Thompson, Margaret

Also known as Maggie, Margaret Thompson was in love with William Donnelly. Her family, however, frowned upon the relationship and attempted to keep Margaret away from Will. In the 1870s, William and Margaret wrote back and forth in a series of letters that are preserved in the National Archives. In one letter Margaret asked William to take her “away by force” so that she could be with him. William, in love, followed her request and in 1874 attempted to abduct her from the home of her father, William Thompson. Will Donnelly and friends searched the Thompson household for Margaret. They also searched the homes of neighbour Ellen Fogarty and William Thompson Jr., but they did not find Margaret. The group was charged and the letters between Margaret and Will became public, but Will and the others were acquitted.