New books on 1880 Donnelly massacre focus on facts

Lucan, Ont. -

Bracebridge, Ont.-based author John Little has spent seven years learning about the lives of the Donnelly family during the 40 years before the infamous murders.

The 1880 massacre that killed five Donnellys remains etched in the history of Lucan -- and Canadiana -- 140 years later.

Little says his fascination with the story began as a child in the Greater Toronto Area when his sister read him passages from the novel The Black Donnellys by Thomas Kelley.

He was shocked by the crimes and the way of life at the time.

“I was stunned that these people were raised in such an environment.”

The story stuck with him, but until seven years ago, he had never visited Lucan.

Author John Little in a Zoom interview with CTV News London on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021.

It was then, with time to fill during his son’s hockey tournament in St. Marys, he visited Donnelly-related sights. They included St. Patrick’s Church cemetery and Roman Line, the site of the family’s home north of Lucan.

It was after this visit, two years of planning, three years of research that two years of writing began.

“It just filled (me) with a desire to find out more about what actually happened.”

A recreated cabin, similar to the one the Donnelly family would have called home, is seen at the Donnelly Museum in Lucan, Ont. on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)

The result is over a thousand pages of text in The Donnellys Volume I: Powder Keg and Volume II: Massacre, Trial and Aftermath.

Each, released in paperback, thoroughly chronicles the Donnellys' story.

The first book goes into the backstory of the Donnelly family, while the second focuses on the brutal murders and subsequent trials.

Little says his books vary from what’s already been written about the Donnellys because he sticks to the facts.

He argues they alone are compelling.

“Every 10 years of their life was like a mini-series. There were abductions, courtroom drama, there were insane asylum incidents, there was murder, obviously.”

But the stories don’t end there.

“There were private detectives brought in from Hamilton with no other purpose but to go after the Donnellys. The local Lucan militia was sent out after three of the brothers.”

His research included pouring over 3,000 pages of historical notes, which led him to conclude of the key players, “No, the Donnelly’s were not angels, but neither was anyone else in Biddulph. They were tough people living in tough times because tough times required tough people.”

And while the Donnellys were tough, two trials at London’s still standing old courthouse brought about no convictions for the five deaths.

“In the end, they were betrayed on all sides. They were betrayed by their friends, their neighbours, their town, their politicians, such as Oliver Mowat, their magistrate, their province and their country.”

Little’s new volumes have generated interest in advance of their release for sale on November 2.

Among his virtual public appearances is a session through the Middlesex County Library.

Leanne Robinson, supervisor at the Middlesex County Library's Lucan branch in Lucan, Ont. speaks on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)

Lucan-branch Library Supervisor Leanne Robinson believes it is important to support another take on a “huge event” in local history.

One now talked about in the community, after years of trying to forget

“I think we’re far enough away from those generations. It’s not as painful as it was in previous generations"

Details on the virtual session are posted on the Middlesex County Library Facebook page or you can request information by email.