John Walter Donaldson (1824 - 1906)

Born 1824 in Georgetown, District of Columbia, United States

Husband of Margaret Ann (Mills) Donaldson — married 11 Jul 1847 in District of Columbia

Descendants

Died 27 Apr 1906 at about age 82 in Sandy Springs, Anderson, South Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Tommy Donaldson [send private message]

Biography

John was born in 1824. John Donaldson ... He passed away in 1906

Sources

United States Census, 1850 Name John W Donaldson Event Type Census Event Year 1850 Event Place Fairfax county, Fairfax, Virginia, United States Gender Male Age 26 Race White Birth Year (Estimated) 1824 Birthplace District Of Columbia House Number 578

Household

John W Donaldson M 26 District Of Columbia Margaret A Donaldson F 18 Virginia Walter B Donaldson M 1 Virginia William P Donaldson M 0 Virginia

Citing this Record "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M881-Z1J : 12 April 2016), John W Donaldson, Fairfax county, Fairfax, Virginia, United States; citing family 578, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

Research notes

appears to have been involved in farming in the Alexandria, VA area (in 1850), and appears in the Anderson County, SC area (between 1868-1870), working in the textile industry. One knowledgeable authority has mentioned the possibility that the "W" stood for Wesley, but this cannot be substantiated at the present time. There may be some confusion with a James Wesley Donaldson.

Apparently, John W. moved (with Walter Benjamin) to the Greenville County, SC area sometime between 1850 and 1868. It is not known what happened to Margaret Mills Donaldson, though there is every reason to believe that she continued to live in the Alexandria area, after 1860. Her name continues to appear in the DC city directory until about 1868, when she seems to have disappeared from history. [WRONG - This is Margaret Ann Ager who married John T Donaldson detective]

Did John W. recognize the opportunity for work and employment in the South, during southern reconstruction? Did Margaret pass away, and if so, did John (and sons) leave Washington, DC after the death of Margaret, in 1868? This latter scenario would relieve several major issues!

There is also the slight possibility (which would require a great deal more investigation to support) that Lewis Donaldson may have migrated to this area, and settled @1830. There is a one time occurrence of a Lewis Donaldson (a black man living in the Abbeville, SC area) in the 1870 census.

This is speculation, of course, but this Lewis Donaldson was possibly; a freed black slave, who might have assumed the name of his "owner" upon receiving his freedom. For those who argue that this is "just a coincidence" it would be a greater coincidence for a "freed slave" (or a freeman from Maine) to choose this name "out of the blue!"; At that time in history, Abbeville was a "bastion" of the Confederacy (and of southern traditions and ideals). Even with Union occupation troops, there was still pressure to maintain those traditions and ideals. The possible presence of Lewis Donaldson would, at least, explain the reason for John W.'s visit to this particular area.

This scenario seems very remote, when taken at face value; but the situation is further complicated by other coincidences; involving the Donaldson family in the Abbeville-Anderson, SC area (i.e. Luther Donaldson remained in the Abbeville-Whitmire area long after the rest of the family migrated to the Charlotte area; while Luther's son, Oscar, lived in Texas for a long period of time, but eventually settled in the Whitmire area, where he, and Luther, are buried.)...

Arriving and establishing himself in the Greenville area, John W. seems to have been hesitant to acknowledge that he was originally from the DC area, of Virginia. In the 1880 census, John W. lists his state of birth as SC (his parents from VA). To this date, I have not been able to establish any John W. Donaldson in SC in the 1850, 1860 or 1870 census (though I have gone through the Greenville County census, page by page, several times). It is highly improbable that John W. could have been born in SC, and lived his life there, without appearing in at least one of these census counts.

John W., apparently, avoided the census completely, then lied about his state of birth, when he found that he could no longer avoid being counted! This is understandable considering the political and social climate of this part of the South, during this period. If a local resident were aware of his original home, John W. would probably be labeled a "carpet bagger" regardless of whether he had moved to the area before, during, or after the Civil War.

In this context, it is easy to understand why John W. would avoid being counted in the 1860 (and the 1870) census. If John W. arrived in the SC area in 1860, he might have avoided the census taker (as did many southern sympathizers), because the census taker was an agent of the federal government, in Washington. John W. died and was buried near Pendleton, the home of John C. Calhoun. John C. Calhoun was a famous advocate of states rights; as opposed to the strong federal position. There was a genuine hatred in this area for anyone associated with the federal government (Washington, DC). For many years after the War, Southern sympathizers refused to cooperate with any representative of the federal government, so it is understandable that John W. might not appear in the 1870 census.

However, in October of 1870, John W. Donaldson married Licenia Gentry, in Anderson County. This event seems to have smoked him out; Being the head of a household, again, and regaining some measure of respectability in the community, prevented John W. from hiding any longer.

It has taken a great deal of study, on my part, but I feel strongly that I have established that Ms. Licenia Gentry was, in fact, the former Licenia Howard (oldest daughter of John and Jemima Howard-1850 census of Anderson County, SC). Licenia Howard Gentry would then be the older sister of Betrhiar Frances Howard, the wife of Walter Benjamin Donaldson. If true, this further cements the fact that John W. Donaldson was the very same person who was married to Margaret Ann Mills, in the District of Columbia. This is further proof that John W. was not in fact born in South Carolina, but in the Fairfax area of Virginia/DC.

Marriage 2 Licenia HOWARD b: 1838 in South Carolina (?) Children Samuel GENTRY b: 1854 Sara J. GENTRY b: 1857 Mary E. GENTRY b: 1862 Esbert DONALDSON b: 1878

Find A Grave: Birth: Feb., 1824Death: Apr. 27, 1906 He was born in FEB1824 in Georgetown D.C. He was married to Margaret Ann Mills b.1832 d.AFT1868 and they had six children: Walter Benjamin Donaldson b.1848 d.1907 (Buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Charlotte NC), John W. Donaldson b. 1850 d.?, Columbus Franklin "Babe"; Donaldson b. 1852 d.? (Greenville SC), Mary Ellen Donaldson b. 1857 d.?, Robert Henry Donaldson b.1859 d.1944 (Buried in Laurens Cemetery, Laurens SC), and Thomas C. Donaldson b.1861 d.1856 (Buried in Andrew Chapel UMC Brooke VA).

John W. Donaldson fought for the Union in G Company, 51st N.Y. Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which belonged to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac. He was wounded at Spotsylvania Court House on 18MAY1864, and captured during the Siege of Petersburg on 30SEP1864 at Peeble's Farm and released from Richmond on 25MAY1865.

John W. Donaldson remarried on 09OCT1870 to Licena J. Howard (Gentry her first husband James Gentry was killed in the Civil War fighting for the Confederacy).