Thomas McDonald
My great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson McDonald was born some place in Missouri in 1817, his parents having moved here from Kentucky between 1810-1829. Both of his parents were born in Kentucky.
In 1840 at the age of 23 he3 was living with his first wife H. Y. in Deepwater Township, Missouri. Deepwater was a small frontier town on the western border of Mo. now Cass co. which is just south of Kansas City. The county seat is Harrisonville.
In the early part of 1844 he and his wife joined the Peters Colony settlers and moved to Collin Co., Texas, at that time Collin Co. was part of Fannin Co. He headrighted a section of land on the East Fork of the Trinity River. That location now is about three miles north of McKinney. Each Peters Colony settler, if married, receive a section of land and one room cabin, a new rifle, and a supply of ammunition. Single men received only one half as much.
In the latter part of 1844 the Thomas J. McDonald was nearly destroyed by an Indian raiding party. All the bedding and pillows were ripped-up and Scattered to the wind. The McDonalds were visiting neighbors at the time or they would have been murdered and scalped.
On July 4, 1846 at Ft. Buckner, now McKinney, Thomas J. McDonald was the first to volunteer to join Capt. Andrew Stapp to fight in the war of 1846-48 against Mexico. He was sworn in as a Lieutenant, second in command. Sixty men signed up in less than an hour.
The enlistment was for six months, there were Collin county's first volunteers, fighting for the United States since Texas had just recently joined the union. Fourteen of these men failed to return.
After serving his six months Thomas J. McDonald received his Honorable Discharge and returned to McKinney. He then signed on as a Lieutenant with the Texas Rangers, July 3, 1847 to 1848. Most of his duties were in Cooke and Denton counties, but at times he ranged as far as the Canadian River in the Texas Panhandle chasing Indians. That was the purpose of the Rangers at that time to guard the settlers from Indian raids.
McDonald was known to most of the Indians as the Peacemaker. They demanded that he be the one to Pow-Wow and smoke the peace pipe as they claimed that he never broke a promise to them. The Indians also admired his fin houses and his keen marksmanship.
In 1850 Thomas J. McDonald, John McGarrah, Tola Dunn and Wash Ford joined a wagon train in Ft. Worth and headed for California and the Gold Rush. The trip took seven months and they suffered many hardships. They lost all their food and most of their horses to the Indians. At one time going seven days without anything to eat. They finally killed one of the horses and ate it. it is not known how many of the adventurers were lost along the way but our four Colin County heroes made it all the way. It is not believed that they discovered any gold. There was a tale told about Thomas J. McDonald having a solid gold watch made from some of the gold that he discovered. That watch is reported to have disappeared with his daughter Gussie Munger.
After two years of adventure in California the four headed back to Collin County, Texas. They separated along the way and returned two different ways. John McGarrah died and was buried in Sonora, Mexico. He evidently caught a ship in San Francisco and disembarked along the coast of Mexico, returning approximately along the route used in getting to California. Also it was warmer and fewer Indians this far south.
Tola Dunn died in Louisiana on his way to McKinney as he used another way to get there. he evidently stayed on the ship until it reached Panama, disembarked and walked across Panama, as there was no Panama Canal a that time. When he reached the eastern or northeastern side of Panama he caught another ship to New Orleans, then to McKinney by stage coach. Both McGarrah and Dunn died of yellow fever. over two hundred passengers died on the way from San Francisco to Panama of yellow fever and their bodies were thrown overboard. McDonald and Ford both returned safely to McKinney. It is not known which route they too.
In the 1840's the land in Collin County was free for the taking. Those who fought for the Republic of Texas and those who fought with the United States against Mexico were given land. Serving with Texas Rangers also entitled them to more land. Along with his original headright and the land received for military service, McDonald owned many hundreds of acres of land in Collin County. I have heard my father say that one could look out the back door of McDonald's house to the north and McDonald owned all the land that could be seen in that direction.
When Thomas J. McDonald returned from California he still owned all of his land but has lost a wife, either by death or desertion. As the early census takers usually listed the wife by initials only she was listed as H. Y. leaving no way to trace her.
On Sept. 16, 1852 Thomas J. McDonald married Mary J. Faulkner in Grayson Co., Texas. Her sister Martha E. married Wm. Montgomery at the same time. The girls were the daughters of Charles and Mary D. Faulkner born in Trigg County, Kentucky. Charles Faulkner had died in 1850 or 1851 leaving wife Mary D. and four daughters, Lucy, Martha E. , Mary J. and Emily. The mother Mary D. and the three younger daughters moved to Collin County, Texas shortly after the death of the father. The old daughter Lucy married and stayed in Kentucky.
Thomas J. was 35 and Mary J. was 17 when they married. They were the parents of six children all born on the old original headright just north of McKinney, Texas.
THE CHILDREN WERE:
Lucy 1855 Married Geo. Montgomery, 2, Geo Herndon
William Talley 1857 Married Sally Addie Hall, 8 children: Will, Nathan Hale, Ivy, Earl, Edna, Abe, Lucy and Tony
Naomi 1863 married Robert J. Roberts 6 children: Lou, Pearl, Lizzie, Mary, Beaulah, and Hugh
Augusta (Gussie) 1867 married Barry Munger 1 daughter, Mary
John (Tony) 1870 Married Mollie Work, no children
Virginia 1860 died as an infant
In addition to being a soldier, Ranger and farmer, Thomas J. McDonald was a land surveyor. There are many deeds and surveys in Collin County that carry his signature today.
In November 1890, Thomas J. McDonald passed away on the old family farm in the Wilmeth Community having lived their for 44 years. The McKinney Democrat states that he was buried in the old Jones Cemetery, which was later changed in 1919 to McLarry Cemetery. The land was originally owned by a John J. Jones who was McLarry's step-father.
written by Joseph Weldon McDonald
In 1840 at the age of 23 he3 was living with his first wife H. Y. in Deepwater Township, Missouri. Deepwater was a small frontier town on the western border of Mo. now Cass co. which is just south of Kansas City. The county seat is Harrisonville.
In the early part of 1844 he and his wife joined the Peters Colony settlers and moved to Collin Co., Texas, at that time Collin Co. was part of Fannin Co. He headrighted a section of land on the East Fork of the Trinity River. That location now is about three miles north of McKinney. Each Peters Colony settler, if married, receive a section of land and one room cabin, a new rifle, and a supply of ammunition. Single men received only one half as much.
In the latter part of 1844 the Thomas J. McDonald was nearly destroyed by an Indian raiding party. All the bedding and pillows were ripped-up and Scattered to the wind. The McDonalds were visiting neighbors at the time or they would have been murdered and scalped.
On July 4, 1846 at Ft. Buckner, now McKinney, Thomas J. McDonald was the first to volunteer to join Capt. Andrew Stapp to fight in the war of 1846-48 against Mexico. He was sworn in as a Lieutenant, second in command. Sixty men signed up in less than an hour.
The enlistment was for six months, there were Collin county's first volunteers, fighting for the United States since Texas had just recently joined the union. Fourteen of these men failed to return.
After serving his six months Thomas J. McDonald received his Honorable Discharge and returned to McKinney. He then signed on as a Lieutenant with the Texas Rangers, July 3, 1847 to 1848. Most of his duties were in Cooke and Denton counties, but at times he ranged as far as the Canadian River in the Texas Panhandle chasing Indians. That was the purpose of the Rangers at that time to guard the settlers from Indian raids.
McDonald was known to most of the Indians as the Peacemaker. They demanded that he be the one to Pow-Wow and smoke the peace pipe as they claimed that he never broke a promise to them. The Indians also admired his fin houses and his keen marksmanship.
In 1850 Thomas J. McDonald, John McGarrah, Tola Dunn and Wash Ford joined a wagon train in Ft. Worth and headed for California and the Gold Rush. The trip took seven months and they suffered many hardships. They lost all their food and most of their horses to the Indians. At one time going seven days without anything to eat. They finally killed one of the horses and ate it. it is not known how many of the adventurers were lost along the way but our four Colin County heroes made it all the way. It is not believed that they discovered any gold. There was a tale told about Thomas J. McDonald having a solid gold watch made from some of the gold that he discovered. That watch is reported to have disappeared with his daughter Gussie Munger.
After two years of adventure in California the four headed back to Collin County, Texas. They separated along the way and returned two different ways. John McGarrah died and was buried in Sonora, Mexico. He evidently caught a ship in San Francisco and disembarked along the coast of Mexico, returning approximately along the route used in getting to California. Also it was warmer and fewer Indians this far south.
Tola Dunn died in Louisiana on his way to McKinney as he used another way to get there. he evidently stayed on the ship until it reached Panama, disembarked and walked across Panama, as there was no Panama Canal a that time. When he reached the eastern or northeastern side of Panama he caught another ship to New Orleans, then to McKinney by stage coach. Both McGarrah and Dunn died of yellow fever. over two hundred passengers died on the way from San Francisco to Panama of yellow fever and their bodies were thrown overboard. McDonald and Ford both returned safely to McKinney. It is not known which route they too.
In the 1840's the land in Collin County was free for the taking. Those who fought for the Republic of Texas and those who fought with the United States against Mexico were given land. Serving with Texas Rangers also entitled them to more land. Along with his original headright and the land received for military service, McDonald owned many hundreds of acres of land in Collin County. I have heard my father say that one could look out the back door of McDonald's house to the north and McDonald owned all the land that could be seen in that direction.
When Thomas J. McDonald returned from California he still owned all of his land but has lost a wife, either by death or desertion. As the early census takers usually listed the wife by initials only she was listed as H. Y. leaving no way to trace her.
On Sept. 16, 1852 Thomas J. McDonald married Mary J. Faulkner in Grayson Co., Texas. Her sister Martha E. married Wm. Montgomery at the same time. The girls were the daughters of Charles and Mary D. Faulkner born in Trigg County, Kentucky. Charles Faulkner had died in 1850 or 1851 leaving wife Mary D. and four daughters, Lucy, Martha E. , Mary J. and Emily. The mother Mary D. and the three younger daughters moved to Collin County, Texas shortly after the death of the father. The old daughter Lucy married and stayed in Kentucky.
Thomas J. was 35 and Mary J. was 17 when they married. They were the parents of six children all born on the old original headright just north of McKinney, Texas.
THE CHILDREN WERE:
Lucy 1855 Married Geo. Montgomery, 2, Geo Herndon
William Talley 1857 Married Sally Addie Hall, 8 children: Will, Nathan Hale, Ivy, Earl, Edna, Abe, Lucy and Tony
Naomi 1863 married Robert J. Roberts 6 children: Lou, Pearl, Lizzie, Mary, Beaulah, and Hugh
Augusta (Gussie) 1867 married Barry Munger 1 daughter, Mary
John (Tony) 1870 Married Mollie Work, no children
Virginia 1860 died as an infant
In addition to being a soldier, Ranger and farmer, Thomas J. McDonald was a land surveyor. There are many deeds and surveys in Collin County that carry his signature today.
In November 1890, Thomas J. McDonald passed away on the old family farm in the Wilmeth Community having lived their for 44 years. The McKinney Democrat states that he was buried in the old Jones Cemetery, which was later changed in 1919 to McLarry Cemetery. The land was originally owned by a John J. Jones who was McLarry's step-father.
written by Joseph Weldon McDonald
