My  Aunt Mary, one of my father's sisters, did a family genealogy treatise in a course she took at St Cloud State Teachers College.  In this "genealogy" she ties down many facts, some not necessarily accurate, some with great emphasis on the perfection accomplished in life by both of her parents.  Nonetheless, it is a good record of the family.

Cas,  the Monarch of Ireland some time in the sixth century, was a direct ancestor of the Donohue family.Part of his issue migrated to Scotland and were what was later known as the Scotts, as Ireland at that time was called Scotia and its people were called Scotts.  Our branch of the family remained in Ireland but did not assume the name of O'Donoghue for several centuries after Cas. The original name was O'Donoghue and meant, in the Gaelic Language, Brown-haired warrior. The family finally became Lords of Glen Fisk and held large estates up to the time of the wars of Cromwell, when they were deposed of their estates and most of their lands were divided among Cromwell's followers. The O'Donoghue's  distinguished themselves in many battles and wars.  Some of them migrated to Spain where they became officers of high rank in the Spanish Army.  One of them was the last Spanish Viceroy of Mexico or New Spain, as it was then called. He attained the rank of Lieutenant General in the Spanish Army and was sent to Mexico in 1821 as Captain General and Acting Viceroy.  He spelled his name according to the Spanish spelling, Juna O'Donoju but pronounced it as we do ours. Among others of our early ancestors who distinguished himself in battle was O'DONOGHUE  Mor.  Mor, in Gallic, meant great.  Instead of saying the Great O'Donohue they would say O'Donohue Mor.  He fought with Brian Boroihme at Clontarf in 1014 when he defeated the Danes and Norwegians.

Our  paternal great-grandfather was Florence O'Donoghue.  We was born and reared in County Cork, Ireland.  He married Ellen O'Conner. The O'Conner family was also one of the ruling families of Ireland.  From this marriage were brought forth   four sons and one daughter, John, Timothy, Peter, Florence and Hannah.  Ellen died in Ireland.  Florence the father, with three of his sons, Timothy, Florence and Peter came to America some time in the 1840's. They settled at New Orleans, later moving to Hudson, Wisconsin.

Florence, the father, died here, Florence, the son, was killed while fighting in the Civil War.  Hannah migrated to Australia where she lived unmarried till her death. John  fitted out a trading ship and made a fortune trading with the South Sea Islanders and others.  He was married twice but had no children.  His second wife was very much younger than he and was related to him.  On account of this relationship they had to get a dispensation from the pope, to marry.  John died some years ago but his wife is still living in the city of Cork, Ireland.

Timothy and Peter moved to New Richmond, Wisconsin. Timothy  was a great scholar especially as a mathematician.  Some of the leading Civil Engineers of the time brought thaeir most difficult engineering problems to him.  He never used his knowledge as a means of financial gain as he was very religious and believed that man should earn his bread by hard work.  He died in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Peter,  our grandfather, married Johannah Coughlin.  Her father was Richard Coughlin and her mother was an O'Brian.  The O'Brians were on time rulers in Ireland.

Our four paternal great-grandparents were, O'Donoghue, O'Connor, O'Brian and Coughlin.  Peter dropped the prefix O and the letter g from the name, but the other members of the family retained them.  The name, Florence appears in may of our ancestors.  It was, however, not spelled or pronounced as we spell and pronounce it.Florence is the anglexized spelling of an ancient Gallic name.   Our father was given it for his middle name after his grandfather and many others of the family. To Johannah and Peter were born six daughters and four son, Mary, Annie, Hannah, Katherine, Sarah, Margaret, William, Fred, George and Arthur.  Johannah and Peter lived on their farm in St. Croix County, Wisconsin until their deaths.

Mary married John Fitzimmons and lived in Rockford, Illinois untilo her death.  Annie went to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she taught school for more than twenty-five years, after which time she moved to California.  She never married.  She died in Los Angeles, California in April, 1941. Katherine married a man named Grinella.  She lived in North Dakota.  She died a number of years ago.  Hannah married James Burke.  She lived in Amery, Wisconsin until her death. Sarah taught school in Portland, Oregon, for a number of years.  She is now living in Portland.  She never married.  Margaret married John Cunningham, and lives on a farm at Ceylon, Wisconsin.  Fred left for Australia a number of years ago and has not been heard from since. Arthur works for the United States, Department of Interior.  His home is in Portland, Oregon.  George was in the newspaper business in Seattle, Washington for years.  He and his wife are now living at Brinnon, Washington.

William Florence,  our father, was born April 23, 1862, in Hudson, Wisconsin.  He was baptized May 6, 1862, by Rev. N. Stehle, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church.  His sponsor was Catherine McCarthy. He attended school in Hudson, Wisconsin but at an early age was compelled to shift for himself.  He worked in the lumber woods adjacent to St. Croix County.  With the money earned by his labor there and elsewhere, he contributed to the support of his parents and accumulated a sufficient sum of money to attend the Normal School at River Falls, Wisconsin, where he qualified himself to teach in the county schools of his home county. After a few years of teaching, he was a traveling salesman, and continued in that occupation until 1894, when he entered the Law School of the State University of Minnesota from which he was graduated in 1896. And was admitted, upon his graduation, to practice law in Minnesota.  Shortly thereafter, he came to St. Cloud in quest of a location for the practice of his profession, and while there, he was advised t locate at Melrose, in Stearns County where one of the terminals of the Great Northern Railway had recently been located.  He located at Melrose in June, 1896, and for approximately two months was associated with Daniel J. O'Keefe, now of the St. Paul Bar.

In August, 1896, he entered into partnership with William H. Stephens, under the firm name of Donohue and Stephens.  This partnership continued for twenty years.   In August 1918 he went to St. Cloud and associated himself with James J. Quigley.  They practiced under the firm name of Donohue and Quigley until June 1927, when his firm associated Howard I. Donohue, son of William F. Donohue, with the firm name of Donohue, Quigley and Donohue.

William F. Donohue, while in Melrose, was active in civic and political life, serving as a member of the school board and also as City Attorney for many years.  In 1898 he was elected to the State Legislature.  He was County Attorney of Stearns County for fifteen years. William F. Donohue was a leader in the ranks of the Democratic Party, having served as Democratic County Chairman and likewise as delegate to State and National Conventions.  He was a delegate to the Convention in Houston, Texas in 1928 and to the convention in Chicago in 1932, which nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt.  At this time he was active in having the regular Democrats seated as delegates.  His activities in behalf of his party enjoyed a close acquaintance with National leaders of the party.  He was a member of the state executive committee.  The Stearns County Bar  has a reputation throughout the state for efficiency and no member of the organization has done more than Mr. William F. Donohue to build up the reputation of the Stearns County Bar in this state.  There was no man  in all of Minnesota who had more young men coming to him than did William Donohue.  It was part of his life to guide, encourage and suggest to these younger practitioners.  He was always ready to give advice and counsel.

William F. Donohue had and merited the undivided respect of all courts before he appeared as an attorney he was painstaking, diligent, studious and confident.  When he appeared in court he knew the facts, and depended upon a proper presentation of the evidence to serve his clients.  He left nothing to chance and his faithfulness in presentation of his causes was characteristic of his life as a citizen. Mr. W.F. Donohue  was the soul of honor, personally and professionally.  A single unprofessional act on his part was unheard of.  His work was his bond. He never sacrificed a client.  He lived an untarnished life.  His loyalty to his friends was unsurpassed.  As a neighbor and citizen he had few equals. There was always something cheerful about the proceedings at  Call of the Calendar in Stearns County because of Will Donohue's presence.  He enjoyed humor.  That is supposed to be an heritage of an Irishman and he was especially qualified to enjoy it. He was an outstanding member of the Bar, a man of constancy, industry, honesty and integrity.  His  own convictions were so well established that he never felt the necessity of fortifying them by attack on other faiths.  H had that spirit of calm tolerance that made him a delightful neighbor and a most worthy, helpful citizen.  He filled a big place in the community, with genial fair-mindedness, good fellowship and trustworthiness. He was a man of unlimited mental capacity and his capacity for work was unbounded. William F. Donohue's name may not appear in Mitchell's History but there is a memorial written almost wholly by William F. Donohue,  that is ineffaceable and is present through the length and breadth of Central Minnesota.  It is in the records and files of all the District Courts of this vicinity and it exists n probably a hundred volumes of the Minnesota Reports and in the Federal Court Records.  These and the Supreme Court Reports of Minnesota tell better than any thing also the master of a lawyer that he was.
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Certificate of Baptism
2. from, Baptismal Register
3. Hudson, Wisconsin
4. Denver Register
5. St. Cloud Jubilee Edition; September 10, 1939
6. Interviews
     a. Burke, Mrs. Mike  Melrose, Minnesota
     b. Cunningham, Mrs. John, Ceylon, Wisconsin
     c. Donohue, Mr. Howard, St. Cloud, Minnesota
     d. Donohue, Mrs. W. F., St. Cloud, Minnesota
     e. Graham, Mr. John,  St. Cloud, Minnesota
f. Kennedy, Mrs. Charles, Sauk Center, Minnesota
7. Irish Pedigrees   O'Hart
8. Lands and Peoples, Thompson
9. Letter
    a. Donohue, Mr. George
    b. Donohue, Mrs. W. F.
12. St. Cloud Times Journal, November 2, 1932
13. Stearns County Bar Association Memorial,   December 17, 1932

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