Introduction

This issue of “Daltons in History” carries a full report of all the events and activities that took place during the 2007 Gathering and AGM in Worcester. Following these notes you will find my diary of the weekend, some reminiscences from a number of the delegates, and then details of the link to a gallery which includes over 100 photographs. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting are currently in preparation and they will be published here next month.

2008 Gathering in Ireland

If you were not able to join us in Worcester this year, then put the dates of Friday 1st to Monday 4th August 2008 in your diary. This is when our 2008 Gathering will take place in Birr, Co Offaly, Ireland. We have booked Dooly’s Hotel as the venue, with its excellent conference facilities for our meetings and the annual dinner. Delegates will be able to stay at Dooly’s and we have also arranged additional accommodation at three nearby places offering bed and breakfast. Birr is located in the heart of mid-Ireland about two hours drive west of Dublin, and a similar distance east of Shannon. It is a beautiful old Georgian town with an impressive castle and much of interest to the visitor. It is also well situated to enable us to make a number of visits to places with Dalton connections. Look out for further details, including a full programme for the weekend, costs and booking arrangements, which will be published on this website next month (October). In the meantime please contact either myself (email: michaelndalton@aol.com), or Ciaran Dalton (email: ciaran_dalton@hotmail.com) with any questions you may have.

2008 Annual General Meeting

It has been agreed that the Society’s 2008 Annual General Meeting should be a separate event from the Birr Gathering. It will take place on Saturday 31st May 2008 and it is hoped to hold it at the Royal Logistics Corps Museum in Camberley, Surrey, England, with the opportunity to view the original of the Victoria Cross medal awarded in 1879 to James Langley Dalton for his gallantry at Rorke’s Drift in the Zulu War. Full details of the arrangements for this one day meeting will be published soon.

Back issues of the DGS Journal

Back issues of the DGS Journal continue to be available. On this website you can access the DGS Journal Index from the homepage. Here you will find a synopsis of the contents of the Journal of the Dalton Genealogical Society commencing with Volume 1 published back in 1970 through to Volume 41 published in December 2004. Copies of all back numbers are available for purchase and these can be obtained from DGS member, Mrs Pat Robinson (address: Mallards, 3 High Street, The Green, Barrington, Cambridge CB2 5QX, UK email: gandprobinson@waitrose.com) Details of prices, including postage and packing, will be found with the index.

Conclusion

Enjoy this month’s issue of “Daltons in History”, your regular monthly update on everything that is happening in the world of Dalton family history. We will be back again at the beginning of October.

Thank you for your attention and best wishes to you all.

Yours very sincerely

Michael Neale Dalton
Chairman and Honorary Life President of the Dalton Genealogical Society

Thursday 26th July

After a hectic morning of last minute preparations for the Gathering Kate and I set off from Reigate at about 2.30 pm, just as it was starting to rain! The weather forecast was not good, particularly so for Oxfordshire and, as we neared the M25/M40 junction, the heavens opened. Torrential rain persisted until we reached the other side of Oxford and we decided to stop at Burford for a tea break. It was still raining, but only lightly, and we found a very pleasant little place for the cream tea that we knew we would not be getting on the Friday.

The previous week had seen rain and flooding across England on a scale unknown for over 200 years. Gloucestershire and Worcestershire had been particularly badly hit and, as a consequence, the Gathering arrangements were threatened. Howard J and myself had daily telephone conversations with a quickly established motto, “panic not!” We were in regular contact with the Fownes Hotel and with many delegates who were concerned to know what was happening. We were resolute that the programme would proceed, but if individual delegates wished to withdraw that was for them to decide. In the event 11 delegates cancelled, 8 because of the floods and 3 owing to illness. We were particularly sorry that Millicent and her party, Lucy Slater, Michael and Jen Cayley, Pamela and Jack Richards and Alan Green were unable to join us. The only element of the weekend programme that had to be cancelled was the Friday afternoon cruise on the river with a cream tea. This was because the river level was so high that a canoeist would not be able to navigate under the main road bridge across the River Severn, let alone a cruise boat and there were no submarines available!

So, returning to Burford, by the time we had finished our excellent cream tea, it had stopped raining and the sun had come out. We proceeded across the Cotswolds via Stow on the Wold and along our usual route to join the M5 near Tewkesbury. Here the traffic was moving very slowly on the northbound carriageway and we soon discovered why – the Avon had flooded to create a vast lake on the right of the motorway and everyone was slowing down to look! Once we had passed this spectacle, our journey to Worcester was unimpeded, and we arrived at the Fownes Hotel at about 6.00 pm in brilliant sunshine. We were greeted by Howard J, Mel and Dairne, and, unexpectedly, John and Sheila as well. Howard had arrived mid afternoon and was able to report on the flooding of the river in Worcester which he had now seen for himself. He had also met up with “Big Stuart”, otherwise known as “the other Stuart”, the new General Manager of the hotel who confirmed that all our arrangements were in order. The others had arrived just before us and we all agreed to meet in the bar at 7.45 for dinner at 8.00 pm. Kate and I checked in and found our room. We then went out for a walk to see the flooded River Severn for ourselves – quite a sight. The centre of the Worcester is well above the highest flood line and was therefore completely unaffected. The only problem we were aware of was that the cellars of both the Fownes Hotel, and the Diglis House Hotel, our venue for Sunday evening, were flooded and as a consequence neither was serving draught beer.

We duly met in the bar for bottled beers all round and we were joined by another unexpected couple, Gerry Dalton and Tom Wood from Australia, so were nine for dinner, and a very convivial evening was enjoyed by all. After dinner we refrained from going in search of draught beer at a local hostelry and retired at a respectable hour, a little tired after a long day and delighted to be in sunny Worcester!

Friday 27th July 2007

An early start to set up the rooms for our Gathering – the Board Room for the committee meeting, the library for the registration desk and the John Fownes Suite, a large conference room for displays, the Saturday morning conference and the DGS Annual Dinner on Saturday evening. By mid morning, everything was in place and we were all impressed with the facilities offered by the hotel, and the staff, led by Stuart Austin (Big Stuart) could not have been more helpful. Geoffrey and Jane arrived, closely followed by Pam and Dave, and Maureen, and so we were all set to start our committee meeting in the Board Room at 12 noon. In the meantime, Kate, Jane, Dave and Sheila opened the registration desk for business as delegates started arriving.

Absent from the 59th DGS Committee Meeting were Millicent, Michael Cayley and Ciaran, who was travelling by train from London and, in the event, did not arrive in time due to delays. To compensate for the absences, we were joined by Gerry, a member of Maureen’s Australian sub-committee, who made a valuable contribution to the meeting. The hotel laid on a splendid buffet lunch which was so plentiful that we shared it with the registration team and some of the arriving delegates. The plan was that it should be a “working” lunch but we took a short break as the pressure to conclude in time for the boat trip was no longer. The minutes of the meeting will record the details of our deliberations, but suffice it to say here that it was an extremely useful and productive meeting, spoilt only by there being three of our colleagues missing. Formal business was eventually concluded at about 2.30 pm and most of us then went on a tour of The Greyfriars, a beautiful Elizabethan town house in the heart of old Worcester, now owned and managed by the National Trust. It had not been possible to include this in our very full programme, so it more than compensated for the loss of the cruise.

We returned to the hotel with all too little time to make final preparations and change for the 7.00 pm informal reception in the John Fownes Suite. More delegates had arrived during the afternoon, some with tales of delayed journeys – but the good thing was that everyone that we expected had arrived – and the sun was shining. Someone up there was looking kindly upon us! The reception provided the opportunity to meet old friends, make new acquaintances and look at the many displays that had been set up around the room. At around 8.00 pm, people started to go through to the King’s Restaurant for dinner and Kate and I brought up the rear and enjoyed the company of Geoffrey and Jane Dalton, Rosemary and Charles Dow, and Gerald and Margaret Milner. During dinner Chris Pomery arrived (on schedule) and we found him a space at one of the dinner tables where he met the members of Genetic Family “B” and immediately started “earning his keep” as our DNA consultant. Following dinner, some were attracted back to the John Fownes Suite, others by the hotel bar, and a few retired early after a long and busy day. I still had some slides to sort out for the Saturday meeting and enjoyed the peace and quiet of an empty conference room after everyone had dispersed.

Saturday 28th July

Another bright and sunny morning encouraged many to rise early and the dining room was busy for breakfast from 7.30 am. There were even rumours that some had ventured out for early morning walks along the canal towpath! Everyone had been exhorted to be in the John Fownes Suite by 9.15 am so that the proceedings could start on time. At 9.30 am precisely I opened our morning conference and welcomed everyone to Worcester and to the 2007 DGS Gathering. Special mention was made of those who had come from overseas, those attending their first DGS event, and also those unable to attend, in particular Millicent, and Lucy Slater who had made the suggestion some three years ago that we should come to Worcester. We then moved to the formal Annual General Meeting which all went according to plan. A full report will be available in due course when the minutes are published. Highlights of the meeting included a brief report from me, Mel’s treasurer’s report where the meeting gave approval to raising the subscription rate to £10 from 2008 (it has been £8 since 1990!), reports from the overseas secretaries and announcement of plans for future events. We have the Birr Gathering next year; Orange, New South Wales, Australia has been agreed for March 2009; and in 2010 we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the DGS with a gathering and AGM in Surrey. After that Yorkshire, America, Lancashire and even South Africa are on the list, taking us well into the next decade.

After the coffee break, I introduced our first guest speaker, Chris Pomery, the DGS DNA consultant. He gave us a comprehensive update on the Dalton International DNA Project, which included the discovery of another genetic family. Our project is one of the largest one-name DNA projects and we were complimented on the progress that we have made to date. However there is still much to be done and Chris concluded with a list of key actions for us. Probably the most important of these are to test male Daltons in known families around the English counties, and to concentrate on documenting the family trees that we have in a consistent and comprehensive way. Chris answered a few questions at the end of his presentation and we were delighted that he was staying with us for the whole weekend. This enabled all present, and particularly those in established genetic families, to interact with him informally and discuss the way forward for them.

Our second guest speaker was Tony Spicer, an acknowledged expert on the Civil War and on the 1651 Battle of Worcester in particular. Tony gave us an excellent overview of the events leading up to the Battle of Worcester, the sequence of the battle itself and the aftermath. Interwoven into Tony’s talk were his thoughts on what our Walter Dalton might have been doing as the disastrous day for the Royalists unfolded. This included the implications of looking after and administering the royal pay chest and a highly plausible theory on the escape route taken by Walter and his family as they set out on their arduous journey to South Wales. Tony answered a few questions and promised that he would write up the parts of his presentation relating to Walter as an article for the DGS Journal. All too soon it was time to draw the morning’s proceedings to a close and invite delegates to partake of the excellent buffet lunch provided by the Fownes Hotel staff.

Sandy Cale and her colleague, Jocelyn, from Worcester Walks joined us at about 2.15 pm and we split up into two groups for the afternoon walking tour of the city, one with Sandy to end up climbing the cathedral tower, and the other for those not wishing or able to negotiate the 235 steps up a very narrow spiral staircase to get to the top. Kate and I went with Sandy and our route took us to the Guildhall, past where the Elgar Brothers ran their music business, then to the statue of Sir Edward Elgar and into the Cathedral to see the Elgar window. From there, down to the crypt, to see the memorial stone to John Dalton, who was Prebendary of the Cathedral in the 18th Century. Then out via the Chapter House to see Watergate, the entrance from the river into the cathedral precinct. We walked via Sidbury (the south gate into the city and the site of the final bloody moments of the battle, sometimes known as Sudbury) and the Commandery to Fort Royal, another key battle location held by the Royalists as Cromwell’s troops advanced from Perry Wood and Red Hill above. Back into the old city to see where Charles II hid before making his final escape from Worcester and eventually fleeing to France. Sandy got us back to the cathedral with a few moments to spare before our 4.30 pm appointment to climb the tower. About 12 intrepid delegates made it to the top to see magnificent views and enjoy a further informal talk from Tony Spicer who explained how the battle unfolded below on that fateful day over 350 years ago. The top of the tower was also a good vantage point to see other landmarks in the surrounding countryside and, of course, to observe the effects of the flooding in the local area.

Following the climbing of the tower, everyone had a well-earned and welcome break before being on parade at 7.00 pm for the pre-dinner reception. Paul Millington, Vice Chairman of the Guild of One Name Studies and our guest at the DGS Annual Dinner had already arrived by the time I went down just before seven to greet him. The assembled company enjoyed excellent champagne cocktails before sitting down for the dinner at 7.30 pm. Geoffrey said grace and we enjoyed another very good dinner thanks to the hard work of Big Stuart and his team. With the three-course meal over, toasts to the Queen, and to absent friends, and coffee served, I introduced the surprise entertainment – the Wigornia String Trio. Howard had suggested this as an innovation to our Gathering programme and had been responsible for finding the trio, who proved to be first class players with a varied selection of classical and popular pieces to suit all tastes. Their playing met with much acclaim and they were given a standing ovation before playing an encore. Howard’s innovation had been a resounding success! At this point we all needed a comfort break before I introduced the final elements of the evening’s programme – the formal introduction of and welcome to Paul Millington, who then spoke about the work of the Guild, and also demonstrated that he had done his Dalton homework by giving us some details of South African Dalton cricketers who he had found in Wisden. This was followed by a number of presentations to celebrate various milestones in the lives of some of our delegates (a golden wedding anniversary and several big “O” birthdays) and, of particular importance, a big thank you to Howard for all his hard work as conference organiser and coordinator. Finally, we came to the raffle with a wonderful array of donated prizes and proceeds of £120 collected, which will be sent as a charitable donation to the local flood relief organisations.

At this point, the formal proceedings of the evening drew to a close, but many delegates continued chatting and enjoying each other’s company. A number repaired to the hotel bar, where Ciaran and Collette entertained us with Irish music, played on the guitar and other instruments, and including Collette’s very fine singing. We were encouraged to sing along into the small hours – what a fitting end to a most enjoyable and action packed evening. All agreed that it had been the best ever DGS Annual Dinner. What are we going to do next year in Birr to cap it?!

Sunday 29th July

A more leisurely start with most delegates lingering over their breakfast and the opportunity for me to catch up with those I had not yet had time to talk to. At 10.15, a substantial party walked over to the Cathedral for the 10.30 am Sung Morning Eucharist service. We were made to feel very welcome with reserved pews and a special mention as visitors to Worcester at the beginning of the service. The preacher was the Dean of Worcester, with whom I had corresponded about our Gathering. The cathedral setting was very special and it was a privilege for the DGS group to take part in this service.

On returning to The Fownes, we found our Commandery Coaches coach awaiting us for the tour to Lower Broadheath. We set off at 12.30 and the first stop was the old Powick Bridge across the River Teme, scene of the Parliamentarians forcing the fleeing Royalists back towards the centre of Worcester. This was early on the day of the battle. Then we went along to Malvern Link with fine views of the Malvern Hills and saw one of the houses where Elgar lived, before going on to Lower Broadheath and the Plough Inn for our Sunday roast lunch. Russell and his staff looked after us very well and it was just a short walk to the Elgar Birthplace Museum where we were welcomed and shown a short video about the life of Elgar. Following this we split into two groups to look around the museum and visit the birthplace cottage, all very interesting and well presented. After a cup of tea, our coach took us back to the hotel and there was another spell of free time and a last opportunity to look at the DGS displays before they were dismantled. Kate and I found time to walk along the canal towpath in brilliant sunshine, and work up an appetite for the evening buffet at the Diglis House Hotel, on the banks of the River Severn. We walked over to the Diglis at about 7.30 pm and enjoyed an excellent buffet supper in a private room leading onto the hotel garden with views over the river. Pam and Dave very kindly provided the wine with supper in celebration of their 30th wedding anniversary. Thank you Pam and Dave and congratulations on this milestone. We returned to The Fownes and the stalwart few (four Mr Daltons and Helen Smith) went in search of a nightcap in the old part of the city before retiring after another very enjoyable day.

Monday 30th July

Our final communal breakfast and time to check out and settle our bills. Tony Spicer arrived at about 9.45 am and we organised the morning tour of places on the battlefield that cannot conveniently be reached on foot or by coach. Three car loads set out for the viewpoint on the south side of the city near the point where the Teme and the Severn join together and Cromwell built his Bridge of Boats. From the viewpoint, there was a good view across the battlefield west towards Powick and north towards the centre of Worcester. Tony then took us on to Red Hill where we walked to see where Cromwell’s troops based themselves and on to Perry Wood scene of another major skirmish between Cromwell and the Royalists. Tony told us the story of how Cromwell is supposed to have sold his soul to the devil in Perry Wood in exchange for the seven years to the day that he lived after the battle. With the whole battle now in perspective, we returned to the hotel for the final time and thanked Tony for his thoughtful and insightful talks over the weekend, which had enabled us all to gain a better understanding of how Walter Dalton had been involved in the Battle of Worcester. Food for thought indeed.

A final snack lunch for the remaining few at a local wine bar and then it was time to say farewell to our DGS friends and to Worcester and Kate and I set off for our week away touring to the Wirral, to Cumbria and home via Shropshire. What an excellent weekend Gathering it has been with so many happy memories.

Michael N Dalton

“The organisation of the weekend was superb, and just goes to prove it takes more than a few floods to stop the DGS!!

It was very nice to see the introduction of music into the evening’s entertainment on Saturday and the addition of Elgar on the Sunday, though not a "Dalton", made a very pleasant diversion from earlier years”.

Howard Dalton


“I have no Dalton ancestry. My connection with the DGS arises from my late wife, Morag Simpson’s interest in her Dalton ancestry. Her mother was one of the eight daughters of the Rev. William Edward Dalton. When Morag died in 1998, the Society kindly granted me honorary membership. Having been at many gatherings with Morag, I became friends with many of the members, some of whom have now passed on but others remain and it was the expectation of meeting up with some of these along with an attractive programme that drew me to Worcester. I did indeed meet up with old friends but it was a big disappointment that Lucy Slater and Pamela and Jack Richards couldn't make it. However, I made a new friend in Joy Goater, also connected with the Daltons by marriage and like me a senior member in terms of age. I thoroughly enjoyed the gathering, both the social functions and the talks and walks. I was particularly pleased that Tony Spicer started his talk by discussing Morag's account of Walter Dalton escaping with the royal pay chest after the battle at Worcester. She would have been happy about this.

After the walk to view the battlefield sites on the Monday morning, I took myself by train to Great Malvern, a town I had never before visited, before returning that evening to Leeds. I was much taken by this town particularly the fine priory church”.

Ian Simpson


“It was a different gathering with the possibility of floods and bad weather! However in the event the water was receding and the sun shone for what was a most interesting, informative and enjoyable Gathering from which I think we all gained much benefit. The wide ranging programme from AGM to Civil War to DNA and Elgar ensured it was certainly not dull! For me, as a direct descendant of Walter Dalton, the highlight was the concentration on the Battle of Worcester and to hear the authoritative talk by Tony Spicer then the opportunity to see some of the sites from the top of the Cathedral Tower and then visit them on the last morning. The success of the weekend was due in no small measure to the excellent organisation masterminded by Michael and Howard and the Hotel was an excellent venue”.

Sir Geoffrey Dalton


“The Dalton Genealogical Society AGM was held on the week-end of 28/29 July in the city of Worcester this year and it was an amazing time for those who were not frightened off by the floods. The only thing cancelled was the river trip and cream tea as the River Severn was about two feet below the bridge and the boat certainly couldn’t manage that. The lack of cream tea was probably an advantage as we ate so well the rest of the time and we had a good brisk two hour walk around the city instead. Amongst a few others I climbed the 235 narrow steps up to the top of the Cathedral for a spectacular view towards the Malvern Hills and over the flooded areas, which included the cricket pitch which was more like a lake. The Elgar tour was most interesting too and the house of his birth set in a beautiful rose garden”.

Maureen Collins, Sydney, Australia


“Kate and I thoroughly enjoyed our time at the AGM in Worcester. Everyone made us feel very welcome. When we went for a stroll along the canal bank, whilst in Worcester, we found a block of three storey, recently built flats by the canal called Dolton's Wharf. So not all the Dalton's fled Worcester after the battle perhaps?”

Mike F Dalton


“Planning this trip reminded me of the movie "Planes, trains and automobiles"

From the start, it was a logistical nightmare as nothing seemed to fit together.

As the saying goes:- "Best laid plans"..............

TRAINS only left from London which for me probably meant another eight hours of travel after already having had a long flight from Australia.

BUSES which were supposed to be available from the airport didn't fit my arrival.

Hiring a CAR was the only option so you can imagine my horror when I heard about all the FLOODING in the area I was due to go to on top of the fact I had never driven in England let alone out of Heathrow Airport before.

All of my plans had been made around arriving in time for the "BOAT CRUISE" which as you all now know had to be cancelled due to the flood.

I am pleased to report the events over the weekend were excellent and all those who attended thoroughly enjoyed Worcester.

Thanks to Howard for all his work.”

Helen Smith, Sydney, Australia


“After a motoring tour of various parts of France, Scotland, Ireland, Eire, Wales and England, which included attending my son Keith’s wedding in Elgin, Tom and I arrived at Worcester driving the red Rover we christened “Wing and a Prayer”. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, 26th July 2007, one day ahead of schedule. We had planned on a day at Stratford on Avon but the torrential rain had returned so we drove straight to Worcester and the very pleasant Fownes Hotel. After several weeks of heavy rain and flooding Tom and I had become proficient at dodging the floods!

After we checked in we went for a wander around the lovely city of Worcester and back to our room for a rest and shower before dinner. Much to our surprise several DGS members had already arrived so we joined them for dinner in the dining room at Fownes.

On the Friday morning after a delicious breakfast we went off for another walk and I was back for the very interesting and informative committee meeting. The Friday afternoon river cruise was cancelled because of the high level of water in the Severn making it impossible for the boat to pass under the bridge, and so we were saved from the Cream Tea and the associated calories. Friday evening’s informal reception was a wonderful opportunity to meet other DGS members.

We both enjoyed the Saturday AGM. As well as the usual AGM items there was an interesting and up to date presentation on the Dalton DNA Project as well as a wonderful historic talk on the Battle of Worcester and the Daltons. After a buffet lunch we went off for an enjoyable guided walk around the city. We had a great evening at the Annual DGS Dinner including a surprise recital by a string trio and Tom was fortunate to win a bottle of Scotch in the charity raffle. In the bar area after the dinner we were treated to some Irish Folk music by Ciaran and Collette Dalton.

Sunday’s huge roast lunch at The Plough Inn was great and was topped off by the visit to the Elgar centre. After the Elgar tour it was back to the Fownes to prepare for supper, a cold buffet, at the Diglis House Hotel on the banks of the Severn. Unfortunately the river was not so beautiful because of the flooding and there was lots of mud and debris on the banks.

The Fownes Hotel had been used as a flood emergency centre only the week before our conference and the management and staff are to be congratulated for their efforts to make our DGS annual gathering a wonderful event.

Tom and I may never have the opportunity to travel to the UK again. Our great memories of the Worcester Gathering will live with us for many years to come and we look forward to seeing you all at Orange, NSW in 2009.

A big thank you to Howard, Michael and all the committee members who made the Worcester Gathering possible. Tom and I will long remember the saying “Panic Not”!

Gerry Dalton and Tom Wood, Queensland, Australia


“Margaret and I both enjoyed the events. I was particularly pleased to meet Ciaran in view of his article in the Journal about 'Some Irish Dalton Tombstones', which refers to a stone in a graveyard that I have seen and know of my family connections. I gave him a snapshot I took of the entrance to the old burial ground”.

Gerald Milner


“I would like to take this opportunity of thanking all the delegates who attended the DGS Worcester 2007 Gathering. It was a great joy to prepare and I wish to thank Michael and Mel in particular for their support and encouragement. I still have Michael's words "Panic not!" ringing in my ears!
I am so glad that the schedule went smoothly considering the adverse weather conditions that preceded the weekend. We were blessed with fine weather and the beautiful city of Worcester and surrounding countryside. Special thanks go to Sandy Cale of Worcester Walks, Tony Spicer for his excellent talk and guided tour of the battlefield sites, Chris Pomery for his brilliant DNA update, and Joanne Chambers and the Wigornia Trio for their entertainment. A special mention must go to Collette and Ciaran for their impromptu late night get-together which added to the enjoyment and gave us a wonderful foretaste of Ireland 2008! Lastly, my thanks go to the Fownes Hotel and Stuart for looking after us so well”.

Howard J Dalton


“All I can say about Worcester is that the weather was arranged brilliantly and the itinerary SUPERB, (don’t tell the other organisers but it is the best one I have been to, thanks to you all who did the organising and pre look at the venues, etc.) Only comments I heard were that there was not enough time after AGM to chat properly, eat, and be ready for the next stint. One well known person said “thought all this going to places abroad is spreading it too much”. It was a good job the river afternoon tea did not take place, too full! I did wonder beforehand about this, as we older members now seem to be eating a little less! We do not burn our whatever off or have time to work it off to make us hungry. All this to bear in mind for next time.

The impromptu bar evening Ceilidh was great, more of it, especially in Ireland. Ciaran and Collette may have more of their music with them then. Perhaps those going may like to hear and note beforehand the songs they would like to hear – over to you.

I have made this comment previously, perhaps for Ireland a group, even small, could, and would like to, stay as a group for the following week and go around either in a mini coach or something else, just to see the place and places around, not necessarily connected to Daltons, just as a sight seeing holiday addition. It would be nice”.

Alicia Riley


“Thank you for the lovely time organised for us in Worcester. The professional approach always shows through and each time we attend a gathering, I think ‘How does Michael get everything to work so well?’

We loved the whole weekend and it’s always a delight to meet up with ‘the Clan’. The lectures were brilliant – loved Tony Spicer – he’s certainly very well informed and very amusing.

The Wellington boots Nicole lent me actually complained that they had been left standing in the wardrobe and didn’t get a chance to see the sights of Worcester! I was very glad I didn’t have to wear them! So heavy I think I’d have been sucked down ‘full fathom five’ and never again seen the light of day. One day, I’ll get this Dalton Gathering footwear right!”

Rosemary Dow


“It was great to meet old acquaintances and make new friends. The event was superbly organised although perhaps more time could have been set aside for informal talking amongst delegates. On a more humorous note, we will remember the sound of the swans’ feet slapping through the mud on the river walk which had become part of the river.

And I still haven’t got any money Howard!!”

Mel and Dairne Irwin

During the weekend Michael Neale and Kate Dalton took many photographs covering most elements of the weekend. A selection of over 100 of these will be found in the DGS Worcester 2007 Gallery – just follow this link:

www.daltongensoc.com/gallery/worcester2007

In addition to being a photographic record, they attempt to capture the spirit and camaraderie of the gathering and we hope both delegates and this website’s wider audience will enjoy them. Inevitably there are gaps and, if you have any of your own photographs which you would like to add to the gallery, please email them to michaelndalton@aol.com and we will upload them – the more the merrier!!

We have set the gallery up on the website so that it can include all our events – past, present and future. To enter the complete gallery go to:

www.daltongensoc.com/gallery/index.html

Here you will see that we have also uploaded the gallery from our American Gathering at Hampton, New Hampshire held in October 2006. We will keep you posted as the gallery develops further.

By Nancy B. Samuelson

Stories about the Dalton Gang run rampant not only in the United States but all over the world. Every week a new one arrives in our mailbag in addition to the old chestnuts. Nancy Samuelson's slide show on the subject was well received at the Gathering of Daltons in Hampton, NH in October 2006. Nancy, who is the author of "The Outlaw Gang", has made a compilation of the more frequently repeated myths and submitted them to “Daltons in History” for publication. She is an expert at tracking down south western outlaw stories in the U. S. and if you have any new tales or legends, please pass them on to her. Her address is at the end of this article.

Dalton Gang Myths

Myth: The Dalton Gang was a band of cold-blooded murderers that roamed the Midwest robbing and killing at will.

Fact: The Daltons were not nearly as black as they have been painted. Several of the Dalton boys first served as deputy U. S. marshals or possemen before they turned to the outlaw trail. An older brother Frank Dalton, was killed trying to arrest a gang of horse thieves and whiskey peddlers. At the time of his death he was serving as a deputy U. S. marshal for the federal court at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Bon and Grat (Gratton) Dalton served as deputies for the federal courts in both Kansas and Arkansas. Emmett, the youngest member of the Gang served as a guard or possemen for his brothers.

The Daltons turned to robbing trains after they were wrongly accused of holding up a Southern Pacific train in California in 1891. The Daltons robbed four trains in what is now the state of Oklahoma and on October 5, 1892 they attempted to rob two banks at the same time in Coffeyville, Kansas.

During the train robberies the sole gunplay involved was when some deputy marshals, who were on the train, started shooting. Dr. W. L. Goff was killed, and another doctor severely wounded. A couple of the deputies were slightly injured during this robbery as well. During the Coffeyville robbery attempt, four of the five members of the Dalton Gang were killed as were four of the citizens of Coffeyville.

The Daltons never molested or stole from passengers, they only robbed the railroads and express companies. In fact, one well-known Oklahoma historian, Angie Debo, once described the Dalton boys as the gentle Daltons.

Myth: The Daltons were related to the James and Youngers who formed a gang of robbers shortly after the Civil War.

Fact: The Daltons were related to the Youngers. The mother of the Dalton boys was a Younger and she was a half sister to the father of the outlaw Youngers. No relationship between the Daltons and the James boys has ever been found. Neither has any blood relationship ever been found between the Youngers and the James boys.

Myth: The grandfather of the Dalton Gang was James Lewis, Sr.

Fact: James Lewis Dalton, Sr. was the great uncle of the Gang, not their grandfather. The father was James Lewis Dalton, Jr. However, the Jr. and Sr. was often used to identify the older and younger men by the same name; these terms do not always indicate a father and son relationship. The grandfather of the Gang was Benjamin Dalton. Ample census, pension and estate records exist to verify these relationships beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Myth: Bob Dalton shot Charley Montgomery in the back and killed him because Charley was fooling around with Bob's girl. Bob's girl was said to be Minnie Johnson and was supposedly a cousin of Bob's.

Fact: Bob Dalton did shoot and kill a man named Charley Montgomery. This was done when Montgomery, who was wanted on a variety of charges opened fire on Bob and another deputy marshal when they attempted to arrest Montgomery. A hearing was held at the Fort Smith court on this killing and Bob Dalton was absolved of any wrong doing in the matter. Further, no records have been found for any Minnie Johnson and Bob did not have a cousin by that name.

Myth: Bob Dalton had other girl friends. They were the female horse thief who called herself Tom King and another girl named Eugenia Moore. Eugenia reportedly died of some dreaded disease before the Coffeyville robbery. Her death is sometimes said to have been the reason Bob planned this robbery.

Fact: Tom King's real name was Flo Quick and she was from Johnson County, Missouri. Flo married in Johnson County, Missouri and it was not until 1893 that she and her husband came to Oklahoma Territory. Bob Dalton, of course died in the Coffeyville robbery in October 1892. To date no records have been located to prove the existence of any Eugenia Moore. Eugenia appears to have been the figment of some early writer's imagination.

Myth: Grat Dalton leaped from a speeding train into a river to escape the law in California. This happened while he was being escorted to prison for the California train robbery.

Fact: Grat Dalton was convicted for the California train robbery in 1891. However, he broke out of jail before he was sentenced. Bill Dalton was tried for this same robbery and he was acquitted. All of the evidence located in California indicates that the Daltons were completely innocent of this robbery.

Myth: Grat Dalton has been described as stupid and meaner than a baby rattlesnake.

Fact: Grat was considered a better than average deputy U. S. marshal, and he was known to be a very good card player. These traits are indicators of a better than normal level of intelligence. Further the only robbery that it is certain that Grat participated in was the Coffeyville robbery. Grat was still in jail in California when the Dalton Gang robbed the first two trains in what is now Oklahoma. Grat could not have been a participant in those two crimes. It is not known when Grat returned to Oklahoma, he may or may not have been involved in the two final train robberies by the Gang. However, he certainly was at Coffeyville and he died there.

Myth: There was a sixth man at Coffeyville. This tale continues to surface from time to time. The sixth man has been identified as Allie Ogee, but he proved to have been at work elsewhere during the robbery. Bill Doolin supposedly dropped out of the Gang just before the robbery because his horse had gone lame. Bill Dalton has been suggested as a sixth robber. One writer has even gone so far as to claim the sixth man was really a woman - Julia Johnson, Emmett's future bride. However, Julia did not even meet Emmett until after he got out of prison. And finally some character using the name Bill Stiles surfaced in California many years later. He claimed to have been the sixth man in Coffeyville and the ninth man with the James-Younger Gang in the 1876 Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery.

Fact: There is no evidence whatsoever for a sixth man in Coffeyville. The Gang members in Coffeyville were Bob, Grat and Emmett Dalton, Bill Power and Dick Broadwell. Broadwell made it to his horse and rode out of town a short distance before he died of his wounds. Only Emmett survived the Coffeyville Raid. He was sentenced to life in prison but was pardoned after 14 years and a half as a model prisoner.

Myth: Bill Dalton served in the California State Legislature.

Fact: Records in the California State Library clearly prove the above statement is false. The only evidence of any political activity in California by Bill Dalton is found in the voting records. Bill Dalton was a registered voter.

Myth: Bill Dalton formed a new Gang with Bill Doolin.

Fact: There is precious little evidence for any criminal activities by Bill Dalton. Most of the stories about him as a member of the Dalton Gang are newspaper hype. There is an almost complete paucity of evidence in any law enforcement records for any criminal activities by Bill Dalton.

Bill Dalton was shot and killed by a team of nine deputy marshals. After his death Dalton was said to have been the leader of a gang who robbed the bank in Longview, Texas. However, two years after Dalton's death, all nine deputy U. S. marshals were brought before a grand jury and charged with the murder of Bill Dalton. Once again records do not exist or have been purged concerning this entire incident. None of the deputies appear to have actually been tried for Dalton's murder.

Myth: Bill Dalton was reported to have had several wives and girl friends. He was also supposed to have been the father of an illegitimate son of a girl from Hugo, Oklahoma

Fact: These tales are completely without foundation. Bill Dalton married Jane Bliven in California and had two children. This appears to have been a close and loving marriage. The story of Bill fathering a son by a girl named Mary Hughes in Hugo, Oklahoma has been checked in detail and has been found to be without merit. The death certificate for this son has been located. This man would have been conceived when Bill Dalton was only age 15. Bill Dalton probably had never been outside Missouri at this time. Also there was no Oklahoma Territory at the time, much less a town in Oklahoma named Hugo.

Myth: Julia Johnson was Emmett Dalton's sweetheart and waited for him for fourteen-plus long years. Julia and Emmett finally married after he was pardoned by the Governor of Kansas.

Fact: Julia Johnson, according to a close member of her family, never met Emmett until after he was released from prison. Furthermore, Julia was married twice before she married Emmett. Julia had a daughter by her first husband, a man named Gilstrap. Gilstrap was killed in a gun battle, as was her second husband Earnest Lewis. There is also a tale that Julia married a man named Albert Whiteturkey. A careful check of the records indicate that Julia would have been only eight years old when this supposed marriage took place. The Whiteturkey marriage is clearly another myth.

Note: Col. Nancy B. Samuelson, may be reached at 8962 Canberra Drive, Sacramento, California 95826, USA.

From Mike Dalton of Oregon

The first section of the data for the Province of Prince Edward Island, the 1841 Census, was printed in the August 2007 issue of “Daltons in History” under Notes from your American Secretary. Part II contains the 1880 Atlas of PEI and the censuses for the years 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891. There were relatively few Daltons in PEI according to the data that was extracted by DGS member, Mike Dalton of Oregon, a principal researcher of Irish Dalton history. He spent several days during the month of July at the LDS research center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mike, who has genealogical connections to Prince Edward Island, researched this additional data on PEI Daltons for the Dalton Data Bank.

The October issue of Daltons in History will contain Part III of this data and will begin with the 1901 Census of PEI. Additional PEI data can be found in the Canadian section of the Dalton Data Bank. Our appreciation is extended to Mike.

II. 1880 ATLAS OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

A. Lot 1, Prince County: Patrick Dalton, Jr. has two 25 acres parcels and a house on Skinner's Pond Road; Patrick Dalton has 109 acres at Norway Post Office.
B. Lot 7, Prince County:
a. Shore Road near Bear Pond, adjoining lands with houses: Peter Dalton 100 acres; William Dalton 50 acres; Maurice Dalton 50 acres; Michael Dalton 400 acres to south of Peter's land.
b. Mount Pleasant: Michael Dalton has house and 100 acres.
c. Glenagarry Post Office: Mrs. Patrick Dalton; house and 75 acres; John Dalton, house and 75 acres.
d. Hutt Road: John Dalton, Jr., house and 50 acres.
C. Lot 9, Prince County: Maurice Dalton,100 acres near Brae Station PO.
D. Lot 12, Prince County: Duncan McDonald, 70 acres and house near Ellierlie Post Office.His widowed daughter Ellinor is there with her 2 children from her late Mr. Dalton.
E. Lot 36. Queens County at Fort Augustus Post Office by Power's land: William Dalton, house and 50 acres; Mrs. Mary Dalton, house and 100 acres.

III. 1861 CENSUS taken on or about May 15, 1861.

PRINCE COUNTY - LOT 1:
1. Patrick Dalton, farmer: Census count of 8; self and wife are 45-60 and from Ireland, 2 females 16-21, 3 males 5-16, 1 male 21-45. The family is Roman Catholic.The childen are natives of PEI. Farm holdings: 109 acres held in 999 year lease with 20 years expired on lease.
PRINCE COUNTY - LOT 7:
1. Patrick Dalton, farmer: Census count of 7: self and wife are 21-45; 3 males under age 5 with one birth within the year; one male is 5-16; one male over 60 is likely Patrick's father. The family is RC. Farm holdings: 75 acres held fee simple.
2. John Dalton, farmer: Census count of 12: self is 45-60 and wife is 21-45;
3 males under age 5 with one birth within the year; 2 males & 4 females are
5-16; 1 male is 16- 21.The family is Roman Catholic.
Farm holdings: 75 acres held fee simple.
3. Jeremiah Dalton, farmer: Census count of 4: self and wife are 45-60;
1 male 21-45; 1 female 16-21. The family is Bible Christian.
Farm holdings: 200 acres held fee simple.
4. Michael Dalton, farmer: Census count of 9: self is 45-60 and wife is 21-45;
2 males and 2 females are 5 -16; 1 male is 16-21 and 2 females are under age 5. The family is RC. Farm holdings are: 96 acres held fee simple.
QUEENS COUNTY - CHARLOTTE TOWN, WARD 4:
1. Michael Dalton, labourer: Census count of 2: self and wife over 60 and are natives of Ireland and Roman Catholic. They had 2 linen mills on which they produced 7400 yards of cloth in the prior year.

IV. 1881 CENSUS

A. KINGS COUNTY, LOT 54, on Cardigan Lane
1. Peter Dalton, age 60, born Ireland, Roman Catholic, boot and shoemaker.
2. James Dalton, age 56, born Ireland, Roman Catholic, shopkeeper.

B. PRINCE COUNTY
Lot I. A. family #80: Patrick Dalton, farmer, age 45; Marguerite, age 45; Sarah 15, Louisa 14, Malvina (Millvina) 11, Donald 9, James 5. All in family b. PEI, RC and of Irish origin.
B. family # 408: Charles Dalton (Daltain), farmer, age 30; Hanna, age 29; Charles H. 5; Catherine 3. All in family b. PEI, RC and of Irish origin.
LOT 2. Susan Dalton, age 17, Irish origin, b. PEI, Roman Catholic; servant on farm of Edward John Christopher.
LOT 4. Matilda Dalton, age 3, RC; b. PEI of Irish origin; counted with family of James and Agnes Colfer. B. Ambrose Dalton, age 20, carpenter,RC; b. PEI of Irish origin; counted with family of John and Elizabeth Doyle.
LOT 7. A. family # 8: Mary (widow), age 40, William 23, M. Catharine 18, James 16, John 14, M. Patrick 12, Bridget Ann 10. All in family b. PEI, Irish origin and Roman Catholic.
B. Family # 17: Emma Dalton, age 8, b. New Brun.; counted with family of Jane McDonald (widow) of Irish origin and her children b. PEI of Scotch origin.
C. Family # 18: Adelaine Dalton, age 18, b. PEI, RC, Irish origin; counted with family of Patrick and Catherine Griffin.
D. Family #22: Michael Dalton, farmer, age 42, b. PEI, Bible Christian, Irish origin; Mary age 42, Alfred A. 15, Annie E. 13, Martha 11, Frederick 9, Jeremiah age 7, Winifred 5, Evangeline 3, Sloan b. Sept, 1880, Catherine Dalton (widow), age 68, b. Ireland. Also Jane Hopwood, age 21, W. Methodist, b. PEI, teacher.
E. Family # 23: Maurice Dalton, farmer, age 41, b. PEI, RC, Irish origin; Alice age 31, Michael 10, Lavenia 8, Teresa 6, Regina 3, Ray A. b. May, 1880.
F. Family #42: Susan Dalton, widow, age 60, b. New Brun., b.Newfoundland: Peter 24, Anne 19, Louisa 17, Ellen 15, James 20; John 9, b. New Brun. All are Roman Catholic and of Irish origin.
G. Family # 50: James Dalton, clerk, age 34, b. England, Anne, age 24, b. PEI, parents of Scottish origin; Joseph b. Aug., 1880 at PEI; all are Presbyterian.
H. Family # 148: William Dalton, farmer, age 36; Margaret age 26; Orvil 5, Wilford 3, Colman b. Oct., 1880. All in family b. PEI, RC and of Irish origin.
LOT 9. Maurice (Morris) Dalton, head, age 41; wife Anna, age 32; children: George 9, Alex 7, Jeremiah 5, William 2. All in family are Wesleyan Methodist, b. PEI and of Irish origin.
LOT 12. Annie J. Dalton, age 6, Lily May Dalton, age 3; both are natives of New York State and Methodists. They are in household of Duncan McDonald and his widowed daughter (their mother) Ellinor McDonald, age 28, Methodist. All others in household are Presbyterian.
Lot. 27. Joseph Dalton, age 16, b. New Brunswick, W. Methodist., enum. on farm of Albert Wright.

QUEENS COUNTY
LOT 36. Mary Dalton, farmer ,widow, age 48; children: James, 22; Catherine 20, Winifred 17, Annie 14; Ellen 12; Michael 9. All are: RC, b. PEI and of Irish origin.
Charlottetown Royalty
1. Area 1: Frank Dalton, age 28, printer, Irish origin, b. Newfoundland, Roman Catholic; with Thomas Brennan.
2. Area 2: James Dalton, head, fireman, age 29, English origin,
b. Newfoundland; wife, Jessie Dalton, age 32, Scottish origin, b. PEI.
Both are Canadian Presbyterian.

V. 1891 CENSUS dated April, 1891

KINGS COUNTY, LOT 54: 1. James Dalton, merchant, age 76, b. Ireland; wife Mary Ellen, age 30, widow (when she married James), b. PEI; children: J. Peter, age 7; Mary Ellen, age 4; M. Bridget, age 2.

PRINCE COUNTY
1. Lot 1: Charles Dalton, farmer, age 40; wife Annie, age 36; children: Charles Howard, age 14; Mary B., age 10; Winifred, age 8; Nora, age 6; Zila Pearl, age 3; Florence, age 5, months. All in family born PEI, Roman Catholic, Irish origin.
2. Lot 1: Patrick Dalton, farmer, age 54, RC, parents are Irish born; wife Mary, age 56, Presbyterian, her parents are Scottish born; children are RC: Sarah, age 24; Margaret, age 22, Melvina, age 20; John , age 19; Daniel, age 18; Charles, age 14. All in family born PEI.
3. Lot 3: Laura Dolton (Dalton), age 11, domestic servant in house of Peter Harrington, age 76 and his wife Rosey, age 61 who were born in Ireland. All in household are Roman Catholic. Laura and her parents born on PEI.
4. Lot 4: Gerard Dalton, age 33, farmer, single, Roman Catholic; b. PEI, parents b. Ireland.

From Millicent Craig

Our mailbag contained many interesting items from Daltons around the world. From South Africa one writer has offered to send more data on South African Daltons for the Dalton Data Bank. Ana O' Collins of Argentina was pleased to find her Westmeath emigrants in the Argentina file of the Data Bank. We sent Ana to the Westmeath file in the Bank and there she found more of her ancestors from the Rathconrath/Mullingar area. Our Chieftain and Irish Secretary, Ciaran Dalton has a special interest in the Rathconrath Daltons and will be helping Ana. Ana is currently in London and will be attending the joint meeting of the Dalton Clan and the DGS in Birr, Offaly on August 1, 2, 3, 4, 2008.

Two new members have joined the American roster during the month of August. They are Annesa Dalton Chambers of Maine and Anne K. Reinert of Pittsburg, PA. Welcome to both. In addition another DGS member of Irish descent has requested to join the Dalton International DNA Project.

The 2007 Progress Report for the DIDP Project is being prepared by the DGS DNA consultant, Chris Pomery. Testees can look forward to an excellent 40 page analysis of Daltons that is unavailable elsewhere. If you are a member of the DGS we urge you to take part in this unique project and if you are not a member and have been tested in another project, we invite you to join the DGS and be a recipient of this unique, professional perspective on your Dalton genetic cousins. Contact the coordinator: Millicent Craig; Millicenty@aol.com

Finally, we wish Mr. and Mrs. Everett Dalton, long time members of the DGS, a very happy 50th anniversary on August 29, 2007. Son Craig Dalton stays in contact and is finding the recent Newfoundland data submitted by Mike Dalton to be most useful.

Dairne Irwin

Thank you to all contributors to this month’s magazine, especially those who attended the AGM and Gathering at Worcester. Next month I am hoping to begin a new section called “Dalton Strays”. It is surprising where the Dalton name appears (see Mike F Dalton’s reminiscences). Alicia Riley and Paul Millington have already given me entries. My e-mail address, as always, is dairneirwin@ntlworld.com.