Photos of Ray and Heddy Donovan's Families

For additional information see Karen's genealogy website. To go directly to the family tree on Ancestry, click here. Our tree goes back farther than the people shown in these pictures, but we don't have photos of earlier generations.

Cornelius J. Donovan and Mary E. Hewitt (Ray's paternal grandparents)

In the 1900 census, Cornelius and Mary had had 12 children, but only eight were still living. Their son Michael was Ray Donovan's father.

Mary Hewitt Donovan with her five sons (France, John, Michael, Nace, and Joe)

Donovan brothers: Michael, Nace, France, Joe

Joe Donovan and Catherine Blewett

Michael Cornelius Donovan (Ray's father)

Michael Cornelius Donovan

Dr. Joseph Meyer and Marie Goetz (Ray's maternal grandparents)

To the best of our collective knowledge, Joseph and Marie had seven children: Albert (Allie), Josephine (Ray's mother), Martha (Mae), Louise (Lou), Clotilde (Tillie), Walter, and Charles (died in infancy).

Dr. Joseph Meyer

Marie Goetz Meyer

Joseph and Marie Meyer

Albert (Allie) Meyer, born 1881

Walter Meyer, born 1892

Brothers Walter & Allie Meyer & unknown person

Josephine (Josie, Jo) Meyer, born 1884. She was Ray's mother.

Josephine Meyer

Josie Meyer (middle), with friends?

Josie Meyer (right) and friend

One of these women is Josephine Meyer

Martha (Mae) Meyer, born 1886

Martha Meyer

Louise Meyer, born 1888

Louise Meyer

Louise (Lou) Meyer, nurse, on roof of St. Catherine's Hospital, Brooklyn

Lou Meyer, nurse

Louise, Martha, Jo, & Tillie (probably)

Siblings Louise & Walter Meyer

Louise and Frank Erts' house at 137 Washington Ave., Kingston, New York, where they moved in about 1948.

Ernie Reccius, son of Marie Goetze Donovan's sister Martha

Michael Donovan and Josephine Meyer (Ray's parents)

Michael and Josephine had three children: Ray, Marion, and Charles

Josie, Michael, and Raymond Donovan (born 1907)

Aunts Helen & Mae Donovan with nephew Raymond (neither sister ever had children)

Aunt Helen or Mae Donovan with brother Michael and nephew Raymond

Grandpa Joseph Meyer and Ray Donovan

Raymond Donovan

Jo Donovan with Marion (born 1912)

Jo, Marion, and Raymond Donovan

Marion Donovan and possibly Josephine

Ray, Josie, & Marion Donovan

Michael & Marion Donovan

Michael, Josie, & Marion Donovan

Grandma Marie Meyer with Ray and Marion Donovan

Ray & Marion Donovan

Marion Donovan

Ray & Marion Donovan

Marion Donovan and Jack Drum wedding, 1936. Ray Donovan is second from left, and Charles Donovan is far right.

Marion & her daughter Mary with Kathy Donovan (and two unknown boys)

Marion's children, Mary & John (Drum)

Martha Meyer's husband, Fred Schmidt, with nephew Charles Donovan in 1921 (Charles was born in 1920). Fred was also known as Fred Wolf. Martha's name was Schmidt and she changed it to Wolf after Fred died. She did not remarry, and no one knows why she changed her name.

Charles and Michael Donovan splitting wood

Charles Donovan

Ray Donovan, 7th Regiment, NY Ntl. Guard

Charles was in the military in the early 40's. He completed Army's Officer Candidate School as a Lieutenant. One of his assignments was in a Recon Unit in Belgium.

Charles Donovan and Marsha Kramer wedding, 1948

Charles was a corporate lawyer in Texas.

Julius Gras and Pauline Erschen

Julius Gras and Pauline Erschen had one child, Hedwig Josephine Gras (1909-2007)

Julius Gras at Jim and Kathy Von Der Linn's wedding, 1959

Julius Gras

Pauline and Heddy Gras, circa 1913

Pauline's parents, Ferdinand and Magdalena Erschen. Ceramic photo on their headstone in the Mozelj cemetery in Slovenia. This was probably taken in the 1920s (Magdalena died in 1929.)

We think this is Heddy Gras (if it's not Heddy, it's Ray Donovan).

682 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, Queens, NY. This was probably where Julius and Pauline had their saloon on the ground floor, and Heddy stayed upstairs in their apartment with her piano and her Great Dane, Babe. They were renting.

Heddy Gras with her Charlie Chaplin doll, possibly taken on the roof of the Seneca Ave. building. Circa 1916.

Heddy Gras, probably with her Great Dane, Babe. Perhaps this was the day she chose Babe from a litter of pups?

Heddy was on the Long Island Railroad track team, and she got to travel and meet celebrities like Babe Ruth. Her shirt appears to be covered with medals!

Heddy playing the ukulele, from the Long Island Railroad employee newsletter?

In 1928 Heddy won a car in the "Most popular employee" contest at LIRR. She had just made a down payment on another car, so she sold her prize for $800. I'm not sure if this is her prize car or the one she purchased.