Capt. William "Billy" Donnell, (son?)

1760 - 1846  (86 years)

• Name	William "Billy" Donnell
  Title	Capt.
  Suffix	(son?)
  Birth	26 Apr 1760	Guilford Co, North Carolina
  Gender	Male
  Residence	Bef 1791	North side Cumberland River, Guilford Co, North Carolina
  	from letter of John Foster Doak "Mr. Donnell's family moved to this country the year before my father. Both families lived for a time on the north side of Cumberland River." (see letter attached)
  		Letter written by John Foster Doak to T.C. Anderson c 1858 in regards to his memories of Rev. Robert Donnell published in the book Life and Labor of Rev. Robert Donnell by T.C. Anderson, written in 1858. linked to: Samuel Donnell (I78890) (daughter) Doak (I78860) Alexander Foster (I51726) John Alexander Foster (I56773) Mary "Polly" Foster (I51725) John Doak (I51702) William "Billy" Donnell, (son?) (I78854) Robert Thomas Donnell (I78859) John Foster Doak (I51744)
  Residence	1791	Wilson Co, Tennessee
  	from letter by John Foster Doak (see attached) "My father, Grandfather Foster, Alexander Foster, and Mr. Donnell's father all bought land previous to their leaving North Carolina, on Spring Creek, which was then a part of Sumner County. The tract purchased contained twelve hundred and eighty acres. None of the parties had seen the land; and to prevent difficulty in assigning to each one his portion, after personal examination, it was mutually agreed that the decision should be made before the families reached Tennessee. On seeing the land, each member of the company took possession of his own without a murmur, though the poorest part of the tract fell to the share of William Donnell." http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnwcogs/famhist/donnel01.html
  Military	Rev War: Guilford Court House, Guilford Co, North Carolina
  Death	29 Jul 1846	Wilson Co, Tennessee
  Burial	Doaks Crossroads Cem, Wilson Co, Tennessee
  Notes	Not clear which of the brothers is his father, but the letter from John Foster Doak regarding Robert Donnell made reference to Rev. Samuel Donnell, cousin of his father" --------- William Donnell, the father of Robert, was also an elder in that church; and while in North Carolina, his family enjoyed the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Caldwell, by whom all the children were baptized in infancy. He served his country in the war of the Revolution, and was engaged in the battle of Guilford Court House when General Greene drove the invading army of Cornwallis from North Carolina. ... the first man that drove a wagon from Sumner County, Tenn., to Lexington, Ky., whither he went to obtain salt for his own family and other emigrants. On coming to a stream that could not be forded, he took his wagon apart, and crossed, in a canoe, swimming his horses. ... The next year (following 1797), young Robert had the misfortune to lose his father. He died of fever, in the fifty-first year of his age-leaving a widow and seven children-three sons and four daughters. Their names were: William, Samuel, Robert, Mary, Sally, Martha, and Jane. The father was a man of exemplary piety, and one of the first elders of the "Ridge" congregation. He was noted for his kindness to the poor and needy. The following incident, illustrating this trait of character, occurred the year before he died. William Donnelson, after riding several days, without success, in search of corn, to relieve the wants of his family, called on William Donnell, and made known his distress. "What have you give for corn?" inquired Mr. Donnell. "Cash in hand, sir," was the reply. "Then," rejoined the other, "you can surely find it in the country. I have some corn to spare, but am keeping it for those who are unable to pay for it in money." After much persuasion, however, he consented to let Mr. Donnelson have three bushels. When the corn was measured, three dollars were laid on the table, being the current price at the time. Mr. Donnell took up one dollar, and pushed the other two back, saying, "One is all I will take." The above incident has been furnished by the Rev. Samuel McSpedden, brother-in-law of Mr. Donnelson. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnwcogs/famhist/donnel01.html -------------- conflicting children names: From: "Raymond D. Donnell" Subject: Re: [DONNELL] Re: Donnell in Tenn. Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 20:34:39 -0500 William Donnell, known as "Cap't. William, or Capt'n Billie, to separate him form the other William Donnells in the area. His military a service in the Rev. War was as a Private, is no known to have had a daughter named Martha. The children from two marriages were Wm.Jr., James, Robert, Adnah, Eliel, Josiah, Thomas, Mary, Cynthia, Adeline, Jane L. and Margaret. http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/read/DONNELL/2001-12/1008466479
  Person ID	I78854	Roots
  Last Modified	16 Oct 2016

  
  

  Father	Thomas Donnell, Sr.,   b. Abt 1730   d. Aft 1770 (Age ~ 41 years)
  Family ID	F25639	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Jane Bell,   b. Abt 1764, Guilford Co, North Carolina d. Bef 1806, Wilson Co, Tennessee (Age ~ 41 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1783	Guilford Co, North Carolina
  Children	1. William Rufus Donnell   d. 1862, Hickory Co, Missouri   2. Samuel Donnell   d. Aft 1898, of, Wilson Co, Tennessee   3. Rev. Robert Thomas Donnell,   b. 1781, Guilford Co, North Carolina d. Wilson Co, Tennessee   4. Mary "Polly" Donnell,   b. 1796, Guilford Co, North Carolina d. 8 Feb 1873, Wilson Co, Tennessee (Age 77 years)   5. Sally Donnell   d. Aft 1798, of, Wilson Co, Tennessee   6. Martha Donnell   d. Aft 1798, of, Wilson Co, Tennessee   7. Jane Donnell   d. Aft 1798, of, Wilson Co, Tennessee
  Family ID	F25634	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	9 Apr 2015

  
  

  Family 2	Mrs. Elizabeth (..) Doak,   b. 27 Nov 1775, North Carolina d. 2 Sep 1850, Wilson Co, Tennessee (Age 74 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1808	Wilson Co, Tennessee
  Children	1. Jane Donnell,   b. 11 Jun 1809, Wilson Co, Tennessee d. 4 Nov 1888, Firsco, Collin Co, Texas (Age 79 years) + 2. Adaline Donnell,   b. 1810, Wilson Co, Tennessee d. 11 Feb 1861, Hickory Co, Missouri (Age 51 years)   3. Margaret "Peggy" Donnell,   b. 15 Jun 1813, Wilson Co, Tennessee d. 29 Mar 1892, Wilson Co, Tennessee (Age 78 years)
  Family ID	F25633	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	9 Apr 2015

  
  

• Event Map

  Residence - Bef 1791 - North side Cumberland River, Guilford Co, North Carolina Military - - Rev War: Guilford Court House, Guilford Co, North Carolina  = Link to Google Earth