This is a record of Thomas Donaldson’s children. The first page was written in William Donaldson’s hand. The rest is written in Polly’s hand and someone else’s hand. The Bible was printed in Edinburgh in 1794 and is housed at the Lexington County Museum in Lexington, South Carolina.
As much as I would like to think the letter that my Nannie wrote was historically accurate, the lack of historical evidence states otherwise.
I cannot find any proof that Thomas Donaldson fought at Kings Mountain. I have checked the roster of soldiers and his name is not on the list. I cannot find evidence that Thomas Donaldson had 2 other brothers. I am pretty sure he had one brother named William Donaldson. William Donaldson was listed in the 1787 tax list in Abbeville along with Thomas. William was also listed in the 1790 census of Abbeville with Thomas.
Thomas Donaldson could have been from the Wilmington area because there was a large Scot Irish settlement in the Cape Fear Region. I think Mary Cook may have been from Sampson County, NC . There is a Cornelius Cook who was in Sampson County, NC in 1790, but he disappears by 1800. A Cornelius Cook (a son?) then pops up in Laurens County in 1794 according to land records. Cornelius Cook was mentioned in Thomas Donaldson’s state record in 1811.
My name is Samantha Nifong. I am an avid history buff. My grandfather ingrained in me the love of Civil War history when I was a child. He taught me about Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson. He took me to my first reenactment when I was 10 years old. My father continued to stoke the fire of my interest in history by taking me to Civil War battlefields throughout my teenage years.
I majored in US History at the College of Charleston. I also took Historic Preservation classes. My favorite classes were the ones about Charleston history and Charleston architecture. I think I learned more about Charleston History by walking the streets in downtown Charleston than in the classroom.
All my education and research skills have brought me to my freelance work in genealogy. I have made a vow to myself that I would find out as much as I can about my past; where I come from; the lifeblood of my ancestors within me.
