Churchill County NV Archives Photo Person.....McArthur, Donald And Family ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nv/nvfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Donna Rogers DonnaRogersMo@aol.com August 8, 2005, 11:57 pm Source: My Family Album Name: Donald And Family McArthur Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/nv/churchill/photos/mcarthur19gph.jpg Image file size: 266.7 Kb Donald McArthur My gr gr grandfather Donald McArthur had coal black piercing eyes, and red hair. He was born in England, of Scottish descent in 1827. He came to NY at the age of one. He was put in a boys school in Saratoga, and at the age of 14, Donald sold his books and clothes and shipped out to sea on a whaling vessel. He was accompanied by three of his schoolmates. Life on the ship was very rugged. Many died of scurvy because of the lack of fresh meat, and fruit. The Officers and Captain of the vessel ate well, but others did not. During a night watch Donald Stole a piece of fresh meat, and cooked it in his coffee pot. realizing the piece of meat was missing, the captain searched the ship, and tried with no luck to get someone to confess. Donald and his shipmates would harpoon whales using harpoons from a smaller vessel. They hated the sharks that would follow the smaller boats waiting for a boy to fall out of the boat. The boys would heat up rocks to where they were literally red hot and then throw them to the sharks and the sharks would literally tear themselves to pieces with the burning rock in them. For a time the boys were not allowed to go ashore when the ship would dock, because it was feared they would run away. Because they were so poorly treated. During this time many men were shanghaied aboard and made to work very hard. After many months at sea the ship docked at the Kanaki Islands. The Captain, feeling confident that the boys wouldn't run away in this tiny island in the mid-Pacific, he allowed the boys to go ashore. Donald and his three friends hid in the thick tropical underbrush and up in coconut trees to hide. They only had coconut meat and milk for 3 days. They watched the ship go back out to sea, thinking it was safe, despite Donald's warnings, Donald's friends went into town to find something to eat. All three boys were captured by men the captain had left behind. When his friend were made to re board the ship and the ship left with his friends, Donald was safe, Over the next 2 years Donald made friends with the Kanaki Natives and because he repaired a broken barrel for the king he also made friends with him. Donald left the Kanaki Islands, and by the age of 19 ended up in San Francisco. From San Francisco he traveled all over the western US. He ended up in Utah in about 1863, I have no idea how long he was there prior to 1863. In Utah Donald met Margaret Price Howells Thompson. Margaret's husband Nils had been scalped by Indians, leaving her a 23 year old widow, with a 2 year old and pregnant to boot. Donald offered to marry her. Margaret agreed, but only after she had given birth to the baby within her. They married January 20, 1863, and had 11 children together. At one point while living in Nevada Donald built the salt wells station stop for the 20 mule borax haul, In 1874 Donald also ran for superintendent of schools for Churchill County and won by a landslide (41 votes for Donald, 14 for his opponent Gray). Donald then moved his family to Inyo County (near Bishop) where had had secured a land grant for 160 acres. BLM serial is cacaaa 134022 Donald was 13 years older than Margaret. He became Ill and unable to support his family. Margaret brought in the money for about a year and then sadly divorced Donald in inyo county on October 11 1886. I have copies of the origional divorce documents for any family member interested (they were found by my cousin Janice Davis), I also have a wonderful photo of Donald, as well as Margaret Howell's and many of those the decended from them. We don't know what happened to Donald after the divorce, we believe he is buried in inyo county somewhere, just do not know where, but one day I am going to give him a great big hug in heaven! Donna Lucille Williams Rogers Portains of this text comes from my cousin Janice Davis's research Nevada State Census, 1875 D. McArthur 47 M White Hotel Keeper M. McArthur 33 F White M. McArthur 14 M White W. E. McArthur 12 M White C. McArthur 9 F White E. J. McArthur 2 F White McArthur 22 M White Miner Family folklore thru the generations dictates That 3 sisters left shropshire together going to Liverpool, and then aboard the ship George Washington to America. Margaret was engaged to a will humphries, but broke up with him somewhere along the journey because she was told that there would be more wives. Margaret completed the trek to Utah, and eventually married Neils Thompson of Salt Lake. She must have married him ca 1959. That is folklore little of which I have been able to prove. Margaret did have 2 sons Nelson Thompson born 1860 in Utah, and William Thompson born 1863 they are listed in census forms and we have family photos of them and my grandfather knew Nelson (his great uncle) who was a logger/miner from n Calif. Nelson Thompson sr died in 1863 while Margaret was pregnant with William. Family folklore says he was scalped by Indians, but I have not even found any skirmishes in that year in salt lake. Shortly after the death of her husband, Margaret was proposed to by a kind hearted gent named Donald McArthur, Donald was 12 years her senior, & scottish/Irish. Margaret agreed to marry him, but only after the birth of her dead husbands baby. I will assume that when Margaret's husband died in salt lake she came to tooele as her sister Mary lived there. family folk lore dictates that Margaret married Donald McArthur in tooele and they homesteaded in tooele for a time after they married. They had a baby boy they named Job/Jobe McArthur 1864/1865. He is said to have died early in tooele therefore he must be buried there. after the death of their son, they packed up the 2 boys Nelson, and William.. and headed to California in their sturdy emigrant wagon. Daughter Caroline McArthur (Conn) is born in shingle springs calif, Novenber 26, 1865. They are listed in Sonoma County Calif in the 1870 census. Donald wins a election by a landslide < 41 to 14) and becomes superintendent of schools for churchill county nevadaThey are listed in (columbus) Nevada in the 1875 special census. Donald gets a BLM land grant for 160 acres in inyo county calif , the land is near laws calif. they lived along owens lake. On September 10th, 1886. Margaret Filed for Divorce from Donald in Inyo county superior court. She stated that he had not been supporting the family for over one year. Donald never went to court and Margaret won the divorce by default. She recieved half of their property. She sold her land and moved to madera California where she remarried to a Hopkins. Margaret died in 1900 and is buried at Arbor V cemetery in Madera. she is buried next to her son William who preceded her in death. I would love to find what happened to Donald, but at this time i can only guess that he died in inyo and is buried there Additional Comments: If you are related to my McArthur family, i would love to hear from you DonnaRogersMo@aol.com 417 336 8899 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nv/churchill/photos/mcarthur19gph.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nvfiles/ File size: 7.9 Kb