They Started Up a Stage Coach Line
Though the Donnelly family is best known for its criminal behaviour, they also made a name for themselves as efficient businessmen. Using the text and reliable internet sources, post a comment that provides evidence of their success.
Also include in your comment your opinion on a couple of the following:
-What positive qualities does the Donnellys' success suggest?
-What do you think it was about their family that made them so strong?
-Are their any other stories of the Donnellys being more than what the rumours/legends tell us?
-What other famous families do you know about that have managed to "get away with murder", etc and how did they swing it?
Use specific references. Your post should be between 5-8 sentences. To achieve a Level 4, you need to also comment on one of your classmates' posts.
ReplyDeleteI think that if someone were to read about the Donnelly’s, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to find their success. The Donnelly’s worked hard enough to be able to keep living. Yes, they did rob and steal a lot from the Lucan villagers, but parts of the story says that the sons went out to find work each on their own. They were hard working men to keep their fields up and running and keeping food on the table. The stagecoach was their best business success since they actually owned it and built from it. All other jobs were simply to make money, not the be honored.
The black Donnelly family reminds me of the couple Bonnie and Clyde from the years of the great depression from 1910s-1930s. this romantic couple on the run were similar to the Donnelly family since they robbed to get what they needed. At the beginning it was only Jim and Johannah Donnelly whom started off their reputations as criminals since they squatted on others land. Their family grew, making more criminals; bonnie and Clyde never had a chance to grow their family since they were both killed before they ever had time to do so.
Family came first in both these cases and none were left behind. For bonnie and Clyde, it was simpler since they only had each other to keep safe, no offspring to carry along when they were on the run from police. At the time of their deaths they had each other, just like when the Donnelly family was murdered, most of the family was killed at the same time except they ones who weren’t there at the moment (the three other sons).
External link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde
Well that’s a good comparison with actual people but they remind me of the Branch Davidians which as a big family cult in the late 80’s and early 90’s, if I remember correctly?
DeleteThe Donnelly family may have been killers/ murderers and robbers doing all by force against the people of Lucan, going in to the town and terrorizing families bringing the fear of their barns burning down and their animals being killed. The Donnelly's boys may have been physically strong men, being able to kill a man with their bare hands no gun nothing. The family was also stong with their bond with one another, never showing much empathy for others except for them self's, making their bonds stronger. Along with the family burning barns, ruining equipment and killing their crops/animals with one another, it was like bonding with each other
ReplyDeletemurder is ok and everyone loves arson
DeleteTrue, you were right that the Donnelly’s were killers or murderers. Also, they did it because they have reasons behind it, and not just they did it for fun, right? Their bond with one another was strong too, especially when one got into fight, all of them will fight too. They can kill other man with just their bare hands, and they didn’t use guns because for them, guns are just for weak. Wasn’t it?
Deleteyes that is true but they were oblivious that they were causing problems for themselves like how they cause so much chaos due to them burning build ,fights and such.
Deleteyea nothing better then killing, robbing, and terrorising families to bound with your family
DeleteYes, it’s true the Donnelly's did not kill people for fun. They had reasons, it wasn’t said in the text an innocent man was killed by the Donnelly's, they killed anyone who came against them or tried to testify, they did not just go around killing people just because they wanted to.
DeleteThe positive qualities that the Donnellys' success suggest that no matter how bad other people think about them, they can still be successful on their own. They were the most successful stagecoach on the Roman Line at their time. They had a lot of horses, a barn, and they provided jobs for each other. Another famous family that provided jobs for each other, The Political Kennedy Family of the USA. The first Kennedy elected to public office was Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy in 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from Ireland. Since 1947, there has been a Kennedy family member serving in federal elective office every year until the present day. Ted Kennedy pleaded guilty of leaving an accident causing personal injury, an accident in which a passenger in his car was killed. Kennedy received a two-month suspended jail sentence and managed to “get away with murder.” Kennedy was protected by his famous political family and they were protective and supportive of him.
ReplyDeleteThe Donnelly Family showed that they are responsible, brave to fight for their family, and very supportive in every fight they had. I think it was about the love for their family that made them so strong. They protect each other, and their family bond was strong that if anyone will go against one of them, they will all fight together. There is no actual evidence that every crime that occurred at their time was committed by them, but people were biased against them and they automatically blamed them.
That's pretty interesting. searching deep in their family history, past the criminal stuff, you find lots of their successful and well like business.
DeleteThe Black Donnelly’s
ReplyDeleteThe Donnelly’s were successful and efficient business people. This is shown by Johannah the mother of the family who when her husband went to prison became the main person to earn money for the family. She made food for local people for their receptions and weddings, she also mortgaged the property to make enough money to support their children. Johannah would ask her husband while he was in jail to approve of any money making opportunities that were offered to her. This information can be found on the website : Torontoghosts.org, which offers background history on people and properties.
The mother was the law in the family and what she said went, she was very ambitious and would work as hard as a man. She carried out the farm work with her sons while her husband was in prison. In that time they actually improved their financial status, which is indicated in the novel The Black Donnelly’s on page 34.
Their success can go towards the drive of the mother and how she never gave up, she made her sons work and did not take no for an answer. No one argued with her.
They were a close family and stuck by each other, no matter what they did not give up which can make people successful. Also fear can make people successful, people stayed away from them because of what they might do.
I find this very interesting. This is a completely different aspect of looking at the Donnelly family, and it is correct. They support each other 100% in everything they do. You pointed out one of their only positive qualities and it can be easily back up by the book we read in class. Nowhere in the book was there a Donnelly vs Donnelly fight that was serious. They grew into big and bad men only because that’s what they were influenced from; their father. Without the criminal aspect of them they would have been an honorable family, probably cherished in their small town for their hard work.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlex Benoit- i agree that yes they are very... bad people but at least they have some sort of love for each other. If they were completely psychotic they wouldn't have any emotion for each other. On top of that they also allowed their daughter to go marry. If they were as controlling and evil as people said wouldn't the daughters husband be more concerned about marrying a Donnelly. They are also very amazing business people for sure they turned nothing into a huge business. At least they don't purposely kill people (all the time) and when they do fight its with honour, only with close combat. they could've used guns and been cowardly but as they have said so many times they aren't cowards.
ReplyDeleteI believe that if someone was still alive that knew them, they'd probably have some good to say about their business. they'd probably bring up their good "customer service" and the positive ways the'd run their business. depending on who rode in their stagecoach, they'd most likely have no idea who the kind people who are taxiing them really are. The whole family had each others backs hardcore, so what other way is there to have the perfect team to run a business. from what I've found online, they seemed to have good reviews from their small business. they were pretty smart. stealing from their neighbours, and giving their clients steal-deals.
ReplyDelete"The Donnelly Stagecoach Line is believed to have been started May 24, 1873 by William Donnelly and was a huge success. The line of stages, which ran between London, Lucan and Exeter, was operated by William and his brothers Michael, John, and Thomas, even rivaling the official mail stage that had been in business since 1838.http://www.liquisearch.com/black_donnellys/history/the_donnelly_stagecoach_line."http://www.liquisearch.com/black_donnellys/history/ the_donnelly_stagecoach_line' .This quotation tells us that the stage coach line ran by the Donnelly's rivaled the official mail stage, which shows how hard working there are for a private stage coach company.
ReplyDelete' Reading the black Donnelly, we found out that there were united, protective, organized and competitive. These qualities made them successful in their business and family lives. I can compare the Donnelly's to the president of my country (Cameroon) who also has killed so many people and still got away with it because people are intimidated by their use of violence. In my opinion if the Donnelly's had not been violent, they would have been the most successful business in Canada.
Due to the donnellys behavior and such they had caused a lot of problems for the town of lucan.the first squatted then they started burning barns afters theirs was burned,next later on they obviously started threatening people and businesses though when you think that is what a mafia would do,acutaly very much so but with most families like the they end up six feet under.
ReplyDelete