Born to Irish violinist Timothy Donnellan and his wife Emily in July, 1845, Thruston " Thuse" Donnellan became one of the most popular local entertainers and artisans of Houston in the latter part of the 19th century.

Thuse's father came to Houston from New Orleans in 1838 and soon established himself in the city. Tim Donnellan served as the alderman from the First Ward in 1842 and 1843 and he owned several tracts of land in town. But, the family was best known for two reasons. When Timothy Donnellan died in 1849, he was buried in a grave vault on the bank of Buffalo Bayou at the foot of Franklin Avenue. The vault is empty now, but it still exists below the bridge (see http://www.hal-pc.org/~lfa/BB38.html ). The second reason for the notoriety of the Donnellan family was the horrific death of son Henry in 1867. Henry and his business partner A. C. Richer were dismembered by the unexpected explosion of a discarded Civil War bomb that they had recovered from Buffalo Bayou. Henry was buried in the vault with his father.

Thuse showed his artistic talent early and he began painting about age eighteen. He later studied art in New Orleans and Chicago. Although a teenager, he enlisted in the 2nd Texas Infantry during the Civil War and served as the snare drummer for the regiment. Because of his age, Thuse Donnellan was not permitted to remain with the 2nd Texas Infantry when it crossed the Mississippi River for action. He was reassigned to duty in Texas.

By 1870, Thuse began an association with the Perkins Theater, owned by James H. Perkins. Located on the northwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Main Street, the Perkins Theater was a popular entertainment hall during the 1860's and 1870's. In February, 1870, Thuse Donnellan painted the scenery for the play "Tom Vapid" by Capt. Charles Beckley. Later, in April, Thuse was the headliner in a show  at the theater which included the popular tune "Shoo Fly" which Donnellan performed with the "cow bells".  A concert by Thuse in June, 1872 received rave reviews in the local paper.

 Although he was an accomplished musician and somewhat of a local celebrity, Thuse Donnellan also was a sculptor and portrait artist. He is most renown for his portraits of Sam Houston.

Needless to say, popular entertainment and musical concerts today are somewhat different than those of the 1870's. However, it is interesting to note that the popular song performed by Donnellan, "Shoo Fly" remains today as a popular children's song. Just check it out on Google. The lyrics are provided below, and if you would like to hear this "Top 40" tune from early Houston, hear it here:  Shoo Fly

( Music courtesy of Diversi-Tune http://www.divtune.com/ )