Where was Thomas Donaldson from? It is one of the questions that has been plaguing me for years. Is he from Wilmington, North Carolina, as legend states or did he travel down to Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania, Maryland or Virginia?
My great grandmother, Nannie Donaldson, said in a letter that Thomas Donaldson came from Scotland to Wilmington, NC. Wilmington and Brunswick County were the only places between Virginia and South Carolina where foreign ships could safely come into port in the 1700’s. The rest of the North Carolina coast was to treacherous to navigate because of the Outer Banks. The Highland Scots settled the Cape Fear Region in the mid 1700’s because land was cheaper than in other areas.
Most of Thomas Donaldson’s neighbors in Abbeville came down the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. There was a Thomas Donaldson who came into Maryland in 1716 as an indentured servant. I don’t know if that Thomas Donaldson is related to mine or not. I have contracted with Maryland Genealogical Society to do some research for me to see if my ancestor Thomas Donaldson came through Maryland or if he was born there. I should have a definite answer either way in a few weeks.