The Irish connection: John Donoghue b. circa 1810 (we are not sure where yet, but NZ folklore says they came from County Cork) married Margaret ……………….born 1816 in Ireland. (We know this from the 1881 Census in England) When Margaret was 39/40yrs old she had Michael Donoghue born 1855/56 in England. John was still living at the time of Margaret’s death in 1885, at the age of 69yrs. So far we haven’t been able to find a death cert for John, and we don’t know when or where they were married.
The Irish
Connection
The UK Connection: Michael Donoghue born in 1855/56 in Rotherhithe, Surrey, London. His parents being John and Margaret Donoghue.
Michael Donoghue married Alice Victory. His occupation being that of a Labourer. . At the time of the 1881 Census, they are listed as having only 2 children: John (Duck) Donoghue b. 1879 in West Ham Essex. and Michael Donoghue b. 1881in West Ham, Essex, London.. Michael’s mother, Margaret was also with them the night of the 1881 Census. We have as yet to locate other siblings.
John (Duck) and Michael Donoghue left England and arrived in
New Zealand
The UK
Connection
The Kiwi Connections: John (Duck) Donoghue as New Zealand folklore has it, came out to NZ as a fire stoker on a ship, and jumped ashore to stay in NZ. We don’t know how factual that is, nor do we know when it happened. At the age of 25yrs he married Martha Ann Tasker in 1904 in NZ, and they had one child John (Jack) Donoghue. The marriage didn’t last, John had two further sons Desmond O’Donoghue and Dennis O’Donoghue (By now John had added an ‘O’) Martha re-married Fred Chapman and had about 7 more children.
Michael Donoghue At this stage we don’t know when or how Michael arrived in New Zealand from England, we don’t even know if he came out at the same time as his brother John (Duck) Donoghue.
Michael plied the ships up and down the West Coast of the North Island. The Manukau Harbour being his home Port. He meet his future wife Martha St Paul at the Manukau Hotel which is located on the water front at the Port of Manukau where Martha worked as a Barmaid/Housemaid. They married in 1908 in Auckland, New Zealand and so began this branch of the Donoghue Family in New Zealand. It wasn’t till the 3rd April 02 that the Grandchildren of John and Michael found each other, the knowledge of these 2 brothers and their decendants being lost to the younger generation.
Michael died on the 16th April 1940 aged only 59yrs old at 1 Vine Street, St Marys Bay, Ponsonby, Auckland. The Funeral was held at the Sacred Heart Church on the 18th April 1940 and he was buried at his request over looking the sea. He is in a double plot in the Hillsborough Cemertary overlooking the Manukau Harbour that he used to sail in and out of.
Martha (now known to everyone as Nana Don), died some 38yrs later, on the 20th November 1978 aged 92yrs. She was cremated after a service at the Purewa Chapel, Meadow Bank, Auckland. At the time of her death she had 39 Grandchildren and 58 Great Grandchildren.
The Kiwi
Connections