A devout Catholic, Sir Thomas Meiners Mary Michael Donnelly, O. S. J., was born July 28, 1934 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio at the peak of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower. He was a carpenter who crafted the communion rail, altar, and more at Saint John the Baptist's Priory in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. He also worked in construction and in real estate. He took over the family's Sacred Heart Press from his father. Tom was a graduate of Saint Xavier High School in Cincinnati where he was on both the basketball and football teams and attended Xavier University in Cincinnati. A Knight of Saint John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitaller; Knights of Malta via the Priory of Saint John The Apostle, Benton, Tennessee and the Priory of Saint John the Baptist, Louisville, Kentucky), he inherited this position from his Heffernan ancestors. (He is a descendant of [A]Eenas [O']Heffernan, a sixth-century Bishop of Emly in Tipperary, Ireland.)
Tom met his future wife at a mixer at Xavier University. He married Mary Margaret Stauber Donnelly on September 3, 1955 at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky. After initially living in Cincinnati, Tom and Mary spent most of their married life in Fort Thomas, Campbell County as parishioners at Saint Thomas Roman Catholic Church. The couple had eight children: Thomas ("Tom") Christian Donnelly (anthropologist, attorney, athletic director, husband, and father), Ann ("Nancy") Mary Donnelly Maushart (nurse, wife, and mother), Kevin Rodger Donnelly (real estate appraiser, real estate broker, husband, and father), Kathleen ("Kathy") Mary Donnelly Smith (artist, wife, and mother), Patricia ("Patty") Mary Donnelly Kues (nurse, wife, and mother), Mary Jude Donnelly Gruenschlaeger (business woman, wife, and mother), Molly Marie Donnelly Simmins (educator, wife, and mother), and Kelly Marie Donnelly Houp (nurse, wife, and mother), 27 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. Tom and Mary made sure that each of their eight children got 12 years of Catholic education. All eight children as adults are practicing Catholics.
When his children were young, Tom used his wood working skills to craft an open toolbox for his two sons, Tommy and Kevin. Later that wooden toolbox was used as the manger for the Baby Jesus at the annual Saint Thomas Church Christmas pageant. Tom was Pack Leader of his son Tommy's Cub Scout Pack 70 at Saint Thomas School. He also served as coach for his son Tommy's Little League team, the Fort Thomas Yankees.
Tom was the fourth of five children and only surviving son of Clare Cecilia ("Ceil") Meiners Donnelly and Thomas ("Tom") James Donnelly. His siblings were Mary Clare Donnelly Minges, Thomas J. Donnelly, Anne Roger ("Nancy") Donnelly Riley, and Catherine Theresa ("Katie") Donnelly (O'Fallon).
Tom died of prostate cancer at age 62 on June 25, 1997 surrounded by his wife, all his children, and other family saying the rosary at home at 77 West Villa Place in Fort Thomas, Campbell County. He is buried next to his wonderful wife Mary at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Wilder, Campbell County. His ancestry was German and Irish. Tom had brown hair, hazel eyes, and at 6' 8" was very tall. (His sisters joked that he was 5' 20" tall.)
DNA tests on his direct-line male descendants reveal him to be a Celt descended from the Irish clan of Ui Neill who claimed the Irish High Kingship from 600 to 1000 AD. Niall of the Nine Hostages is credited with bringing a young Saint Patrick to Ireland and was one of the most prominent descendants of Conn of the Hundred Battles who was the first high king of Ireland. The four treasures of Ireland were the Lia Fail (the Stone of Destiny), the Spear Luin (the Spear of Direction), the Claiomh Solais (the Sword of Truth), and the Coire Anseasc (the Cauldron of Prosperity). The Stone of Destiny would cry out when a true King of Ireland stood on it. Conn of the Hundred Battles found the Stone of Destiny. The Spear of Direction was renowned for accuracy, and no one carrying it ever lost a battle. No one ever escaped from the Sword of Truth once it was pulled from its sheath. The Cauldron of Prosperity was bottomless, capable of feeding an army.
DNA testing also reveals Thomas Donnelly and his direct male descendants and ancestors and their sisters are of the patrilineal clan of "Oisin" (pronounced "O-sheen") (Y-chromosome clade R1b). Oisin lived about 40,000 years ago in the Celtic area of Western Europe. Oisin was one of about seventeen men alive at that time from whom all people alive today are descended.
Through his mother Ceil, Tom was of the matrilineal clan of "Helena." DNA testing reveals Ceil and her direct female descendants and ancestors and their brothers are of the clan of "Helena" (mtDNA haplogroup H) who lived 20,000 years ago in the Dordogne region of southwest France near the present city of Perpignan on the Mediterranean, gathering oysters and hunting and creating cave paintings.
The Donnelly family gemstone is the ruby. The flower is the tiger lily.
Most of this information comes from the Donnelly and Meiners families. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
Tom met his future wife at a mixer at Xavier University. He married Mary Margaret Stauber Donnelly on September 3, 1955 at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky. After initially living in Cincinnati, Tom and Mary spent most of their married life in Fort Thomas, Campbell County as parishioners at Saint Thomas Roman Catholic Church. The couple had eight children: Thomas ("Tom") Christian Donnelly (anthropologist, attorney, athletic director, husband, and father), Ann ("Nancy") Mary Donnelly Maushart (nurse, wife, and mother), Kevin Rodger Donnelly (real estate appraiser, real estate broker, husband, and father), Kathleen ("Kathy") Mary Donnelly Smith (artist, wife, and mother), Patricia ("Patty") Mary Donnelly Kues (nurse, wife, and mother), Mary Jude Donnelly Gruenschlaeger (business woman, wife, and mother), Molly Marie Donnelly Simmins (educator, wife, and mother), and Kelly Marie Donnelly Houp (nurse, wife, and mother), 27 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. Tom and Mary made sure that each of their eight children got 12 years of Catholic education. All eight children as adults are practicing Catholics.
When his children were young, Tom used his wood working skills to craft an open toolbox for his two sons, Tommy and Kevin. Later that wooden toolbox was used as the manger for the Baby Jesus at the annual Saint Thomas Church Christmas pageant. Tom was Pack Leader of his son Tommy's Cub Scout Pack 70 at Saint Thomas School. He also served as coach for his son Tommy's Little League team, the Fort Thomas Yankees.
Tom was the fourth of five children and only surviving son of Clare Cecilia ("Ceil") Meiners Donnelly and Thomas ("Tom") James Donnelly. His siblings were Mary Clare Donnelly Minges, Thomas J. Donnelly, Anne Roger ("Nancy") Donnelly Riley, and Catherine Theresa ("Katie") Donnelly (O'Fallon).
Tom died of prostate cancer at age 62 on June 25, 1997 surrounded by his wife, all his children, and other family saying the rosary at home at 77 West Villa Place in Fort Thomas, Campbell County. He is buried next to his wonderful wife Mary at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Wilder, Campbell County. His ancestry was German and Irish. Tom had brown hair, hazel eyes, and at 6' 8" was very tall. (His sisters joked that he was 5' 20" tall.)
DNA tests on his direct-line male descendants reveal him to be a Celt descended from the Irish clan of Ui Neill who claimed the Irish High Kingship from 600 to 1000 AD. Niall of the Nine Hostages is credited with bringing a young Saint Patrick to Ireland and was one of the most prominent descendants of Conn of the Hundred Battles who was the first high king of Ireland. The four treasures of Ireland were the Lia Fail (the Stone of Destiny), the Spear Luin (the Spear of Direction), the Claiomh Solais (the Sword of Truth), and the Coire Anseasc (the Cauldron of Prosperity). The Stone of Destiny would cry out when a true King of Ireland stood on it. Conn of the Hundred Battles found the Stone of Destiny. The Spear of Direction was renowned for accuracy, and no one carrying it ever lost a battle. No one ever escaped from the Sword of Truth once it was pulled from its sheath. The Cauldron of Prosperity was bottomless, capable of feeding an army.
DNA testing also reveals Thomas Donnelly and his direct male descendants and ancestors and their sisters are of the patrilineal clan of "Oisin" (pronounced "O-sheen") (Y-chromosome clade R1b). Oisin lived about 40,000 years ago in the Celtic area of Western Europe. Oisin was one of about seventeen men alive at that time from whom all people alive today are descended.
Through his mother Ceil, Tom was of the matrilineal clan of "Helena." DNA testing reveals Ceil and her direct female descendants and ancestors and their brothers are of the clan of "Helena" (mtDNA haplogroup H) who lived 20,000 years ago in the Dordogne region of southwest France near the present city of Perpignan on the Mediterranean, gathering oysters and hunting and creating cave paintings.
The Donnelly family gemstone is the ruby. The flower is the tiger lily.
Most of this information comes from the Donnelly and Meiners families. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
A devout Catholic, Sir Thomas Meiners Mary Michael Donnelly, O. S. J., was born July 28, 1934 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio at the peak of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower. He was a carpenter who crafted the communion rail, altar, and more at Saint John the Baptist's Priory in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. He also worked in construction and in real estate. He took over the family's Sacred Heart Press from his father. Tom was a graduate of Saint Xavier High School in Cincinnati where he was on both the basketball and football teams and attended Xavier University in Cincinnati. A Knight of Saint John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitaller; Knights of Malta via the Priory of Saint John The Apostle, Benton, Tennessee and the Priory of Saint John the Baptist, Louisville, Kentucky), he inherited this position from his Heffernan ancestors. (He is a descendant of [A]Eenas [O']Heffernan, a sixth-century Bishop of Emly in Tipperary, Ireland.)
Tom met his future wife at a mixer at Xavier University. He married Mary Margaret Stauber Donnelly on September 3, 1955 at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky. After initially living in Cincinnati, Tom and Mary spent most of their married life in Fort Thomas, Campbell County as parishioners at Saint Thomas Roman Catholic Church. The couple had eight children: Thomas ("Tom") Christian Donnelly (anthropologist, attorney, athletic director, husband, and father), Ann ("Nancy") Mary Donnelly Maushart (nurse, wife, and mother), Kevin Rodger Donnelly (real estate appraiser, real estate broker, husband, and father), Kathleen ("Kathy") Mary Donnelly Smith (artist, wife, and mother), Patricia ("Patty") Mary Donnelly Kues (nurse, wife, and mother), Mary Jude Donnelly Gruenschlaeger (business woman, wife, and mother), Molly Marie Donnelly Simmins (educator, wife, and mother), and Kelly Marie Donnelly Houp (nurse, wife, and mother), 27 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. Tom and Mary made sure that each of their eight children got 12 years of Catholic education. All eight children as adults are practicing Catholics.
When his children were young, Tom used his wood working skills to craft an open toolbox for his two sons, Tommy and Kevin. Later that wooden toolbox was used as the manger for the Baby Jesus at the annual Saint Thomas Church Christmas pageant. Tom was Pack Leader of his son Tommy's Cub Scout Pack 70 at Saint Thomas School. He also served as coach for his son Tommy's Little League team, the Fort Thomas Yankees.
Tom was the fourth of five children and only surviving son of Clare Cecilia ("Ceil") Meiners Donnelly and Thomas ("Tom") James Donnelly. His siblings were Mary Clare Donnelly Minges, Thomas J. Donnelly, Anne Roger ("Nancy") Donnelly Riley, and Catherine Theresa ("Katie") Donnelly (O'Fallon).
Tom died of prostate cancer at age 62 on June 25, 1997 surrounded by his wife, all his children, and other family saying the rosary at home at 77 West Villa Place in Fort Thomas, Campbell County. He is buried next to his wonderful wife Mary at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Wilder, Campbell County. His ancestry was German and Irish. Tom had brown hair, hazel eyes, and at 6' 8" was very tall. (His sisters joked that he was 5' 20" tall.)
DNA tests on his direct-line male descendants reveal him to be a Celt descended from the Irish clan of Ui Neill who claimed the Irish High Kingship from 600 to 1000 AD. Niall of the Nine Hostages is credited with bringing a young Saint Patrick to Ireland and was one of the most prominent descendants of Conn of the Hundred Battles who was the first high king of Ireland. The four treasures of Ireland were the Lia Fail (the Stone of Destiny), the Spear Luin (the Spear of Direction), the Claiomh Solais (the Sword of Truth), and the Coire Anseasc (the Cauldron of Prosperity). The Stone of Destiny would cry out when a true King of Ireland stood on it. Conn of the Hundred Battles found the Stone of Destiny. The Spear of Direction was renowned for accuracy, and no one carrying it ever lost a battle. No one ever escaped from the Sword of Truth once it was pulled from its sheath. The Cauldron of Prosperity was bottomless, capable of feeding an army.
DNA testing also reveals Thomas Donnelly and his direct male descendants and ancestors and their sisters are of the patrilineal clan of "Oisin" (pronounced "O-sheen") (Y-chromosome clade R1b). Oisin lived about 40,000 years ago in the Celtic area of Western Europe. Oisin was one of about seventeen men alive at that time from whom all people alive today are descended.
Through his mother Ceil, Tom was of the matrilineal clan of "Helena." DNA testing reveals Ceil and her direct female descendants and ancestors and their brothers are of the clan of "Helena" (mtDNA haplogroup H) who lived 20,000 years ago in the Dordogne region of southwest France near the present city of Perpignan on the Mediterranean, gathering oysters and hunting and creating cave paintings.
The Donnelly family gemstone is the ruby. The flower is the tiger lily.
Most of this information comes from the Donnelly and Meiners families. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
Tom met his future wife at a mixer at Xavier University. He married Mary Margaret Stauber Donnelly on September 3, 1955 at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky. After initially living in Cincinnati, Tom and Mary spent most of their married life in Fort Thomas, Campbell County as parishioners at Saint Thomas Roman Catholic Church. The couple had eight children: Thomas ("Tom") Christian Donnelly (anthropologist, attorney, athletic director, husband, and father), Ann ("Nancy") Mary Donnelly Maushart (nurse, wife, and mother), Kevin Rodger Donnelly (real estate appraiser, real estate broker, husband, and father), Kathleen ("Kathy") Mary Donnelly Smith (artist, wife, and mother), Patricia ("Patty") Mary Donnelly Kues (nurse, wife, and mother), Mary Jude Donnelly Gruenschlaeger (business woman, wife, and mother), Molly Marie Donnelly Simmins (educator, wife, and mother), and Kelly Marie Donnelly Houp (nurse, wife, and mother), 27 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. Tom and Mary made sure that each of their eight children got 12 years of Catholic education. All eight children as adults are practicing Catholics.
When his children were young, Tom used his wood working skills to craft an open toolbox for his two sons, Tommy and Kevin. Later that wooden toolbox was used as the manger for the Baby Jesus at the annual Saint Thomas Church Christmas pageant. Tom was Pack Leader of his son Tommy's Cub Scout Pack 70 at Saint Thomas School. He also served as coach for his son Tommy's Little League team, the Fort Thomas Yankees.
Tom was the fourth of five children and only surviving son of Clare Cecilia ("Ceil") Meiners Donnelly and Thomas ("Tom") James Donnelly. His siblings were Mary Clare Donnelly Minges, Thomas J. Donnelly, Anne Roger ("Nancy") Donnelly Riley, and Catherine Theresa ("Katie") Donnelly (O'Fallon).
Tom died of prostate cancer at age 62 on June 25, 1997 surrounded by his wife, all his children, and other family saying the rosary at home at 77 West Villa Place in Fort Thomas, Campbell County. He is buried next to his wonderful wife Mary at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Wilder, Campbell County. His ancestry was German and Irish. Tom had brown hair, hazel eyes, and at 6' 8" was very tall. (His sisters joked that he was 5' 20" tall.)
DNA tests on his direct-line male descendants reveal him to be a Celt descended from the Irish clan of Ui Neill who claimed the Irish High Kingship from 600 to 1000 AD. Niall of the Nine Hostages is credited with bringing a young Saint Patrick to Ireland and was one of the most prominent descendants of Conn of the Hundred Battles who was the first high king of Ireland. The four treasures of Ireland were the Lia Fail (the Stone of Destiny), the Spear Luin (the Spear of Direction), the Claiomh Solais (the Sword of Truth), and the Coire Anseasc (the Cauldron of Prosperity). The Stone of Destiny would cry out when a true King of Ireland stood on it. Conn of the Hundred Battles found the Stone of Destiny. The Spear of Direction was renowned for accuracy, and no one carrying it ever lost a battle. No one ever escaped from the Sword of Truth once it was pulled from its sheath. The Cauldron of Prosperity was bottomless, capable of feeding an army.
DNA testing also reveals Thomas Donnelly and his direct male descendants and ancestors and their sisters are of the patrilineal clan of "Oisin" (pronounced "O-sheen") (Y-chromosome clade R1b). Oisin lived about 40,000 years ago in the Celtic area of Western Europe. Oisin was one of about seventeen men alive at that time from whom all people alive today are descended.
Through his mother Ceil, Tom was of the matrilineal clan of "Helena." DNA testing reveals Ceil and her direct female descendants and ancestors and their brothers are of the clan of "Helena" (mtDNA haplogroup H) who lived 20,000 years ago in the Dordogne region of southwest France near the present city of Perpignan on the Mediterranean, gathering oysters and hunting and creating cave paintings.
The Donnelly family gemstone is the ruby. The flower is the tiger lily.
Most of this information comes from the Donnelly and Meiners families. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
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