, but learning far more than I had ever imagined.

[jacqueline cox]

Anthony Donne born 1727 in Red Lion Street (brother of my ancestor Robert), inherited his father Anthony's home in Carmarthen in 1751, and returned there. I have had recent contact with a descendant of his, but am using a computer that does not have my back emails as I am in France at the moment. If you are reading this, would you get back to me please? Or any other family member who has made sense of our Carmarthen ancestry? There's a lot of mythology out there!
Jacqueline

[cprich]

Hi Jacqueline

I noticed your interest in the Carmathen Donne/Dwnn/Dunn family. My direct interst is in John Donne ca 1675 who settled in Wick/Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Indirectly I have an interest in all the Donnes as they all link up one way and another - just a bit of a challenge trying to make the connections! I thought you would interested in a recent contact I have made who is a direct descendent of Anthony Donne ca 1693.

She is also trying to research into his possible parents being Robert Donne ca 1660 & Katherine. Please let me know if you like to make contact.

Have you seen the following lease document for land in Carmarthen in the National Library of Wales - NLW Ref No 231-232  ( date is 1704 ) Mentions Robert Donne of the parish of Penbrey, the younger, and Elizabeth, his wife. This is about the right time and place so is closely conencted.

Suggests Robert senior is still around - wife listed as Elizabeth - so could be a second wife or perhaps there is another generation. Plenty to think about!