McDonald family of California

The McDonalds were a wealthy family of California during the 19th and 20th centuries. Descended from Mark Lindsay McDonald (1833-1917), they built and owned the historic residence "Mableton", also known as the "McDonald Mansion", in Santa Rosa.

Colonel Mark L. McDonald was born in Kentucky but settled in California during the 1850s. He made his money in road construction, and later in property development in Santa Rosa. He was married to Ralphine North McDonald (1843-1918), from Mississippi, and among their seven children it was Mark McDonald Jr. (died 1932) who became heir to Mableton. Mark Jr. was also a successful businessman, running a water works and a fruit packing plant. He and his wife Isabelle, née Juilliard (died 1960), made alterations to Mableton during the 1920s. They had three children, including their son Juilliard who died childless in 1946, and his sister Marcia later became the last McDonald heir. Upon Marcia's death in 1971, Mableton passed to the Stanford University and the University of California.