Donaldson
Elizabeth Brown
1818 – 1918
♦Verified
Learn about the research into the connection to Chief Justice John Marshall.
Elizabeth Brown Donaldson was born in Mason County, Kentucky in 1818. She was one of nine children of William Donaldson and Jane Marshall. Details on their ancestry have not been found although Jane’s father is said to have been Thomas.
Westward Ho!
Elizabeth moved west to Missouri with her parents. The following year Elizabeth married Henry Thomas in Monroe County, Missouri.
Elizabeth lived to be just shy of 100 years of age. She claimed to be “kin” to Chief Justice John Marshall, who was the third chief justice of the United States and who is considered the father of the justice system. It is true that her parents married and lived in the same county where John Marshall’s father and some other family members lived. However, it is most likely that she was a distant cousin to the chief justice. Details regarding the investigation into the tie to Chief Justice John Marshall can be found here.