Notes dated March 11, 1927 by J. D. Donnohue of Sedalia, Missouri copied from letters dated 1844, 1898, and 1899.

 

Provenance:  Original is 8 1/2 “ by 11” paper, typed on one side and bound permanently at top by two old metal rivets(?).  It is in possession of John Crawford of Olympia, Washington, and was given to him by Lulita Crawford Pritchett of Denver, Colorado in approximately 1989. 

[spelling and punctuation as in original except my editorial comments in brackets]

 

 

“Sedalia, Missouri

“March 11th, 1927.

 

“These sheets are letters and parts of letters received by J. D. Donnohue from time to time and are not very well connected but they serve to furnish a certain amount of information in connection with the Donnohue family tree.”

 

 

Number One.

Nov. 26, 1898.

 

Mr. J. D. Donnohue,

Sedalia, Missouri

 

Dear Cousin Joe:

 

            Our great-grand-father O’Donnohue and wife came from Ireland and settled in Canada.  From there they went to Pennsylvania where our grand-father Daniel Donnohue was born.  They left off the “O” from the name when they came to the United States.  They removed to St. Genevieve, Missouri, where our grand-father was reared and married to a Miss DuMont a French woman.  They had two sons besides our grand-father, John and Thomas, who both left off one “n” in the name.  Of John but little is known.  Thomas became a Baptist preacher and preached the first introductory sermon ever preached at an association west of the Mississippi River.  Our grand-father also had two sisters, who married Wright and Petts and settled in Alabama and Mississippi.  After the death of his first wife, our grand-father went to Kentucky and married Jemima Hazelrigg of Bourbon County, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Cleveland Hazelrigg.  Her father was a great-great-grand-son of Oliver Cromwell, and one Hazelrigg, perhaps an ancestor, was a general in Cromwell’s army.

 

            Wishing you much success in you difficult but pleasant undertaking, I am

 

Your cousin,

  Sallie Arnold.

 

Number Two.

This is from Uncle Dillard Donnohue’s letter and even if of no real use to you may be interesting.  Our original name was O’Donnohue, the “O” was dropped about 1776.

 

Jemima Hazelrigg’s mother was a Cleveland, Ann, or Anna Cleveland and was said to be a direct descendant of Oliver Cromwell.  (I have read Cromwell’s life by two or three authors to see which daughter married a Cleveland, but have never found her.)

 

But one of them (possibly a grand-daughter) married Lord Cleveland and their grandson Josiah Cleveland settled in Virginia among the first settlers.  Josiah Cleveland’s son Charles was my father’s great grand-father.

 

The Hazelrigg line traces back to one Sir Grey Hazelrigg, a patriot of Cromwell’s time.  Barton Hazelrigg, Earl of Devonshire, was one of those who at Runnymede compelled King John to sign the Magna Charta.

 

Sometimes I think maybe that is all a kind of fiction.  Possibly the men who were our ancestors were only followers of those great men; but they might have had as many traits of nobility as their leaders.

 

Number Three.

Joseph Donnohue came from Sligo City, Ireland, to America in 1765.

 

In 1770 he married Eliza Norton, of English descent, of Bucks Co. Pennsylvania.

 

Of this marriage there were three sons and two daughters; Thomas, Joseph Daniel and John, Rebecca and Anna.

 

Rebecca married Thomas Wright – no children.

 

Anna married Newton Duvaul, two children, Newton and Joseph, no descendants now living.

 

Thomas had a son named Joseph, (perhaps other children) his descendants live in the South.

 

John has a grandson in California; perhaps other descendants.

 

(A letter I have from Uncle Dillars says the descendants of John and Thomas live in the South and mentions the two of whom I write)

 

Joseph Daniel Donnohue was born July 13th, 1776.

 

He married Jemima Hazelrigg, (of English descent).

 

Of this marriage there were six children (perhaps more, for I believe I have heard that one or two died in youth.)

 

Their children were John J., Dillard C. and Joseph; Eliza, Ann and Sarilda.

 

My father John Jay Donnohue was married twice.  To Elizabeth Barker in 1833.

 

Of this marriage there were six children.

 

Joseph Daniel. (now near Pleasant Gap, Mo.

 

James Dillard died in infancy.

 

Sarah A. married to Price Arnold, (Benbrook, Texas.)

 

Mary married to Luther Davis, (near Keene, Kentucky)

 

Thomas B. living in Mo. Near Green Ridge.

 

Elizabeth Barker Donnohue died in 1847.

 

John J. Donnohue was married in 1849 to Elizabeth Chorn.

 

Of this marriage there were six children.

Nancy [handwritten note: Aunt “Nannie”] married to Henry Crawford, 1875, after his death to Archer Stafford in 1883, she now lives in Mt. Sterling, Ky.

Rebekah died in infancy.

Martha (in single blessedness still)

Charles Hazelrigg married to Annie Turner, Mt. Sterling, Ky.

Sarilda died in childhood. (Called Jenny.)

Elizabeth married to William Guthrie, died in 1889.

 

Of the childred[n] of this generation.

Joe has three daughters all living I think.  Address Pleasant Gap, Mo.

Tom’s family you know.

Sarah Arnold’s children died in infancy and childhood.  Address Benbrook, Texas.

 

No. Four

Grandfather, Joseph Daniel Donnohue married Jemima Hazelrigg, a daughter of John (?) and (Anna Cleveland Hazelrigg.

 

Their childred[n] were John J, Dillard C. and Joseph; eliza, Ann, and Sarilda

 

If you have not gotten any facts about Uncle Dillards’ family write to Capt. Jo. Donnohue of Greencastle, Indiana.

 

Ann married Walter Holliday; but you can best find out about her children by corresponding with Cousin Anna Harness, Lexington Oklahoma.

 

My letter is very disconnected; I fear you will hardly be able to know grandfathers from grandsons.

 

No Five.

Mt. Sterling, Ky. July 5, 1899

Mr. Joseph Donnohue:-

 

            Dear Cousin,

 

                        If you had received all the letter I have begun you would think me a very industrious correspondent, but as you have had none of them I would not like to ask your opinion.  I very carefully wrote out our family record as far as I knew it, but I am not sure that it is correct as to the past generations nor that it is just what you want.

 

                        It is possible that I may come to Missouri this summer to visit Tom’s family if so I should be glad to meet you.

 

                        Some months ago we found a letter among my father’s papers, written by Aunt Rebekah Wright in 1844.  I have copied a few lines from it on one of the sheets I sent you.  It tells some facts about the family.  Father having written to her for information about them.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Mattie Donnohue.

 

Let me hear from you again, I very much want to hear how the Tree is growing.

 

M.

 

No. Six

Copied from Great-Aunt Rebekah Wright’s letter to my father, John J. Donnohue.  1844.

 

“Your father’s brother Thomas lives, near me (St. Marry’s Landing on the bank of the Mississippi R.) also three of his daughters two married and one single.  Two sons and one daughter dead.

 

Your Uncle John Donnohue I have not heard from for years, he was in Arkansas the last accounts.”

(The same Uncle Dillard speaks of as having a grandson and other descendants in California)

 

“He has two sons and two daughters living in Louisiana; one daughter is married to a man by the name of Printus and the other a man by the name of Henderson.

 

Your Aunt Ann Duvall is dead, left two children, a son and a daughter, both have families, and live near me.

 

Your Aunt Sallie Pettit (not mentioned in Uncle Dillard’s letter) lives with me, has five children, two sons and three daughters, daughters are married (names not given.) all live near me.  Your Aint Sallie is a widow and we have lived together since your uncle’s death (Uncle Wright I suppose.)

 

I can give you no more information of your relations.”

(I could almost quote that line myself.)

 

No. Seven

Mary Davis has six children; - John, Annie, Leslie, Mary (married to Mr. Wharton,) Warn, and Emma all living.

 

Nannie & Henry Crawford had one son John S. Crawford living near Birmingham, Ala.

 

Minnie Crawford, died in girlhood.

Of her (Nannie’s marriage with A. J. Stafford there are two children.  Mattie Stafford and Elizabeth Stafford living.

 

Ben Stafford died in childhood.

Charles H. Donnohue has three girls all living, viz., Bettie D., Anna Belle, Rachel.  Of the marriage of Elizabeth Donnohue and William Guthrie there were three children.

 

Mary Willie, Alice B. Still living, in Mt. S. and Charlie died in infancy.”