Know Your Ancestor-Day 3

That's right, folks. Now is the time for William T. Donoho, whom I'm sure you've just been dying to meet. Remember, William is the son of James Donoho {starting to fill in the gaps}. William was born May 9, 1790 in Tennessee. He married Millie Meador {his first wife} in April 1811. Around 1827, William and his family moved from Sumner County, Tennessee to Jefferson/Marion County, Illinois. His home was a meeting place for all kinds of gatherings, and he ran the sawmill as well as a gristmill. He may have owned some type of inn, as well. William had 11 children with his first wife, Millie, including Susannah Donoho, who married John Nelson Helm. William went on to have 6 more children with his second wife, Elizabeth Hatchett, who he married several months after his first wife died late in 1834.  William T. Donoho also participated in the War of 1812, enlisting in the Tennessee Volunteers from September 1813 to December 1813. He was a member of Captain Adam Bledsoe's Company of Riflemen, 1 Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. After serving 3 months and 5 days, he was entitled to pay in the sum of $28.02. {And I thought we were paid little for OUR service :}

Here's the documents showing his discharge paperwork, as well as his enlistment muster and final paycheck amount. Pretty neat! His discharge says he served honorably under the command of Major General Andrew Jackson. I guess that means Jackson was the one in charge of ALL of them, but still pretty cool.

Pretty neat, huh? I guess William T. did pretty well for himself: war service,17 children,prominent citizen of Jefferson and Marion Counties, Illinois. As one of the founding pioneers of the area, William's legacy lives on in the prairie named for him: Donoho Prairie. William died in December 1849, and since he did not leave a will, there was a long court battle between Elizabeth and her step children over William's estate.

Here's the connection from William to me; notice that William falls under James Donoho:

Next up: Who knows? Any suggestions or requests?