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
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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
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
Sir Geoffrey Dalton
Maureen Collins, Sydney, Australia
Mike F Dalton
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 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
Gerald Milner
Howard J Dalton
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
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
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. III. 1861 CENSUS taken on or about May 15, 1861. PRINCE COUNTY - LOT 1: IV. 1881 CENSUS A. KINGS COUNTY, LOT 54, on Cardigan Lane B. PRINCE COUNTY QUEENS COUNTY 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 |
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. |