# 1 - - Published in The Enterprise, January 29, 1915

MRS. ELLEN DONALDSON DEAD

Mrs. Ellen Donaldson, aged widow of Jo. Donaldson, died at 11 o’clock this A. M., after a lingering illness. The Donaldson family were pioneers of this county, owning and occupying a large body of land in De Soto township for many years, until the husband’s death, when deceased moved to Blair.

# 2 - - from The Tribune, February 3, 1915

MRS. ELLEN DONALDSON

One of the oldest residents in Washington county died January 29th, when Mrs. Ellen Donaldson, aged 85 years, succumbed to the infirmities due to old age. The deceased was born in Inneskillen, Ireland, where she spent her girlhood. She married Joseph Donaldson and shortly after their union emigrated to Australia, where by hard work the couple amassed a considerable sum of money. They then took a long voyage in a sailing vessel to America, where they finally settled on three hundred and eighty acres of land near DeSoto fifty years ago.

Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson raised a family of eight children, all of whom are living, Mary, John, William, Frank, Richard, Annie and Sarah. Joseph Donaldson, the father, died about fifteen years ago at a ripe old age, having been born in Ireland on March 6, 1815.

The funeral services were held in the Catholic church Sunday at 10 a.m., Father O’Driscoll holding a mass for the dead and the burial was made in Blair Cemetery.

(Seven names of children are listed, but the obituary says 8 children were born to them.)

#3 - -Mrs. Joseph Donaldson passed away last Friday afternoon at one o’clock at the home of Mrs. Chas. Gillett on east State Street. About two years ago she fell and broke her leg and never fully recovered from the shock, that and old age being assigned as the immediate cause of her death.

Miss Ellen Donaha was born in the county of Cavern, Ireland in 1830, and when twenty-five years of age was married to Joseph Donaldson. From Ireland they sailed for Australia and in a few years they had accumulated enough money to return to the native Ireland and live in ease. On their return they decided to visit America, and landed in California, making the trip through the wilderness to Nebraska. They finally stopped off where DeSoto now stand and Mr. Donaldson soon afterwards became the processor of 180 acres of land. Just previous to and since Mr. Doanaldson’s death some ten years ago the bulk of his estate had been run through leaving nothing more than a bare living for his widow.

The funeral was conducted from the home of Mrs. Gillett Sunday morning at ten o’clock, Rev. A. E. Marsh officiating. Burial was made in the Blair cemetery beside the grave of her husband. Seven children, four boys and three girls, survive. # 4 - - from The Enterprise, February 5, 1915

THE DONALDSON CASE

HUSBAND OF DECEASED DEEDS ALL PROPERTY TO ONE SON

MOTHER RECENTLY DIES IN NEED

COURT FINALLY AWARDS MOTHER A SETTLEMENT WHICH CAME TWO DAYS BEFORE HER DEATH

The death of Mrs. Ellen Donaldson occurred last Friday A. M., just as The Enterprise was going to press, so that the brief announcement contained in last week’s Enterprise was the only mention possible at the time.

The husband, Joe Donaldson, as everybody knew him, died some 15 years ago and at his death, it was learned that he had deeded a large body of land, which he had occupied during his residence in Nebraska, and transferred his personal property to his son, William, with a provision that the wife and mother, Ellen Donaldson, should be supported and cared for during her lifetime. The son, William, soon sold the land, squandered the proceeds in riotous living and left the country, leaving his mother penniless without means of support and she went to live with another son, Richard, who was dependent upon his day’s labor to support himself and family.

Sometime ago Pat Quinlan, a friend of the elder Donaldsons in the early days, knowing the conditions upon which the land was transferred from father to son, took the matter up with his friend, Attorney Cochran, of Logan, Iowa, and, upon the attorney’s advice, was appointed guardian for Mrs. Donaldson, immediately instituting suit in district court against the present owners of the land, which had been transferred a number of times, to recover the life interest in the land, provided for in the transfer to William from his father.

The case was carried along, the hearing delayed by the defendant’s attorneys, as such cases usually are, from term to term, until at the recent term, there was no chance for further delay, when the defendant came to an agreement with Quinlan and paid a lump sum in settlement, which was paid only a couple of days before her death, so that the money really did her no good but will help to pay doctor’s bills and funeral expenses.

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

FindaGrave # 114359729