This homepage is occupied with the family Donath / Donat / Donadt

The name Donat is the German version of “donatus” in Latin, meaning “the given” or “god given”.

The Donadt family history can be traced back to just about 1670 A.C. with the first verifiable ancestor being Michael Heinrich Donadt, born on 30^th September 1670 in Ostritz in Goerlitz County. Michael Heinrich was a “riemer master” (belt maker) by trade. The profession of riemer master was common among the Donadt family until about the end of the 19^th century. Thereafter, the prevailing occupations were weavers and dyers.

Riemer is a former occupation of the leather processing trade. During the Middle Ages riemers were recognized crafts men with skilled and experienced riemers being distinguished as master riemers. Riemers utilized leather to fabricate belts, straps, water buckets for the purpose of fire fighting, harnesses for work horses, and as the name in itself already indicates, all kinds of straps to be used for shoes, drums and flails.

The first Donat born in Turek was Franz Donat, born on 4^th December 1833. He too was a master riemer. Franz Donat was my great-great-grandfather and Turek has since been the main place of residence for the Donadt family.

It first changed toward the end of the 19^th century when a number of Franz Julius’ children migrated to the United States. Later, the advancing Red Army during World War Two forced the family to move out west. Not only resulted the war in expatriation, also property, land and several family members were lost in due course.

My great-grandfather Franz Julius was a weaver and dyer. Since it was common in our family to use first names over again, Franz Julius decided to change the spelling of the family’s last name in order to avoid unwanted confusion. Franz Julius Donadt was the first ancestor who used the new name and everyone today whose name is spelled the same way shares common ancestry.

The Donadt family was generally devoted to the catholic faith. However, Franz Donadt, who himself was catholic, married protestant Rosine Teophile Fibich who insisted that their children were also christened protestant.

My work was based on the comprehensive efforts of Wilhelm Donadt of Luedenscheid, official documents that were available to me such as birth and death certificates, ancestry records, internet research and personal contacts to surviving relatives in the United States and Canada.

I hope I can contribute my part to retracing our family’s history. However, there will always be questions and gaps as many official documents and records have been destroyed or were lost throughout the years due to war, imposed extradition or fires.

Thomas