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Our McDonald family is a bit of a mystery. Richard James McDonald's life began in Giles County, Tennessee. There is no mention of his parents in his military history, family Bibles, or personal records. In the Giles County 1850 census, there is a William McDonald who is 65 years old with a rather large family, and his sixth child is named Richard. According to the census, this Richard was 9 years old at the time and that would place his birth between 1840 and 1841. Our Richard James was born on May 19, 1840, so we have some strong evidence of a family link. The mother of this large family was only 44 years old, and the name written by the census taker is not clear but seems to be Penna. Later in the 1860 Giles County census records, there is a McDonald family, and with names and ages that correspond with the 1850 information; however, there are several differences. First, the head of the house is 54 year old Pernicia (Penna could have been her nickname,) meaning that William probably died prior to the latter census. Secondly, there is a young woman living with the family who wasn't in the 1850 census but could be a daughter-in-law. Thirdly, there is a young male named Mathew J. R. who is recorded as being a 19 year old farm laborer; and fourthly, there is a 5 year old boy named William W. Turner living with the McDonalds that could be a grandson or nephew. The young man who is 19, is the age that Richard James would have been in 1860, and he would still be living at home since he did not get married until 1867. Why is the name Mathew J. R. listed? In 1863 after the battle of Chickamauga, the Chattanooga Daily Rebel listed the dead and wounded from the Tennessee Companies fighting. Among the Company E wounded there is a M R J McDonald listed, and records show that he is our Richard James from Giles County. Could his full name have included Mathew? Also, the last three children's names and ages correspond with the earlier census, and the place of birth for Richard James's parents are the same as listed in the earlier records.
In October 1861, Tennessee Governor Isham Harris called for 30 infantry regiments for the Confederate Army. Although there was little military experience among the volunteers, they quickly became efficient in drilling and marksmanship. Richard James McDonald was a solider in the 32nd Tennessee Infantry, Company E and fought with Brown's Brigade until 1865. It is recorded that accidents, disease, and the cold, damp weather of that first winter while training in Kentucky resulted in the loss of about 300 men, either from death or bodily weakness.
The McDonald Family
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McDonald lineage