Rev. Newton Donaldson and Elizabeth J. "Lizzie" Martin
Husband Rev. Newton Donaldson
Born: 13 Dec 1853 Christened: Died: 1924 Buried:
Father: William Adams Donaldson (1819-1915) 1 2 Mother: Sarah "Sally" Hall (1820-1891) 3
Marriage: 25 Sep 1883
Wife Elizabeth J. "Lizzie" Martin
Born: 20 Mar 1862 Christened: Died: 1937 Buried:
Father: John Martin ( - ) Mother:
Children
1 M Rev. Dwight Martin Donaldson
Born: 16 Dec 1884 Christened: Died: 1975 Buried:Spouse: Jean Brinton ( - )Spouse: Bess Allen ( - )
2 M Dr. William Wilson Donaldson, M.D.
Born: 25 Dec 1885 Christened: Died: 26 Oct 1931 Buried:Spouse: Grace L. Trombaugh (1889-1966) Marr: 24 Jun 1913
3 F Mary Louise Donaldson
Born: 30 Nov 1890 Christened: Died: 10 Nov 1988 - ? Lookout Mountain, Hamilton Co, TN Buried:
General Notes: Husband - Rev. Newton Donaldson
By terms of a resolution recently adopted at a congregational meeting of the Presbyterian church of Huntingdon, W. Va., Dr. Newton Donaldson, formerly of this place, but for twenty-two and a half years pastor of that church, becomes pastor emeritus. Rev. Donaldson has been several months in ill health and upon the advice of his physicians tendered his resignation of the pastorate he had held for practically a quarter of a century. The church consisted of 250 members when he became pastor and now has a membership of over 900, of which ninety were added within the last year and thirty accepted for membership at the last communion. Rev. Donaldson will continue to live in Huntingdon. His son, Rev. Dwight Donaldson, who has taken up missionary work in Persia, landed there safely and had a pleasant voyage and many interesting stops were made on the way, such as at Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, where the great international games for the championship of the United States was occurring; Christiania, Norway, a city of 200,000 people; Stockholm, 400,000; Petrograd, Russia. They saw only two drunken men during their journey through Russia. They found the Russian method of hitching horses interesting, with the arch over their shoulders, the horses fastened to the shafts and arch by short straps and no tugs at all. Here they saw a big train of the second line of reserves, which included eldest sons, only sons and sons of widows, starting for the front. Rev. Donaldson is now on duty in Persia, which seems to have a hard time maintaining her neutrality on account of Russia having a strangle-hold on the whole country.
Rev. Newton Donaldson arrived here, Saturday, to spend a few days with his sisters, Juliet and Elma. Mr. Donaldson, his wife and daughter, Mary, and son, Dwight, and son, Will, and wife, have been spending several weeks at their quiet but pleasant sum-mer cottage at Clinton, Pa., near Johneatta Station. Rev. Donaldson was born and raised here and went out from this church into the ministry, therefore the following informa-tion concerning his family will be of great interest to his many friends who are regular readers of this paper. His eldest son, Dwight Martin, graduated from Washington College and then entered the Western Theological Seminary, graduating from there with a year's scholarship to Berlin, but on account of war conditions he took a year's special studies in Harvard University. In May, last year, he married Miss Jean Brinton, of Pittsburgh, who entered Harvard with her husband to take a language course. The two were preparing to enter the Persian mission field. Six months after marriage the talented young wife fell ill with quick consumption and died five weeks later. The young husband, after finishing his course at the seminary, served three years as a teacher in the Lahore Christian College in India, from where they have sent in a request for his return, but his heart has been set on locating in western Turkestan, where there is a great Mohammedan population, among whom no mission work has been done, and has been told he can reach there through the Persian mission. Therefore, at the age of 30 years, he sails, under the Presbyterian Board, from New York, on August 25, and hopes to tarry three months in Russia to get more of that language. The second son, William Wilson, also a graduate of Washington College, graduated from the Western Reserve Medical University, of Cleveland, O., and has since gone on duty in the United States Naval Hospital in Cleveland. He recently married Miss Grace Trombaugh, a graduate of Washington College. The daughter, Mary, graduated from Mt. Holyoke College, Hadley, Mass., and has since been a teacher in the Normal school in her home town, Huntington, W. Va., where the father has been pastor of the First Presbyterian church for more than 15 years.
Newton Donaldson, son of William A. and Sarah (Hall) Donaldson, was born Dec. 13th, 1853; he did his preparatory work at Corsica Academy, Pa., and the senior Preparatory of W. & J. College; he entered the freshman class in the fall of '75 and took the regular classical course, graduating in the summer of '79 with the degree of A.B.; he taught '79-80 at the Cross Creek Academy, Pa.; he entered the W. T. S. in the fall of '80 and grad-uated in '83 with the degree of B. D.; he spent the summer of '82 in home mission work at Paton and Moingona in Iowa; he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Clarion, April 26th, 1882, and was ordained by the Presbytery of St. Clairsville, Ohio, April 25th, 1883; he was pastor of Washington, Senecaville and Lore City churches, Guernsey County, Ohio, 1883-87; he removed to Bellevue, Pa., where he served as pastor from 1887 to '93; he was called to the First Presbyterian Church of Huntington, W. Va., in the fall of '93, and continued his work there till the summer of 1916; after a rest of six months he accepted a call to the Presbyterian Church of Lorain, Ohio, where he is still at work at this writing.
Newton Donaldson received the degree of A. M. in course from W. & J. College in 1883, and the honorary degree of D. D. in 1904.
His most important pastorate was that of twenty-three years at Huntington, W. Va., where he was connected with the Presbyterian Church, U. S. (Southern). This church had 252 members at the beginning of his pastorate and 950 at its end. Besides this increase two other Presbyterian churches were organized in the city by the mission work carried on by the First Church. Lots were purchased and churches erected for these missions, which are now self-supporting congregations. A large stone building was erected by the First Church, and modern equipment provided.
He served as Moderator of the Presbyteries of St. Clairsville, Allegheny and Kenawha; he also was Moderator of the Synod of Virginia in the fall of 1905. The synod at that time was the most influential ecclesiastical body in the south, and it had the largest attendance at this meeting in its history. He has the distinction of being the only yankee ever called to moderate this dignified and conservative body.
The same year he was elected Trustee of the Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Va., which position he held ten years; he also served as trustee of Davis-Elkins College, Elkins, W. Va., and of the Anti-Saloon League of W. Va.
He had an active part in five state constitutional prohibition campaigns, one in Iowa in '82, one in W. Va., and three in Ohio.
He published a small volume of sermons entitled, "I Promise Him", dealing with the C. E. Pledge, also a number of poems and newspaper articles.
He was elected poet of his class for Class-Day exercises, and contributed poems for the Twenty-fifth and Fortieth Reunions.
At the Fortieth Anniversary celebration he was asked by the unanimous vote of those present to prepare and publish a history of the class. He undertook this work with reluctance, yielding only to the earnest solicitation of his classmates.
They have three children, viz.: Rev. Dwight Martin Donaldson, Dr. William Wilson Donaldson and Miss Mary Lois Donaldson, and one grandson, Richard Byron Donaldson, son of William W.
Dwight Martin and William Wilson are graduates of W. & J. College, while Mary Lois is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College.
By A. M. Buchanan
General Notes: Wife - Elizabeth J. "Lizzie" Martin
from Armstrong Co, PA
1 —, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk, & Co., Publishers, 1890), Pg 1114.
2 Winston Donaldson, Donaldson Family History (Franklin, PA: Privately published), Pg 6.
3
Winston Donaldson, Donaldson Family History (Franklin, PA: Privately published).
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