“Lucan, Feb. 4.- Lucan awoke this morning to shock the country with intelligence of the blackest crime ever committed in the Dominion. The crime consisted of the murder, or rather butchery, of a family of five — father, mother, two brothers, and a girl. The victims were named Donnelly, a family that has lived in the neighborhood for upwards of thirty years. They resided on lot 18, 6th concession of Biddulph. The farm consists of fifty acres. They bore the unenviable reputation of being THE TERROR OF THE TOWNSHIP.” (Source: Unknown, “Horrible Tragedy at Lucan — Five Persons Murdered by Masked Men,” Globe, February 5, 1880.)

This newspaper report is just one piece of archival documentation surrounding the murder of the Black Donnellys, an Irish family living in Biddulph Township in Southwestern Ontario in the 19th century. If the thought of Canadian pioneers brings to mind images of good, honest, peaceable folk, this chilling tale will make you think again.

The murder of the Donnellys is one of the case studies on the website Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History. The Donnelly site gets approximately three million hits per year. It features archival records (originals and transcripts) along with teachers’ guides for different age groups.

Last fall I attended a lecture by Dr. Jennifer Pettit, one of the founders of the site. A professor at Mount Royal University, she lectured at the Calgary Public Library on the topic, “Who Murdered the Donnellys?” If you want to learn more, as I did, read on.

The Context

James and Johannah Donnelly married in Ireland in 1840 and immigrated to Canada soon afterward, settling in Biddulph Township in southwestern Ontario. They lived on Roman Line, which was settled by other Roman Catholics, many from the same county in Ireland. Life was hard for immigrants like the Donnellys; like them most of their neighbours were poor farmers.

The Donnellys’ land was owned by the Canada Company which sold it to James Grace, an absentee landlord — essentially the Donnellys were squatters. Grace sold the land to Patrick Farrell, who sent the Donnellys an eviction notice. However, the courts ruled in favour of Jim Donnelly, saying he could keep the 50 acres he had developed.

Biddulph County  was a rough and tumble place. The few constables that existed were untrained and often corrupt. There was a lot of crime, from stolen cows to drunkenness to assault. The Donnellys (who eventually had seven sons and one daughter) acquired a reputation for causing trouble and became known as the “Black Donnellys.” They had many run-ins with the law; even Johannah was accused of throwing rocks and yelling obscenities. According to Jim, “If a stone fell from Heaven, they would blame it on the Donnellys.”
[Update 12-04-17: I’ve been informed that the Donnellys were not called “Black” during their lifetime; the nickname came about when the book The Black Donnellys was published (see below).]

In 1857 at a barn raising bee, drinking led to a fist-fight, which ended with Jim Donnelly killing Patrick Farrell. Jim stayed in the area, disguising himself as a woman and continuing to work his fields for two years before turning himself in. He was sent to Kingston Penitentiary and sentenced to be executed, but the sentence was changed to seven years in prison after Johannah plead with the court.

At home in Biddulph County, Johannah continued to clash with James Carroll, a local constable. Meanwhile the Donnelly sons started a stage coach business. Rivalry with other stage coaches became intense, resulting in the killing of horses and burning of barns. One of the Donnelly sons dated a daughter of a prominent Protestant family, which upset many locals who thought Catholics and Protestants should keep apart. Between 1877 and 1879 two of the Donnelly sons died; details are unclear. Neighbours were not sympathetic.

The Massacre

In 1879 Father Connolly arrived in the area. He encouraged parishioners to sign a peace oath, which led to the formation of the Vigilance Society, headed by James Carroll. (Of course, the Donnellys were not included.) Their regular meetings including drinking and complaining; court transcripts show that they committed many crimes.

In February 1880 the tension reached a fever pitch. The Donnellys were scheduled to appear in court over the burning of a neighbour’s barn on February 4. Knowing that they would get off scot-free, the Vigilance Society gathered the night before with vague plans to do something about that.

Around 1 am they knocked on the door of the Donnellys’ log home and entered the kitchen. In short order they attacked and killed Jim, Johannah, and one of their sons, Tom. Their niece Bridget who was visiting fled to the loft; she was followed and killed. The other sons were not at home, but unbeknownst to the mob a neighbour boy, Johnny O’Connor, was staying at the house. He hid under a bed and fled when the mob set the house and outbuildings on fire.

Next the mob headed down the road to the house of William Donnelly, one of Jim and Johannah’s sons. When they knocked on the door another son, John, opened it and was promptly shot to death, mistaken for William. Apparently the mob then questioned what they were doing and dispersed.

The Trials

The inquest lasted three days. The coroner had to chase people away from stealing bones from the ashes. In the end thirteen men were arrested.

The trial was held in London, Ontario for six days in October. Having seen the murders from his hiding place under the bed, thirteen-year-old Johnny O’Connor was the main witness. He knew all the accused men. In the months leading up to the trial, his family home was burned down. Despite the evidence, the result was a hung jury. The crown attorney was frustrated, and said it was a waste of time and money to try and get a guilty verdict.

A second trial was held in January, lasting one week and ending with a verdict of not guilty. James and Michael Feehely, who had visited the Donnellys earlier on the evening of the murder to spy out the place for the Vigilance Society, were paid $500 by Carroll to keep quiet. However, after the second trial they confessed and fled to Michigan. After they were extradited to face charges, their bail was paid by the Vigilance Society and nothing came of it.

The Aftermath

Justice was never served for the murder of five members of the Donnelly family. Crime continued in the neighbourhood. Johnny  O’Connor was hired by a sideshow and toured North America and Europe telling the story.

[Update 12-04-17: I was recently contacted by someone who has extensively researched the O’Connor family. He writes, “For the record, Johnny O’Connor (as well as his mother Mary who, along with Will Donnelly, was also offered to appear in a sideshow) NEVER joined one to the best of my research. Crown Attorney Charles Hutchinson did indeed advise Will Donnelly, who was thinking of going on a sideshow, not to do it because it would have been in poor taste to make money off such a tragedy. Will Donnelly as well as Johnny O’Connor decline the sideshow offer.” The confusion may have arisen due to the February 28, 1881 version of the London Advertiser (quoted by Ray Fazakas in his book In Search of the Donnellys), which Dr Pettit told me about. It reads: “The huge posters with which Barnum is flooding the country state ‘the services of the survivors of this great tragedy have been secured at great expense. They will both give a graphic account of that terrible murder and holocaust, and will exhibit some very interesting relics from the ruins of the Donnelly home. William Donnelly is a man of more than ordinary ability, and can interest his hearers with an account of this tragedy as no other man is capable of doing.'” It seems that the survivors changed their minds and did not tour. If you have any information about Johnny O’Connor’s life after the massacre, please contact me;
I would love to pass it on!]

In the 1950s Thomas P. Kelley published a fictionalized account of the massacre called The Black Donnellys. Without this book the story might have faded from public memory.

More recently historians have engaged in scholarly research to uncover the truth surrounding the Donnellys’ murder. For instance, Ray Fazakas has written several books about the Donnellys. Archival evidence is held at Western University in London, Ontario (my alma mater!).

Incidentally Stompin’ Tom wrote two songs about the Donnellys.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Black Donnellys, visit this site, where you can sift through archival evidence and read profiles of all the people involved.

I hope this tale of the massacre of the Donnelly family has given you a glimpse into the surprisingly coarse and violent life of 19th century settlers (though we can be thankful that crimes of that magnitude are rare in Canadian history).

Featured Image: Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, Ontario (Fun fact: we held our wedding reception there.)