McDonnell Pics
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Pictures of children and descendants of
Michael and Mary (Needham) McDonnell


Michael McDonnell was born about 1781 in County Galway, Ireland. He married Mary Needham, born about 1797 in Ireland. They had eight known children, all born in County Galway. The McDonnells emigrated to the United States around 1850, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Mary later died in 1867, and Michael in 1880. The following are pictures of some of their children and their descendants.

Go to: children of Patrick McDonnell, John N. McDonnell, Mary (McDonnell) Scanlon, Kate (McDonnell) Mullen, Michael J. McDonnell.

 
Patrick McDonnell
(b. ca 1820 in Co. Galway, Ireland; d. 1880 in Cincinnati, OH)

There are no known pictures of Patrick. He married Mary Joyce in County Galway, Ireland. Their first known child, Annie, was born there. Patrick and his family emigrated to the US between 1850 and 1855. They appear to have initially settled in Maysville, KY, joining the rest of the family in Cincinnati in the early 1860's. In Cincinnati, Patrick appears to have worked in his brother John's restaurant.

See below for pictures of a few of Patrick's children.

Bridget (McDonnell) Gilmore

Carte de visite

Little is known about Bridget other than that she married a Gilmore and lived and died in Paris, Bourbon, KY. She had a large family. One child named Bessie married a Gallagher and lived in Kentucky.

Julia (McDonnell) Rowan
(abt 1830 - 1892)

Carte de visite

Julia married Thomas Rowan, of County Mayo, Ireland, in Cincinnati on 8 March 1855. Little is known about their lives, they do not appear to have had children. Thomas worked as a laborer, and died in Cincinnati in March 1875.

Rowan cemetery plot.

Mary A. (McDonnell) Scanlon
(b. ca 1825 in Co. Galway, Ireland
d. 1886 in Juneau County, Wisconsin)

Mary married Michael J. Scanlon in Cincinnati in 1853. Shortly thereafter they moved to Juneau County, Wisconsin where they lived for the rest of their lives, running a farm. They had 14 children. See below for pictures of a few of Mary's children.

See also:
Mary's obituary.

John Needham McDonnell
(abt 1839- 1874)
Picture taken ca

Carte de visite

John owned a dining saloon in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was also involved in lumber and ice companies. He married Mary A. Owens, daughter of a successful farmer in Delhi Township. They had 5 children, 3 of which survived to adulthood. Both John and his wife died in 1874.
See below for a picture of John's daughter Agnes.
John's obituary.
John's family plot in Cincinnati.

Hannah (McDonnell) Connelly
(abt 1838 - 1916)
Hannah married Gregory Connelly in Cincinnati in 1854. Gregory died about 1868, practically nothing is known about him. Hannah and her children moved to Ludlow, Kentucky about 1876. Gregory and Hannah had nine children.


ca 1870's


Mid-1890's

Photographer: Hodgson, 613 & 615 Madison Ave, Covington, Kentucky

Leg of mutton sleeves were at their most exaggerated in the mid-1890s.

Catherine "Kate" (McDonnell) Mullen
(1842 - 1922)
Picture taken ca


Kate married Michael J. Mullen, also of County Galway, Ireland. Michael was one of John N. McDonnell's partners in his restaurant business in Cincinnati. After Michael's death in 1875 Kate and her children moved to Omaha, Nebraska.

Go here for pictures of a few of Kate's children.

See also:
Kate's obituary.
The Mullen family plot in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Michael J. McDonnell
(1844 - 1918)
Picture taken ca

Michael married Nancy J. Thomas of Pennsylvania in 1876. They lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for two years after their marriage, then went west to Montana and Washington State. They had two daughters, Pearl and Bess (see below for pictures).



Children of Patrick and Mary (Joyce) McDonnell

Patrick and Mary had 6 known children (names in bold have pictures):
Annie (b. abt 1850 in Ireland, d. 1877 in KY) Was a milliner and had a shop in Newport, Kentucky. Did not marry. Died of tuberculosis.
Mary (b. abt 1855 in KY, d. aft 1880) Became a nun.
Julia A. (b. 1857 in KY, d. 1931 in NY) m. Frank Davis, moved to New York City. 4 children.
Thomas H. (1859-1896) Moved to NYC, died of tuberculosis in Los Angeles, CA. Did not marry.
John Joyce (1866-1911) Moved to NYC, married Mary A. Snow. 7 children.
Harry (abt 1871-1889) Moved to NYC.

Julia A. (McDonnell) Davis
(b. ca 1857 - KY; d. 8 Dec 1931 - Bronx, Bronx, NY)

Julia McDonnell married Frank Davis, also of Cincinnati. They moved to New York City about 1886, and it appears that Julia's brothers Thomas H., John J. and Harry also moved there around the same time. Frank Davis worked as a tailor in Cincinnati, but became a private detective in NY. Frank and Julia had 4 children, 3 of which reached adulthood. Julia and her brothers are all buried in the same plot in St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.


Julia (McDonnell) Davis (b. abt 1857) and Children
ca 1891

I'm guessing the children in this picture are Francis H. (b. Feb. 1891) and Leonard V. (b. May 1887). Julia's hairdo is early 1890's.



Leonard Vallat "Leo" Davis (?)
ca 1893

This child looks a lot like the older child in the picture on the left, so my guess is that this is Leo. It was probably taken two or three years later. He appears to be wearing a Little Lord Fauntleroy style suit.



Frank Davis?, Davis Child?, Thomas McDonnell
ca 1894
The child in this picture is very similar to Leo Davis above. If is is him, this picture was probably taken about a year or two after the one on the right. The man on the right is Thomas McDonnell, brother of Julia. The man on the left bears a striking similarity to the child, so he may be Frank Davis. He could also be Julia's younger brother John, who was also living in NYC.
Thomas McDonnell
(b. 3 May 1859 - KY; d. 15 Sep 1896 - CA)
ca 1890
1

Lived in New York City, yachtsman, commodore of the Harlem Yacht Club. Also worked for the Metropolitain Telephone Co. Due to poor health (he suffered from tuberculosis) he moved to California around 1894, dying there in September 1896.


1 Based on age - looks abt 30 years old



Children of John N. and Mary Agnes (Owens) McDonnell

Patrick and Mary had 6 known children, all were born in Cincinnati (names in bold have pictures):
Agnes (b abt 1862, d aft 1945) Married J. Henry Kushman.
John O. (b abt 1867, d 1947 in FL) Married Adeline Huser, worked in the lumber business, lived in Louisiana and Florida.
Charles (b abt 1869) Lived in Columbus, Ohio.
Mary Agnes (1870-1873)
Gertrude (1872-1873)

Agnes (McDonnell) Kushman
(abt 1862 - aft 1945)
1880's
1


Agnes married John Henry Kushman, a commission merchant in Cincinnati, on 17 Aug 1887. J. Henry died in January 1895, they had no children. Agnes is said to have lived in Omaha and New York City following her husband's death, but no trace of her has been found after 1899.



Children of Michael J. and Mary A. (McDonnell) Scanlon

Mary married Michael J. Scanlon in Cincinnati in 1853. Shortly thereafter they moved to Juneau County, Wisconsin where they lived for the rest of their lives, running a farm. They had 14 children (names in bold have pictures):
Thomas F. (1855 - 1907), married Annie E. Havey, no children.
John (1857 - 1897), married Julia Ann Smyth, no children.
Mary Jane (1858 - 1861)
Michael Joseph (1861 - 1930) married Sarah W. Plummer, 1 daughter.
Catherine (1862 - 1862)
Edward (1863 - 1864)
James Patrick (1865 - 1892) Farmer, did not marry.
Catherine Elizabeth (1867 - 1896), married James H. Smyth, 2 children.
Julia Gertrude (1869 - 1945) married Andrew M. McIntyre, 3 children.
Agnes Mary (1869 - 1948) married William J. Troy, 1 daughter.
Margaret Estelle (1871 - 1947) married William B. Galvin, 4 daughters.
Maria Veronica (1873 - 1948) married Jeremiah S. Foley, 4 children.
William Edward (1873 - 1915) married Mary A. Foley, 3 daughters.
Teresa (1875 - 1879)

Thomas F. Scanlon (1856 - 1907)
abt


Thomas lived in Juneau County, Wisconsin all his life. He married Annie E. Havey in 1897, they had no children.

Thomas worked as a school teacher, ran a dry goods store with his brother John, and was Secretary and Treasurer of the Telephone and Electric Service Co. in Mauston, WI.

See his obituary.

Michael Joseph Scanlon (1861 - 1930)
abt


M. J. was a very successful businessman in the lumber industry. He lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He married Sarah W. Plummer, adopting her two children from a previous marriage. They also had a daughter of their own.

See his biography

Marie V. (Scanlon) Foley (1873 - 1948) and
Marie C. Smyth (1893 - 1974)
ca 1920s

Marie married Jeremiah Foley (brother of William's wife Mary). Like several of the Scanlons, Jeremiah was in the lumber business, working for the Brooks-Scanlon Co. They lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota and then went south to Louisiana and Florida. They had 4 children.

See the obituary for their son Milton J. Foley.

1 Daughter of Marie V. (Scanlon) Foley's sister Catherine Scanlon and Leo Smyth. Catherine died 1896.

William Edward Scanlon (1873 - 1915)

William married Mary Foley (sister of Maria V.'s husband Jeremiah) in 1899, they had 3 daughters. Will was a lumberman in Anoka, Minnesota, working with Brooks-Scanlon. They moved to Kentwood, Louisiana around 1907, Will died there in 1915. Mary and her daughters later moved to Jacksonville, Florida.




William E. Scanlon
ca 1893?




Mary Ann Foley (1873 - 1957) and William E. Scanlon
ca 1900?



Children of Michael J. and Nancy J. (Thomas) McDonnell

Michael and Nancy had two children, both born in Cincinnati:

Mary Emma "Pearl" McDonnell (1880 - 1971)
abt

Photographer: Musket Seattle 14 [1914?]

Pearl did not marry. She worked as a librarian, spending nine years at the University of North Dakota, one year at the University of Montana and 30 years at the University of Washington.

Elizabeth T. "Bess" (McDonnell) McDonald (1881 - 1968)
abt 1905

Lived in Washington State.

Bess' obituary.

1 Based on age and fashion: S-shaped figure, large overhanging bust.



Mystery Photos

The following pictures are unidentified. Any tips as to who they are are extremely welcome!

Mary McDonnell
Early 1890's

This photo has been labeled as Mary (McDonnell) Scanlon, but I am doubtful. Mary Scanlon died in 1886 - the dress fashion (leg of mutton sleves) and the hair style are from after 1890. Also, she caption on the picture says "Sister Mary" McD - it should say Mary Scanlon, as she was definitely married at the time if it is her. The "Sister" could mean that she is Mary McDonnell (b. 1855), daughter of Patrick, who became a nun. If so, it was taken before she entered the noviate, as she is not wearing a habit.

Taken 1880-1883

Photographer: J.D. Skewes, 102 W. 5th Street [Cincinnati, Ohio]

According to Cincinnati city direcories, T. John D. Skewes operates a photograph gallery at 102 W. 5th St. under the name J. D. Skewes from about 1880 to 1883. From 1884 he is located at 222 W 5th. Guessing that the photograph was taken 1882, and the boy in the picture is about 16 years old, he would have been born around 1866. If this is a McDonnell relation, the best fit age-wise among those living in Cincinnati at the time are John Joyce McDonnell (b. 1866, son of Patrick) and John Owens McDonnell (b. 1867, son of John N.).

Taken 1880's


Written on back by FA McDonald: Is this Mary McDonnell? Or daughter of Agnes Scanlon Troy, Agnes Scanlon Foley, or Margaret Scanlon Galvin, or Julia Scanlon McIntyre?

I estimate this was taken in the early to mid-1880's based on hair style and the tight shoulders.
Michael Mullen?
Taken between 1871 and 1883

Photographer: Henry Strasburg, Omaha, Nebraska.
This is thought to be Michael J. Mullen, husband of Kate McDonnell, perhaps based on the fact that it was taken in Omaha. I have been sceptical that this is him, although he does bear a resmblance to Kate's children. Michael Mullen died in Cincinnati in January 1875. If it is him, it would probably have been taken about 1868, as this is the only known time the Mullens were in Omaha prior to Michael's death. (Although there is always the possibility that Michael made other shorter trips to Omaha.) The photographer, Henry Strasburg, was born about 1845 in Prussia. He is listed in the 1869 Council Bluffs, IA directory, working for another photographer. In the 1870 census he is living in Council Bluffs, working as a photographer. He marries in Omaha in 1873. He is listed in the 1872 to 1883 Omaha directories, having a studio on a couple different locations on 13th St. He appears to have died or moved abt 1883, for he is not listed thereafter. Henry Strasburg does not seem to have had a studio in Omaha during the time the Mullens lived there, although again Michael could have made other trips to Omaha.
Taken ca 1880's

Photographer: Elliott; Marion, Linn, Iowa

The identity of this man is unknown. None of the McDonnell family members are known to have spent time in Iowa. I seem to think that he has the droopy eyes that some of the McDonnells have though. Photographer Herbert I. Elliott (b. abt 1851 in PA, single) is living in Marion IA in the 1880 census. He marries in 1882, and is also listed in the 1895 census. I have not been able to locate Marion city directories online to see which years he was active.

His tie has a large knot, which as popular in the 1880's.