Donnell, John, 1754-1827
Born in Castletown, Ireland, John Donnell was a prominent Baltimore merchant. After the War of 1812, he made his fortune in China trade, becoming a major player in the opium trade. He married Anna Teackle Smith in 1798, and in 1800 they bought the Baltimore house Willow Brook, from her Uncle Thorowgood Smith. The Donnells had five children.
Mentioned in these documents
[Letter from Andrew D. Campbell of Glasgow to Elizabeth Upshur Teackle - May 1, 1800]
Letter from Andrew D. Campbell to Elizabeth Upshur Teackle. He teases her about flirting with boys in Virginia, discusses their shared acquaintances, including Henrietta Liston, wife of the British Prime Minister to the U.S. He talks about his family and the news of the wedding of Elizabeth's cousin Sarah Custis Handy to Ephraim King Wilson. He also talks about the marriage of Anna Teackle Smith to John Donnell of Baltimore and his dislike of her husband. He discusses the death of George Washington: "With you, I grieve for the loss your country has sustained in the death of your great Hero. Few are the ages that produce such characters, but we shall hope, as America is yet in her infancy, that she will produce many who will emulate him. Imagination can hardly picture one to surpass him. It is also a matter of consolation to reflect that he died in the zenith of his glory, in the possession of the noblest faculties of man to his last breath, and without experiencing any of those vicissitudes to which human nature, particularly in the high ranks of life, are so subject. In how few nations do we find men distinguished by their military and political career who retain their honors, as Washington did, while they live." He also mentions his friend, Congressman John Stratton and Henry Parker.
[Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband, Littleton Dennis Teackle, July 8, 1811]
Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband, Littleton D. Teackle. She writes about the family's health and their Fourth of July celebration. She talks of their acquaintances John Donnell, William Gilmor, Molly Gilmor, Ann "Nancy" Smith Gilmor, Amelia Williams Gale, Miss Morcross, and Miss Gillis.
[Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband, Littleton Dennis Teackle, March 13, 1810]
Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband, Littleton Dennis Teackle, detailing her arrival home.