Donleavey, Mrs. Mary M.

Mrs. Mary M. Donleavey was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, and entered public service as a heroic Civil War nurse, rendering medical aid at major battlefields such as Antietam and Harper’s Ferry. Following the war, she dedicated herself to child welfare, managing an orphanage in Bloomington, Illinois, for five years before moving west with her second husband, W. H. Donleavey. After his passing, she settled permanently in Fresno, where she pioneered the city’s first organized institutional care for displaced and impoverished youth.

In May 1893, Donleavey formally established Fresno’s inaugural orphans’ home, serving as its foundational matron and presenting her extensive experience directly to the town trustees. She single-handedly expanded the orphanage by purchasing a ten-acre tract on West Olive Avenue, where she constructed suitable housing to support her growing number of foster children. Alongside her charitable orphanage work, she was a pioneering agricultural developer on West Olive Avenue, successfully cultivating large tracts of grain and melons while raising her family.