The fact he was born in the White House on May 18, 1832 (some sources say 1831) was, amazingly, one of the least interesting things about John Samuel Donelson’s life. Not only was he both a grand-nephew and godson of President Andrew Jackson, and the second child of the Donelson family born there, but he would go on to be the only one of his siblings present when Jackson died in 1845, according to “Emily Donelson of Tennessee,” and the only one to attend his funeral.
John Samuel was lucky to survive his first year, since Washington, D.C., was suffering from a major cholera epidemic, and even some people connected to the White House fell sick. Soon the Donelson family fled the residence, at least temporarily, bringing their children to safety. While President Jackson wrote that John Samuel became ill around his first birthday, according to “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House” by Jon Meacham, this was only due to teething issues.
Read Related Also: 15 days in jail for plastic surgeon who waited 5 hours to help teen who died after yearlong coma
In 1854, John Samuel graduated from Yale. When the Civil War began, he joined the Confederacy and served with a Tennessee regiment. In September 1863, his regiment fought at Chickamauga (pictured). While the Confederates would technically win the battle, it was a Pyrrhic victory, as they lost so many men that it ended up being the second-deadliest clash of the entire war. One of the casualties was John Samuel, who was about 31 or 32 when he died.
