John McDonnell Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Page 635

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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JOHN McDONNELL. Many of our most patriotic and loyal citizens are those 
who have been born across the sea and have not only supported our 
institutions in days of peace but have taken up arms in defense of the 
country in times of war. Among this number is the gentleman whose name 
introduces this sketch- a well-known farmer residing on section 17, 
Custer township, Beadle county. 

He was born in Virginia, Ireland, August 15, 1839, a son of Francis and 
Rosie (Carroll) McDonnell,who died during his infancy. He was then 
dependent upon relatives, and in his ninth year came to the United 
States with an eider brother, who settled in Lowell, Massachusetts, 
where he found employment in a carpet factory. Our subject was 
afterward apprenticed to a carriage builder, but ran away and made an 
attempt to ship on board a whaler. He was prevented from doing this by 
his guardian finding him. 

Mr. McDonnell remained in Massachusetts until 1854, when he went to 
Nicollet county, Minnesota, where he got a government contract to carry 
the mail to some of the frontier stations. In 1857 he bought a quarter-
section of land near St. Peter, Minnesota, and did some farming, but 
that occupation proved too slow for him at that time. In 1862 he 
enlisted in Company B, First Minnesota Cavalry, and served on the 
frontier in the campaign under General Sibley. After being mustered out 
in 1864, he re-entered the service and acted as a scout under General 
Sully in his campaign against the Indians in Dakota and Montana. It was 
during this campaign that he cast a vote for Abraham Lincoln while the 
troops were in camp near the present site of Bismarck, North Dakota. 

On the 6th of August, 1864, Mr. McDonnell was united in marriage with 
Miss Lovina Churchill, who was born in New York but was reared in 
Minnesota. Eleven children were born of this union, namely: Mary I., 
who married Capitola Vandergriff, of Grant township, Beadle county; 
James H., deceased; Rosie E., deceased; Evelyn, deceased; Francis J.; 
John C.; Lovina M., deceased; Ellen M.; Violet E.; Lillian E.; and Anna 
A. Mr. McDonnell brought the first family of children to Huron, South 
Dakota, where he soon afterward embarked in the hotel business and 
carried on the same for nearly two years. At the end of that time he 
located on the northeast quarter of section 17, Custer township, faking 
up his residence there in the spring of 1882, and there he has 
continued to make his home, his time and attention being given to mixed 
farming. It is his experience that the hardships undergone in Dakota 
were less trying than during the early settlement of Minnesota. 

Socially Mr. McDonnell is an honored member of the Grand Army of the 
Republic, and politically is a stanch supporter of the Republican 
party. As a reward for the services he has rendered the party, he has 
received some good appointments at the state capital and is at the 
present time serving as messenger in the House.