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Donaldson FamilyTreeMaker Website: As a family, we Donaldsons have learned a great deal about our roots in the past few years. This site is an attempt to record what we've learned about our family history. In these days, families tend to be scattered all over the country, if not the world, but we have found that many of our branch of the Donaldson family remain in the Charlotte, NC area.
There are exceptions, and many new members constantly coming into the family through marriages and births. So, one of the goals of this web site is to help our family stay connected, even though we may live far apart. Our Donaldson family came to America about 250 years ago. James Donaldson acquired land in northern Virginia, before 1755. His descendants continued to work that land until 1972. But, between 1825 and 1830, one of his descendants, Lewis Donaldson, died (Or perhaps, he went west seeking his fortune, as many men did in those days!). His wife, Sarah, left the farm with several children and established herself in Alexandria, VA.
At some point (probably, about 1868), Lewis' son, John W. Donaldson, left the Fairfax, VA area with at least one of his sons, Walter Benjamin, and moved to the Anderson-Greenville area of South Carolina. There they established themselves as workers in the budding textile industry.
About 1890, after many moves throughout the post-Civil War South, Walter Benjamin took his large family (at that time about 8-10 children) and moved (probably with the Dilworth family, and others) from Pendleton, SC to Charlotte, NC. There the family became involved, again, in the textile and mattress making industries.
The family has grown in numbers over the 110 years, since they arrived in Charlotte, and many remain in the area to this day.
THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION!! This is a work in progress, so please contact me if you have any information that might help round out the picture. |
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Acknowledgments: I am researching the names Donaldson, Moore, Martin, Powers, and Sasser families in the South-eastern U.S., especially the Charlotte, NC area. Most of the work has been done back to @1800. I would appreciate any help with connections to England, Scotland or Ireland, etc. I have not been able to confirm any linkage to European migration.
Some research was done by my father, Walter T. Donaldson ("Pedo" to his friends and family), before his untimely death in August 1989. His devotion to this work and to his whole family serves as the impetus for my work.
A great deal of credit, also, must go to Mrs. Mary Lois Moore Yandle and Mrs. Nancy Jane Moore Austin, who through their book entitled "The Moores of Anson and Union Counties North Carolina 1750-1988," provided an invaluable service in my quest.
Thank you, ladies, for your help!
Walter T. Donaldson, Jr. May God Bless You and Yours!! |
