Jessee Donaldson (1846 - 1913)

Born Mar 1846 in Hazel Green, Alabama, United States

Husband of Anna Elizabeth (Smalley) Donaldson — married Aug 1875 in Trenton, Dade, Georgia, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Nov 1913 at age 67 in Roslyn, Kittitas, Washington, United States

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Biography

Jessee Donaldson is a part of US Black heritage.

Jessee Donaldson was born in Appalachia, in Alabama. See Appalachia Project.

This profile is part of the Mount Olivet Cemetery, Roslyn, Washington One Place Study.

In early life, Jesse was an escaped slave who went on to fight in the Civil War. He relocated w/wife and children to work in the coal mines of Roslyn, Washington.

Jessee Donaldson was born in 1846 in Hazel Green, Alabama, United States, son of Levi Donaldson (owner) and Sarah (a slave).

Jessee married Anna Elizabeth Smalley, Aug 1875 in Trenton, Georgia. Their children were:

• Hattie (Donaldson) Heath
• General Jackson Donaldson
• Samuel Donaldson
• Thad W Donaldson
• Mary (Donaldsen) Coleman
• Lizzie (Donaldson) Bridgewater
• George Wallace Donaldson Sr
• William H Donaldson
• Rusia Donaldson

Pvt Jessee Donaldson served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 24 Feb 1864
Mustered out: 7 Apr 1866
Side: USA
Regiment(s): Co I, 15th US Colored Infantry

An escaped slave, Jesse enlisted in the Civil War at the age of 18, as a Private, with the 15th US Inf in Alabama. family bio at FG

Jessie was in a military record on 24 February 1864. They were in the 15th U.S. Colored Infantry.^[1][2] He was also in a pension record in 1907-1933 in United States.^[3]

Jesse died on 19 November 1913 in Roslyn, Kittitas County, Washington aged ~67. He is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Roslyn, Kittitas County, Washington.^[4][5][6][7]

A 2012 article in the Seattle Times, mentions Roslyn cemeteries containing old and notable graves, such as that of Jesse Donaldson, one of many miners buried in the Roslyn cemetery.

The Donaldsons Stand Among Roslyn's Black Pioneers

• Part 1
  • Part 2
    • Part 3
      • Part 4
        • Part 5

Jessee Donaldson Portrayal

Living History Portrayal of Jessee Donaldson. Script written by family members Al "Butch" Smith & Ryan Donaldson. Reading by Raymond Donaldson, Jessee's great great grandson.

Donaldson Odyssey Presentation 10.18.2021

Ryan Anthony Donaldson, Archivist, presented "The Donaldson Odyssey Extended: Tracing A Family Genealogy From the Deep South to the Pacific Northwest" at the Roslyn Ronald Cle Elum Heritage Club's October meeting. This is his entire presentation with additional slide and information added.

Census Records

Sources

1. ↑ Military: "U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865"
   The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Military Service Secords of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States Colored Troops, Infantry Organizations; Microfilm Serial: M1822; Microfilm Roll: 21
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1107 #74167 (accessed 15 November 2022)
   Name: Jessie Donaldson [Jesse Donaldson]; Age: 18; Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846; Birth Location: Alabama; Enlistment Date: 24 Feb 1864; Military Date: 24 Feb 1864; Unit: 15th U.S. Colored Infantry; Branch of Service: Infantry; Enclosures: 17.
2. ↑ Military: "U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934"
   The National Archives At Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; NAI Title: U.s., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; NAI Number: T288; Record Group Title: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773-2007; Record Group Number: 15; Series Title: U.s., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934; Series Number: T288; Roll: 125
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 4654 #1025951 (accessed 15 November 2022)
   Name: Jesse Donaldson; Unit: I 15 Us C Inf; Filing Date: 5 Jul 1889; Filing Place: Tennessee, USA; Relation to Head: Soldier.
3. ↑ Pension: "United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933"
   citing NARA microfilm publication M850 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,634,641.
   FamilySearch Record: K6HL-K9N (accessed 15 November 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: 939K-FQ3J-BM
   Name: Jesse Donaldson; Pension Date: 1907-1933; Pension Place: United States; Death Date: 19 Nov 1913; Event Type: Pension; Pub Unit: 1.
4. ↑ Military: "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940"
   citing Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985), various roll numbers.
   FamilySearch Record: QP8J-BZFV (accessed 17 November 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS1N-W4GR-V Image number 06504
   Name: Jesse Donaldson; Military Service Date: 7 Apr 1866; Military Service Place: Roslyn, Kittitas, Washington, United States; Birth Date: Mar 1846; Death Date: 18 Nov 1913; Residence Place: Roslyn, Washington.
5. ↑ Military: "U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940"
   United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2019
   Ancestry Record 61861 #1965218 (accessed 15 November 2022)
   Name: Jesse Donaldson; Record Type: Military Service; Birth Date: Mar 1846; Military Date: 7 Apr 1866; Residence Place: Roslyn, Washington; Death Date: 18 Nov 1913.
6. ↑ Death: "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960"
   citing Roslyn, Kittitas, Washington, reference 169, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 1,992,079.
   FamilySearch Record: N3LZ-M6F (accessed 15 November 2022)
   Jesse Donaldson death 19 Nov 1913 in Roslyn, Kittitas, Washington.
7. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #42967842 (accessed 15 November 2022)
   Memorial page for Jessee Donaldson (Mar 1846-Nov 1913), citing Mount Olivet Cemetery, Roslyn, Kittitas County, Washington, USA; Maintained by Earl Munday (contributor 46874433).
8. ↑ 1870 Census: "1870 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 1 Range 4, Limestone, Alabama; Roll: M593_24; Page: 45A
   Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
   Ancestry Record 7163 #13249708 (subscription required)
   Jesse Donaldson (23), Farmer, in Township 1 Range 4, Limestone, Alabama. Born in Alabama.
9. ↑ 1880 Census: "United States Census, 1880"
   citing Volume: 1; Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T9; Affiliate Line Number: 00039; Digital film/folder number: 005162503; FHL microfilm: 1255269; Image number: 97; Sheet number: 248; Sheet letter: A; Packet letter: A
   FamilySearch Record: MD7R-D3D
   FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GYBL-9X5F
   Jesse Donaldson (31), married, Digging Coal, head of household in District 13, Grainger, Tennessee, United States. Born in Alabama, United States.
10. ↑ 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
    citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 68; Digital film/folder number: 004118875; FHL microfilm: 1241746; Image number: 298; Sheet number: 10; Sheet letter: B; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N00776-9
    FamilySearch Record: MMPV-11V
    FamilySearch Image: S3HT-DTX3-KQH
    Jes*e Donaldson (54), married head of household in Roslyn, Kittitas, Washington, United States. Born in Alabama.
11. ↑ 1910 Census: "United States Census, 1910"
    citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T624; Digital film/folder number: 005157549; FHL microfilm: 1375676; Image number: 97; Sheet number: 15; Sheet letter: A; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N03637-5
    FamilySearch Record: MGJJ-N22
    FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GYBH-F91
    Jesse Donaldson (63), widowed head of household in Roslyn Ward 1, Kittitas, Washington, United States. Born in Alabama.

• 1904 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
  Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #797715785 (accessed 15 November 2022)
  Name: Jesse Donaldson; Residence Year: 1904; Residence Place: Ellensburg, Washington, USA; Occupation: Miner; Publication Title: Ellensburg, Washington, City Directory, 1904.
• 1911 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
  Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #974674940 (accessed 15 November 2022)
  Name: Jesse Donaldson; Residence Year: 1911; Street Address: 100 Roslyn; Residence Place: Ellensburg, Washington, USA; Publication Title: Ellensburg, Washington, City Directory, 1911.

See also:

• FamilySearch Person: LH6Y-5SF
• US Civil War Veterans in Washington State
• Civil War Veterans Buried in Washington State
• Mount Olivet Cemetery, Roslyn, Washington - known burials category
• MT. OLIVET (AFRICAN AMERICAN) Roslyn, Washington
• WESTERN MINING HISTORY • Roslyn, Washington

S05 E35: The United States Colored Troops (USCT) of the Pacific Northwest with Cynthia Wilson

After the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, African Americans continued to feel the same pain of slavery through the Jim Crow era. To some, sharecropping was just another form of slavery with very little wages and little to no help provided after the Civil War ended. The one saving grace was the ability to move somewhere else that may not have been as bad as it was where they were living. This is what some of the men of the United States Colored Troop did. But where did they go? Join us as we talk with Cynthia Wilson as she discusses her discovery of men who were formerly soldiers of the United States Colored Troops who relocated to Washington State.

South by Northwest. Vol. 5: The Roslyn Migration

Volume 5 of South by Northwest tells the story of Jim Shepperson, who was hired to bring black coal workers to Roslyn, Washington in 1888 as part of an effort to break a strike by white coal workers over unsafe conditions, and looks at the black workers' subsequent difficulties and integration into the community.