The Yorkville Enquirer reported on July 24, 1884 – “Due West has completed arrangements for a telephone connection with Donalds. The capital stock has been subscribed. Mr. Samuel Agnew was elected Pres. and Treasurer and the executive committee includes: H.P. McGee, H.E. Bonner, and R.S. Galloway.”
City Directories and History: The Abbeville Press and Banner for Oct. 7, 1891 reported, “Barmore, Dunn and Co., is the oldest ginning establishment in this section and they have recently added new equipment, an elevator to unload seed cotton from the wagon, and a seam press.”
Also in the same paper – “Donald and Humphries have erected a large gin house.”
Also in the same edition – “W.F. Rowland is building a store room near the depot.”
Also, “W.A. Latimer has bought a lot and will be erecting a building this fall.”
Also, “The house of W.W. Dodson is nearing completion.”
Also, “The School in Donalds is under the management of Prof. W.T. Hudson and is flourishing.”
“The first settlers in the Donalds area found an almost unbroken wilderness as they moved into this ‘back country” to make their homes. Their first task was to clear enough land from the forests on which to build their small log cabins and to grow their crops.
NATIONAL REGISTER IMAGE(S) – GRANGE BUILDING
Major John Donnald, who came to America from Ireland, was one of the first settlers in the Donalds section of the state. He ran one of the first gins in the area and in time became a prosperous farmer. He also built and operated a general merchandise store which was located some distance from the present town on the main road to Augusta.
Major Donnald built a typical up-country colonial house as his home, the mantels, paneling, and doors of which were imported from England. The ceilings and floors in the house were made of wide hand-dressed boards fashioned locally. This home, still standing today, has been owned by only three families since its original construction.
Mrs. G. A. Neuffer of Abbeville, great granddaughter of Major John Donnald, has a Hill-Donnald family Bible which contains the following records: “Anna Hamilton Donnald, the wife of William Hill, (whose name is opposite) was born near the upper spring of Long Cane Creek in Abbeville District So. Carolina on the 18th December 1807.
“John Donnald Hill departed this life at Jalapa, Mexico, on the 28 May 1847, aged twenty years, eight months and six days. He was a volunteer of the Com-pany “E” commanded by Capt. J. F. Marshall of the South Carolina Regiment commanded by Col. Pierce M. Butler. “David Hill departed this life on the 7th of Nov. 1849 at the house of his uncle Col. Samuel Donnald in Abbeville District aged three years, six months and twenty-three days.” The family records also show that the Major John Donnald family is descended maternally from die Houston, Hamilton, and Armstrong families of Colonial Virginia. It is one of the classic examples of the fusing of Virginia and South Carolina Scotch-Irish Presbyterians.
Major Donnald had a large family consisting (tradition reports) of twelve children, some of whom settled near their fathers home. The home of one son (now owned by the McDonald family) is still an attractive residence. Another son, Colonel Samuel Donnald, built the first house in what later became the actual town of Donnaldsville. Like the original Donnald home, it was richly furnished inside with beautiful mantels, doors, and paneling. One chimney of this house has the date 1844 on it, but Mrs. Lizzie Sharpe, a daughter of Colonel Donnald, once said that the date was put there when some repairs were made on the chimney and that she was not positive that a date earlier than 1844 might not be assigned to the first construction of the building. After the Southern Railroad was built through Donnaldsville, Colonel Donnald boarded traveling salesmen in his home; thus his establishment could be regarded as the first boarding house or hotel of the little village.
The Samuel Donnald home is also spoken of as the water shed of Donnalds because rain falling on the back side of the house is said to flow ultimately into the Savannah River while rain falling on the front side flows into the Saluda River. This old Donnald home has been recently bought by a shirt manufacturer of Donalds and in time may be torn down to accommodate an enlargement of the manufacturing plant. It is from Colonel Samuel Donnald, the first settler of Donalds, that the town got its name “Donaldsville.” The name was subsequently changed to “Donalds” by M. M. Mattison when he was postmaster of the town in the 1890’s.”
Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC
The Abbeville Press and Banner reported on March 9, 1904 from Donalds, S.C. – “Messer’s. May and Seawright have completed their lumber warehouse and have a good supply of lumber…, in addition they are installing a scroll saw, band saw and turning lathe. The plant is located on the Oil Mill site…”
The Yorkville Enquirer of Oct. 10, 1905 reported – “The people in Due West are going ahead with the work of securing a railroad to Donalds about four miles away. The citizens have subscribed $12,000. and are proposing that the town issue bonds of $10,000.”
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