Early Origins of the Donelson Family

The surname Donelson was first found in Galloway 

(Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.   

The ancestors of the Donelson family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. Their surname comes from a powerful ruler. The name Donald is derived from the Gaelic name Domhnull, or MacDhomhnuill, and the Celtic name Dubnovalos, all of which mean "world ruler" or "world-mighty.

Patrick Donelson was born about 1670 in Scotland and was married to a lady named Jean MNU. He died 1725. His son John (who eventually married Catherine Davis in Delaware) was one of 637 Scottish rebels who were captured by the English during the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion and was exiled to the colonies on the ship Elizabeth and Anne from London. They arrived in America 1716 thru Delaware and settled in Somerset, MD.

We could go further back in Scotland with the Donelson Family all the way to royalty, however, I focused on when they came to America and how we are connected.

Married to: Jean Donaldson
Father of Margaret Stuart; Capt. John Patrick Donaldson, I; Jane Donelson and Catherine Stewart

Son of Patrick John Donelson and Jean Donaldson
Married too: Catherine Donaldson
Father of Col. John Donelson; Andrew Donaldson; Mary Long Henry and Mary Shaw
Brother of Jane Donelson and Catherine Stewart

Col. John Donelson

He was an American frontiersman, traveler, settler, ironmaster, politician, city planner, and explorer. After founding and operating what became Washington Iron Furnace in Franklin County, Virginia for several years, he moved with his family to Middle Tennessee. There, together with James Robertson, Donelson co-founded the frontier settlement of Fort Nashborough. This later developed as the city of Nashville, Tennessee.

Donelson and his wife Rachel had twelve children, four of them girls. Their tenth, daughter Rachel, married Andrew Jackson who was elected United States president in 1828.

Also Known As: "Patrick", "John Donaldson"
Birthdate: 1718
Birthplace: Somerset County, Maryland
Death: April 11, 1785 (66-67)
Lincoln County, Virginia, United States (Murdered By Indians returning home from a trip to KY) 
Place of Burial: Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Immediate Family: Son of Capt. John Patrick Donaldson, I and Catherine Donaldson
Married to: Rachel Donelson 
Husband of Rachel Donelson
Father of William Donaldson; Elizabeth Donelson; Alexander Donelson; Catherine Hutchings; Mary Caffrey; Stockley Donelson; Captain John Patrick Donelson, III; Capt. William Donelson; Infant Donelson; Leven Donelson; Jane Hays; Rachel Jackson; Samuel Donelson; David Patrick Soverign Donaldson, Sr.; Severn Donelson; Comfort Nook and Jane Donelson 

One of the three sons of Samuel and Mary Donelson, Andrew Jackson Donelson was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He worked in Politics and his younger brother, Daniel Smith Donelson, would become the Confederate brigadier general after whom Fort Donelson was later named. Samuel Donelson died when Donelson was about five. When his mother remarried, Andrew Jackson Donelson moved to The Hermitage, the home of his aunt, Rachel Donelson Jackson, and her husband,  the future US President Andrew Jackson. Rachel and Andrew Jackson adopted all three of Samuel Donelson's sons. This is where Andrew Jackson taught his nephews the value of having slaves. They begin learning how to become a slave master from their uncle Andrew Jackson the future President.

In 1824, Andrew Jackson Donelson received a substantial wedding gift from President Andrew Jackson his uncle that enabled him to establish a plantation called Springdale in Bolivar County, Mississippi: the deed to 348 1/4 acres of land. Eventually, his plantation got to be over 1200 acres.

The relevance of all this information above was to show where the Donelson name came from and how it links to our current heritage.  Andrew Jackson Donelson's plantation was located within 25 minutes of where some of our families started their lives, however, our Donelson lineage didn't come thru Andrew Jackson Donelson's plantation.  We are part of William Donelson's lineage.

Click on Bolivar County, MS to see where the Bolivar plantation was located. However, our roots came from Jacob and Agnes Donelson's plantation in Lexington, MS.

Bolivar County, MS

Scotts, MS

Indianola, MS

Greenville, MS

Lexington, MS

William Donelson's son Jacob and his wife Agnes left Tennessee for Lexington, MS. Jacob's son Andrew had 6 kids with Betsy who was a slave. The first two boys were born in Tennessee Frank and Alfred. The other 4 were born in Mississippi Andy, Louis, Rush, and Fustian.