Mahala (McDannald) Linn (1813 - 1859)

Born 3 Apr 1813 in Nicholas County, Kentucky

Ancestors

Wife of Philip Edmond Linn Sr — married 19 May 1831 in Nicholas County, Kentucky

Descendants

Died 10 Apr 1859 at age 46 in Buckhorn, Brown County, Illinois

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Biography

Mahala (McDannald) Linn is the daughter of John McDannald and Margaret McMickell. John is found in both the 1810 and 1820 census of Nicholas County, Kentucky as John McDonald.^[1][2] In 1830, he appears in Nicholas County as John McDonnel, while the same page of that census includes a Peter McDannel, an Alexander McDannald, and a Mordecai McDonald.^[3] The family moved to Brown County, Illinois sometime before 1840 and are found there in that year's census with John's surname listed again as McDonald.^[4]

These census records illustrate the lack of consistency in the spelling of surnames that existed even into the 19th century. In fact, McDannald, McDannel, and McDaniel all are corruptions of the Scottish and Irish surname McDonald. In 1809, Mahala's father was written in a Nicholas County, Kentucky Marriage Book for 1800 to 1855 as John McDanold (yet another spelling) marrying Peggy McMickill on 23 February.^[5]

Unfortunately, while the gravestone for Mahala's brother John bears the spelling McDannald^[6], no gravestone has been found for either her father or her grandfather.

Unless and until birth or family Bible records are found, it is impossible to know which spelling was used for Mahala, or for any of her American forebears, at their respective births.

Mahala married Philip Edmund Linn in Nicholas County, Kentucky on 19 May 1831^[7] and bore him thirteen children before her death in 1859.^[8] She is buried in the Linn Cemetery in Buckhorn, Brown County, Illinois; and an image of her gravestone can be seen at her Findagrave memorial.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ 1810 Census, Nicholas Co., KY, p. 54
2. ↑ 1820 Census, Nicholas Co., KY, p. 105
3. ↑ 1830 Census, Nicholas Co., KY, p. 205
4. ↑ 1840 Census, Brown Co., IL, p. 172
5. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9S7-9PX?i=10&cc=1804888 : Nicholas Co., KY Marriage Book for 1800 to 1855, p. 4
6. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13771802 : Findagrave Mem # 13771802
7. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89S7-99LF?i=52&cc=1804888 : Nicholas Co., KY Marriage Book for 1800 to 1855, p. 45
8. ↑ https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12814-72282-5?cc=1401638 : 1850 Census, Tshp. 2.S.R.4.W., Brown Co., IL, pp. 153-4.
9. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9025363 : Findagrave Memorial #9025363

Acknowledgment

Thanks to Julie Telken for starting this profile.