O'Donnell Homestead, located in the townland of Cleendra which is 4km north of Dungloe, County Donegal.

How the O'Donnells are connected to a famous Aborigine, Hitler and an American Film Actor

My grandfather, Hugh O’Donnell, was 1 of 10 children. One of his brothers, Jim O’Donnell married Ellen O’Donnell (an O’Donnell marries an O’Donnell). Jim and Ellen had 5 children. One of their sons, Jimo O’Donnell, married Katie Sullivan. Katie Sullivan was one of the 10 children of Vittorine Julia Robinson and Cornelius Sullivan. A brother of Jimo O’Donnell, Daniel O’Donnell, also married one of the Sullivan sisters, Coral Sullivan.

Cornelius Sullivan, father of the two Sullivan sisters who married into the O’Donnell family, was an Australian of Scottish-Irish descent and a “take all comers” boxer and gambler. Julia Robinson Sullivan’s mother was part Aboriginal and her grandmother was a full blooded Australian Aborigine. Julia was said to look “unmistakably aboriginal”.

The 10 Sullivan children were trained as circus performers under the stage name Colleano. From late 1918, “Colleano’s All Star Circus” toured Queensland by special train. With their “sable” features, the children endeared themselves as “The Royal Hawaiian Troupe” and performed in the center ring as tumblers, acrobats, jugglers and clowns. Two of the siblings, Con and Winnie, became a famous high wire act. In 1919 Con perfected the almost impossible feet-to-feet forward somersault on the tightwire. Winnie was a famous high trapeze performer and “catcher”, an unusual role for women at the time.

During hard times, the Colleanos joined other circuses. In the early 1920s the Colleanos joined the Tivoli Circuit. It was in the Tivoli Circuit that Con met his future wife, also named Winnie (Winifred Constance) Trevail. She was a vaudeville soubrette (front line dancer) who claimed descent from the Earls of Derby. Winnie helped Con to refine his act by teaching him how to dance on the wire. Before long, Con was the hit of the show, so the Colleanos and Winnie Trevail decided to try their luck overseas.

South Africa was their first port of call after leaving Australia. Here they had to be careful of the Colleano’s Aboriginal background because people of color were treated very poorly and their background was socially unacceptable. This may have explained some of the rationale behind Con developing a Spanish persona. He adopted a name that sounded good for the bills, good for the advertising, good for the public but at the same time, helped to obscure any taint of Aboriginal ancestry.

At Johannesburg, South Africa, in April 1924, Con adopted the Spanish costume that became his trademark. Soon after a successful American debut at the Hippodrome, New York, he joined Ringling Brothers. Entering the center ring, he made the traditional passes of a bullfighter; on mounting the wire, he gracefully performed tangos, jotas and fandangos; he concluded his 12 minute act with the dangerous forward somersault.

In July 1926 he married Winnie, who taught Con elements of style, dress and dancing and was eventually his compere (master of ceremonies at an entertainment). Billed as the “Wizard of the Wire”, Con remained Ringling Brothers principal star into the 1930s. Each winter he toured the vaudeville houses of Europe. The Spanish flavor of his act as well as his Latinate appearance and name, beguiled many into presuming that he was a Spaniard. During the summers he and other members of his family used his farm in Pennsylvania as a practice ground and holiday retreat.

Con Colleano performed before Hitler and he and Winnie were taken to meet him after the show. Hitler reportedly said that Con was his favorite act and could come back to Germany any time. He issued him a special Reichspass to allow Con to enter Germany any time he wished. Hitler would have been surprised to know that his favorite act was far from Aryan.

Con was born December 26, 1899, became a U.S. citizen in 1950 and died November 13, 1973 at his home in Miami, Florida. His last performance was in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1960. Con Colleano is included in the Circus Hall of Fame in Sarasota, Florida since 1966 and the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the first toe-to-toe forward somersault and his famous wire dancing. There is a play about his life called “Skipping on Stars”. The actor who plays Con Colleano is himself Aboriginal. A book, available on Amazon.com about his life is also available: “The Wizard of the Wire: The Story of Con Colleano” by Mark St. Lion.

Jimo O’Donnell and Katie Sullivan O’Donnell had 5 children: Jim, Julie, Winnie, Philip and Kitty. Kitty O’Donnell married John Stehlin. Kitty O’Donnell Stehlin is part of the second generation of Colleanos to join the famous circus act. Under the moniker “The Juggling Colleanos”, Kitty performed a juggling and tumbling act with her two brothers and two sisters. Besides traveling the United States with the Ringling Brothers Circus, the Juggling Colleanos were often seen on popular TV shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and Sid Caesar’s Hour.

Kitty Stehlin and John Stehlin had a son named Jack Stehlin. Continuing the family’s performance tradition, Jack Stehlin accidentally fell into acting after taking an acting class at the University of South Carolina, where he attended school to play baseball. He quit university and moved to New York where he graduated from the Julliard School.

Jack Stehlin has had roles in the following films/shows:

Weeds (current), Monk, Navy NCIS, Without a Trace, The Practice, JAG, Strong Medicine, Crossing Jordan, Purpose, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Get Real, ER, Judging Amy, NYPD Blue, Blackout Effect, General Hospital, The Client, L.A. Law and others.

This means that my father was a first cousin of Jimo O’Donnell and first cousin by marriage to Jimo’s wife, Katie Sullivan. This would have made my father a distant relative of Jack Stehlin, first cousin through marriage to Con Colleano and, fortunately, no relation to Hitler.

All the facts are straight and gleaned from research Aunt Pat O’Donnell Snyder did, notes I took on conversations and recollections from Libby and Hugh O’Donnell, a document on family ties put together by Father Tom O’Donnell and Con O’Donnell and 4 or 5 online sources. Added to the mix are my own dim recollections of Jimo’s visits and talks with Dad, summer time visits to Con Colleano’s farm and visits by Winnie, Kitty, Coral, and Katie to our house. I’m not sure I have the right designations about the cousins-in-law, am sure there is no relation to Hitler and doubt Jack Stehlin will invite the family to Hollywood, however, I hope you agree that it makes a good story.

Crossing to America in 1899

I like knowing about my family's history simply because they are family, clan, tribe, ancestors and, I like to think, good men and women worth knowing about. None, as far as I know, are famous or infamous. Rather they are noble, heroic and inspiring in the way that every day people can be. Based on a clue told to me by my Dad I searched the Ellis Island Foundation website and found a ship's manifest listing passengers Daniel and Fanny O'Donnell making a crossing from Liverpool, England to New York City on The White Star Line's ship "Teutonic" in October 1899. Read on to learn a bit more about them.

Daddy’s grandfather, Daniel, was born in Clindra, near Dunglow in Donegal, Ireland in 1847 to Daniel and Mary O’Donnell. Despite being financially relatively well-off and living in a two story stone house that they owned, life was hard scrabble and uncertain for the offspring of this union. Daniel, the oldest son and namesake, first left for America around 1873 at roughly 26 years of age. The first record of him available to us today is a record from Customs and Immigration at Ellis Island bearing his name on the ship’s manifest and documenting his arrival in New York harbor aboard the SS “Teutonic”. He sailed from Liverpool, England on October 19^th, 1899 with his wife, Fanny (Frances), and arrived in New York City on October 25^th. According to the Ellis Island records, both were 52 years of age. Daniel was further documented as follows: a skilled laborer, not a polygamist, able to read and write, had never been in prison, an almshouse or supported by charity, paid his own fare, was in sound mental and physical health, was in possession of more than $30.00, had no physical deformities, was an American citizen and apparently was returning home.

According to oral family history related by his grandson, my father (Hugh O’Donnell), Daniel arrived in America as an eager and strong young man. He was housed and fed by relatives who had immigrated earlier to Bayonne, New Jersey. There he found work as a laborer building roads alongside other Irish immigrants. Despite the legendary harsh treatment he and other Irish immigrants withstood, he became a proud American citizen. He was enamored of this country, the mix of people, and the wings-wide opportunities available to any man who was willing to work. He returned to Donegal to marry Frances (Fanny) Dugan, also from Clindra, whom he knew since childhood because their families were firm friends for generations. Together they came to Allentown, Pennsylvania where Daniel found work in the iron foundries that were the beginnings of the once great Bethlehem Steel.

His is the immigrant story of many millions who built this country with their backs. He was frugal, intelligent, hard working and shrewd, thus ending up with a row of houses on Liberty Street in Allentown. Daniel continued to work in the steel mills until he was too old to work and became blind.

As is the case for most immigrants who leave their homeland to find opportunity elsewhere and not to escape persecution, ties to home are strong and worthy of maintenance. Daniel and Fanny traveled back and forth to Ireland frequently and retained a life-long love for and loyalty to their native land.

In true Irish Roman Catholic fashion, Daniel and Fanny bore and raised 6 children. Nora, Frances (Fan), Patrick, Jack, Jim and the youngest and my grandfather, Hugh. Jim was born in Donegal while the family was there for a visit. Fanny was Great-Grandfather Dugan’s favorite daughter and, pregnant or not, when he wanted a visit, visit they all did. Also true to the immigrant pattern, these great-grandparents settled near other Irish, did business with other Irish, worked alongside other Irish, married other Irish, ate and drank with other Irish and fought with other Irish.

If you know more about them or others in the family, or have photos and memories, please be a contributor and post to the blog!

More Users

Thanks for the great feedback on progress to date. It keeps me motivated to continue! I think anyone can post when they are invited to do so. If you have email addresses of any of the cousins, send them to me (hvod@verizon.net). I will send them an invitation to let them know about the blog and invite them to sign on as users. I have a hand-drawn family tree from the Schwarz side which I will try to put into a document and post. Hilary

Hello to all

Hilary,
You've done a great job. I've enjoyed reading all the info. I have a lot of data from census, naturalization papers and such. If ever I get out of this hospital and rehab situation I'll try to add it all.
I also have a son, Andrew to add to your list. He is in the Air Force stationed in NM and is in close touch with Michael and Julie . That really pleases me.
Aunt Pat

You did a great job Hilary. Gosh I did not know some of those things about Dad. I bet Aunt Pat could add some to Dad's story. I know the Brewery that he worked at was Horlacher not Lager.
I do have some Schwarz history that I had gotten from Paulie Wildgen before Mom died. I will try to post some stories about Mom and my memories as a child especially about Nanny Schwarz and my days as a ballerina in Somerville, N. J. in Aunt MaryLou's ballet slippers when she was at school! For now I will gather my thoughts and then post soon.

Hilary - this is amazing!  What a great idea.  I interviewed Nanny on video a number of years ago.  I will translate it or see if I could somehow download the video to the blog.

Thanks for doing this.  Hope all is well.

Love,

Maureen