Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Carrie (Peak) McDonald, Johnson County, Missouri, Warrensburg Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Mrs. Carrie (Peak) McDonald, the highly esteemed widow of the late J.Q. McDonald, a prominent farmer and stockman of Johnson county, is one of Warrensburg's noblest women and a member of one of the best pioneer families in Missouri. She was born on the Peak homestead in Jefferson township, the place now owned by Jefferson Cooper. Mrs. McDonald is a daughter of G. W. and Eliza (Draper) Peak. G. W. Peak was born in Ken- tucky and when a lad fourteen years of age came to Missouri with his parents and they settled in Benton county. Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Peak in 1853 went to California on their "honeymoon," making the trip over the plains driving a team of oxen and, besides the wagons carrying provis- ions of meat and flour, taking with them their milch cows, several horses, numerous slaves, and a colored cook, who had long been in the Draper family. One of Mrs. Peak's brothers, M. C. Draper, accompanied the bride and groom on their trip. When the caravan would find a grassy spot out on the plains, they would stop at the "oasis" for per- haps a week or more, permitting the stock to graze. They experienced many intensely exciting and interesting incidents on the journey and Mrs. Peak often related her thrilling adventure with a mountain lion. She had strolled away from the camp and on her walk stumbled over a sleeping mountain lion. Evidently, Mrs. Peak was not more freightened than was the beast, for it bounded away into the darkness as she re- turned in great haste to the wagons. One evening, Kit Carson shared with them their evening meal, and they met General Fremont several times on their trip in California. After four years, Mr. and Mrs. Peak returned to Johnson county where they settled on the farm previously mentioned. To G. W. and Eliza (Draper) Peak were born the following children: Mrs. Carrie McDonald, the subject of this review; Mrs. J. J. Phillips, Windsor, Missouri; Mrs. James Lampkin, Warrensburg, Missouri; Mrs. George Cooper, Warrensburg, Missouri; Mrs. W. W. Wheeler, the twin of Mrs. George Cooper, who resides in Clinton, Missouri; R. A., of Mineralsprings, Palo Pinto county, Texas; and C. F., of Houston, Miss- ouri, all of whom are now living; and Mary Frances, who was the wife of A. D. Cooper, and she died in 1876; John Will, who died at the age of two years; Katherine, who died in childhood in 1879 at the age of six years; and Benjamin, who died in infancy. In 1878, J. Q. McDonald and Carrie Peak were married at the Peak home place in Jefferson township. J. Q. McDonald was born on the McDonald homestead in Jefferson township a son of Isaac and Phoebe (Means) McDonald, the former, a native of Virginia and the latter, of Kentucky. Isaac McDonald was a wealthy slave owner in Virginia. He came to Missouri in a very early day and located for a time in Fayette county, whence he came to Johnson county and entered a tract of land. At the time of his death, he was owner of two thousand acres of land in this section of Missouri. His death occurred when his son, J. Q., was a child four years of age. Interment was made in the cemetery known as the Cooper cemetery in Johnson county. A copy of the patent given to Isaac McDonald can be seen today in the county recorder's office in Volume V, page 117, of the records. This old land patent is dated April 1, 1825, and is signed by President James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, of the Land office. Though the paper is soiled somewhat, it is still in very good condition, the paper having been of excellent, firm texture. To Isaac and Phoebe (Means) McDonald were born eight children: Clay, who was killed while serving in the Confederate army in active service in Arkansas; W. D., who was a veteran of the Confederacy, whose death occurred in 1917; Newton, who is deceased; Robert, who was in the Confederate service, serving under General Price, and now resides in Montserrat township, Johnson county; Richard, who is deceased; John Q., the deceased husband of the subject of this review; George, a merchant and ranchman and one of the wealth- iest men of Palo Pinto county, Texas; Mary, who was the wife of Robert Casey, a brother of George Casey, of Henry county, Missouri, and she is now deceased. John Q. McDonald was educated in the schools of Jeffer- son township. He was reared on the farm and all his life was interest- ed in the pursuits of agriculture. In 1898, he and his wife moved to Warrensburg, where they purchased the Professor Dodd property, which was later sold to George Cooper and Mrs. and Mrs. McDonald purchased property on Ming street and there built the splendid, comfortable resi- dence, in which Mrs. McDonald now resides. Mr. McDonald died December 20, 1915. Burial was made in the cemetery at Warrensburg. John Q. McDonald was an honorable, upright, respected citizen of Johnson county, a man of quiet, unobtrusive ways and kindly manners, whose worth was widely recognized and the loss to the citizenship of Warrensburg has been deeply lamented. No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. McDonald, but Mrs. McDonald has taken three little ones into her home and upon them is lavishing all the loving and thoughtful care of a mother. Henry McDonald, a nephew; Catherine Ethel Peak, a niece; and Donald Calvin Peak, a nephew, are sharing with their aunt her beautiful home in Warrensburg. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny Harrell ====================================================================