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Below is a family biography included in The History of Franklin County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1886.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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JOHN M. DONALDSON is one of six surviving members of a family of seven children, and was born in Franklin County, Tenn., in 1837. His parents, William and Ellen (Morris) Donaldson, were born in North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. The former was born in 1811, and came to Tennessee with his parents in 1819. He married the mother in 1836, and followed farming until his death, which occurred June 7, 1864. The mother died August 31, 1883. John M. assisted his parents until the breaking out of the war, when he, in 1862, enlisted in Company K, Fourth Tennessee Cavalry. He participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Goldsboro, N. C., and was fortunate in not being wounded during service, although his horse was killed under him in the battle of Dover. May 4,1875, he married Ara Phillips, of this county, and this union was blessed with one child, Ellen L. In 1876 they moved to their farm of 250 acres. They also own a tract of 105 acres elsewhere in the county. Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson are members of the Christian Church, and he has always been identified with the Democratic party, and believes in prohibition.

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This family biography is one of 83 biographies included in The History of Franklin County, Tennessee published in 1886.  The History of Franklin County was included within The History of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin & Moore Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin , Moore Counties of Tennessee

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