Lowndes County GaArchives Biographies.....McDonald, John February 28, 1853 - January 28, 1943
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
William McDonald williamteomi@yahoo.com June 6, 2008, 11:03 am

Author: Henry W. McDonald Jr.

John McDonald was born in Lowndes County, Georgia on February 28, 1853 and was 
the son of William and Harriett McDonald. He married Virginia Caroline Dowling 
on October 15, 1882.

John received some farm land from his father as a wedding gift. He was an avid 
hunter and fisherman, so he chose land bordering the Withlacoochee River.

John and Virginia farmed there for 22 years and had seven children; William
Augustus, John Perry, Leroy Lesley, Ethel Emma, Esther Loney, Henry Webster
and Norman Chester.

Although John was too young to serve in the Civil War, he lived long enough to 
see 11 of his grandsons serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII. One of 
his grandsons, Herman R. Rivers, son of Esther and Herman Rivers was killed
by Japanese forces on Guam. Later, his great grandson, John E. McDonald, was
killed in action while serving his country in Vietnam. He was the son of 
Leonard and Mary Helen McDonald.

In 1904 John moved his family to Barwick in Thomas County, Georgia where he
found land which was rich and productive. He returned to Lowndes County in 
1917 and lived there until his death on January 28, 1943, just a month short
of his 90th birthday. Both he and his wife are interred in the Cat Creek 
Primitive Baptist Cemetery on land deeded to the church by his father, William
McDonald.

John and Virginia have over 200 descendants living in Georgia and bordering
states. About half of them live in Lowndes County.

Additional Comments:
John McDonald was the son of William McDonald and the grandson of Isham 
McDonald. Isham served in the Revolutionary War and had previously immigrated
from Scotland. William served with his local Georgia militia unit and 
experienced armed conflict with Native American tribes living in the area.
John McDonald was the brother in law of Henry Dowling, one of the final 
national commanders of The United Confederate Veterans and the last resident
of The Georgia (Confederate) Soldiers Home in Atlanta. His biography is 
featured in "The South's Last Boys in Gray."

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/lowndes/bios/mcdonald952gbs.txt

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