Nell Donnelly (Reed) was a famous Kansas City resident and business owner who was taken for ransom during the Great Depression. Nell was a badass business woman, but she had a few scandalous secrets that came to light following her kidnapping.
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Suggested Episodes:
Ep20 – Prostitution in the Wild West
Ep16 – History of Damsels in Distress
Sources:
* Blodgett, Betsy. “Nelly Don: Self Made in America.” Seamwork, Colette Media, LLC, 2021,
http://www.seamwork.com/magazine/2015/12/nelly-don-self-made-in-america.
* Harper, Kimberly. “Nell Donnelly Reed (1889-1991).” Nell Donnelly Reed, The State Historical Society of Missouri, 2021,
historicmissourians.shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/r/reed/.
* Hulston, Nancy J. “Biography of James Alexander Reed (1861-1944), Attorney and Politician.” KC History, The Kansas City Public Library, 1999,
kchistory.org/islandora/object/kchistory%253A115452.
* Magerl, Barbara. “Biography of Nell Donnelly Reed (1889-1991), Dress Manufacturer.” KC History, The Kansas City Public Library, 1999,
kchistory.org/islandora/object/kchistory%253A115262.
* “Missouri Life.” The University of Missouri – St. Louis, St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, 2021,
http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/events-and-exhibitions/online-exhibits/missouri-splendor/Missouri_Life.pdf.
* “Nell Donnelly Marries James A. Reed.” The Pendergast Years, The Kansas City Public Library, 13 Dec. 1933,
pendergastkc.org/timeline/nell-donnelly-marries-james-reed.
* Rhiannon. “The ‘Business Model’ of Depression Era Kidnappings.” Medium, Internet Archaeology, 5 Jan. 2021,
medium.com/internet-archaeology/the-business-model-of-depression-era-kidnappings-ba21f81531ef.
* Roe, Jason. “Strange Bedfellows.” KC History, The Kansas City Public Library, 2013,
kchistory.org/week-kansas-city-history/strange-bedfellows.
* Stillwell, Ted W. “Portraits of the Past: The Nelly Don Kidnapping Sensation.” The Leavenworth Times, USA Today Network, 31 July 2014,
http://www.leavenworthtimes.com/article/20140731/news/140739835.
* Wilson, Tracy V, and Holly Frey. “Nell Donnelly Reed.” Podgist, Podgist, 21 Dec. 2020,
http://www.podgist.com/stuff-you-missed-in-history-class/nell-donnelly-reed/index.html.