See also
| Husband: | Joseph Patrick DONEGAN (1868-1945) | |
| Wife: | Maria AZZARO (1874- ) | |
| Name: | Joseph Patrick DONEGAN | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | 1868 | Westminster, London |
| Death | 1945 (age 76-77) | |
| Name: | Maria AZZARO | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | Emmanuelle AZARO (1840-1916) | |
| Mother: | Ursula MAY (1849-1921) | |
| Birth | 1874 | Windsor |
1. Joseph Donegan married Maria Podesta in Leeds in 1920. Before that they can be seen living together in Harrogate in the 1911 census (with the surname mis-transcribed as Donovan).
2. In the 1901 census Joseph Donegan is living at the same address as Maria Podesta in Eastbourne.
3, The crucial step in tracking them down is to see the 1911 census record for Joseph and Maria under the surname Donovan when they are living in Harrogate. See Census record www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen11_001.htm
3. Note that Joseph has a sister Eliza Donegan who, in 1891, is living in William Street, Brighton. This places her close to the Azzaro family in the Kemptown area of Brighton, and as Irish Catholics they probably all attended the same church. In 1892 Eliza Donegan married Thomas Henry Hardwick who was living at 1 Chesterfield Court (off Chesterfield Street), Brighton, placing him even closer to Emanuele Azzaro and his family. Eliza is described as a Flower Hawker, which may possibly be the first connection of Maria Azzaro and her family to the business of flower selling.
4. The Hardwick family appear to have come from York, and this is the only possibly connection which has yet turned up which could have led Maria and her family to move from Sussex to Yorkshire.
1. Marie Azzaro is one of the 'acknowledged daughters' in the will of Emanuel Azzaro. No record of her birth has yet turned up on FreeBMD (as at Dec 2012).
2. She turns up in 1889, getting married to Dominic Podesta in Eastbourne on June 13. She gives her age as 21 and her father as Emanuel Azzaro, so there is no doubt it is her. Emanuel's profession is down as General Labourer (so either she doesn't really know what he does, or else there has been a muddle since her father-in-law's profession is Lodging House Keeper). Both of them give their address as 19 Lime Tree Terrace, Eastbourne. A transcription of the marriage certificate can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/MarPA_01.htm
3. In the 1891 census Maria and Dominic Podesta are living at 22 Lime Tree Terrace, Eastbourne together with their first two children. See census transcript at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen91_002.htm
4. In the 1901 census Marie Podesta is still living in Eastbourne and gives her age as 27. She describes herself as married, but is the head of the household with no husband present. She is working on her own account as a flower hawker, and has her 4 children with her. See census transcript at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen01_001.htm
Also living at the same address is Joseph Donegan who she subsequently marries.
FreeBMD has some candidates for the birth of two of her children. These are Marie, born 2nd Qtr 1894 in Eastbourne and Ellen, born 1st Qtr 1896 in Eastbourne.
5. In the 1911 census the family turn up (somewhat surprisingly) at 7 School Court, Harrogate, Yorkshire. The family consists of Joseph Donovan, age 43, Florist, born in Westminster, London and Maria Donovan age 38, Florist, born Brighton, Sussex living with 2 children (Maria and Nellie). The census transcript can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen11_001.htm
6. The name Donovan appears to be a mis-transcription of Donegan because we have a record of the marriage in 3rd Qtr 1920, in the Leeds registration district of Joseph P Donegan and Marie Podesta. Presumably they were unable to marry for most of the intervening years because Dominic Podesta was still alive.
7. In the 1921 census Joseph and Maria Donovan are living at 7 Cambridge Place, Harrogate and all 4 children appear to have left home by then. Maria describes herself as widowed, and they are continuing to use the surname Donovan, so maybe there is some reason why they still can't legally declare that they are married. The census transcript can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen21_008.htm
8. See the notes on her daughters, who all married in Knaresborough, confirming that the whole family had moved to Yorkshire.