Wilberforce Colony

 

In 1829, a group of free black Americans from Ohio established one of the first black settlements in Canada. Slavery had been outlawed in the Ohio Constitution of 1803 but a series of “Black Laws” were passed in the following years aimed at discouraging black migration to the state, and which placed employment restrictions on black citizens. A committee was set up by Cincinnati’s black community to arrange a place for them to settle in Canada and live a freer life. In 1828, two members of the committee travelled to Canada and entered into a contract with the Canada Company to purchase the township of Biddulph in the Huron Tract. The number of colonists expected to support the purchase could not be achieved, but an appeal was made to the Quakers of Ohio and Indiana who assisted with funding the colony. In 1829, racial tension in Cincinnati led to a series of riots and many black residents left the city for the settlement in Biddulph. They settled along Hwy. 4 and named the settlement Wilberforce after William Wilberforce, the famous British abolitionist.

 

 

Town History
 

Col. James Hodgins, an agent for the Canada Company, arrived in Biddulph in 1832. When the Wilberforce Colony could not complete their contract and the company decided to open Biddulph to the whites. The attraction that drew many early settlers to Canada was the option to stake a claim on farmland owned by the Canada Land Company and lease with the option to buy. Only the Butler family remains from the original Wilberforce settlers.

The first wave of Irish immigrants were Protestants from Northern Tipperary, Ireland. The second group of immigrants to Biddulph Township were Roman Catholics from Tipperary including the McLaughlins, Tooheys, Ryders, Harrigans and the Donnelly family. The Protestants settled the first 5 concessions of the Township and the Catholics settled the next 5 concessions. This is where the name Roman Line came from, signifying the beginning of the Roman Catholic settlement. 
 

In 1872, Wilberforce was renamed in tribute of the land surveyor John Macdonald’s wife, Mary. When it was discovered that there was already a Marystown established Lucan was accept as the town’s name, after Lord Lucan who was a prominent landowner in Ireland.

 

Land Disputes with Patrick Farrell
 

The Donnelly family lived on Con. 56, Lot 18 and made an arrangement with the absentee landlord, John Grace to clear and work the land. When John Grace decided to sell the land, James Donnelly refused to leave creating a dispute with the new owner Patrick Farrell. The Farrell and Donnelly families went to court and it was decided that it would be equally divided (50/50). Later, at a community-logging bee, a fight broke out between Farrell and James Sr. Donnelly resulting in the death of Patrick Farrell. James Sr. was accused of murder and went into hiding for a year, where he would sometimes dress in Johanna’s clothes and tend to the fields. He hid in the barns and homes of friends until winter when he turned himself in, resulting in a sentence to hang.

Johanna circulated a petition for clemency and walked it to the Huron County Courthouse in Goderich where it was decided his sentence would be reduced to 7 years in the Kingston Penitentiary. During that time, the family had little income so Johanna donated land to build a school (also became where the boys went to school) where she could cater events and earn extra money tending to the school while James Sr. was in jail.

 

Stagecoach Rivalries 
 

In 1873, William, Michael, John and Tom Donnelly decided to start a stagecoach business that ran from Exeter to London and was based in Lucan. One of their rival stagecoach companies was the Flanagan’s stagecoach company. With construction of the Grand Trunk Railway to Sarnia, the stagecoach businesses went downhill. Quickly, the rivalry got out of hand with the burning of stables, stagecoaches, harnesses, feed and even horses.

 

The Family
 

James Jr. Donnelly: only child born in Ireland in 1841. Despite some stories and songs about him, he was not a big man. He stood at only 5’6” tall and was only 148 lbs. in weight. He died in 1877 at the age of 35 of a bullet wound or inflammation of the lungs.
 

William Donnelly: born in 1845. Will was born with a deformed foot earning him the nickname: Clubfoot Will. William was the brains of the family and had a very successful stagecoach business. As he got older, Will suffered more and more from ill health. He died in 1897 at the age of 52.

John Donnelly: born in 1847. He was a cheerful and likeable man with muscular and broad shoulders and a barrel chest. He was murdered in 1880 during the massacre at only 33 years old. 
 

Patrick Donnelly: was born in 1849. He began his working life as a blacksmith, and later owned and operated hotels in Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines. He died in 1914 at the age of 65.
 

Michael Donnelly: was born in 1851. His hair was tinged with a little more red that the rest of the brothers and was often called Red. Michael was murdered in a bar fight in one of Waterford’s hotels in December 1879 by William H. Levis. He was stabbed in the groin. He was only 28 and left behind a wife and 2 young children. At the time he was living in St. Thomas and worked for the Canada Southern Railway.
 

Robert (Bob) Donnelly: was born in 1853. He was the most handsome brother. At one point, he owned the Western Hotel in Lucan with his nephew James Michael, Michael Donnelly’s son. Eventually he moved to Glencoe. He died in 1911 at the age of 58.
 

Thomas Donnelly: was born in 1854. He was the rowdiest of all the brothers.  His brother William Donnelly would often say to Tom “must you pick a fight every day of the week?” He was murdered in 1880 during the massacre at only 26.
 

Jenny Donnelly: was born in 1857. Born while her father was in prison, she was 7 years old upon his release. She was christened Jane, but throughout most of her life was called Jenny. She married James Currie from Glencoe and raised 5 sons and 6 daughters (Jane, Johanna, Margaret, Rosemary, Anna, Catherine, Clara AND Robert, James, John, Michael, Patrick). She died in 1916 at the age of 59.
 

James and Johanna Donnelly: Johanna’s maiden name was McGee. She is often referred to as Judy, Judith or Johanna. They eloped and left for Canada in 1842, and moved to the Roman line in 1845. They were both killed in the massacre Bridget Donnelly: she was a cousin from Tipperary, Ireland. She went to live with her aunt and uncle in 1878, and was murdered 2 years later in 1880 during the massacre.

 

Peace Society/Vigilance Committee

In Jan. 1879, Father John Connolly arrived in Biddulph as the newly appointed priest of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. He formed the Biddulph Peace Society to settle the disputes in the township. By fall, the group was severely divided and the more radical members formed the Vigilance Committee. They met at the Cedar Swamp Schoolhouse. The night of the massacre the committee had been drinking, and a crowd of 30 or so armed with crude weapons walked 3 miles to the Donnelly homestead and continued another 3 miles up to Will Donnelly’s home.
 

The Donnelly’s were to appear in court the next morning for burning down the Ryder barn. The Ryders wanted to charge the boys but they were at a wedding the night of the fire so had solid alibi. Had the charges against the Donnelly’s dropped, they were going to counter sue for money as compensation for the false charges and insult on their family name.
 

During the night of Feb. 3, the Donnelly’s picked up Johnny O’Connor to do farm work and watch the house the next day while the family went to court. Just before bed on the night of February 3rd, the Donnelly’s were enjoying apples after a late supper. John Donnelly went to Will’s house in Whalen Corners to pick up the cutter needed to take the family to trial the next day and decided to stay the night. 

 

The Massacre
 

Under the cover of darkness, the vigilantes surrounded the house. Ring leader James Carroll entered the house and handcuffed Tom, who was sleeping in the bed located in the summer kitchen. This awoke James Donnelly, who was sleeping in the first bedroom with Johnny O’Connor. He asked James Carroll “What have you got against us now?” Eventually, everyone in the Donnelly household was awake and Bridget was asked to start a fire for warmth. It was then that Carroll let out some sort of signal, and the house erupted in chaos. Men tore violently through the house. Tom, who was handcuffed, tried to run out the front door but was stabbed with a pitchfork and beaten with a shovel. James and Johanna were beaten and trampled. Bridget ran upstairs, was followed and killed.
 

The only person left alive, Johnny O’Connor, saw Bridget run upstairs and tried to follow but she slammed the door. He ran back into the room where he was sleeping, and hid under the bed behind a clothesbasket. He could see through a crack between the bed and basket, and witnessed the whole of scene that dreadful night. Before the Vigilantes left, they set the house on fire using coal oil and soaked the bed that Johnny O`Connor was hiding under. Through all of the terror and fire, Johnny waited for the mob to leave – for fear they would kill him if they saw him as he was a witness. Finally, he got out, having to step over the several Donnelly family members. He had no shoes or coat as he ran out into the winter night. He headed across the road to Patrick Whelan`s house, woke the family up and told them what he had seen as he warmed himself by the fire.
 

In the meantime, the vigilantes moved on – some went home and some went to Whalen’s Corner, where they intended to kill William Donnelly. The distance from the Cedar Swamp School house to the Donnelly homestead was 3 miles and from the homestead to William Donnelly’s house was another 3 miles. John Donnelly had gone to his brother’s house earlier in the evening to pick up the cutter needed to take the family to trial in Granton the next day. While at Will’s house, John decided to stay the night. During that night of Feb. 3, 1880, John was the first to the door when he heard the voices of the vigilantes. As a result, he was shot twice and died a few minutes later. The Vigilantes went away, thinking that they had killed the brains behind the Donnelly family, so they were a bit shocked to see William Donnelly alive and well in Lucan the next day, already working hard on the case against the Vigilantes.

 

The Trials
 

            On the day of the massacre, Thomas Hossack, the local coroner, called upon an inquest to examine the “suspicious” death of the Donnellys. Many people testified, including Johnny O’Connor and Pat Whalen, a neighbor of the Donnelly’s. In total, the inquest took place 3 separate times, on Feb. 4, 11 and March 2, before determining that murder had taken place by “persons unknown.” Regardless, local justice officials arrested thirteen men in connection with the murder, including Constable James Carroll.
 

            The next step was to hold a preliminary hearing, which was held before the justice of peace. The purpose was to determine whether the inquest’s final decision warranted a formal trial before a judge and jury in the superior court. A number of the prisoners, including Carroll, were sent to be tried at the next session of the court. The local papers ran numerous stories about the case including the difficulties of assembling a jury, and whether a verdict of guilty could be reached.
 

There were many questions surrounding Johnny O’Connor. Could he be trusted? Would he be silenced? Indeed, Connor’s family home burned to the ground before the first trial took place
 

 The first trial, which took place from Oct. 4-9, 1880, tore the community in toe; those who were against the Donnelly’s and those who supported them. The jury returned on October 9, reporting that they could not come to a decision.

When the first jury failed to agree, preparations began immediately for the second trial. The second trial was held at the end of January, 1881, before Justice Matthew Crooks Cameron and Justice Featherston Osler, lasted just over one week. The verdict, which came just days before the one-year anniversary of the murders, was “not guilty.”  The jury found Carroll not guilty of the murder and the rest of the prisoners were granted bail and are never tried for the Donnelly murders.

 

Tombstone
 

            The original tombstone was erected in 1889 and transported to the churchyard by Bob Donnelly himself. For 75 years, it stood as an emblem of that tragic night in February. In 1964, St. Patrick’s Church authorities had the tombstone removed due to vandalism and unwanted attention. It was placed in the shed at the rear of the cemetery for two years, before it was claimed by Donnelly descendants, Nora Lord and her son William of Levack, near Sudbury, Ontario.
 

The new Donnelly tombstone is still on site today in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, having been erected in 1966. In comparison to the CBC-TV production replica tombstone on display, the original Donnelly tombstone was 32 inches shorter, weighed 1,600 pounds and was made of red granite.

 

The Cabin and Barn
 

            In 1998, the log cabin was purchased from Port Elgin, and moved on the back of a truck over to the Museum. Originally built in 1850, the cabin’s similarity in floorplan, timeline, and size to the Donnelly homestead created it’s nicknamed the “Donnelly Replica” cabin. The cabin serves as a great tool for imagining the daily life of the Donnelly’s and gives an idea of how the massacre of 1880 unfolded.
 

            The Barn was donated by Hearn’s Dairy in 2000. It came from small farm corner of Albert and Main Street. It was owned by a small farmer who let Ivan Hearn kept his horse there when he was delivering milk around town.

Everything in the barn and cabin has been donated by our local community.

 

 

Col. James Hodgins was known in Ireland as “Big Jim” Hodgins, he was also a Justice of the Peace and a whiskey distiller.

Township name came from John Biddulph, one of the earliest directors of the Canada Company.

At that time in Biddulph history we were a part of the Huron Tract.  In 1861, councilors were successful in their petition to become part of Middlesex, with the courthouse being in London, which was much closer than Goderich.

Peter lll was the first black police officer inducted in 1883. He became a member of OPP in 1913.

In the 1880’s, Lucan boasted 8 hotels and 7 taverns.

The Grand Trunk Railway was opened in 1856, the railway is now closed and the rails are removed.  It was located behind William St.

The school was built in 1874. Its name came from the 360 acres of Cedar Swamp in this area, and is still standing.

Some books suggest that she was sexually assaulted, although there is no evidence to suggest it.

Inquest: a judicial inquiry to ascertain the facts relating to an incident, such as a death.

  http://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/donnellys/massacre/trialone/indexen.html