On February 3, 1880 five members of the hated Donnelly family in Lucan, Ontario, were killed by a mob of drunken vigilantes.

The Donnelly Album tells in compelling detail the story of the Donnellys - James, Johannah and their seven sons and one daughter. Arriving from Tipperary, Ireland in the 1840s, the family settled in the boisterous pioneer community near London, Ontario. For the next 30 years, their activities gained wide notoriety in the area. James was convicted of murder but escaped the gallows. The sons grew up to be handsome, reckless, enterprising in business and very dangerous in combat.

What is it about The Donnellys that still fascinates people? Were they really as evil as their enemies portrayed them? Why was no one ever convicted of their murders? What happened to the surviving Donnellys? And why do local people still feel strongly, taking sides for or against the family?

After 15 years of exhaustive research, lawyer Ray Fazakas has produced the definitive account of the famous feud and its tragic consequences. He has also collected an astonishing treasure trove of old photographs, period drawings, maps and documents, showing the Donnellys, their murderers and the sites and people involved.

This unique combination of narrative and illustration recreates an epic tragedy of frontier life.

Ray Fazakas is a retired lawyer who has spent over 50 years researching the Donnelly story and is widely recognized as the foremost authority on the subject. His books on the Donnellys include The Donnelly Album and In Search of the Donnellys.

Ray Fazakas' profile page

In the definitive book on the subject (still in print after 32 years), Fazakas offers fascinating details about the legal system and the everyday lives of our pioneer ancestors, better than any history text. After years of being swept under the carpet, the murders are now commemorated at the Lucan Area Heritage and Donnelly Museum.

Harrowsmith Country Life

I couldn't put this book down. It is so well documented throughout.

Family History News