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The Black Donnellys
"When that Donnelly glares at you, you hear the sound of shovels digging your grave."
-- Donnellys first victim How could one family -- mom, dad, and seven sons -- terrorize an entire Canadian community for 33 years? The Black Donnellys is the classic account of how James, Johannah and their sons used brute force to brawl, steal, burn, and murder their way into the dark side of Canadian history. A popular bestseller since 1954, this gripping book covers the family's horrific crimes in unflinching detail through to their decimation at the hands of a murderous vigilante mob.
-- Donnellys first victim How could one family -- mom, dad, and seven sons -- terrorize an entire Canadian community for 33 years? The Black Donnellys is the classic account of how James, Johannah and their sons used brute force to brawl, steal, burn, and murder their way into the dark side of Canadian history. A popular bestseller since 1954, this gripping book covers the family's horrific crimes in unflinching detail through to their decimation at the hands of a murderous vigilante mob.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
July 27, 2024
“An almost endless series of depredations with human depravity at its worst.”
“The feud began in the spring of 1847 and only a few hours after James Donnelly, an Irish immigrant first arrived in Lucan from his native Tipperary. It last nearly thirty-three years; was marked with murders, gang wars, highway robbery, mass arson, derailed trains, mutilations and barbarisms paralleling the Dark Ages.”
When it comes to a compelling portrayal of out-of-control, psychopathic criminality, Truman Capote’s IN COLD BLOOD or Ann Rule's THE STRANGER BESIDE ME pale and, frankly, look like Sunday outings in the park compared to Thomas P Kelley’s THE BLACK DONNELLYS. When Kelley outlines the shocking degree to which the Lucan community was held so completely in thrall that absolutely nobody had the courage to follow through with laying of criminal charges or acting in court as witnesses to the Donnelly multi-year reign of terror (even when law enforcement itself actually mustered the wherewithal to step in and attempt to assist), readers will have to pick up their jaws from the floor and shake their heads in frank disbelief.
The termination of this feud came about on February 4, 1880, when a vigilante mob (aided by more than a few glasses of Dutch courage) slaughtered the entire family in a bloody rampage which Toronto’s The Globe (the 19th century version of The Globe and Mail) characterized as “the blackest crime ever committed in the Dominion”. That’s as may be, from a strictly legal point of view, (said I with raised eyebrows as I read it) but I don’t think anyone, then or now, was shedding any tears or expressing any commiseration over the mistreatment of the Donnelly family. You'll never find a better example of the age old aphorism, "An eye for an eye".
If you’re a fan of the true crime genre and want to indulge in a shocking piece of Canadian history, then pick up this re-issue of Thomas P Kelley’s THE BLACK DONNELLYS. Definitely a page turner.
Paul Weiss
“The feud began in the spring of 1847 and only a few hours after James Donnelly, an Irish immigrant first arrived in Lucan from his native Tipperary. It last nearly thirty-three years; was marked with murders, gang wars, highway robbery, mass arson, derailed trains, mutilations and barbarisms paralleling the Dark Ages.”
When it comes to a compelling portrayal of out-of-control, psychopathic criminality, Truman Capote’s IN COLD BLOOD or Ann Rule's THE STRANGER BESIDE ME pale and, frankly, look like Sunday outings in the park compared to Thomas P Kelley’s THE BLACK DONNELLYS. When Kelley outlines the shocking degree to which the Lucan community was held so completely in thrall that absolutely nobody had the courage to follow through with laying of criminal charges or acting in court as witnesses to the Donnelly multi-year reign of terror (even when law enforcement itself actually mustered the wherewithal to step in and attempt to assist), readers will have to pick up their jaws from the floor and shake their heads in frank disbelief.
The termination of this feud came about on February 4, 1880, when a vigilante mob (aided by more than a few glasses of Dutch courage) slaughtered the entire family in a bloody rampage which Toronto’s The Globe (the 19th century version of The Globe and Mail) characterized as “the blackest crime ever committed in the Dominion”. That’s as may be, from a strictly legal point of view, (said I with raised eyebrows as I read it) but I don’t think anyone, then or now, was shedding any tears or expressing any commiseration over the mistreatment of the Donnelly family. You'll never find a better example of the age old aphorism, "An eye for an eye".
If you’re a fan of the true crime genre and want to indulge in a shocking piece of Canadian history, then pick up this re-issue of Thomas P Kelley’s THE BLACK DONNELLYS. Definitely a page turner.
Paul Weiss
January 8, 2011
Pure entertainment only, this story has no bearing to the true story. For the real truth, read The Donnelly Murders and both books by Orlo Miller. The Donnelly Volume by Ray Fazakas is also very very detailed.
April 10, 2009
I read this book in school and had to buy it for my collection. I can sum it up pretty easy. This is the most fucked up family I have ever heard of in my life. They are a prime example of neighbors you don't want to have. I was blown away with the shit they got away with and for the amount of time they got away with it and I was shocked that it took as long as it did for everyone to grow a set and put them out of their misery once and for all. If you like a book about murder,theft, thugs, vandalism, destruction, fighting and the "Typical Irish Immigrant" then this is one you won't be able to put down. It left me wanting to go home to Ontario from my current home in Michigan so that i can see the places and search for more info of the Notorious family from Lucan ON.
Read
August 3, 2011A creepy part of Canadian history. Classic family feud story, that ends in senseless death.
December 19, 2024
Such a wild story of early Canadian true crime!
Takes place in the same township where my mother grew up. My Great Great Grandmother Sarah Davis (Hodges) would have been a little girl at the time of these murders.
Takes place in the same township where my mother grew up. My Great Great Grandmother Sarah Davis (Hodges) would have been a little girl at the time of these murders.
February 4, 2021
This was the very first book written on the subject of the Donnelly family of Biddulph Township, although a historical paper by Alice McFarlane was written and read by her on Nov 18th 1946 at a meeting of the London & Middlesex Historical Society. This paper was presented as a direct response to Thomas P. Kelley's articles on the family which had been printed in Serial Magazines such as "True Crime" as early as July 1945. Every time Kelley's article was reprinted in another magazine, he embellished just a little more until he had enough 'plot' for a full book which was printed for the first time in April 1954. Kelley was biased against the family and painted them unfairly. His book was barely researched and capitalized on shock. I think it's a good read, but it's not true. Orlo Miller's 1962 book "The Donnelly's Must Die" was a direct response to Kelley's book, but it was well researched, and painted the family in a sympathetic light. Kelley responded to Orlo Miller's book by quickly writing a sequel to his '54 effort, titled "Vengeance Of The Black Donnellys," published in November 1962. Just in time for Christmas! It was Orlo Miller's book which inspired Hamilton lawyer Ray Fazakas to begin his own research in 1964 which produced "The Donnelly Album" in 1977, and "In Search of The Donnellys" in 2012. (Read the 2nd Edition!) I hate to say it, but if Kelley had never written his pulp fiction Donnelly book, the story of the family may have faded into history. So we have to at least give him that! I'm reading all the books in the order that they were published. This edition of Kelley's book includes many great drawings, which are based on the photographs of Ray Fazakas. Next up is Orlo's first novel on the family. Chat soon!
August 22, 2015
I read this book in my grade 10 class. I did not like this book at all. I found it very boring. I failed the unit because I barely paid any attention to it :) Although I did pass my English Class with a good mark. Also this unit was on our exam. I did not answer anything for this unit yet I got a higher mark on my exam than my friend. Its so funny cause he's still uppity about it. He he. My friend and I also did a "News Paper Project" on this book and we totally flunked it like majorly, because we turned ours into a comedy. It was hilarious.
August 19, 2011
While the Story itself was really intresting, I felt like I was reading a test book. I found it very choppy heading back and forth in time and the dates in almost every 3rd line(it felt) was distracting. I still gave it a 3 though keeping in mind that it was written in 1954. Writing styles were different then.
March 26, 2012
Excellent! A real eye opener about a fascinating historical event that happened just 100 miles due north of where I live, right across Lake Erie in neighboring Ontario, Canada. This book really got me into Donnelly lore and on a trip to Canada, I was eager to visit the area where this feud took place.
April 4, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I came across it by chance. It was a recommendation for my kobo. I found it to be a well written and well told story. I had never heard of the Black Donnelly's (sadly), but it proved to be an interesting historical story on a family that lived outside of the London, Ontario area. I would recommend this book.
November 30, 2021
A story about historical Canadians who felt forced to take law into their own hands. I had heard so much about how terrible the Donnelly family was, but no one ever went into great detail. Now I know! Wow...such a brutal part of our country's history. I'm sure I cannot call this book 100% non fiction, but I can see why the legends continue to be told.
November 2, 2010
WOW, a riveting historical, based on a immigrant Irish family and a 30 year feud with their community. I would because of content not recommend for preteen readers, {extreme violence} A relevant history of 19th century Canada. At 179 pages a good short read.
January 15, 2014
this book was a true story that took place in lucan london ontario. it starts off boring but when you start reading it you cant stop because you want to know whats going to keep happening
January 7, 2009
This is a great book based on some Canadian History, if you like History then this is a book for you!!!
Want to read
April 3, 2012According to one review, "Canada's only exciting family". Clearly, they've never been to a Quinn family reunion...
June 8, 2012
This makes the Hatfield and McCoy's look like child's play.
January 9, 2016
It was interesting facts about how one family could have such a hold on a community.
May 6, 2017
The Black Donnellys
I first read Thomas P. Kelly’s The Black Donnellys when I was young. Very young. I was still living in Cornwall Ontario at the time, still going to East Front Public School, and I can remember that I first found Kelly’s book Run Indian Run, about Simon Gunanoot’s pursuit by the law in British Colombia in the school’s tiny library. The story spoke to my own aboriginal blood and I fell madly in love with it. You could order Kelly’s books through Scholastic then and, while I certainly didn’t have the money to buy a book, I could trade other kids for them, which led me to The Mad Trapper and The Black Donnellys. The Black Donnellys in particular haunted me. Perhaps because the story was so much closer to my own home, and even closer to my later home in Toronto. I was talking to a friend recently about the Donnelly story and it turned out that her husband still had the book in his collection. I wasn’t sure how it would read to me today. As I said, I first read the book as a young boy. And I had found out that Kelly did not stick all too closely to the actual facts in his storytelling. But it remains true that I first found the story through his book, as I suspect did many Canadians. So I thought I’d give it a try again. I was quite surprised at how well it still read to me as an adult. It is a pretty small and simple book and Kelly has a flair for the melodramatic. But he also still stands up as a pretty decent storyteller. What surprised me most was the humour of his storytelling. Sur[prising perhaps because of what I still remember as a pretty horrific story. For those of you who don’t know the Donnelly story, it is the tale of a criminally violent family, the Donnellys, being slaughtered late one February night in the town of Lucan in the 1880s, near what is now the city of London Ontario, by a group of vigilantes. What added to the fascination of the story is that all of the men who did the killings got off scot free, 6 of the leaders being found not guilty by a jury. The Donnellys were a violent lawless bunch without question, but to the best of anyone’s knowledge they were only responsible for a single death. The father Jim went to jail for beating another man to death with a railroad spike. They did terrorize the town, particularly once Jim got out of prison and his seven sons grew into strong very violent young men, but the thought that five of them, including a young niece who had only just come to the country should be so brutally slaughtered, and that the men who did it got away with it in a place like Canada, where we generally pride ourselves on being a peaceful and civilized nation, still galvanizes the emotions. Kelly’s book is not the only book ever written about the Donnellys. It is certainly not the best. But, to the best of my knowledge it was the first to draw attention to the dark and bloody stain on Canada’s local history. It’s an easy read. Perhaps an overly simplistic read. But it was almost as fun to read as an adult as I found it to be as a child. The Black Donnellys isn’t literature. It’s not even very good history. But Kelly knows how to tell a story. And how to leave you haunted by one too. If you are Canadian, I’d recommend that you do read something about the Black Donnellys. I’d recommend that you start with Kelly’s book. Even if you’re not Canadian I think you might find the story more than worth reading. It may haunt you a bit. Which seems apropos. Since the people of that area still claim that they can hear the Donnelly’s riding through the darkness late at night. That too may not be true. But it makes for a pretty damn good story.
I first read Thomas P. Kelly’s The Black Donnellys when I was young. Very young. I was still living in Cornwall Ontario at the time, still going to East Front Public School, and I can remember that I first found Kelly’s book Run Indian Run, about Simon Gunanoot’s pursuit by the law in British Colombia in the school’s tiny library. The story spoke to my own aboriginal blood and I fell madly in love with it. You could order Kelly’s books through Scholastic then and, while I certainly didn’t have the money to buy a book, I could trade other kids for them, which led me to The Mad Trapper and The Black Donnellys. The Black Donnellys in particular haunted me. Perhaps because the story was so much closer to my own home, and even closer to my later home in Toronto. I was talking to a friend recently about the Donnelly story and it turned out that her husband still had the book in his collection. I wasn’t sure how it would read to me today. As I said, I first read the book as a young boy. And I had found out that Kelly did not stick all too closely to the actual facts in his storytelling. But it remains true that I first found the story through his book, as I suspect did many Canadians. So I thought I’d give it a try again. I was quite surprised at how well it still read to me as an adult. It is a pretty small and simple book and Kelly has a flair for the melodramatic. But he also still stands up as a pretty decent storyteller. What surprised me most was the humour of his storytelling. Sur[prising perhaps because of what I still remember as a pretty horrific story. For those of you who don’t know the Donnelly story, it is the tale of a criminally violent family, the Donnellys, being slaughtered late one February night in the town of Lucan in the 1880s, near what is now the city of London Ontario, by a group of vigilantes. What added to the fascination of the story is that all of the men who did the killings got off scot free, 6 of the leaders being found not guilty by a jury. The Donnellys were a violent lawless bunch without question, but to the best of anyone’s knowledge they were only responsible for a single death. The father Jim went to jail for beating another man to death with a railroad spike. They did terrorize the town, particularly once Jim got out of prison and his seven sons grew into strong very violent young men, but the thought that five of them, including a young niece who had only just come to the country should be so brutally slaughtered, and that the men who did it got away with it in a place like Canada, where we generally pride ourselves on being a peaceful and civilized nation, still galvanizes the emotions. Kelly’s book is not the only book ever written about the Donnellys. It is certainly not the best. But, to the best of my knowledge it was the first to draw attention to the dark and bloody stain on Canada’s local history. It’s an easy read. Perhaps an overly simplistic read. But it was almost as fun to read as an adult as I found it to be as a child. The Black Donnellys isn’t literature. It’s not even very good history. But Kelly knows how to tell a story. And how to leave you haunted by one too. If you are Canadian, I’d recommend that you do read something about the Black Donnellys. I’d recommend that you start with Kelly’s book. Even if you’re not Canadian I think you might find the story more than worth reading. It may haunt you a bit. Which seems apropos. Since the people of that area still claim that they can hear the Donnelly’s riding through the darkness late at night. That too may not be true. But it makes for a pretty damn good story.
November 16, 2018
The Hatfield and McCoy’s have nothing on the Donnelly family of Southern Ontario. Their reign of terror from 1850-1880 in the little town of Lucan, Ontario (just north of London) was vividly portrayed in this little book. I picked it up at a used bookstore out of curiosity, I’ve heard the name but didn’t know the story. Now that I know it I struggle with how this family got away with some much during that time. To put it very mildly they were a brash, arrogant and violent family - seemly lead by their mother, and it all started within days of setting foot on Canadian soil.
Arriving from Ireland in 1850 this family of consisted of parents, 7 sons and a daughter. They did as they pleased, took what they wanted and appeared to take pleasure in the suffering of others. This little book didn’t hold back but told the story from an outside point of view. I would really have loved to hear what the Donnelly’s had to say, what motivated them to me so nasty - and that’s putting it very mildly. Because really there are always two sides to every story.
This book read very much like a textbook, matter of fact in tone. Jumping back and forth in time was a little distracting at times.
There is another book on my shelf, Vengeance of the Black Donnelly’s, a fictional account of those that got away with murder. Sounds like it could be interesting reading.
I read this as part of my own Reading My Shelf Challenge
Arriving from Ireland in 1850 this family of consisted of parents, 7 sons and a daughter. They did as they pleased, took what they wanted and appeared to take pleasure in the suffering of others. This little book didn’t hold back but told the story from an outside point of view. I would really have loved to hear what the Donnelly’s had to say, what motivated them to me so nasty - and that’s putting it very mildly. Because really there are always two sides to every story.
This book read very much like a textbook, matter of fact in tone. Jumping back and forth in time was a little distracting at times.
There is another book on my shelf, Vengeance of the Black Donnelly’s, a fictional account of those that got away with murder. Sounds like it could be interesting reading.
I read this as part of my own Reading My Shelf Challenge
January 1, 2022
My copy of this book belonged to my grandpa and is 158 pages; I've never read anything like this before but I had it on my shelf and my mom said how my grandpa was super into the story of The Black Donnellys, so I [very carefully] cracked open its crumbling and yellowed pages and gave it a shot! There were two photos inside that my grandpa must have taken on a trip to Ontario; he apparently went to Lucan and got photos of their gravestone. Once I hit the pages of instructions on how to find their plot and their old land, I could totally picture my grandpa following along with those words and going on his own little tour!
As for the family and the story, I think the way they died was pretty brutal. Now don't get me wrong they were clearly terrible people who did disgusting things, but two handcuffed men against a mob of 30 is not a fair fight. And poor Bridget! What the hell did she ever do?! Due to the brutality of the vigilante justice, I understand now why the town avoided speaking about it for so long.
Overall this book was a good peek at some crazy Canadian history and I enjoyed the read (aside from all the horse mutilation...)
As for the family and the story, I think the way they died was pretty brutal. Now don't get me wrong they were clearly terrible people who did disgusting things, but two handcuffed men against a mob of 30 is not a fair fight. And poor Bridget! What the hell did she ever do?! Due to the brutality of the vigilante justice, I understand now why the town avoided speaking about it for so long.
Overall this book was a good peek at some crazy Canadian history and I enjoyed the read (aside from all the horse mutilation...)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2022
Described as the catalyst to the Donnelly fascination, The Black Donnellys by Thomas P. Kelley is the true and factual account of the brutal murder of James Donnelly and four members of his family near the village of Lucan, Ontario in 1880.
In 2021, The Federal Court of Canada concluded that The Black Donnellys, by Thomas P. Kelley, is the true and factual story of the Donnelly family. In January, 2022, the Library and Archives Canada reviewed the classification of the Book, and concluded the 364.1523, nonfiction, true crime category is the books proper designation.
True crime writer Thomas P. Kelley, consulted newspapers, police and court records, as well as other unimpeachable sources over a period of ten years to complete his book. A two year acquaintance with an elderly Biddulph habitant, alive at the time and whose father had been one of the members of the mob, told the story of the massacre as his father, in later years, told it to him. There is dialogue in this book and detailed descriptions of events to which the writer was not a witness. However, where they occur, they are based upon statements passed along to the writer by those who were,
In 2021, The Federal Court of Canada concluded that The Black Donnellys, by Thomas P. Kelley, is the true and factual story of the Donnelly family. In January, 2022, the Library and Archives Canada reviewed the classification of the Book, and concluded the 364.1523, nonfiction, true crime category is the books proper designation.
True crime writer Thomas P. Kelley, consulted newspapers, police and court records, as well as other unimpeachable sources over a period of ten years to complete his book. A two year acquaintance with an elderly Biddulph habitant, alive at the time and whose father had been one of the members of the mob, told the story of the massacre as his father, in later years, told it to him. There is dialogue in this book and detailed descriptions of events to which the writer was not a witness. However, where they occur, they are based upon statements passed along to the writer by those who were,
November 4, 2024
I picked this up out of curiosity from a local library and it was damn hard to put down. I'm shocked that as a Southern Ontarian I'd never heard of the Black Donnellys. I suppose it's because their story was over by the time my great-grandparents first arrived in Canada. Nonetheless, I'm SHOCKED that their story hasn't been given the Hollywood treatment yet. The whole bloody saga screams Martin Scorsese. After watching some documentaries it seems that Kelley got a few names wrong (Patrick Farrell and Patrick Flannigan being two), but overall the facts are well-researched. However, there does seem to be a lot of disagreement about the extent of the Donnelly brothers' crimes and how much barn-burning and animal cruelty they were actually responsible for. As enthralling as Kelley's version of events is, I can't help but doubt if the Donnelly family were quite as monstrous as he'd have us believe.
August 10, 2019
This was a fascinating, though miserable and upsetting read. I read it only because it is my mother's favourite book, and I'm participating in the N.E.W.T.S. read-a-thon, for which this fulfills a prompt. There were a couple of strange writing decisions that interrupted the flow of the story, and a couple of misleading (potential mistakes) sentences that lead me to believe certain things. And then blatantly saying it was January of 1880, instead of February, when the massacre was to occur.
I'm now interested in looking into the Donnelly family more, and can't believe that I'd never heard much about them before, aside from the few passing mentions from my mother, considering they are apparently the most infamous and wild family in Canadian history.
I'm now interested in looking into the Donnelly family more, and can't believe that I'd never heard much about them before, aside from the few passing mentions from my mother, considering they are apparently the most infamous and wild family in Canadian history.
October 30, 2022
I had originally read this book many many years ago. Was visiting with some friends and the Donnellys came up in conversation and I remembered this book and decided to go back and reread it.
This family was crazy mean. They committed some horrendous crimes. I currently live about a three hour drive from where all this took place. Hard to believe the feud lasted 30 years. Why the townsfolk didn't kill them off a lot earlier is beyond me.
A good lesson in Canadian History and an interesting read.
This family was crazy mean. They committed some horrendous crimes. I currently live about a three hour drive from where all this took place. Hard to believe the feud lasted 30 years. Why the townsfolk didn't kill them off a lot earlier is beyond me.
A good lesson in Canadian History and an interesting read.
March 12, 2019
This book is fascinating. Not just for its subject matter but how Kelley’s folksy, gee-shucks style of writing does nothing to add to the story. In fact, it distracts the whole thing. I imagine if the announcer of Dukes of Hazard wrote a book, it would look just like this mess. It’s all over the place. It seems that the narrator wanted to entertain more than inform and it seems as though he failed at both.
April 30, 2024
Wow this was such a fucked up story that I didn't even realise that it's a fictionalized account of a very real bloody family feud in rural Canada. I was so shocked by the sheer violence and spite of everything that I couldn't possibly consider the possibility that the Donnellys and their massacre were a thing that actually happened. It really is fascinating stuff, and the small time setting, the villanous villains and the sometimes humorous narration really sold it to me.
September 4, 2017
I really enjoyed this writer's sense of humor, in spite of the horrific subject matter. I wish I had read this before I went to Lucan, so I could have looked up a few of the locations mentioned. Will have to go back. A fascinating family, a difficult subject matter, and a really bizarre piece of history.
July 17, 2020
I have had this book forever and finally read it. It was very good but it made me thankful that I live now and not back when these terrible crimes took place. I live close to Lucan so I definitely will take a drive there to take a look at the area. But, I am definitely going to read an other authors writing about this story to get another perspective.
October 11, 2019
A good read, although based on a subsequent, more scholarly book on the same topic, it's a little sensationalist and one-sided. Skip the fictitious sequel - it's not very good. Stompin' Tom Connors obviously used this book as the basis for his song "Black Donnellys Massacre."
January 21, 2021
My grade 7 history teacher read this book to us in chapter long instalments when we were studying Ontario history. I re-read it years later and found the true story even more disturbing than I’d remembered.
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