The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 508
A portrait of John A. McDonell appears in this publication.

JOHN A. McDONELL.

John A. McDonell has been actively identified with horticultural interests in
the Selah valley for the past decade and now owns twenty-five acres of land
devoted to the growing of apples, pears, peaches and prunes. His birth occurred
in Glengarry county, Ontario, on the 14th of June, 1852, his parents being
Alexander and Annie (McRay) McDonell, who were also natives of Canada and are
now deceased By occupation the father was a farmer.

John A. McDonell attended the public schools in the acquirement of an education
and after his textbooks were put aside turned his attention to general
agricultural pursuits. The year 1888 witnessed his arrival in Washington but he
did not remain in the state at that time, removing to Idaho at the end of a
year's residence in Seattle. He was identified with mining interests in Idaho
for eighteen years and on the expiration of that period purchased twenty acres
of land in the Selah valley of Washington, where he took up his abode in 1908. A
decade later he purchased an additional tract of five acres, so that he now owns
twenty-five acres, all planted to apples, pears, peaches and prunes. His efforts
as a horticulturist have been attended with gratifying and well deserved success
and he has long been numbered among the representative fruit growers of his
section. He has remodeled his residence, making it a most attractive and
comfortable home.

On the 18th of July, 1878, Mr. McDonell was united in marriage to Miss
Henrietta McDonald, a native of Canada, by whom he has seven children, as
follows: Alexander, who is connected with mining interests in Idaho; Lawrence,
who is engaged in ranching in the Selah valley; Finley, a resident of the Squaw
Creek country; Frank, at home; Jane, the wife of William Rohr; Annie, who gave
her hand in marriage to Edward McNamamra; and Catherine, at home.

In politics Mr. McDonell is a stanch republican, supporting the men and
measures of that party at the polls. He is a devout communicant of St. Joseph's
Catholic church and also has membership relations with the Knights of Columbus
and the Woodmen of the World. His career has ever been straightforward, upright
and honorable, winning for him the esteem and high regard of all with whom
business or social relations have brought him in contact.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.