Patrick O’Donnell was born on his family’s farm at Sheskinarone, Dungloe, County Donegal, Ireland, on the 15th March 1880, the son of Neil and Ann “Nancy” O’Donnell (née O’Donnell). He was one of at least fifteen children!
In 1905, he arrived in New York City and stayed with his sister, Mary, at Bayonne, New Jersey. He later moved to Hoboken and became a naturalized American citizen in 1913.
He had established a very successful business dealing in animal skins, with his brother, Anthony O’Donnell, who was a Justice of the Peace in his native Ulster, and the two of them made fairly frequent crossings of the Atlantic Ocean.
They had both planned to travel from New York to Northern Ireland in May 1915, but Anthony O’Donnell had to stay in America for business reasons and Patrick O’Donnell alone, booked himself a second cabin ticket on the Lusitania and joined her at New York in time for her 10.00 a.m. sailing on 1st May 1915. This sailing was then delayed until the early afternoon as the Lusitania had to take on board passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of the previous month.
She finally got under way at 12.27 p.m., and then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 off the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination. Patrick O’Donnell was lucky enough to survive this action, despite spending some time in the sea, after the liner went down. This experience was described in a small article in The Belfast News Letter of 11th May 1915: -
Mr. O’Donnell went down with the vessel, but being a good swimmer, managed to keep afloat until he was picked up over two hours after the liner was torpedoed.
He was landed at Queenstown after midnight and further than suffering from severe shock, is nothing the worse for his terrible experience.
An article in Daily Express of 10th May 1915, stated: -
‘Women and children were clasped in each other’s arms,’ he said. ‘The cries and shrieks of the women were terrible to hear. I was three hours in the water before I was rescued. I was then brought to the Sailor’s Home in Queenstown, and everything possible done for me. The shrieks of the
women were loud and piteous – so load you could have heard them from the mainland. A great many people would not wait for the lifeboats but jumped overboard, and most of these were lost.
‘I saw several stewards rushing from the deck with blood gushing from their ears and mouth. I saw the Captain going down in the suction, but he came up again, and was taken to Queenstown in the same boat I was’.
This boat was the Bluebell.
On arrival in Queenstown, Patrick O’Donnell was given accommodation in the Sailor’s Home in the town, and having recovered sufficiently from his ordeal, he travelled almost the length of Ireland to reach his home in Dungloe.
Patrick O’Donnell return to the United States of America on board the St. Paul in October 1915, where he lodged a claim with the Mixed Claims Commission, which decided to award him $15,000.00 for injuries suffered, and $2,170.00 to compensate him for his possessions and the $1,000.00 in cash he lost as a result of the sinking.
According to the papers lodged in support of his claim, Patrick O’Donnell suffered chronic bronchitis and permanent hearing loss as a result of his ordeal, and was unable to work for twelve months afterwards. He never returned to his trade as a furrier.
On the 29th April 1920, Patrick married Katherine Ayer Gais (sometimes spelled as Geis), in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. His wife, who had been twice married and widowed, owned and managed the Tennessee Hotel at 34. South Walnut, Mt. Clemens, and he assisted her in the running of this business.
When his wife died in 1928, he continued to run the business, but eventually changed the premises from a hotel to a seasonal rooming house.
Patrick O’Donnell died in Mount Clemens on the 12th February 1949, aged 68 years.
Cunard records show Mr. O’Donnell’s surname to be spelled O’Donnel, but this is certainly a mistake.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Michigan Marriage Records 1867 – 1952, Michigan U.S. Death Records 1867 – 1952, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 260, U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards 1917 – 1918, U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards 1942, Belfast News Letter, Derry Journal, Daily Express, Lincoln Daily Star, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.