Person:Eda McDonald (1)

Eda's name is known from the birth records of her sons Jacob and Stephen in Washington County, Virginia.^[1] It appears that no other primary source has been found that clearly identifies which of Josiah's children were hers, or when she died. Much speculation exists about this, and virtually every online commentary on this family splits the children between Josiah's 2 wives. However, these commentaries split them in such a way that the dates for one wife overlap the dates for the other.

Actually, there appears to be no compelling reason to believe that the children were born of 2 wives (in spite of speculation about the so-called McDonald-Marcums being a term to distinguish Josiah's first family from his second). The age span between oldest and youngest children appears to be about 22 years, which is consistent with many other families born of a single wife.

On the contrary, there is some evidence to suggest that Eda may have been alive in 1824, and thus the mother of all of Josiah's children (assuming that she and Josiah were not divorced). After Josiah's daughter-in-law Lydia filed for divorce in 1823, an Eda Marcum gave a deposition on 21 Jun 1824, stating that she had "known Lydia M[arcum] for 17 or more years."^[1] Rhoda Dian Marcum speculates that this was Eda (McDonald) Marcum (as opposed to the much younger Eda/Edith (Bryant) Marcum).^[1]

Eda is assumed to have died before 1829, when Josiah identified his wife as Polly (see his page).

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} 2000-05 message #0957362793 posted by Rhoda Dian Marcum, in MARKHAM-L Archives.

   'My comments: I don't know what happened to Eda McDonald Marcum. Not much is found on her in records. The only true source that shows her children are two births in Washington Co VA for the sons, Jacob and Stephen. Researchers don't even know her birth or parents names. I did find, as others have, a divorce petition in 1823 for Lydia Sutherland Marcum against William Marcum in the book, Lawrence Co, Kentucky Abstracts of Circuit Court Records 1821- 1873, p.20. An Eda Marcum is mentioned here, but there were two Eda Marcums at that point
   in time; Eda Bryant Marcum and Eda McDonald Marcum. The key clue in this divorce that leads me to think its Eda McDonald is the Eda Marcum who gave a deposition on June 21, 1824 along with Alex and Elizabeth Sutherland, Lydia's parents, stated "they have known Lydia M. for 17 or more years." Well, we know the parents knew her for the " or more years", so this Eda Marcum knew her about 17 years.
   Eda McDonald: Lydia stated in the divorce she married William Marcum in 1809. Starting at the time of marriage and until the divorce, Eda McDonald would have know Lydia about 16 years as her daughter in law.
   Eda Bryant Marcum: married Moses in 1819 and would have only know Lydia for 5 years if we consider it in a family relationship angle.'

2. ↑ based on approx. marriage year