The Donaldsons,  Glenfinn & Welchtown, Co Donegal

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The earliest records with direct links to my family are found in the Spinning Wheel Entitlements lists 1796 - William and John Donaldson were in Donaghmore parish, Donegal. They had a brother (1st name unknown) and a sister Mary.

1 William (Bef 1750 - Aft 1796) married Eleanor Campbell (born 1755) in 1806. Nothing more is known of them.

2 John had 2 known children - John and Margaret. They both went to USA.

John jnr had 2 sons Thomas and Henry.
Thomas married Susan - she died 1899 somewhere in USA.
Henry had 2 daughters - 1 who died on 0/12/1895  

Margaret - known from correspondence to be 1st cousin to my 2nd great grandparents John and Samuel below - was born in 1787

Margaret 1787 -1876 married Robert Blackburn 1789 -1869 from Kiltyfergal Kilteevoge parish

They had 6 children:-

a) John 1818 -1902      b) Margaretta 1827 - 1900      c)  Isabella 1833 - 1884
d) Mary Ann 1838 - 1884       e)  Esther 1838 -1887 and       f)  William

 b) Margaretta married William C McBay (1826-1901) on 25/01/1853. They emigrated to  Lansing, Iowa - they had no children. William was a builder and a grocer and a trustee of First Presbyterian Church, of Lansing 

c) Isabella married Edward T Whyte 1820 -1893 on 22/07/1856. They lived in St Louis Missouri

d) Mary Ann emigrated to USA and remained single

e) Esther married a Mr Morrow

b) Margaretta McBay (above) wrote many letters from Iowa to her family - she mentioned the Donaldson cousins in Donegal.

3 Mary b 1784 married John Crawford b 1780 in 1805. Nothing more is known of them.

4 Another brother - name unknown - was my 3rd great grandfather. He had 2 sons - John and Samuel

son Samuel Donaldson was born 1792 in Glenfinn Co Donegal - my ancestor. Samuel 1793 - 1865 married Hannah Campbell, born 1791. She died in 1875. Her father was Thomas Campbell born 1758 who died on 29 Oct 1853 at Ballynatone Welchtown.

Samuel Donaldson was renting from William H M Style during the Griffiths Evaluation in 1836 - house, outbuildings and 53 acres of land

Slaters Directory 1857 Ballybofey  - he is listed as a manure and seed dealer living in Glenafton House  at Welchtown on R252 towards Cloghan                                               

   Glenafton House

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Samuel and Hannah Campbell had 6 known children:-

Isabella born 05 Feb 1829 married her cousin Robert Donaldson from Cloghore Kilbarron near Belleek in 1847   Witnesses were George Donaldson - his brother and William Campbell her uncle

They lived at The Leggs townland Castle Caldwell Co Fermanagh 6 miles from Belleek on the road to Pettigo and Kesh. It once had a Post Office and an old road runs parallel to the present Main road and
his house may have been on this

(Information kindly provided by John Cunningham of Erne Heritage Tours)

Their first 2 children John and George were born there in 1848 and 1850.
They emigrated to Australia in 1853.

Catherine born 22 Jun 1830 married Robert McClelland on 24/09/1857 at Kilteevogue Parish Church He was a police sergeant, son of Robert McClelland, a farmer from Dungannon (Armagh Diocese) - writing on the record could have been Drumflugh? townland in Clonfeacle parish. They had 2 children born 1858 and 1859 On 5 December 1859 he was shot dead by one of his constables in revenge for reporting him - aged 35

	Guilty verdict for Holden - July 1860
Article in The Times about the murder of Sgt McClelland

Later in 1868 Catherine married Rev William McMullin (1836-1904) - They had 2 children who were involved in the train disaster in Armagh in 1889  A son William Robert born 13 Feb 1869, died in the accident and a daughter Anna Maria  born 01 November 1870 lost both arms. She married Wesley Daly from Newton Butler Co Fermanagh on  12 Jul 1904 at Rathgar Methodist Church, Dublin

Anna Maria was born in Springfield Fermanagh - married Wesley Daly 12 Jul 1904 in Rathgar Methodist Church - he was born in Newtown Butler, Fermanagh on 07 Oct 1869 and was a teacher at Central Schools Drogheda..

GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY OF IRELAND TRAIN DISASTER 1889

Samuel born 07 Nov 1831,  married twice. His first wife was Mary Anne Knox born 1834 from Cloghore near Belleek - they married in 1861 and his seco nd wife was Fanny Hall whom he married in 1869 -
see descent for Samuel further down this page.

Hannah born 22 Jan 1834 also married her cousin John Donaldson from Cloghore Kilbarron near Belleek on 06 Jan 1857. Witnesses were Samuel, her brother and James Knox, his mother's family.  - 2 brothers married 2 sisters - see Robert and Isabella above and also Donaldsons of Cloghore

A fifth daughter went to Australia

Samuel 1831-1900 married his 1st wife  Mary Anne Knox 1834 -1864 from Cloghore, in 1861.- daughter of William Knox 1800-1890

Samuel Donaldson died in 1900. His will is filed at PRONI. He left substantial assets and shares in both Donegal Railways and Brewsters Ltd - a subsidy of Eastern & South African Telegraph Co

  Samuel's will

Various references to Samuel can be found:-

St John's Church Kilteevogue - his generous contribution to the building of the church

From the wonderful Finn Valley website see the Herron family story - Samuel Donaldson was their landlord.

Samuel and Mary Anne had the following children:-

1. William Henry Hewitt 1862-1949    2. Tom Campbell 1863-1922

1. William JP & Farmer, married Florence Martha Bell 1877-1977 from Mullingar Co Westmeath in St Peter's Church Dublin in 1902. Ulster Covenant Signatures 1912

(They were married By Revs Arthur and Robert McQuade, uncles of the bride  Rev Arthur had married William's step sister Frances Frederica Ellen in 1894).

William was the County Registrar from at least 1890 and was still the Registrar in 1944. He was listed in Donegal Directory of 1904 as a Magistrate.



Click to enlarge

	Marriage of WHH and Florence Martha Bell of Mulllingar in 1902	Florence Bell Donaldson who lived to be nearly 100 years She died in Corlecky Welchtown	Death of Mrs Florence M Donaldson 1977
	Death of WHH Donaldson

William & Florence had 7 children:- Florence Marion 1903-20,  Arthur Samuel 1904-74, Georgina Margaret 1907-95, Emily Francis 1908-93, Norah Helen Ronaldine 1910-98,  William Francis 1912-21, Constance Louisa 1916-91

Family Pictures & Press Cuttings about WHH & Arthur, his son

Norah (1910-1998) maintained a  Family scrapbook, started in  1897 - until  1993. This included  items of other BDMs, locally and in other parts of Ireland and in England.	Norah
	Other Cuttings

2. Tom 1863-1922 was a doctor in Harlington Middlesex and married in 1895 Kathleen Emma Harrison, daughter of H A Harrison, JP of Dogshurst Hounslow, former Bengal Civil Servant - Gradation List 1869 - later a judge in India	The Donaldsons of Harlington Middlesex

(Fanny had a sister called Sarah Elizabeth who married Charles Joseph Boyce 1823-94 - see Halls above)

Samuel & Fanny had 3 children, the first two were born at Ardara, Glenties Donegal:-

1.Kathleen Harriet Mary 1871-73 - died very young as result of a fall.

2.Frances Frederica Helen 1873-1955 married Canon Arthur McQuade in 1894.
Witnesses were Geraldine Isabel Mary McCay and Edward O'Brien
Canon Arthur was the uncle of his wife's step-brother William's wife Florence and was the Incumbent of Kilteevogue Parish from 1888-1914. They moved to Drumragh Omagh. He died in 1929 and they are both buried at Lislimnaghan Graveyard Cappagh Parish near Omagh Co Tyrone. There was one daughter Frances who died aged 2 hours at Aughaveigh Rectory in 1897

Click to enlarge

Rev & Mrs McQuade

McQuades from Co Meath

3.Samuel 1877-1939 became a doctor and married Helen Maud Beresford 1883-1967 in Harlington Middlesex. He later became Chief Medical Officer in the Crown Mines Johannesburg. In 1930 he wrote about pneumonia in Mine Workers
In !901 Sam was a medical student boarding at 19 Fulham Rd London
	Beresford Family History & Photos