All genealogists know that the potential for finding unpleasant things in their
family tree is there. These are the secrets that don’t get passed down, like
bigamy, illegitimate children, suicides, etc. No one really expects to discover
that an ancestor was involved in something horrifying and historically
condemned.
But that’s just what happened to Warren Read of Kingston, Wash., when he was
researching his family tree. His mother’s beloved grandfather, his great-grandfather, Louis Dondino,
was one of three men arrested in Duluth for causing a riot during the 1920
lynching of three African American circus workers accused of raping a white
girl.1 No one was ever charged with the actual lynching, and after
being examined by a family physician, the alleged victim showed no physical
evidence of rape or assault.2
“Thirty-eight years old, Dondino was employed in
Duluth as a truck driver. Hours before the lynchings he drove his truck through
downtown Duluth, gathering men to join the mob. Witnesses also placed Dondino
among the crowd of rioters.
The crime of
riot held a maximum sentence of five years. Dondino was paroled from prison in
March 1922 and discharged a year later. He served about a year in Minnesota
State Prison, Stillwater.”2
Read’s family, including his mother, had known nothing about her grandfather’s involvement
in this tragic event. And yet, according to Read, “It
explained some of the bitterness between my grandfather and great-grandfather that
my mother never understood.”1
While many family history researchers would want to
keep a story like this to themselves, Read instead chose to write a book, “The
Lyncher in Me.” In it, he “explores the perspectives of both the victims
and the perpetrators of this heinous crime. [Read] investigates the impact the
denial and anger that the long-held secrets had on his family. Through this
examination of the generations affected by one horrific night, he discovers we
must each take responsibility for ’our deep-seated fears that lead us to
emotional, social, or physical violence.’"3
The three Duluth lynch-victims, laborers for John Robinson Circus, are buried
in Park Hill Cemetery in Duluth:
Elmer Jackson
Elias Clayton
Isaac McGhie
Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released
into the public domain July 31, 2013,
as long as acknowledgement included.
Two mob-related lynchings happened in Duluth within a couple years of each
other, and all four victims are buried in the same Duluth cemetery. Families of those mob-participants may or may
not be aware of their ancestors’ association with the event.
Don’t let the fear of discovering that an ancestor was involved in something
terrible stop you from researching your family history. Based on Read’s
experience, finding out about your family history can explain a great deal
about your family dynamics today and help promote healing.
On Aug. 15, the story of the lynching of Olli Kinkkonen.
LLet me help you find out what parts of Minnesota
history your family played a role in.
Discover
your roots and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com
For more information on my
Family History Research services, visit TheMemoryQuilt.com and click on Family History Research in the left-hand
column.
1http://www.d.umn.edu/writ/jour/lakevoice/?p=5556
2http://collections.mnhs.org/duluthlynchings/people.htm
3http://www.warren-read.com/
