MacDonald family genealogy

Of Wicklow, and of San Francisco

BRIAN, a younger brother of Fearach who is No. 119 on the "MacDonnell" (of Leinster) pedigree, was the ancestor of MacDonnell, MacDonald, and McDonald, of the county Wicklow.

119. Brian MacDonnell: son of Hugh Buidhe [boy.]

120. Alexander: his son; m. a daughter of Thomas Archbold, of Wicklow.

121. Brian, who assumed the name MacDonald: [1] his son; m. Mary, dau. of John Doyle, of Arklow, in the co. Wicklow. Was there engaged in the Tanning trade, which is still carried on in that county. Served in an Irish Volunteer Regiment, in the cause of King James II.; and, in 1691, after that cause was lost, this Brian MacDonald emigrated to America, with his wife and five children:—1. John, 2. William, 3. James, 4. Brian, 5. Mary. He settled near New Castle, Delaware, U.S.A., and had two more children—6. Richard, 7. Anabel; and d. 1707.

122. Brian: his fourth son; m. Catherine . . . , and had five sons and four daughters. The sons were—1. Richard, b. 1716; 2. James, b. 1718; 3. Edward, born 1720; 4. Joseph, b. 1722; 5. Bryan, b. 1732; the daughters were—1. Rebecca, b. 1724; 2. Catherine, b. 1727; 3. Mary, b. 1730; 4. Priscilla, b. 1734. Moved, about 1754, to Botetourt, county, Virginia where some of his descendants still live; d. 1757.

123. Joseph; his fourth son; m. Elizabeth Ogle and had nine sons and one daughter. The sons were—1. Bryan, b. 1753; 2. John, b. 1756; 3. Joseph, born 1758; 4. Edward, b. 1761; 5. Richard and 6. Alex, (twins), b. 1763; 7. William, b. 1766; 8. Jonas,[2] b. 1771; 9. James, b. 1774. The daughter was Elizabeth, b. 1768. This Joseph and his family removed about 1768 to near Blackburg, Montgomery county, Virginia, were he died 1809.

124. Major Richard: fifth son of Joseph; married Mrs. John Martin (née Mary Long), and had three sons and three daughters, all born near Mackville, Washington county, Kentucky. The sons were—1. James, b. 1797; 2. Joseph, b. 1799; 3. Griffin, b. 1801. The daughters were—1. Elizabeth, b. 1804; 2. Mary, b. 1804; 3. Ursula, b. 1808.

125. Colonel James: his son; b. 1797; married near Macksville, Washington county, Kentucky, on 28th September, 1819, Martha Shepard Peter (living in San Francisco, California, in 1881; dau. of Jesse Peter and Milly Sweeney), and had twelve children. He was a Colonel in the State Militia, and was elected to the Kentucky Legislature in 1828, 1829, and 1832; and to the Kentucky Senate, from 1832—1837. He also held various other public offices. He went to Missouri in 1851, and to California in 1859, where he died 1865. Their children were—1. Richard Hayes, born 1820 (who is No. 126 infra). 2. Milly-Ann, born 1822; married Dr. M. F. Wakefield; died 1858. 3. Martin Pierce, born 1824; died 1824. 4. James-Monroe,[3] b. 1825; living unmarried in San Francisco, California, 1881. 5. Dewitt-Livingston, born 1828; married Martha Ellenor Hunter; living in San Francisco, 1881. 6. Marion Jasper, born 1831; married Alice Booth; living in San Francisco, 1881. 7. Marcus-Linsey, b. 1833; m. Ralphine North; living in San Francisco, 1881. 8. Joseph William, born 1835; died unmarried, 1855. 9. Josephine Bonaparte, born 1837; married Robert W. Elliott; living in San Francisco, 1881. 10. Maria-Louisa, b. 1840; married Alvin W. Whitney, died 1870. 11. Alice Fisk, born 1842; d. unm. 1867. 12. Martha Harriet, born 1848; married Frank Swift, died 1874.

126. Dr. Richard-Hayes McDonald [4] of San Francisco, California: son of Colonel James; b. near Macksville, Ky., 1820; m. 5th Aug. 1851, in Sacramento, Cal., Mrs. Sarah Maria Steinagel (née Whipple), who d. 21st Oct., 1866. They had three children, all born in Sacramento, Cal.—1. Frank-Virgil, b. 20th April, 1852 (who is No. 127 infra). 2. Richard-Hayes, Junior, b. 28th Aug. 1854; is unm.; studied abroad, and is (in 1881) graduating at Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut. 3. Martha Shepard, b. 7th April, 1859; studied abroad, and for three years at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York: m. 17th Feb., 1879, John C. Spencer, Junior, both living in New York City, 1881.

127. Frank V. McDonald: son of Dr. Richard Hayes McDonald; b. 20th April, 1852; unm. in 1881; was a student for some years in Germany, France, and England; was graduated A.B., at Yale College, New Haven, in 1878, and at Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1879—where in 1881 he was a Student-at-Law.

Notes

[1] Brian MacDonald: According to the MS. Vols. F. 2. 4, and F. 2. 6, in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, the possessions of this family stretched along the foot of the mountain range, upon the marshes of the Pale, and bore the name of "The Clandonnell's Countrie," as late, at least, as 1641. Dr. O'Donovan in his edition of the Four Masters, Vol. V., p. 1641-2, writes: "In Col. Francis Toole's regiment of foot, in the service of King James II., was Lieut. Brian MacDonnell, fourth in descent from whom is Alexander MacDonnell, Esq., J.P., of Bonabrougha, in the county of Wicklow, who married Marcella, heiress of Charles O'Hanlon, Esq,, of Ballynorran, in the same county." Whether the Brian MacDonnell here mentioned by O'Donovan, were the Brian, who is No. 121, on this pedigree, we are unable to say. If they were not identical, they must have been both members of the Wicklow branch of the MacDonnell family.

[2] Jonas: This Jonas, who lived where many of the descendants now (1881) live, near Blackburg, Montgomery county, Va., and who d. 1856, m. Elizabeth Foster, and had ten children—1. Charles, b. 1798; m. Dioney Dickinson; and d. 1864. 2. William, b. 1800; m. Lucinda Patton; living near Blackburg, Va., in 1876. 3. Joseph, b. 1802; m. Lorena Ross; d. 1855. 4. Nancy, b. 1806; married William McDonald; living in 1876. 5. Elizabeth, b. 1808; m. Bryan McDonald, d. unm. 1871. 6. Mary, b. 1810; m. James N. Pierce; d. 1872. 7. Exceoney, b. 1812; d. unm., 1832. 8. James-Lewis, b. 1814; living unm. near Blackburg, Va., 1879. 9. John Alexander, b. 1816; m. Harriet McDonald; living near Blackburg, Va., 1881. 10. Floyd-Fectig, b. July, 1819; in. Jane Black; living at Blackburg, Va., 1881. This Floyd has been for years one of the most intelligent and zealous labourers in the researches of this family.

[3] James Monroe: This James was (in 1881) one of the prominent men of the Pacific coast. He was State Senator in California Legislature in 1859 and 1860, and he has held a number of public offices. He and his brother Marion Jasper are both most successful capitalists.

[4] McDonald: Dr. R. H. McDonald was one of the California Pioneers, and has been a citizen of that State since 1849. His life has been eventful and historically interesting, and a biography of it is in preparation. He has been prominently connected with the whole development of the State; and was (in 1881) President of the Pacific Bank in San Francisco, Cal., of which his brother Captain James and himself have been almost two of the founders. It was solely through Dr. R. H. McDonald's love of family, and his liberality in expressing it, that the large sum of nearly £2,000 which has been needed to collect the data in the genealogies of the several branches of this family, was secured. He also bore the entire expense of printing those data in three handsome and neatly compiled volumes; with copies of which we have been favoured. To those volumes we would refer those anxious for more details; they are compiled by Frank V. McDonald, Esq., Law Student, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A., who is No. 127 on this pedigree.