Donald hall of shame

After the agents reports - thought I would look at the original claims of debt. Asked for Reel 238 in the Colonial Collection of the Library of Virginia. This should be destroyed - it drags the Donald name through the mud!

Basically there are about 100 pages or so cataloguing in very minute detail the Donald downfall!

It starts with a list of creditors that Thomas Donald has - I didn't realise but he, Robert Donald and Hugh Colquhoun were declared bankrupt in 1787 and this was advertised in the Mercury and he Edinburgh Evening Courant. There is a list of all the people they owed money to - over £15,000 - including £485 for John Bogle, £3,505 to Walter Stirling, £1,336 for Moses Stiven for Buchanan Stiven.

Goes on for pages. Just to put this into prospective - 25 years earlier James Donald had died leaving over £20,000 which was considered a fortune.

Always knew they had difficulties and had to sell up Geilston - but didn't realise it was quite so bad - Alexander was not alone! 

Robert Donald had been provost of Glasgow, which gives me an excuse to put his picture in:

Good strong nose and long top lip - where have a seen that look before?

It is no surprise that Thomas Donald was booted out of the Hodge Podge Club - most of the very long list of people they owed money to were members. However, both he and Robert were given jobs by the boys in order that they could eek out a very modest retirement - Thomas's will makes for very sad reading considering what he inherited.

Anyway - at the end of this a name appears, Gilbert Hamilton. And his name then appears over all the next papers. He basically takes over all Donald businesses he can get his hands on - and is aided by certain young writer from Glasgow who signs the majority of the papers - one Colin Dunlop Donald.

So who is on the hall of shame:

1. Mrs Margaret Jones - nee Donald - who is married to Captain Jones had inherited the estate of James and Robert Donald, but hands over power of attorney to Gilbert Hamilton.
2. Peter Murdoch hands over Murdoch Donald and Company - only he and Alexander were left from that one.
3. Colin Dunlop and sons goes - "sums to a large amount were found to be owning by the said Colin Dunlop and sons, which we found it out of our power immediately to pay".
4. Marion Donald - this is when it gets a bit confusing and really for those who are doing more advanced Donald studies: According to the huge document, Marion is brother of Thomas Donald - a co-partner in James and Robert Donald of which copartnerships James Donald Andrew Donald of Greenock aforesaid merchants Robert Donald and Thomas Donald Junior of Glasgow aforesaid merchants Robert Donald junior Alexander Donald junior and James Buchanan."
Now I am very confused - and don't really understand who is who as I am sure we now have an extra Thomas Donald.
5. Then of course there was Alexander - but he gets his own entry from me.

At the end of all these documents there is one huge one - signed by Gilbert Hamilton - and it is exactly the same signature as on this page here which gives a bit of background to him. It is basically a huge list of companies and names that Gilbert has taken over - he takes them all Thomas and Alexander Donald and Co, Alexander Donald and Company, Dinwiddie Crawford and Company, Andrew Cochrane Robert Donald and Co, Murdochs Donald and Co, Colin Dunlop Sons and Co, Buchanan Hastie and Co - the list goes on and on - and includes the big one - James and Robert Donald and Co.

And who else has signed this document - "signed sealed and delivered in the presence of Colin D Donald" - so at least one Donald did well out of all this. Put that in your talk Colin!