Donaldsons of Cloghore, Ballyshannon, Donegal

Irish Flag

John Donaldson, 1777 - 01/11/1854,  farmer & miller at Cloghore Ballyshannon married Elizabeth Knox, about 1820. They were my great great grandparents

In the House & Field Books used in preparation for the Griffith Valuation  - held at National Archives, Dublin - the Field Book for Cloghore showed on 17/04/1837 -  John  Donaldson had a house, offices, corn mill and kiln valued at £6.

Here are their known children:-

Robert (1825-1902) George (1830-1873) John (1832-1874)  Mary(May?) (1835 -)
Simon (1841-1907) William (1842-1922)

Robert, Simon & William emigrated to Queensland Australia - see Queensland page

George (1830-1873) married Anne McBrien (1836-1885) in 1858.George was a Farmer and Corn Mill & Kiln owner at Cloghore. They had 5 known children - all emigrated to Australia  - see Queensland pages for their descent.- see also Anne's Garden. George and Anne are both Buried in Teetunny Graveyard, Belleek. See picture of their grave in photo link below
Griffiths Kilbarron 1857 notes Donaldson George Cloghore  renting from William Johnston, a herds house, about 14 acres of land as well as a house, outbuildings, a corn-mill and a kiln.

John Cunningham, Belleek historian told me that the mill/s were probably on the southern bank beside Donaldsons since the river swings around to the right here and the force of the water is along the southern bank. The Pottery had to make a cutting from about a hundred yards above the factory to get a water channel to feed the Pottery wheel - it being on the northern bank of the river

An elderly  Belleek resident remembers Donaldson's mill - now demolished - home was a  long thatched house and was beside the Creamery.

There may have been a daughter called  Margaret? Certainly a Margaret Donaldson married John Ovens and a daughter Ellen born in Belleek in 1905 married Thomas Raymond  Edwards in Brisbane in 1927. Was she another daughter of George and Anne?
Ulster Covenant Signatures 1912

John Donaldson (1832-1874) married his cousin Hannah (1834-1916), daughter of Samuel Donaldson, in Kilteevogue Parish Church Co Donegal in 1857. Samuel came from Welchtown near Ballybofey. Samuel's wife was Hannah Campbell They married in 1826.

See Photo Gallery for pictures of Kilteevogue and Hannah's father.
Lowe's Directory 1880 shows Belleek as having Mrs Donaldson, general dealer
1901 Census shows that Hannah owned 3 houses in Cloghore apart from her own.

John & Hannah had 6 children:- 
Elizabeth born 1858   Alex William born 1859    Ellen 1861-99     
Catherine born 1864   Samuel  born 1866  Robert John  1867-1946

Alex William  married Elizabeth Catherine Crawford in Ballyshannon Methodist Church on 26/08/1896.
They had 9 children
John Victor Alexander,   Laura Kathleen,   Eleanor Beatrice,     Theresa,    Nora Crawford,   Olive May,   Samuel Crawford,   Robert Isaac William,   Robina Isabella Bertha  - all born between 1897 & 1910.

"Victor" born 1897 entered Provincial Bank He was manager at Coleraine in 1947 when his son was born. He later  moved to Bushmills Co Antrim, where he died in 1978. He was buried at Dunluce Parish Churchyard. His wife Dorothy Toussaint died in 1995 and was also buried at  Dunluce Parish Churchyard after a service in Agherton Parish Church. They had 3 children - 2 boys and a girl.

Samuel Crawford 1904-66, married Mary Elizabeth (Molly) Earls 1908-1997, from Carranbeg House, Carrenby Belleek, daughter of William John Earls, born 1874 at Gortnalee see large Earl website 
They had 3 children and are buried at Belleek.

Ballyshannon Voters List 1939/40 Samuel Crawford & Molly Donaldson with perhaps his brother Robert Isaac William born 1907

Ballyshannon Voters List 1939/40 Children of William and Ellen Knox Cloghore Ellen, Mary, David John & Richard

Robina Isabella Bertha married John Lennon in 1937 in Belfast - nothing more is known.

Ellen married David Knox on 20/03/1889 at Pettigo Methodist Church.
He was a commercial traveller in Derry & Belleek.

A James Knox was a witness at the marriage of Hannah & John above

Lowe's Directory 1880 shows Belleek as having
W. Knox, postmaster, telegraph office and general dealer

Catherine lived with her brother in Cloghore - she had a facial disfigurement from the disease lupus.
She helped out in her brother's shop Ulster Covenant Signatures 1912

Samuel born 1866 bought a farm at Belleek - was not married

Robert John - my grandfather - married Louisa Kathleen Hood (1877-1952) from Pubble Newtonstewart, Co Tyrone on 16/07/1903 in Newtonstewart Presbyterian Church.  Ulster Covenant Signatures 1912
Before her marriage she was assistant manageress in the Temperance Hotel & Restaurant in Newtonstewart.
He had a grocery/drapery business & farm at Cloghore.
He died 11/12/1946 - he had not made a will.

They had 8 children:-

Violet Anna Louisa (1904-1987)  Edith(1906-1988)
Wesley John Wilfred - known as Jack (1909-1995) (my father)     Bertram(1911-1915) 
Basil Ivan Samuel(1913-2001)  Theo(1915-1924)  William Edgar(1917-1995)  Vera Kathleen(1919-1993)

Violet married Freddie McCrea from Pettigo. They had a business in Irvinestown and had 2 daughters.
After Freddie's death in 1937, Violet moved to Armagh, near her brother & family & later married William Stewart. She was a gifted singer and was often asked to be guest singer at Church events.Bill died in 1965 and Violet died in 1987

Edith married in 1927 George Davis from Portadown Co Armagh. She met him there whilst apprenticed to a grocer and staying with her aunt of the Gracey family..
They emigrated to Canada on the Doric II to Quebec - ship was built in 1923, the only completely turbine driven ship built for the White Star Line. They arrived on 10th September 1927. They settled in Toronto and had 7 children:-
5 possibly still living, 2 others were Victor (1933-56) - died of Leukaemia   & Robert Malcolm (1932-1957) - killed in a road accident. George retired to Florida. Edith died in 1988

Jack (my father) joined the Provincial Bank in1929 & married Elizabeth Caldwell Smith, known as Lily, born 1908  - on 29/03/1937. They had 2 children. Jack loved Rugby, Gardening & Male Voice Choirs. Lily loved all sports especially Golf	Cappagh Masonic Lodge membership 1930-32
	Jack's & Lily's grave in Mid Calder graveyard. He died in 1995 and she died on 05/05/2006 aged 98

Basil entered the Ulster Bank and married living Brown in 1941. He lived in Dublin.
They had 2 sons. Basil was a very keen golfer. Basil died in 2001

Theo died, aged 9, in 1924, after contacting meningitis

Edgar married Joy Adair from Armagh city. He took over the family business at Cloghore. Edgar died in 1995 and Joy in 2005
They had 5 children, including twins who died just after they were born.

Vera married George Mansell and lived in Inverness. They had one daughter. Vera was a keen golfer and was ladies captain of Inverness golf club 1972 and 1973. Vera died in 1993 and George died in 2003.

Photo Gallery			Family of RJ and Louisa Donaldson Cloghore Ballyshannon

Cloghore and other Kilbarron 1863 Griffiths Valuations

Cloghore and other Kilbarron 1901 census items

Cloghore and other Kilbarron 1911 census items

If after surfing the net the bottom Index Bar for this website is missing - take a note of this page - then delete the bit after "forward slash" in the address bar of your browser - this will get the Index Bar back