Psycho in My Family Tree

[Supreme American]

7 generations ago I had a man named Charles Donaldson in my family line. Being from Colonial America, intermarriage seemed at least somewhat common. In this case, his 2 kids had 2 kids that married each other and produced another of my ancestors. My research into him was a dead end until last night when I discovered this... I know it's him due to his name, his wife's name, his place and date of death. The daughter-in-law named Susannah that testified against him is also one of my direct ancestors.

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Charles Donaldson was hung in 1797 for the murder of his own son, William.

May 15, 1796 William Donaldson..found May 20. Father confesses. The "Company" which witnesses his mark beneath the confession included Bartholomew Jenkins. Bartholomew Jenkins testified that, being asked in what manner he murdered him....

Bartholomew Jenkins of full age being duly sworn deposeth Saith that on
the twentieth day of May l796 he heard Charles Donaldson Say that he murdered his Son William Donaldson on the night of the l5th Instant, deponant went to the home of Charles Donaldson, where he Saw William Donaldson lying murdered at a stone heap, this deponent asked Charles Donaldson respecting the murder, the Said Charles Donaldson Said he murdered his son. This Deponant asked the Said Charles, in what manner he murdered the Said William, the Said Charles answered & Said that he choked him to death with a rope that he tied him in the bed while he was asleep, and the Said William gave a Spring & got out of the Bed, (then) the Said Charles and William conversed together & the Said Boy begged for god & asked to save his life, but the Said Charles refused, and told him that he would kill him and draw the rope So as to choke him, and then carried him to the Stone heap where he was found dead.

With twelve identical testimonies coming from members of the search party,
Charles Donaldson was found guilty.

The court records indicate that although Charles Donaldson was found guilty
in l796, he was given a second trial the following spring. In April l797
Charles' wife Mary, his daughter Mary, his son James, and his daughter-in-law Susannah testified. Unfortunately, records of their testimonies no longer
exist. On l6 May l797 Charles was found guilty once again. On l9 September
l797 the court paid Robert Ferrell ten dollars for constructing the gallows
for Charles' hanging. Charles Donaldson must have died in l797 since the
Monongalia County District Court granted Robert Ferrell $5.25 "to executing
Charles Donalson" as part of his l796 and l797 sheriff's expenses.

The reason for this murder can be found in Bishop Francis Asbury's diary
(p. 258 of The Monongalia Story, Vol. II). On 2 June l796 he wrote, " I
was informed of an awful circumstance: a man, aged seventy years, strangled his own son to prevent his appearing as evidence against him for theft."

[Supreme American]

Source

Judging from the court records of those days, it appears that it required considerable fortitude to maintain peace and good order in the county, the administration of justice being somewhat hampered occasionally.
The proceedings had in the District Court in the case of
one Charles Donaldson will serve to illustrate this point. On
the 20th day of September, 1796, the following order was
entered :

"It appearing to the court that an at-
tempt may be made to rescue Charles Don-
aldson, a prisoner indicted for murder, it is
ordered that the sheriff summon a guard of
fifty men over him, and, if necessary, that
he call the whole force of the county of Mon-
ongalia to his assistance, and it is further
ordered that he do not permit any person to
go into the jail, except the prisoner's coun-
sel."

On the same day John Tibbs came into court and stated
that he had seen John Odewalt, one of the guards of the
jail, give the prisoner a pistol. Oldewalt was then taken
into custody and sent to jail. The court also required John
Tibbs and Richard Bell to enter into a recognizance in the
penalty of one hundred pounds to appear before the grand
jury on the next day as witnesses against Odewalt. When
the time arrived for court to convene on the following
morning it was found that Jesse Martin, one of the grand
jurors who had indicted Donaldson on the previous day, was
not present. He was ordered to pay a fine of thirty dollars,
unless he appeared on or before the first day of the next
term to explain his absence. John Fairfax was called and
sworn as a grand juror in his place.

When the court proceeded to get a jury for the Donald-
son trial it was discovered that Jurdin Hall, who had been
summoned as a petit juror, had failed to appear. The
court ordered him fined six dollars, unless he should ap-
pear and show good cause to the contrary. The follow-
ing men were then called to serve on this murder case :
Asa Dudle}', Daniel Sayres, Frederick Guise, James Small-
wood Wilson, Robert Hill, Thomas Lazzell, Elihu Horton,
James Brand, Charles Snodgrass, and Philip Shively. This
jury found Donaldson guilty on the same day, which was
the next day after he was indicted. He had been in the
custody of the jailer under guard since the 20th day of
May, 1796. During the same term of court, however, his
attorney made a motion that judgment on the verdict be
not entered against him for the reason that the charge of
"choaking, strangling, and sulifocating William Donald-
son" was not sufficiently stated in the indictment. The
court took time to consider this motion and continued the
case until the next term, Donaldson being recommitted to
jail. On the last day of the term of the court there was an
order allowing pay for fifty men as guards over
Doualdson for one day. In addition to these, the follow-
ing men also received pay for several days as guards over
him : John Plom, seven days ; John Gallagher, seven days ;
William McCraj', seven days; Joseph Jennings, fourteen
days ; Jacob Boyers, twenty-five days ; John Odewalt, thirty-
one days ; James S. Smith, thirty-two days ; Anderson Spen-
cer, fifty-seven days ; Edward Grayham, sixty-seven days ;
Ananias Hutson, seventy-three days; and James Scott,
seventy-seven days. The pay was fifty cents a day.

At the following May term the court sustained the motion
made at the previous term, which had the effect of setting-
aside everything that had been done in the case. But
Donaldson was again sent back to jail to await the action
of the grand jury, which was then in session. He was again
indicted, tried by another jury, and again convicted. The
court sentenced him to be hanged on the 19th day of the
following June. The last chapter in this famous case, from
which it appears that James Brand had no conscientious
scruples against inflicting the death penalty, was apparent-
ly written on the 19th day of September, 1797, when the
court allowed Robert Ferrell, the sheriff of the countv, an
account of $10.00 "for erecting the gallos for the execution
of Charles Donaldson".

[Guapo]

[Supreme American]

OH and he was also apparently a Revolutionary War veteran.

[rhiannon]

7 generations ago I had a man named Charles Donaldson in my family line. Being from Colonial America, intermarriage seemed at least somewhat common. In this case, his 2 kids had 2 kids that married each other and produced another of my ancestors. My research into him was a dead end until last night when I discovered this... I know it's him due to his name, his wife's name, his place and date of death. The daughter-in-law named Susannah that testified against him is also one of my direct ancestors.

-----------------------------------------

Charles Donaldson was hung in 1797 for the murder of his own son, William.

May 15, 1796 William Donaldson..found May 20. Father confesses. The "Company" which witnesses his mark beneath the confession included Bartholomew Jenkins. Bartholomew Jenkins testified that, being asked in what manner he murdered him....

Bartholomew Jenkins of full age being duly sworn deposeth Saith that on
the twentieth day of May l796 he heard Charles Donaldson Say that he murdered his Son William Donaldson on the night of the l5th Instant, deponant went to the home of Charles Donaldson, where he Saw William Donaldson lying murdered at a stone heap, this deponent asked Charles Donaldson respecting the murder, the Said Charles Donaldson Said he murdered his son. This Deponant asked the Said Charles, in what manner he murdered the Said William, the Said Charles answered & Said that he choked him to death with a rope that he tied him in the bed while he was asleep, and the Said William gave a Spring & got out of the Bed, (then) the Said Charles and William conversed together & the Said Boy begged for god & asked to save his life, but the Said Charles refused, and told him that he would kill him and draw the rope So as to choke him, and then carried him to the Stone heap where he was found dead.

With twelve identical testimonies coming from members of the search party,
Charles Donaldson was found guilty.

The court records indicate that although Charles Donaldson was found guilty
in l796, he was given a second trial the following spring. In April l797
Charles' wife Mary, his daughter Mary, his son James, and his daughter-in-law Susannah testified. Unfortunately, records of their testimonies no longer
exist. On l6 May l797 Charles was found guilty once again. On l9 September
l797 the court paid Robert Ferrell ten dollars for constructing the gallows
for Charles' hanging. Charles Donaldson must have died in l797 since the
Monongalia County District Court granted Robert Ferrell $5.25 "to executing
Charles Donalson" as part of his l796 and l797 sheriff's expenses.

The reason for this murder can be found in Bishop Francis Asbury's diary
(p. 258 of The Monongalia Story, Vol. II). On 2 June l796 he wrote, " I
was informed of an awful circumstance: a man, aged seventy years, strangled his own son to prevent his appearing as evidence against him for theft."

Lagergeld, we all probably have a few certifiables in our family history. Interesting story, BTW

[Supreme American]

Lagergeld, we all probably have a few certifiables in our family history. Interesting story, BTW

I may have another... I have to do more reading, but there's a guy executed in the same state earlier to that for conspiring and killing with a couple other guys a man for "sympathies with the confederacy."

This guy, though, isn't a direct ancestor, but a possible/probable relative of one, such as perhaps a sibling.

[rhiannon]

Where does most of your family hail from? If you are willing to share?

[Supreme American]

Where does most of your family hail from? If you are willing to share?

Well 3 of my grandparents are full Germans, as in from Europe. It's my father's mother's side that has the old Colonial blood, which is where I'm finding this stuff. The oldest branch of that family I've been able to trace were Dutch from New Amsterdam circa 1650, originally from the Netherlands. In the US, they moved from New Amsterdam/New York to New Jersey, then possibly a time in West Virginia, then on to Ohio as an early settler family there. Apparently in the 1500s they (or at least some of them) were Huguenots and fled to Alsace-Lorraine.

[007]

OH and he was also apparently a Revolutionary War veteran.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

[Supreme American]

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Well he was a criminal, as far as the rest, or an age-related disorder, who knows?

Obviously someone in their right state of mind does not murder their child over a theft case.