Gazlay Family History
 

Family HistoryFamily History - John P. Kirwan


Key:1.“+” before a child’s name indicates the child has their own entry in the next generation.
 2.“born xxxx” indicates the child is under 18 years of age so the birth date is not shown.
This family history features John P. Kirwan and five of his descendants down to the third generation.


First Generation
1. John P. Kirwan,1 born August 1860 in New York (parents not determined).1 John married, ca. 1890, Julia M. _____1 (born February 1861 in Ireland, parents not determined1).

Children of John P. Kirwan and Julia M. _____:

+2i. John Stanislaus Kirwan, born 23 July 1891 in New York, New York; died 5 July 1921 in New York, New York. Married Jean Gazlay Donaldson.
 3ii. Raymond Kirwan, born August 1892 in New York.1
 4iii. Arthur J. Kirwan, born April 1896 in New York.1
 5iv. Robert L. Kirwan, born October 1898 in New York.1

  1. U.S. Federal Census, 1900, New York, New York County, Manhattan, Enumeration District 516, Sheet No. 10B, family of John P. Kirwan (39, New York, Aug. 1860, real estate agent); wife of 10 years Julia M. Kirwan (39, Ireland, Feb. 1861, 4 children, 4 living); son John S. Kirwan (8, New York, July 1891); son Raymond Kirwan (7, New York, Aug. 1892); son Arthur J. Kirwan (4, New York, Apr. 1896); son Robert L. Kirwan (1, New York, Oct. 1898); sister-in-law Lucy A. Commins (36, Ireland, Apr. 1864); brother-in-law John J. Commins (34, Ireland, Apr. 1866); servant Mary Fitzpatrick (22, Ireland, July 1877); servant Katie Hughes (29, Ireland, Apr. 1871).
Second and Third Generations
2. John Stanislaus Kirwan2 (John1), born 23 July 1891 in New York, New York;1, 2, 3 died 5 July 1921 in New York, New York.4 John married, 11 February 1910 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, Jean Gazlay Donaldson10 (born 12 March 1893 in Nutley, Essex County, New Jersey, the daughter of Andrew Donaldson and Emma Jane Gazlay;5, 6, 7, 8 Jean died 9 February 1956 in Paris, France6, 9). Their marriage was annulled in April 1913.10 Jean is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio.6

John Kirwan’s obituary provides a brief biographical sketch:4

Lieutenant John Stanislaus Kirwan, formerly a member of Squadron A of the New York Cavalry and son of John P. Kirwan, a well known real estate operator at Forty-fifth street and Broadway, died at his residence, No. 118 West Eighty-eighth street. His death was due to injuries received in an accident while in training at Camp Halabird [sic, Holabird], Baltimore, in 1918. He was a member of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, where a requiem mass will be celebrated for him at nine o’clock this morning. Lieutenant Kirwan was born in this city twenty-nine years ago and was a graduate of Fordham University. He was later in business with his father until 1915, when he went overseas in a volunteer Red Cross ambulance corps, before the United States entered the war. In addition to his father he is survived by three brothers.

Much has been written about Jean Gazlay Donaldson, known mostly by her third married name, Jean Nash, and her six marriages, her celebrity as the “world’s best dressed woman,” and her other social adventures that captivated the imagination of the media and the public, such as gambling among the rich and famous. Jean fostered her own renown by authoring a series of 15 weekly chapters of autobiographical articles from 1 February through 10 May 1925 that were carried in newspapers nation-wide, among them the Milwaukee Sentinel and the Pittsburgh Press. In the articles, Jean recounts numerous anecdotes that provide fascinating insight into her life and the high style to which she was accustomed.11

Jean was born in Nutley, New Jersey, and was raised by her mother after her father died in 1904. While attending school in Dobbs Ferry, New York, Jean met and formed a relationship with John Stanley Kirwan. Her mother objected to the relationship, and so proceeded to make plans to move Jean to a school in Europe. Jean discovered the plan, and quickly eloped with Kirwan in New Jersey, which naturally shocked her mother. Their marriage was annulled in April 1913, aided by Jean’s eventual second husband, Winfield Sifton, when he engaged the services of a lawyer in New York. Jean’s marriage to Kirwan produced a son, Andrew, born in the fall of the 1910.10, 11

Jean met her second husband, Winfield Burroughs Sifton, at an embassy ball in London. Winfield was the son of Sir Clifford Sifton, who was Attorney General, Provincial Lands Commissioner and Member of Parliament of Canada. Despite Jean’s initial rejections, Winfield persisted in his desire to marry Jean, and in July 1913 he and Jean slipped away from Jean’s mother, sailing across the ocean from Europe to New York. They were married in “the oddest wedding last night that Milburn [New Jersey] had ever seen,” being married in a motor car, under the light of a street lamp, in the presence only of the reverend and two of Winfield’s friends. The wedding supper consisted of chocolate ice cream sodas served in Newark before setting out for Milburn, where they able to obtain the marriage license. Jean and Winfield’s daughter Elizabeth was born in London when the couple lived there, and Elizabeth lived with the Siftons until she died in 1950. Jean never got along with her mother-in-law, Lady Sifton, mostly over Jean’s taste in fashion.10, 11, 12, 13

Her mother Emma could never control Jean. In March 1914, Jean locked her mother in a closet and refused to let her out until Emma signed a deed of trust to the Knickerbocker Trust Co., conveying Emma’s interest in several pieces of property in Cincinnati to Jean. Emma, aided by a relative, Oscar W. Kuhn, filed suit against Jean, then Mrs. Jean Sifton, her husband Winfield, and the trust company to recover the deeded property. The suit was eventually dismissed in October 1914 on motion of counsel when the property was re-conveyed back to Emma.10, 14

Jean met her third husband John Victor Nash toward the end of her marriage with Winfield Sifton. Needing a divorce from Sifton, Jean filed for divorce in Canada since the marriage was recorded there. The divorce was finalized on 12 July 1919, and five days later Jean and John Nash were married in London. Jean’s extravagant lifestyle eventually overwhelmed John’s modest salary as a captain in the British army. Eventually he sued for divorce, which was made final in March 1923.11

Following her divorce from Nash, Jean was courted by several suitors, including Mohammad Sabit Bey, an Egyptian prince, whom she met in a casino in Cannes. Sabit pursued Jean’s affections, and they were engaged to be married. Jean broke the engagement, but eventually she agreed to marry him. She was required to adopt the Moslem faith, and she took the Moslem name of Dowlett. Jean and Sabit were married on 1 February 1925 in a Moslem church in Cairo, with only three witnesses present. Very soon, Jean learned that Sabit had incurred many debts all over Europe, and so may not be able to support her high lifestyle. Also, she and Sabit could not agree on the degree of freedom that she should be allowed. Jean was accustomed to the independence customarily allowed to American married women, whereas Sabit could not disregard the Egyptian habits of the harem and the centuries-old traditions where women are shut out from the world. They were divorced a month after they married.11, 15

Shortly after their divorce, Sabit was arrested in Paris on three charges of swindling cash, jewels, and motor cars, valued at $75,000. He pawned his first wife’s jewels that, it was claimed, were not paid for. Jean was also implicated in the alleged crime but was not arrested. Sabit was acquitted after spending a month in jail.16

In a secret Paris wedding in 1926 with only two witnesses present, Jean married Paul Dubonnet, of the Dubonnet apéritif wine family. Jean maintained her image as the “world’s best dressed woman,” living in Paris and on the Riviera. Her choices in the latest clothing styles still captured the attention of the media wherever she went. Jean frequented the great gambling resorts of the Continent, including Monte Carlo, Deauville, and Cannes, and her winnings were especially newsworthy. Eventually, she settled into a more quiet life than she had previously known, raising her and Paul’s daughter.17

Jean, Paul, and Jean’s mother Emma, stood by Jean’s son Andrew (from her first marriage) during his 1934 trial and eventual acquittal for murder. Paul, in fact, was the only witness who testified for the defense.

Although Jean’s marriage to Paul Dubonnet was her longest, nearly 22 years, it too ended in divorce, in 1948.10

In 1950, Jean married Guy Douglas Bridge Puckle, a British stock broker who traded in London and New York. Jean died on 9 February 1956 in Paris, and is buried as Jean G. D. Puckle in the Donaldson plot in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati.6, 9, 10


Child of John Stanislaus Kirwan and Jean Gazlay Donaldson:

 6i. Andrew Donaldson Kirwan, born 29 October 1910 in New York, New York;10, 18, 19 died 14 April 1973 in New York, New York.19, 20, 21 Andrew lived in England with his mother from September 1914 to at least July 1919.18 He was afflicted with a form of infantile paralysis. He could not control his muscles, and he could not write. Andrew was taught by tutors.10 Numerous newspapers carried the story of Andrew’s trial for the stabbing death of Gilliam Sessoms with a hunting knife following a drunken argument over religion. The alleged event occurred on 10 February 1934 while they were sailing on the SS President Garfield from Europe. Sessoms died a few days after the ship docked in New York. The defense maintained that Sessoms fell on the knife after a sudden pitch of the ship. The story was newsworthy in part because of the presence during the trial of his mother, Jean Nash (née Donaldson) Dubonnet, who captivated the attention of the media and public in the 1920s as a leader of high fashion in Europe. Also at his side were Jean’s husband Paul Dubonnet, and Andrew’s grandmother, Emma (née Gazlay) Donaldson. On 2 April 1934, the jury took only twenty-seven minutes to return a not guilty verdict. Andrew was committed to the Hartford Retreat in 1941, and the State National Bank of Connecticut in Stamford were his conservators.10 Sadly, Andrew died in a fire in the Beverly Hotel, 125 East 50th Street, New York City. His badly burned body was found wedged against a door in his room on the 21st floor. The cause of the fire was unknown. Andrew was apparently living off a trust fund set up by his family.21 Andrew is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio.19

  1. U.S. Passport Applications 1795-1925, available at ancestry.com and familysearch.org; Application No. 2849; Kirwan, John S.; born 23 July 1891 in New York City; real estate broker; desires passport to visit England and France for hospital work; passport issued 10 July 1915. Includes a letter of reference from the Headquarters of the American Committee of the American Ambulance Hospital In Paris, Wall Street, New York, indicating his application for a position as a volunteer ambulance driver in Paris.
  2. Draft Registration Card, World War I, John Stanislaus Kirwan, card no. 71; born 23 July 1891 in New York City; real estate broker; single.
  3. U.S. Federal Census, 1900, New York, New York County, Manhattan, Enumeration District 516, Sheet No. 10B, family of John P. Kirwan (39, New York, Aug. 1860, real estate agent); wife of 10 years Julia M. Kirwan (39, Ireland, Feb. 1861, 4 children, 4 living); son John S. Kirwan (8, New York, July 1891); son Raymond Kirwan (7, New York, Aug. 1892); son Arthur J. Kirwan (4, New York, Apr. 1896); son Robert L. Kirwan (1, New York, Oct. 1898); sister-in-law Lucy A. Commins (36, Ireland, Apr. 1864); brother-in-law John J. Commins (34, Ireland, Apr. 1866); servant Mary Fitzpatrick (22, Ireland, July 1877); servant Katie Hughes (29, Ireland, Apr. 1871).
  4. Obituary, The Evening Telegram, New York. Available at www.fultonhistory.com. 7 July 1921, John Stanislaus Kirwan; died 5 July 1921.
  5. New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index, 1660-1931, Jean Donaldson, born 12 March 1892 in Essex [County], New Jersey; father: Andrew Donaldson, age 47; mother: Emma J. Geglay [sic], age 35. [The birth year is 1893 in other records and is probably a transcription error here, as is the surname of her mother, known to be Gazlay.]
  6. Cemetery Record, Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio (website); Puckle, Jean Donaldson, card no. 142683, born 12 March 1893 in Nutley, NJ, died 9 Feb 1956 in Paris, France, wife of Guy B. Puckle, parents: Andrew & Emma J. Gayley [sic], Sec 86 Lot 25.
  7. U.S. Federal Census, 1900, New York, New York County, New York City, Enumeration District 458, Sheet No. 17B, family of Andrew Donaldson (54, Ohio, Sep 1845, accountant); wife of 9 years Emma G. Donaldson (43, Indiana, Nov 1856, 1 child, 1 living); daughter Jean G. Donaldson (7, New Jersey, Mar 1893); servant Annie Waehole (21, Germany, Aug 1878).
  8. U.S. Federal Census, 1910, New York, New York County, New York City, Enumeration District 823, Sheet. No. Supp 11A, family of Emma G. Donaldson (50, Indiana, widow, 1 child, 1 living); Jean G. Donaldson (17, New Jersey). They are lodgers in a hotel.
  9. Obituary, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois. 10 February 1956; Jean Nash Dies at 60; Heiress Wed Six Times. In Paris on 9 February 1956.
  10. Gazlay History, written by Spencer G. Kuhn, a grandchild of Theodore Gazlay; undated. This is a typewritten re-compilation of the earlier Genealogy of the Gazlay Family, compiled by Theodore Gazlay in 1890, including the 1852 statement of the family history by Reverend Sayers Gazlay, an elder brother of Theodore. This document re-formats the information in the 1890 work. For example, facts originally shown in list form, such as birth and death dates, are incorporated in the narrative of this later work. Two post-1890 sections are unique to this document: one with additional details about Theodore Gazlay’s family, with dates as late as 1951; and another on the Donaldson family, featuring Jean Gazlay Donaldson and her six marriages, with several dates in 1965.
  11. Milwaukee Sentinel, and Pittsburg Press, both available at Google News. These newspapers, among others, carry the series of 15 weekly chapters of autobiographical articles from 1 February through 10 May 1925 by “Mrs. Jean Nash” (search term in the Google News Archives).
  12. Marriage Announcement, New York Times, New York, New York, 1 August 1913, Jean Donaldson Kirwan and Winfield Burrows Sifton, married 30 July 1913 in Milburn, New Jersey. The article provides an interesting account of their secret wedding, and other biographical details.
  13. Clifford Sifton in Relation to his Times, by John Wesley Dafoe, 1931, reprinted 1971 by Ayer Publishing. Available at Google Books.
  14. The New York Times, 21 March 1914, Cincinnati, Ohio: ‘Accuses Daughter and Bank of Fraud,’ and 1 October 1914, Cincinnati, Ohio: ‘Mrs. Donaldson Ends Suit.’ Both articles available at query.nytimes.com (website).
  15. The Sioux City Journal, Sioux City, Iowa, 2 February 1925. Available at Google News.
  16. The Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, 3 June 1925. Available at Google News.
  17. Marriage Announcement, The Milwaukee Sentinel, 16 October 1926, marriage of Paul Dubonnet and Mrs. Jean Nash in Paris on 15 October. The article mentions that Paul’s divorce was final the previous day.
  18. U.S. Passport Applications 1795-1925, available at ancestry.com and familysearch.org; Emergency Application No. 2263; Kirwan, Andrew Donaldson; born 29 October 1910 in New York City; father: John Stanley Kirwan, deceased [sic, John was still living in 1919]; legal domicile and permanent residence: Cincinnati, Ohio; resided in England September 1914 to date; accompanying mother; desires passport to visit France, and Great Britain, embarkation and return accompanying grandmother; application dated 30 July, 1919, American Embassy at London.
  19. Cemetery Record, Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio (website); Kirwan, Andrew Donaldson, card no. 165439, born 29 October 1910, died 14 April 1973 in New York City, 125 East 50th Street; parents: John Kirwan and Jean Donaldson; Sec 86 Lot 25.
  20. Obituary, The New York Times, 18 April 1973, Kirwan Andrew Donaldson, son of the late Jean Donaldson Puckle and John S. Kirwan.
  21. The New York Times, 15 April 1973, death of Andrew Donaldson Kirwan in a fire in an East Side hotel in New York City.