The partnership of Donegan & Swift was established in 1887 by partners Bartholomew Donegan and Edwin H. Swift, with offices at 174 Fulton Street in Manhattan. Donegan had worked as a plumber and engineer and for about twenty years had been partners in a marine supply business. We know less about the life of Edwin H. Swift but we suspect he had experience on the machinery manufacturing side of things.

Donegan & Swift were agents for firms such as the Hughes Steam Pump Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, and the Buffalo Forge Co. of Buffalo, NY. They also manufactured vertical and horizontal steam engines. By 1890 they had relocated to 11-13 Murray Street. In 1896 Bartholomew Donegan died, age 63, but Swift continued the business under the same "Donegan & Swift" name. In about 1900 the business moved to 6 Murray Street.

Sometime between 1904 and '09 the business incorporated as Donegan & Swift, Inc., with Edwin H. Swift as president. M. A. Swift was one of the directors. The firm went bankrupt in 1922 or '23, and did not re-emerge.

• New York City Directories provide valuable data:
  • 1850-51 New York City Directory has no listings for Bartholomew Donegan or Edwin H. Swift.
  • 1852-53 New York City Directory has no listings for Bartholomew Donegan or Edwin H. Swift.
  • 1853-54 New York City Directory. Page 194 lists "Donegan Bartholomew, gro., 326 Eighth, h 326 Eighth". There is no Edwin Swift listed.
  • 1856-57 New York City Directory. Page 226 lists "Donegan Bartholomew, grocer, 326 Eighth". There is no Edwin Swift listed.
  • 1856-57 New York City Directory. Page 226 lists "Donegan Bartholomew, grocer, 326 Eighth". There is no Edwin Swift listed.
  • 1860-61 New York City Directory. No listing for Bartholomew Donegan or Edwin Swift.
  • 1865-66 New York City Directory. Page 260, "Donegan Bartholomew, engineer, h 296 W 14th." No listing for Edwin Swift.
  • 1870-71 New York City Directory. Page 313, "Donegan Bartholomew, plumber, 74 West, h 18 Debevoise, B'klyn". No listing for Edwin Swift.
  • 1875-76 New York City Directory. Page 337, "Donegan Bartholomew, brass, 229 West, h 28 Debevoise, B'klyn". No listing for Edwin Swift.
  • 1880-81 New York City Directory. Page 391 has two listings for Bartholomew Donegan, "Donegan Bartholomew, plumber, 229 West, h B'klyn" and "Donegan Bartholomew, stone, h 338 E. 49th." No listing for Edwin Swift.
  • 1885-86 New York City Directory. Page 476, "Donegan Bartholomew, plumber, 229 West, h 28 Debevoise pl B'klyn". No listing for Edwin H. Swift ("Edwin C. meat" and "Edwin E. physician").
  • 1886-87 New York City Directory. Page 490, "Donegan Bartholomew, plumber, 229 West, h 28 Debevoise pl B'klyn". No listing for Edwin H. Swift ("Edwin C. meat" and "Edwin E. physician").
  • 1887-88 New York City Directory. Page 491, "Donegan Bartholomew, tools, 171 Fulton, h 28 Debevoise pl B'klyn". On the same page is "Donegan & Swift, tools, 174 Fulton". Page 1940, "Swift Edwin H. tools, 174 Fulton, h 503 Vanderbilt av. B'klyn."
  • March 1889 Trow's Copartnership and Corporation Directory of New York City, page 71. "Donegan & Swift (Bartholomew Donegan & Edwin H. Swift) 174 Fulton".
  • 1890-91 New York City Directory. Page 328, "Donegan Bartholomew, machinery, 11 Murray, h 28 Debevoise pl B'klyn". On the same page is "Donegan & Swift, machinery, 11 Murray". Page 1244, "Swift Edwin H. machinery, 11 Murray, h 465 Franklin av. B'klyn."
  • 1890 Trow's New York City Directory lists "Donegan & Swift, 11 Murray" under the categories of Anvils & Vises; Barrows & Hand Trucks; Bellows; Belting, Rubber & Leather; Brass & Copper Seamless Tubes; Contractor's Supplies; Cotton Waste; Drill Presses; Emery Wheels & Machinery; Exhaust Pipe Heads; Fans, Ventilating; Forges (Portable); Hoisting Machines; Injectors & Ejectors; Iron Pipe Manufacturers; Lathes, Planes & Drills; Leather Belting; Machinery Dealers; Metal Dealers; Perforated Sheet Metals; Pressure Regulators, Steam; Pumps, Steam & Centrifugal; Rubber Goods; and Vises & Anvils. A text ad on page 78 reads, "Donegan & Swift, 11 Murray Street, Agents for and Offices of Buffalo Forge Co., Portable Forges, Pressure, Exhaust and Ventilating Blowers and Steam Fans." A text ad on page 782 reads, "Donegan & Swift, 11 Murray, New 'Acme,' 'Vertical,' and 'Metropolitan' Horizontal Engines, Horizontal and Vertical Boilers."
  • 1895-96 New York City Directory. Page 359, "Donegan Bartholomew, engines, 11 Murray, h 27 Debevoise pl B'klyn". On the same page is "Donegan & Swift, engines, 11 Murray". Page 1414, "Swift Edwin H. engines, 11 Murray, h 465 Franklin av. B'klyn."
  • 1900-01 New York City Directory. No listing for Bartholomew Donegan. Page 334, "Donegan & Swift, engines, 6 Murray". Page 1308, "Swift Edwin H. machinery, 6 Murray, h 465 Franklin av. B'klyn."
  • March 1901 Trow's Copartnership and Corporation Directory of Manhattan and the Bronx, page 129. "Donegan & Swift (Edwin H. Swift, only) 6 Murray".
  • March 1902 Trow's Copartnership and Corporation Directory of Manhattan and the Bronx, page 138. "Donegan & Swift (Edwin H. Swift, only) 6 Murray".
  • March 1904 Trow's Copartnership and Corporation Directory of Manhattan and the Bronx, page 162. "Donegan & Swift (Edwin H. Swift, only) 6 Murray".
  • March 1909 Trow's Copartnership and Corporation Directory of Manhattan and the Bronx, page 207. "Donegan & Swift (N. Y.) (Edwin H. Swift, Pres.; Asa H. Paine, Sec. Capital, $50,000. Directors: Edwin H. & M. A. Swift, Asa H. Paine, David J. Roland) 6 Murray". The entry in the 1910 edition of Trow's is identical to this 1909 edition's.
  • March 1914 Trow's Copartnership and Corporation Directory of Manhattan and the Bronx, page 256. "Donegan & Swift, Inc. (N. Y.) (Edwin H. Swift, Pres.; Theodore R. White, Sec. Capital, $50,000. Directors: Edwin H. & M. A. Swift, Theodore R. White, David J. Rowland)) 6 Murray".
  • March 1919 Trow's Copartnership and Corporation Directory of Manhattan and the Bronx, page 309. "Donegan & Swift, Inc. (N Y) Edwin H Swift, Pres. Theodore R White, Sec. Capital, $50,000. Directors: Edwin H & M A Swift, Theo R White, M J Prindle, pumps. 6 Murray".
• 1888 Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy, page 474, lists contracts awarded by the Bureau of Provisions Clothing for and in behalf of the Navy Department, including a contract to Donegan & Swift, New York, awarded Sept. 2 1887, for "Double cylinder drum hoisting engine", for $1270, delivered to the New York yard.
• 1888-02-04 The Engineering and Building Record, page 158, lists bidders for certain government work, including Donegan & Swift, New York.
• 1888-11-05 The American Engineer. "The Hughes Steam Pump Co., of Cleveland, O., have just made a large export shipment of pumps, through their New York agents Messrs. Donegan & Swift."
• 1890 Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy, Volume 2, page 733, in a list of "Proposals for annual supplies for navy yard, New York, under advertisement dated July 7, 1888": Donegan & Swift is listed in numerous categories.
• December 1895 Machinery page 124. "DONEGAN & Swift, 13 Murray street, New York, send us a catalog of the Metropolitan self-contained engine, Manhattan center crank engine, Acme engine and boiler and their well-known line of pumps and appliances."
• 1896-05-13 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, obituaries section (via FindaGrave.com).

  Donegan—On May 12, 1896, Bartholomew Donegan, beloved husband of Mary Ann Donegan, in the 64th year of his age. Relatives and friends... are invented to attend the funeral from his late residence, 28 Debevoise place, Brooklyn...

• December 1906 The American Marine Engineer has an article on a predecessor firm, Bartholomew & Reilly, established about 1865 "to conduct a marine repair and supply business". Bartholomew Donegan found that firm with James Reilly and then left the partnership about 1885.
• 1915 Directory of Directors in the City of New York, page 591, "ROWLAND, DAVID J., 6 Murray St. Donegan & Swift, Incorporated, Dir. Page 678, "SWIFT, EDWIN H., 6 Murray St. Donegan & Swift, Incorporated, Pres., Treas. Ave. and Dir. ... SWIFT, M. A., 6 Murray St. Donegan & Swift, Incorporated, V. Pres. and Dir." Page 747: "WHITE, THEODORE R., 6 Murray St. Donegan & Swift, Incorporated, Sec'y and Dir."
• 1921-08-19 The Bond Buyer, page 1947, small text ad: "Annual Meeting / The regular Annual Meeting of stockholders of Donegan & Swift, Inc., will be held at their offices No. 132 Nassau St., N. Y., on Monday September 12, 1921... / Theodore R. White, Secy."
• July 1922 The Furniture Index lists "Donegan & Swift, Inc., 132 Nassau St., Manhattan", as providers of dust collection systems.
• 1923 Bulletin lists "Donegan & Swift, 132 Nassau St., New York, N. Y. (Bankrupt.)"
• A patent search did not turn up any patents associated with Bartholomew Donegan. There are a few patents granted to Edwin H. Swift, all dating from 1922 to '24, all related to heating systems. The patents are not assigned.
• FindaGrave.com entry for Edwin H. Smith (1855-1942).
• American Steam Engine Builders: 1800-1900 by Kenneth L. Cope, 2006 page 77.