Thomas Donnell Sr

M, #392, b. circa 1712, d. 1795
FatherWilliam McDonnell b. 1681, d. Jan 1730
MotherMary (?)
     Thomas Donnell Sr was born circa 1712 in Delaware, USA. There is a possibility that it may have been Ireland.1 He married Jane Latham in 1743 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Thomas Donnell Sr died in 1795 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA. He was likely buried at the Buffalo Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA, but it is not confirmed.
     In 1737, Thomas Donnell Sr and Jane Latham moved to Pennsylvania. From a genealogy by Susan Murphy, undated, titled "Donnell Family": Thomas and his brother Robert are on the tax rolls for
"...West Nottingham Township, Chester, Pennsylvania from 1747 to 1751. Included on these lists are many families associated with the Donnells in North Carolina, such as Kerr, Denny, Nelson, Maybn (Mebane), and Rankin."2
From the source:
"In 1741 the neighborhood was visited by a minister named George Whitefield. Thousands of [parishioners] throughout the area heard his message, which was strongly influenced by the emotionalism of John Wesley. So powerful was his preaching that it aroused great dissension within the churches, many of them, including Nottingham, splitting into two separate congregations, referred to as the "Old Side" (conservatives) and the "New Side" (followers of Whitefield).
In about 1750 a group of members of the "Old Side" church at Nottingham formed a company to negotiate with the English Lord Granville, who owned vast tracts of land in Carolina. As a result, 21,120 acres along North Buffalo and Reedy Fork Creeks, in what would become Guilford County, North Carolina, were set aside for members of the Nottingham Company. About 1753 the first families arrived to take up their grants, going by way of the Great Wagon Road through Maryland and Virginia to the Carolina back country in covered wagons. At least seventeen families eventually arrived to settle on the Nottingham Company's grant."3

From Rankin, to remind those of us who grew up in relative prosperity:
“Our ancestors were real pioneers. All this section between North Buffalo and Reedy Fork Creeks was heavily covered with oak, chestnut, hickory, and poplar timber and thick underbrush. Even as late as 1781, after the Guilford Court House battle. General Greene, in reporting that battle to Congress, says: ''The greater part of this country is a wilderness, with a few cleared fields interspersed here and there."
Their first job was to clear the land and build their homes. Only a few acres could be cleared per year, and their first homes were the rudest log cabins. Their food must have been very plain and without any variety. They were having a hard time those first few years.
We have no local history describing their living conditions, but we have John Hill Martin's history which gives a minute description of the early living conditions of the first settlers in Pennsylvania. He relates that their homes were small one-room log cabins with one door and one small window and the window had no glass, just a wooden shutter. The cabins were covered with thatch or clapboards. The chimneys were usually built of sticks and mud. The floors were dirt. Their food, to a large extent, was the flesh of wild animals, and that without salt most of the time. Both men and women usually wore clothes and hats made from the skins of wild beasts. Their shoes were made from raw hides. Their furniture was hand made from rough materials. The coverings for their beds were usually the pelts of deer, beavers, bears, and wolves. No doubt this is a pretty good description of the living conditions of our ancestors for the first few years after they settled here in a wilderness. We do know their cabins were very crude and that the floors were dirt.
Wild animals were numerous, and they could secure their meat by killing buffaloes, bears, deer and squirrels. Wild fowls were plentiful, such as turkeys and quail; and also wild geese and wild pigeons in their season. Even as late as one hundred years ago the wild pigeons were still so numerous in their migration season that in passing over, they would at times hide the sun like a big cloud. The creeks were well stocked with fish. This would have been a veritable paradise for sportsmen, but our ancestors hunted and fished more for their food supply than for sport.
Their patches of wheat were cut with a small hand sickle, flailed from the straw, then separated from the chaff by pouring it from a platform on a windy day; and both wheat and corn were pounded into meal, or ground with a small hand mill, like our old coffee mills. With such crude methods of harvesting and handling wheat they could raise only small patches. Wheat bread was a rarity to be enjoyed only for breakfast on Sunday morning. Corn was the main crop and supplied bread for the family and feed for the stock.4
The Buffalo Presbyterian Church was located just north of the center of Greensboro, North Carolina and its location has been absorbed as the city expanded. Thomas was a ruling elder.5 Thomas had a tavern, probably a stopping place for travelers, in his home in 1754. In 1756 Thomas was Captain of a company in the Rowan County regiment of militia. From 1756 until at least 1770, he was a Justice of the Peace.6 In 1760, Thomas sold three hundred twenty acres of land to his brother James on the North Buffalo.7 Rankin, in the History of the Buffalo Church, has a lengthy discussion of the Revolutionary War. In North Carolina, most of the fighting was between the English loyalists (Toreys) and the colonists who were Whigs. It was more like gang or clan warfare than organized militias. Participation of the Donnells, especially Thomas's sons was extensive. Most of his sons were in companies organized by Captain William Donnell or his brother Major John Donnell.
Rankin, discussing the Battle at Guilford Courthouse, wrote that the members of the Presbyterian congregations (Buffalo and Alamance) who were able bodied all fought for or in support of Major General Nathanael Greene. Many joined him later through the end of the war.8

Family: Jane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784

Citations

  1. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  2. [S316] Susan Murphy, The Donnells, Appears in Journal Form on WikiTree, linked to Ancestry.com. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells.
  3. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, https://archive.org/details/donnell-family-susan-murphy, p. 1. Hereinafter cited as Donnell Family.
  4. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 16-17.
  5. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 9.
  6. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, p. 2.
  7. [S321] Sally W. Stockard, The History of Guilford County, North Carolina (Guilford County, North Carolina: Guilford County Genealogical Society, 1902, reprinted 1983), p. 10. Hereinafter cited as Guilford County.
  8. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 184, 194-5.
  9. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.

William McDonnell

M, #393, b. 1681, d. January 1730
FatherBryan MacDonald1 b. 11 Nov 1645, d. Feb 1707
MotherMary Jane Combs Doyle b. 1647, d. 1709
     William McDonnell was born in 1681 in Glencoe, Scotland.2 He married Mary (?) William McDonnell died in January 1730.3
     He settled in Cecil County, Maryland. William dropped the "Mac" and picked up the "Mc". His three sons dropped the "Mc" completely.
He moved to Cumberland County, then part of Lancaster County about 1743, then on to Guilford County, Carolina.
He bought 320 acres on North Buffalo in 1760 from Thomas Donnell and settled here.4

Family: Mary (?)

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S281] Emma A Donnell and Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy (Greenfield, Indiana: Wm Mitchell Printing Company), Digitized by the Internet Archive, 2018, p. 60. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors.
  3. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 34. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.
  4. [S1] Charles E Donnell, Donnell-Langford, p. 9.

Bryan MacDonald1

M, #394, b. 11 November 1645, d. February 1707
FatherAlexander MacDonald b. c 1610, d. 13 Feb 1692
MotherMarcella Helena Archibald b. 1625, d. 13 Feb 1692
     Bryan MacDonald was born on 11 November 1645 in Glencoe, Scotland; Other sources indicate a birthplace in Ireland, which is suspect.2 He married Mary Jane Combs Doyle in 1665 in Aklow, Leinster, Wicklow, Ireland.3 Bryan MacDonald died in February 1707 in New Castle, Delaware, USA, at age 61.4 His estate was probated on 19 March 1707 after the will was written on 23 February 1707. That would establish his death as late February or early March 1707.4
     Bryan MacDonald was also known as Brian.5 He and Mary Jane Combs Doyle emigrated in 1686, after a brief stay (perhaps 2 years) in the north of Ireland, and settled, with their first three children, in Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle, Delaware, USA.3 This land was initially part of Pennsylvania. From the source:
Penn’s New Castle Warrants records 200 acres to Bryan Mac Donald on Nov. 1, 1689. There was also record of a deed to him for “354 acres and 19 acres over’ on Red Clay Creek, dated December 20, 1703. This shows that he was of the better class of immigrants and had money to buy land. Many settlers at this date had insufficient money to pay passage over and bound themselves for a certain length of time to the person who furnished the passage money.3
A will discovered by John A. Donnell indicated that Bryan spelled his name both MacDonnell and Mac Donald in the text of the will and signed it MacDonald. Occasionally the spelling adopted the Irish form of McDonald from their time in Ireland.
The variations from the original Mac Donald used by Bryan's descendants include MacDonnell, MacDonald, Donald (just dropped the Mac), Donnald, Donneld, and McDonald.6

Family: Mary Jane Combs Doyle b. 1647, d. 1709

Citations

  1. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 44. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells, p. 74.
  3. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells, p. 31.
  4. [S239] Delaware Wills, 1682-1800 Ancestry.com. New Castle County, Will of Bryan McDonnell (Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc,, 2000), Book B, p. 153. Hereinafter cited as Will of Bryan McDonnell.
  5. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 6. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  6. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells, p. 35.
  7. [S1] Charles E Donnell, Donnell-Langford, p. 8.

Alexander MacDonald

M, #395, b. circa 1610, d. 13 February 1692
FatherAlexander MacDonald b. c 1590, d. 1650
MotherAnn Stewart b. c 1595, d. c 1660
     Alexander MacDonald was born circa 1610 in Glencoe, Argyll, Scotland. He married Marcella Helena Archibald, daughter of Thomas Archibald and Catherine Hay. Alexander MacDonald was killed at the age of 82 with his wife in the Glencoe Massacre on 13 February 1692.1
     His official name and title were Alasdair MacIain MacDonald, 12th Chief of the Glencoe MacDonald Clan.2 If Alexander MacDonald was 80 when he was killed in the Glencoe Massacre, based on reports, then the often reported birthdate of 1630 makes little sense. According to Charles Donnell's account, Scotland was undergoing serious civil and religious strife. The rulers in Scotland had accepted the Roman Catholic faith and many Protestants had begun leaving for Ireland. Soon after, the Irish officially adopted the Catholic faith and the emigrants continued their move westward.
Members of the MacDonald clan who remained were targeted by King William and more than 30 were killed at Glencoe, either outright, or by being left to starve or freeze to death. The elder Alexander MacDonald and his wife were told they would be spared but were killed anyway. Charles’ account attributes the massacre to Clan Campbell, but the issue was more complicated.

The MacDonalds and Campbells had competed for the same territory in Scotland for generations, the northwest coast of Scotland and the islands. Their feuds dated back to the 1400s. By the late 1600s, the power of the Campbells had increased, while the MacDonald's power had waned. In fact, Glencoe and the other regions occupied by the MacDonalds were largely surrounded by the Campbells who could make travel difficult if they wanted to.3
The Wikipedia page provides a detailed accounting. The MacDonalds had sworn allegiance to King James and, after the Jacobite rebellion had failed, had not sworn allegiance to King William and Queen Mary, for which the penalty was death. Robert Campbell of Glenlyon was the commander of a small force of which some of the soldiers were also Campbells. The total force sent against the MacDonalds was about 400.1

There is a different version on the wikitree genealogy site that is much more charitable to Campbell. At the wikitree site, there is a link to a documentary of the Massacre of Glencoe.

The following is extracted from the wikitree site:
"Alexander, 12th Chief of Macdonald of Glencoe was late in taking his oath of allegiance to King William. As a result, it was decided to make an example out of the clan. A plan was hatched and on February 13, 1692. Alexander along with 37 other clan members were murdered by the Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot under the command of Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon. ... He was to spare none below the age of seventy. The resulting massacre is remembered not just for its premeditated brutality but for its violation of an unwritten code of conduct: the perpetrators of the deed had enjoyed the hospitality of their victims for twelve days before turning on them. In 1688 the removal of James II and VII in favor of William of Orange had led to the first ever Jacobite uprising. Its leader, Viscount Dundee, died at the battle of Killiecrankie and the rebellion broke up. All that remained was to pacify the Highland chiefs who had joined the enterprise. To this end a proclamation was issued in August 1691 requiring clan chiefs to take the Oath of Allegiance to King William by Hogmanay that year. By the accident of reporting to the wrong official at the last possible moment, Clan MacDonald of Glencoe missed the vital deadline. Secretary of State James Dalymple, Master of Stair, was no friend to the MacDonalds. This was the excuse he had been waiting for. The order for the massacre went ahead. The chief, 33 other men, 2 women, and 2 children were killed. In defiance of his orders Robert Campbell spared the nearly one hundred women and children from slaughter and chose instead to drive them into the dark of a winter nights storm. Of which, all but a few were able to survive."4

Yet another website, "Highland Titles" provides a very balanced description of the events leading up to the massacre.5 My efforts on the Donnell genealogy builds on the work of Charles E Donnell, “A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families”. He collaborated with Emma A and James Arthur Donnell who wrote “The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D.”
I have recently discovered another source: "MacDonald McDonald Family Records," by J Montgomery Seaver that was published in 1929. This work identifies our Bryan McDonald as a Lieutenant Bryan McDonald, born in Ireland and a member of the army of King James II. This is certainly a possible ancestry branch. I stayed with our family version for several reasons:
1) The MacDonalds of Glencoe had not been doing particularly well and it is unlikely that Alexander MacIan MacDonald would have left his home turf and sired a son in Ireland.
2) In his will, Bryan MacDonald spelled his name both MacDonald and MacDonnell, but not McDonald. His will was signed with a mark, not an actual signature, which means his will may have been dictated to a family member or lawyer who was responsible for the spelling. It is unlikely that, even if Bryan spent a year or so in Ireland enroute to the colonies that he would have changed it to McDonald to fit in, then back to MacDonald in the colonies.6

Family: Marcella Helena Archibald b. 1625, d. 13 Feb 1692

Citations

  1. [S44] Wikipedia Entry - Massacre of Glencoe, online https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Glencoe. Hereinafter cited as Massacre of Glencoe.
  2. [S301] Clan Donald, online https://www.clandonald.org.uk/chiefs.htm. Hereinafter cited as Clan Donald.
  3. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 7.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  4. [S45] Alexander (MacDonald) Laird MacDonald of Glencoe, online https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/…,example%20out%20of%20the%20clan. Hereinafter cited as MacDonald of Glencoe.
  5. [S46] Glencoe Massacre: Truth or Spin?, online https://www.highlandtitles.com/blog/the-glencoe-massacre/. Hereinafter cited as Glencoe Massacre: Truth or Spin?
  6. [S300] J. Montgomery Seaver, MacDonald McDonald Family Records (2000 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: American Historical-Genealogy Society, 1929). Hereinafter cited as MacDonald McDonald Family Records.

Mary Jane Combs Doyle1

F, #396, b. 1647, d. 1709
     Mary Jane Combs Doyle was born in 1647. She married Bryan MacDonald, son of Alexander MacDonald and Marcella Helena Archibald, in 1665 in Aklow, Leinster, Wicklow, Ireland.2 Mary Jane Combs Doyle died in 1709.
     She and Bryan MacDonald emigrated in 1686, after a brief stay (perhaps 2 years) in the north of Ireland, and settled, with their first three children, in Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle, Delaware, USA.2 This land was initially part of Pennsylvania. From the source:
Penn’s New Castle Warrants records 200 acres to Bryan Mac Donald on Nov. 1, 1689. There was also record of a deed to him for “354 acres and 19 acres over’ on Red Clay Creek, dated December 20, 1703. This shows that he was of the better class of immigrants and had money to buy land. Many settlers at this date had insufficient money to pay passage over and bound themselves for a certain length of time to the person who furnished the passage money.2

Family: Bryan MacDonald b. 11 Nov 1645, d. Feb 1707

Citations

  1. [S240] F. B. Kegley, Kegley's Virginia frontier : the beginning of the Southwest, the Roanoke of colonial days, 1740-1783, with maps and illustrations (Roanoke, Virginia: Southwest Virginia Historical Society, 1938), p. 199. Hereinafter cited as Kegley's Virginia frontier.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 31. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.

John MacDonnell

M, #397, b. 1679, d. 1755
FatherBryan MacDonald1 b. 11 Nov 1645, d. Feb 1707
MotherMary Jane Combs Doyle b. 1647, d. 1709
     John MacDonnell was born in 1679 in Glencoe, Scotland. He died in 1755 in New Castle, Delaware, USA.2
     John MacDonnell is the progenitor and primary interest of the authors of "The Donnell History" and "The Donnells - The Family in America."2 From the source:
John, the eldest son of the immigrant, Bryan, called himself, “MacDonnell” and settled in Cumberland County, Pa., where he left four children, Thomas, James, John and Samuel. Of these, Thomas resided in Pennsylvania; James residence not known; and John and Samuel settled in South Carolina. It is from the Pennsylvania line that many of the name of Donnell in Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa trace their descent.3
He settled at Big Spring, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1735.4 John MacDonnell was mistakenly identified as Thomas in the book "The Donnell History" published in 1912.

Family:

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 43. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.
  3. [S1] Charles E Donnell, Donnell-Langford, p. 7.
  4. [S1] Charles E Donnell, Donnell-Langford, p. 7.

James MacDonald

M, #398, b. 1683, d. after 1751
FatherBryan MacDonald1 b. 11 Nov 1645, d. Feb 1707
MotherMary Jane Combs Doyle b. 1647, d. 1709
     James MacDonald was born in 1683 in Glencoe, Scotland. He died after 1751.2
     James died without marrying and left no children.3

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 34. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.
  3. [S319] Camilla and Emma Donnell, The Donnell Family, A History and Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Donnell, Of Scotland (Greenfield, Indiana: The William Mitchell Printing Company, 1912), p. 3. Hereinafter cited as The Donnell Family, 1912.

Thomas MacDonnell

M, #399, b. circa 1715, d. 1775
FatherJohn MacDonnell1 b. 1679, d. 1755
     Thomas MacDonnell was born circa 1715 in New Castle, Delaware, USA. He died in 1775 in Big Spring, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA.2
     He settled circa 1735 at Big Spring, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA.3

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 7.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 43. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.
  3. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells, p. 75.

James MacDonnell

M, #400, b. after 1690
FatherJohn MacDonnell1 b. 1679, d. 1755
     James MacDonnell was born after 1690 in New Castle, Delaware, USA.2
     He never married and died without children.

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 7.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 43. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.

John MacDonnell

M, #401, b. after 1690
FatherJohn MacDonnell1 b. 1679, d. 1755
     John MacDonnell was born after 1690 in New Castle, Delaware, USA.
     He and Samuel MacDonnell settled in South Carolina after the death of their father circa 1735.2

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 7.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 43. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.

Samuel MacDonnell

M, #402, b. after 1690
FatherJohn MacDonnell1 b. 1679, d. 1755
     Samuel MacDonnell was born after 1690 in New Castle, Delaware, USA.2
     He settled in South Carolina. He and John MacDonnell settled in South Carolina after the death of their father circa 1735.2

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 7.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 43. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.

Mary (?)

F, #403
     Mary (?) married Robert Donnell Sr, son of William McDonnell and Mary (?).1

Family: Robert Donnell Sr b. 1728, d. 1816

Citations

  1. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  2. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 9. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.

Jane Latham

F, #404, b. 1718, d. 1784
     Jane Latham was born in 1718 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.1 She married Thomas Donnell Sr, son of William McDonnell and Mary (?), in 1743 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Jane Latham died in 1784 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.1 She was buried at the Alamance Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA.1
     In 1737, Jane Latham and Thomas Donnell Sr moved to Pennsylvania.

Family: Thomas Donnell Sr b. c 1712, d. 1795

Citations

  1. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, Memorial ID 17921604. Hereinafter cited as Find A Grave.

James Donnell

M, #405, b. 1744, d. 1811
FatherThomas Donnell Sr b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     James Donnell was born in 1744 at Pennsylvania, USA. It is assumed that the children born before the move to the Nottingham Colony in North Carolina were born in Pennsylvania.1 He married Agnes Denny, daughter of William Denny Sr and Anne (?). James Donnell died in 1811 in Tennessee, USA.2
     In 1799, James Donnell and Agnes Denny moved to Tennessee, USA.3

Family: Agnes Denny

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 9.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S1] Charles E Donnell, Donnell-Langford, p. 8-9.
  3. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.

Hannah Donnell

F, #406, b. 1746, d. 1803
FatherThomas Donnell Sr b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     Hannah Donnell was born in 1746 in Pennsylvania, USA.1 She married Alexander McKnight (?)2 Hannah Donnell married George Denny, son of James Denny Sr and Mary Agnes Aldren, on 23 February 1775 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.2 Hannah Donnell died in 1803.

Family 1: Alexander McKnight (?) b. c 1737, d. 1774

Family 2: George Denny b. c 1745, d. 5 Jan 1816

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8-9.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  3. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, https://archive.org/details/donnell-family-susan-murphy, p. 3. Hereinafter cited as Donnell Family.

Major John Donnell

M, #407, b. 4 January 1748, d. 7 May 1822
FatherThomas Donnell Sr b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     Major John Donnell was born on 4 January 1748 in West Nottingham, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. (an unknown value.)1 He married Hanna Meek circa 1771.2 Major John Donnell married Elizabeth Denny, daughter of James Denny Sr and Mary Agnes Aldren, on 1 November 1781 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.2 Major John Donnell died on 7 May 1822 in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA, at age 74.1 He was buried at the Buffalo Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA. Their double stone reads in part, "They were both pious and exemplary members of the church at this place."3
     He served as a Captain and later a Major in the Guilford County Regiment of Militia in the Revolutionary War. His SAR registry number is #A033155.
He was a company commander in the Battle of Camden under the command of Colonel John Peasley, where he survived a defeat of the unit by Cornwallis. A George Donnell, possibly his younger brother, was listed as a known sergeant.4 From "The Donnells," citing an effort by Inez Hannaford:
"During the Revolutionary War, there was an epidemic of smallpox in Guilford County. The British Army had brought it to the neighborhood. One of the Rankins, a young soldier who had been captured by the British, escaped and headed for home. By the time he got there, he was very sick, but the many relatives and friends who came to welcome him home did not recognize the disease until many had been exposed . It spread through the Buffalo Church congregation, and one of those who became infected was John's wife Hannah.
Inez Hannaford writes, "When his first wife Hannah Meek was on her death bed with small pox, Elizabeth Denny, a very true friend who had just recovered from the same malady, came to care for her. Hannah told Elizabeth she was going to die and wanted her to take her place. She also told her husband that was her wish. About six months after her death, they were married".5
From the source:
"Major John lived on a 400 acre "plantation" on North Buffalo Creek, not far from the residence of his parents. He was a ruling elder in Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
The Guilford Countycourt records show that in Nov 1781, he was appointed guardian of one Martha Thompson. In Feb 1783, he became guardian to Robert McKnight, orphan son of his brother-in-law Alexander McKnight.
Like most well-off land owners in the South at that period, Major John owned slaves. The first census in 1790, in which he is shown living near his brothers Andrew and James, indicates that he had one slave at that time. It also shows eleven other people in his household, five male and six female, which corresponds with his known children by both marriages. The 1800 census shows three slaves, and the children only of the second marriage, the others having left home by then. The 1815 tax list shows that he owned 1086 acres of land, valued at $3250. When he wrote his will in 1822, he bequeathed four slaves, George, Alice, Charity, and Bill.
His will, written less than two months before his death at the age of 74, provided for Elizabeth's support from the home farm, which he bequeathed to the youngest son Levi. The widow was also to have most of the livestock and household furniture, and a "Negro man named George". The married sons and oldest daughter Jane, having undoubtedly received their portions of the estate at the time their marriage, were left one dollar each. Daughters Hannah, Nancy, and Mary received $100 each. The unmarried daughters Betsy, Sarah, and Ruth received larger bequests, including cash, land, and slaves, and son Levi got the plantation, with of course the obligation to support his mother."6
There is a plaque memorializing him at Alamance Presbyterian Church Cemetery, but his actual burial location is the Buffalo Presbyterian Church Cemetery..7

Family 1: Hanna Meek b. 1752, d. 20 Mar 1780

Family 2: Elizabeth Denny b. 25 Feb 1762, d. 7 May 1847

Citations

  1. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22154355/john-donnell. Hereinafter cited as Find A Grave.
  2. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  3. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 41195116.
  4. [S314] The American Revolution in South Carolina, The Battle of Camden, August 16, 1780, online https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/…. Hereinafter cited as Battle of Camden.
  5. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, https://archive.org/details/donnell-family-susan-murphy, p. 3. Hereinafter cited as Donnell Family.
  6. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, p. 4.
  7. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 22154355.
  8. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 9151720.
  9. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 180824360.
  10. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 180823392.
  11. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 18592895.
  12. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, p. 5.
  13. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 22149657.
  14. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 42.
  15. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 20428338.
  16. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 58.
  17. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 42339823.

Robert Donnell Sr

M, #408, b. 1728, d. 1816
FatherWilliam McDonnell b. 1681, d. Jan 1730
MotherMary (?)
     Robert Donnell Sr was born in 1728 in the North of Ireland.1 He married Mary (?)2 Robert Donnell Sr died in 1816.
     He joined his brother Thomas in the Nottingham Colony in North Carolina in about 1753. Because there were two Robert Donnell's in the Colony, and he was first to arrive, he was known as "Robert, The First."3 He secured two sections, one on North Buffalo and one on Reedy Fork. He first located on North Buffalo Creek and later moved to Reedy Fork. In 1786 he bought one thousand acres on Big Troublesome Creek in Rockingham County.2 Rankin notes that the four Donnells must have been closely related. Thomas Sr and Robert Sr were brothers. James Sr and Robert (the Second) may have been nephews.4

Family: Mary (?)

Citations

  1. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, Memorial ID 13914538. Hereinafter cited as Find A Grave.
  2. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  3. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  4. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 42.
  5. [S1] Charles E Donnell, Donnell-Langford, p. 9.

Thomas Donnell Jr

M, #409, b. 1754
FatherThomas Donnell Sr b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     Thomas Donnell Jr was born in 1754 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.1 He married Margaret King in 1786.2
     Thomas Donnell Jr was a physician circa 1841 at Mecklenburg, Tennessee, USA.

Family: Margaret King

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8-9.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 61. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.

Andrew Donnell

M, #410, b. 17 April 1757, d. 24 December 1835
FatherThomas Donnell Sr b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     Andrew Donnell was born on 17 April 1757 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.1 He married Nancy Agnes Brawley, daughter of John Brawley, on 29 September 1779 in Rowan, North Carolina, USA.1 Andrew Donnell married Mary Creswell on 24 November 1819 in Rowan, North Carolina, USA.1 Andrew Donnell died on 24 December 1835 in Rowan, North Carolina, USA, at age 78.2
     He applied for a Revolutionary War Pension for service in North Carolina in 1833, two years before his death.

Family 1: Nancy Agnes Brawley b. Feb 1760, d. 6 Apr 1816

Family 2: Mary Creswell b. c 1756, d. 28 Jan 1829

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8-9.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, https://archive.org/details/donnell-family-susan-murphy, p. 3. Hereinafter cited as Donnell Family.
  3. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, p. 5.
  4. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 52. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  5. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, p. 11.
  6. [S318] Rev S. M. Rankin, The Rankin and Wharton Families and Their Genealogy (Greensboro, N. C.: Jos. J. Stone & Co.), p. 56. Hereinafter cited as The Rankin and Wharton Families.

George Donnell Sr

M, #411, b. 4 July 1759, d. 1839
FatherThomas Donnell Sr b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     George Donnell Sr was born on 4 July 1759 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.1 He married Isabella Kerr, daughter of David Kerr and Catherine (?), on 6 August 1784.2 George Donnell Sr died in 1839 in Lebanon, Wilson, Tennessee, USA.
     He lived near Alamance Church where he was an elder.3 He moved in 1804 to Wilson, Tennessee, USA.4

Family: Isabella Kerr b. 9 Aug 1766, d. c 1804

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8-9.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy, 157 to 1927 A. D. (Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, 1928), p. 61. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells. Available for download at archive.org.
  3. [S317] Susan Murphy, Donnell Family, https://archive.org/details/donnell-family-susan-murphy, p. 3. Hereinafter cited as Donnell Family.
  4. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  5. [S241] Emma A and James Arthur Donnell, The Donnells, p. 62.

Latham Donnell

M, #412, b. circa 1763, d. 1828
FatherThomas Donnell Sr1 b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     Latham Donnell was born circa 1763 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA. He married Charlotte Mitchell, daughter of Adam Mitchell.2 Latham Donnell died in 1828 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.3

Family 1: Lydia Forbis

Family 2: Charlotte Mitchell d. 1845

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  3. [S1] Charles E Donnell, Donnell-Langford, p. 8-9.

Alexander Donnell

M, #413, b. circa 1764, d. 1773
FatherThomas Donnell Sr1 b. c 1712, d. 1795
MotherJane Latham b. 1718, d. 1784
     Alexander Donnell circa 1764.2 He died in 1773 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA.

Citations

  1. [S1] Charles E Donnell, A Genealogy of Donnell, Langford and Other Families (Plainview. TX: Self, 1949), p. 8.. Hereinafter cited as Donnell-Langford.
  2. [S281] Emma A Donnell and Arthur Donnell, The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors, A History and Genealogy (Greenfield, Indiana: Wm Mitchell Printing Company), Digitized by the Internet Archive, 2018, p. 61. Hereinafter cited as The Donnells and their Macdonald Ancestors.

Major Robert Donnell1

M, #415, b. 15 March 1766, d. 31 March 1847
FatherRobert Donnell (The Second) b. c 1728, d. 1816
MotherMary Jane Jackson b. 1730, d. 1771
     Major Robert Donnell was born on 15 March 1766 in York, Pennsylvania, USA.1,2 He married Jennie Morrison in 1790 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.3 Major Robert Donnell married Nancy Cabe, daughter of John Cabe and Mary Strayhorn, on 6 November 1820 in Orange, North Carolina, USA. Major Robert Donnell died on 31 March 1847 in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA, at age 81. He drowned in the Haw River.1 He was buried at the Buffalo Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA.4
     Major Robert Donnell was known by his family and friends as Robin.

Family 1: Jennie Morrison b. c 1770, d. 15 Jun 1816

Family 2: Nancy Cabe b. 1787

Citations

  1. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 127. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  2. [S249] Jennings Family Tree, online https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21085334/…. Hereinafter cited as Jennings Family Tree.
  3. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 29.
  4. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 13911196. Hereinafter cited as Find A Grave.
  5. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 128.

Thomas Donnell

M, #417, b. 1754
FatherRobert Donnell Sr1 b. 1728, d. 1816
MotherMary (?)
     Thomas Donnell was born in 1754.2
     He He was a Presbyterian minister, said to have organized the first Protestant church west of the Mississippi River.1 He was educated in Dr. Caldwell's school, and was licensed by Orange Presbytery in 1778. He went as a missionary to the frontier in Tennessee, and when the frontier moved westward he moved with it and located in Missouri.2

Citations

  1. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  2. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 153.

Mary Donnell

F, #418, b. 1756, d. 1782
FatherRobert Donnell Sr1 b. 1728, d. 1816
MotherMary (?)
     Mary Donnell was born in 1756.2 She married James Denny, son of William Denny Sr and Anne (?), in 1772.1 Mary Donnell died in 1782.2 She married John McAdoo in 1782.1 Mary Donnell was buried at the Buffalo Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA.2

Family 1: James Denny d. 1779

Family 2: John McAdoo

Citations

  1. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.
  2. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, Memorial ID 100337650. Hereinafter cited as Find A Grave.
  3. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, p. 29.

Margaret Donnell1

F, #419, b. 1771, d. 1794
FatherRobert Donnell (The Second) b. c 1728, d. 1816
MotherMary Jane Jackson1 b. 1730, d. 1771
     Margaret Donnell was born in 1771.2 She married Reverend William Denny Paisley, son of Colonel John Paisley, circa 1790.3 Margaret Donnell died in 1794.1 She was buried at the Buffalo Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina, USA.1

Family: Reverend William Denny Paisley b. 26 Oct 1770, d. 10 Apr 1857

Citations

  1. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, 180859188. Hereinafter cited as Find A Grave.
  2. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, Memorial ID 180859188.
  3. [S34] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com, Memorial ID 28834785.

William Donnell

M, #420
FatherRobert Donnell Sr b. 1728, d. 1816
MotherMary (?)
     William Donnell married Martha Denny, daughter of William Denny.1
     William Donnell and Martha Denny lived at Big Troublesome Creek in Rockingham.1

Family: Martha Denny

Citations

  1. [S184] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of the Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, North Carolina: Joseph J. Stone & Co., Printers and Binders, c. 1935), p. 24. Hereinafter cited as Buffalo Presbyterian Church.