Susan (Coleman) McDonald (abt. 1876 - 1968)

Born about 12 Feb 1876 in Alabama, United States

Wife of Thomas L McDonald — married 12 Jun 1894 in Montgomery, Alabama, United States

Died 1968 at about age 91 in Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, United States

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Biography

Susie (Coleman) McDonald is Notable.

Susie McDonald was one of the plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle (1956) lawsuit, which found that bus segregation was illegal. The lawsuit was associated with the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycotts.^[1]

Susan "Susie" Coleman was born about February 12th, 1876 in Alabama. She was the daughter of John Coleman and Sidney Tucker.^[2][3] Her father died when she was just a few years old. In 1880, Susie was living with her widowed mother and siblings in Montgomery, Alabama.^[3]

Susie married Thomas L McDonald on June 12th, 1894 in Montgomery County, Alabama.^[4] They had seven children which are documented in their census records.^[5] Susie's husband Thomas was a porter/messenger for the law office of the L&N Railroad.^[6][7] He died in 1938.^[8] After his death, Susie lived with her son Benjamin.^[9][10]

Susie was one of the plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle (1956) lawsuit, in which she and several other Black women from Montgomery, Alabama challenged the segregation of Montgomery buses. They filed their lawsuit during the Montgomery bus boycotts which had been sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks. The case was eventually decided by the Supreme Court, which ruled on December 17th, 1956 that segregation of buses was illegal. As this decision was put into effect, the Montgomery Improvement Association voted to end the Montgomery bus boycott on December 20th, 1956.^[11][12]

In 1956, Susie was also one of three complainants who sparked an FBI investigation of the Montgomery County Board of Registrars when she was blocked from registering to vote.^[13]

Susie died in 1968 (exact day unknown at this time). Her obituary was published on July 2nd, 1968 and her funeral was held on July 3rd, 1968.^[14][15] She was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Susie McDonald
2. ↑ "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007," database, Ancestry, Ancestry Record 60901 #12481346 : accessed 24 February 2023; Susie Colman McDonald, born 12 Feb 1870 in Montgomery M, Alabama.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "United States Census, 1880," ED 127, Montgomery City ward 2, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA; page 44, family 448, Susan Coleman in Sidney Coleman household; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4V7-54H.
4. ↑ "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKMY-N7NP : accessed 24 Feb 2023), Thos L McDonald and Susie Coleman, 12 Jun 1894; citing Montgomery, Alabama, United States, County Probate Courts, Alabama; FHL microfilm 398,188, image 544.
5. ↑ See 1900-1950 census records.
6. ↑ See 1900-1930 census records.
7. ↑ "Colonel George W. Jones Hands Button To Honored L. and N. Employee," The Montgomery Advertiser [Alabama], 13 Dec 1927, page 3, column 4; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119612363/ : accessed 24 Feb 2023).
8. ↑ Husband Thomas's death record:
   "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDTC-J71 : 11 January 2021), Thos. L. McDonald, 1938, Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, United States.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," ED 51-16, Montgomery ward 2, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA; sheet 11A, family 182, Susie McDonald in Benjamin McDonald household; NARA microfilm T627; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1PG-CPQ.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1950," ED 70-33, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA; sheet 23, dwelling 203, Susie McDonald in Benjamin B McDonald household; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6F7K-1BJN.
11. ↑ "Browder v. Gayle, 352 U.S. 903," The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/browder-v-gayle-352-us-903 : accessed 24 Feb 2023.
12. ↑ Paul Hendrickson, "The Ladies Before Rosa," The Washington Post, 12 Apr 1998, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/04/12/the-ladies-before-rosa/469bf82c-16c0-45c5-9991-812ac6a6005f/ : accessed 24 Feb 2023.
13. ↑ "Registrars Bare Local FBI Probe of Barred Voters," The Montgomery Advertiser [Alabama], 23 Oct 1956, pages 1-A and 2-A; image copy, Newspapers.com (page 1-A and page 2-A : accessed 24 Feb 2023).
14. ↑ "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JFVM-YM4 : accessed 24 Feb 2023), Susie C. McDonald, 1968, Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, United States.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Mrs. Susie C. McDonald obituary, The Montgomery Advertiser [Alabama], 2 Jul 1968, page 10, column 2; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52612302/obituary-for-susie-c-mrdonald/ : accessed 24 Feb 2023).

• "United States Census, 1900," ED 97, Montgomery City ward 2, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA; sheet 22B, family 482, Susan McDonald in Thomas L McDonald household; NARA microfilm T623, roll 33; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9DV-DYH.
• "United States Census, 1910," ED 87, Montgomery City ward 2, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA; sheet 19A, family 555, Susie McDonald in T.L. McDonald household; NARA microfilm T624, roll 28; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK7R-NL2.
• "United States Census, 1920," ED 133, Kendall Beat 19, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA; sheet 46B, family 20, Sussie McDonald in Thomas McDonald household; NARA microfilm T625, roll 37; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXDZ-37D.
• "United States Census, 1930," ED 10, Montgomery City ward 2, Montgomery County, Alabama, USA; sheet 18A, family 400, Susie McDonald in Thomas McDonald household; NARA microfilm T626, roll 43; FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3VKR-D3Z.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q47168157