Sri Lanka
Sinhalese Genealogy Families
Don Davit de
Silva – Family 3867
1 Abeydeera Wijewickrema Punchihewage
Don Davit de Silva of Ahangama / Gintota + Sister of KC Juanis de Silva of Gintota
(First Wife)
2 Grace Abeydeera
+ Theodore Gunaratne - Weligama
3
Leena Gunaratne + W. P. de Silva – Beruwela
4
None
3
Muriel
Gunaratne + R. D. Perera -
Galle
4 Drupa
4 Rukmani
3 Leonard Gunaratne + Nellie
...................- Badulla
4 Amara
4 Senath
4
Srinath
3 Sylvester Gunaratne + Sita
…………. – Colombo
4
Seelava
3 Richard Gunaratne, + Isla de Silva – Matara
4
Malinga
4 Indralal
3
Felix Gunaratne + Charlotte ……….. – Badulla
4
Chula4 Renuka
4 Not known
2
Charles Abeydeera
- Bachelor
Charles
Abeydeera was registered as a
medical student in the UK. However, he returned to Ceylon,
without completing his medical studies, due to a nervous
breakdown
2
Baron Abeydeera
- Bachelor
Was General Manager for India
of the firm of Don Davit & Sons
2
Simon Abeydeera – Mt. Lavinia
Was
Manager
of the Colombo Branch of the firm of Don Davit & Sons.
Simon Abeydeera + Not
known (First
Wife)
3 Regina
Abeydeera (died young)
3 Arthur Abeydeera + Daisy Selena Perera – Kalutara
4 Chula
(died
in her teens)
4 Srinath
4 Tilaka
4 Sarath
3
Lily Abeydeera
+ Gratien de Silva – Matale
4 Douglas
4 Leelamani (2 children from Gratien Silva’s first wife),
4 Chitra
4 Daya
4 Sarath
4 Shiral
4 Srikanthi
Simon Abeydeera +
Lilian de Siva (Second Wife)
3 Vere Abeydeera + Olga de Silva –
Colombo
4 None
3 Eric
Abeydeera + Ranjani
de Silva – Galle
4
Roshan
4
Nalin
3 Sita Abeydeera + Peter Fernando – Panadura
4 Ranli
4 Buddhila
3 Sandra
Abeydeera + Titus Fernando –
Colombo
4 Manel
4 Tilak
4 Shanthi
4 Chappy
1
Abeydeera Wijewickrema Punchihewage
Don Davit de Silva of Ahangama / Gintota + Ms.
Ratnaweera of Wackwella, Galle (Second Wife)
2
Henry Abeydeera/Don
David + Nora Peiris - Panadura
3 Indrani Abeydeera + Sena
Wijeweera – Colombo
4
Not known
4
Not known
4
Not known
2
Porolis Abeydeera- Bachelor
Died in his teens
2
Louisa Abeydeera + M. W. Martin de
Silva - Galle
3 M.W.Graham de Silva + Not known -
Singapore
4 Allen
4 Not
known
3 M.W.Hector de Silva + Wimala de Silva - Colombo
4 None
3 M.W.Roland de Silva + Not known
- Colombo
4 Gamini
4 Anura
.
2
Maggie Abeydeera + K. Paanis de Silva - Dodanduwa
3 K.
Nancy
de Silva + K. Sam de Silva – Dodanduwa
4 Kirthie
4 Raja
4 Ananda (died young - Gintota)
3 K.
Bertie
de Silva + Malini Peiris – Egoda
Uyana
4 Ajith
4 Dr.
Shanaka
4 Anil.
3 K.
Leslie
de Silva (died in his teens – Gintota)
2
Muriel Abeydeera + M. Simon Salgado -
Panadura
3 Dr.
M.
R. P. Salgado + Surangani Amarasuriya
- Colombo
4 Ranmali
4 Ruwan
4 Ranil
3 Dr.
M.
S. L. Salgado + Chinthamani Gunaskera – Galle
4 Krishant
4 Shamali
3 Dr.
M.
R. I. Salgado + Dr. Elizabeth Christie- Sydney
4 David
4 Maya
4 Samantha
2
Alfred Abeydeera + Alice Clark -
3 Ivor
Abeydeera (died in his teens)
3 Maurice
Abeydeera + Justine Constance
(Dolly) Menon - Kandy
4 Ramesh
4 Renuka
3 Clifford
Abeydeera + Rita Gunasekera – Badulla
4 Not
known
4 Not
known
4 Not
known
3 Nihal Abeydeera + Not known
4 Not
known
4 Not
known
4 Not
known
3 Gloria
Abeydeera + P. K. Perera – Panadura
4 Shavanthi
4 Rajeev
4 Ruvani
3 Deanna
Abeydeera + T. Aloy Perera
- Colombo
+ Gamini Jayasuriya
– Colombo
4 Chrisantha Perera
4 Lasantha Perera
4 Natasha
Jayasuriya
4 Natalie
Jayasuriya
EXTRACT FROM TWENTIETH CENTURY
IMPRESSIONS OF CEYLON
BY ARNOLD WRIGHT – 1907
Page 486
Don Davit &
Sons
The firm of Don Davit & Sons was founded by A. W. P. Don Davit de Silva in 1875 at Galle, for the importation of spices and foodstuffs from India. At the commencement only a small trade was done but after four or five years the business (continued on page 489)
(Pages 487 and 488 contain photographs – see below)
Page 489 – (text continued from Page 486)
-became
firmly established and the importation of rice from Calcutta
was also undertaken. By degrees the business was extended, and
soon the trade mark of the firm became well known all over the
country, and a very large trade was done in rice, imported
from all Indian ports, as well as from the Straits Settlements
and the Federated Malay States. Sugar, another article in
which the firm deals largely, comes from Austria and Hamburg; while flour is
imported from Victoria and Southern Australia, all kinds of
grains and cereals from India, and coconut oil is largely
dealt in. Another commodity in which the firm does a big trade
is barbed wire for fencing purposes, and they have made a speciality in horse-food, of which
they are the largest importers. Some idea of the magnitude of
this business can be gathered from the fact that they import,
on an average, 50,000 bags of rice a month and 40,000 bags of
horse-food a year. In Galle High Street, Messrs. Don Davit have a rice depot and grocery store,
and the general store and head office are also situated in
that town. They have branches at 49, 51, and 69, Fourth Cross
Street, Colombo and at Lower Chitpore
Rd. Calcutta, and also at Cocanada.
At
Galle, the firm has a large yard where coconut oil, which is
bought up from various small dealers, is filtered by special
machinery, after which it is exported to England, the United
States, and the continent of Europe generally. Other articles
of export dealt in by this firm are desiccated coconut,
citronella oil, cinnamon oil, coir yarn, rope, poonac , fibres,
and copra , principally to Denmark, the United Kingdom, and
the United States. At Hikkaduwa,
in the Southern Province, the firm owns a large coconut
estate.
The
founder of the firm was the son of a local merchant , who started business with
his father at Tangalle, in the
Southern Province. He is an ardent Buddhist, and renewed and
equipped the temple at Ahangama,
as well as the school at Gintota.
He is a great friend of the poor, and is ever ready to help
deserving cases which call for the exercise of charity. An
admirable feature of the business is that there is a
benevolent fund made up from a certain percentage of the
turnover, and every year some 5,000 people are clothed and fed
on a special almsgiving day. Mr. A. W. P. Don Davit , the senior partner, presides
over the Galle house., Mr AWP Simon de Silva manages the
Colombo branch, and Mr AWP Baron de Silva is general manager
for India. The junior partners, who are smart business men,
were educated at local colleges and Mr Simon de Silva is a
member of the Theosophical Society ,
besides being a keen sportsman.
Page 487
Photographs
of Don Davit, Simon de Silva, Forage Works Colombo, The
Family, Office Staff Colombo
Page 488
Photographs
of The
Bungalow at Gintota, Galle; Fort
Office Galle, Office Staff Galle, Coconut Oil Yard, Exterior
of Store Galle, Interior of Store Galle.
EXTRACT FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE
WEEKEND NEWSPAPER OF JUNE 24, 1968
MIGHTY MUDALALIS OF GALLE BY WILLIAM PEIRIS
Mighty
mudalalis flourished in Galle for
about fifty years from the last quarter of the 19th century.
Their type was rare indeed elsewhere in Ceylon.
Five
of
them stood in a class by themselves. They neither spoke
English nor did they know their own language well. But they
possessed great business acumen and made big fortunes. Shady
methods they detested. They were honest and honourable men.
The
entire
import trade of the town was in their hands. Regular importers of rice, each of their
weekly shipments was 50,000 bags. Their profit on a
bag was 50 cents. Sugar ,
subsidiary foodstuffs textiles, cement, and other building
materials , drugs and all kinds of consumer goods they
imported in adequate quantities to meet the demand not only of
Galle and the district but beyond too. They were both
wholesalers and retailers of these commodities.
The
prince
among them was Davith mudalali (A.W.P. Don Davith). He had a branch
establishment in Colombo as well in 4th Cross Street. As
many as a hundred bullock carts used to call at his store
each day for rice and other foodstuffs. A well built man of commanding personality , he wore a white cloth
and coat and pair of leather sandals. He had his hair tied
in a knot and adorned with a bright tortoise-shell circular
comb (nemipana). His well trimmed moustache added dignity
to his handsome face.
He
did
not have the mudalali trait of
the closed fist . He spent
lavishly and was generous to his friends and relatives. He
lived in grand style in a palatial mansion in Gintota and kept a fine pair of
horses and an elegant phaeton. When the motor car made its
appearance for the first time in the early years of the
present century , he was among
the first to purchase one. The first class carriage in the
train was then the exclusive preserve of the 'white sahib' -
the ruler of the land. But Davith
mudalali refused to believe that
he was inferior to the white man. He always travelled first
class , sitting cheek by jowl
with the European official and planter , much to the chagrin
of the latter. He died comparatively young. His younger son
did not carry on the business for long.
Sources:
Lalitha de Silva, Geetha Premaratne, KK
de Silva