THOMAS McDONOUGH, one of the well-known retired farmers of Washington county, is a native of the same, born in Somerset township, October 27, 1830. He is a grandson of Henry McDonough, who came from Baltimore, Md., to this county at a very early day, when the Indians were so hostile that he had to sleep in his rude cabin with his gun, pitchfork and axe near his bed, ready for any sudden nocturnal attack. He revisited Baltimore after a time, and returning to Washington county after a four years' absence, bought a farm and settled down to agricultural pursuits. On the occasion of his second coming to the county he brought with him a slave woman who kept house for him until his marriage, after which she remained as a member of the family until she died of sheer old age, and was buried in the family lot in Pigeon Creek cemetery. Henry McDonough married Jane, daughter of 'Squire' Hamilton, of "Ginger Hill," west of Monongahela City, and they became the parents of a large family.
David McDonough, son of this pioneer, was born in Washington county, November 14, 1799, his education being received at the subscription schools of the neighborhood of his birthplace. He was reared to the occupation of his forefathers on the old home farm, whereon he lived all his days. On May 16, 1827, he was married to Levinah, daughter of Adam Weir, of West Bethlehem township, and a descendant of one of the early settlers of the county. Four children were born to this union, viz.: Joseph, in Somerset township; Thomas, our subject; Adam, who died at the age of eight years, and Henry H., a practicing physician at Claysville, Penn. In 1859 the father passed from earth at the age of sixty years. He was originally a Whig in politics, later a stanch Republican, and held various township offices in the gift of his party. His widow survived him until March 2, 1876, when she too passed from earth.
Thomas McDonough received his education at the old log school-house of the period. His "A-B-C" was learned off what was called a "paddle," having the large letters of the alphabet pasted on one side of it, and the small letters on the other side, and the readers and other books used were the Greenleaf and Adams Arithmetic, and Town's and Cobb's spellers. His first teacher was Thomas Hall, a prominent dominie in his time, the father of Gen. John Hall, of Washington. Later Mr. McDonough was under the preceptorship of a teacher under the public-school law a Mr. Leet, a Washington attorney about that time and his last winter attendance at any school was for but eleven days in a four-months' term. On December 31, 1858, Thomas McDonough was united in marriage with Jane McGregor, of Nottingham township, daughter of William McGregor, a pioneer of the county. To this union were born two children, who died young, and their mother followed them to the grave December 30, 1872. On August 25, 1874, our subject married Miss C. V. Burgan, of Terre Haute, Ind., to which State her parents had moved from Washington county, Penn. By this marriage there is one child, Alice Gertrude, born January 16, 1879. In April, 1891, the family moved from the farm into Washington, partly on account of Mr. McDonough's health, which had become somewhat impaired, and partly in order to give his daughter the benefit of the best city education to be had in the county. Mr. and Mrs. McDonough are members of the Christian Church of Washington, and in his political preferences he is a stanch Republican.
Text taken from page 1057 of:
Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893).Transcribed March 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project.
Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.[ [Back to Beers Table of Contents] [Back to Beers Project Page]