There has been a compilation of myths and legends concerning the origins of the D'Altons in Ireland. Even the following, which is an historical military account of the D'Altons is lacking in some of the early details, especially in the first paragraphs. Additional information which has been gathered by the DGS will help place Walter D'Alton midst the historical events that occurred in England during the 12th Century. This will be presented after the final installment of this series.

In the "King James Army List" of 1689, there is a chapter on the history of the Irish Daltons which is attributed to Captain Myles D'Alton, a member of this large family. A century and a half later, John D'Alton, Esquire, published "Illustrations, Historical and Genealogical, of King James Army  List, 1689, Second Edition, Enlarged."

DGS Committee Member, Richard N. D. Hamilton, barrister, spent time at the Guildhall in London and compared the two texts. He has noted corrections and additions to the original. Dick Hamilton also provided a preface to this edition which includes significant information about the author, an Irish historian and genealogist, and it will be printed in future issues of "Daltons in History". The corrigenda provided by Dick has been inserted in the text of Captain Myles Dalton's work where warranted.

Text of the History of Irish Daltons 

"The tradition of the introduction of this family from France to Ireland, as preserved in the Office of Arms, records Walter D'Alton to have been its founder; that he secretly married a daughter of Louis, King of France, and thereby having incurred the monarch's displeasure, fled to England whence he passed with Henry the Second on the the invasion of Ireland.  He early acquired possessions in the western portion of Meath known as the district of Teffia, where he and his descendents founded religious houses and erected castles.

His one son, Philip, was the father of three, Nicholas, John and Philip, respectively from whom all the D'Altons of Ireland may be considered to have been descended. From Nicholas came the D'Altons of Bally-more, Ballynecarrow, Dundonnell, Miltown, Molinmechan, Dalystown, and Rowlands: from John sprung the Nowell (Noughwell) line, and from Philip the family of Emper. 

In 1328 the English forces, including the D'Altons who, from the time of their settling in western Meath, were the chief bulwark of the pale in that direction, sustained a dreadful defeat near Mullingar; when according to the Four Master, many of their army, 'Together with the D'Altons were slain'.

In 1343, Thomas D'Alton brought 60 hossilers, to a hosting at Trim: in two years after which he was commissioned to parley, tret with, and reform, the Irishof that Liberty.  At the siege of Calais in 1346, under the Royal Edward, Robert D'Alton was one of his Knights. Previous to this, the name had been introduced into Louth, and soon after into Kilkenny, Cork, and Tipperary.

In the memorable Parliament of Westminster (1376) William D'Alton appeared as one of the representatives for the County of Cork.  In 1382, Walter 'Datoun' (as the name was more generally called in Kilkenny), was constituted one of the Guardians of the Peace there, as was Hubert D'Alton of Lough-Suidy in Westmeath. In seven years after, Richard, son of William D'Alton was appointed Constable of the Castle of Athlone. 

In 1403, William Dardith of Westmeath paid 20 pounds for liberty to marry Matilda, the widow of Richard D'Alton, who had been by birth of the Irish nation. In 1425, Henry D'Alton, Knight, was interred with much solemnity in Mullingar. Redmond 'Daton' was at the time a Justice in Eyre in Kilkenny, with Commission of Array over the County.  In 1447, however, at the Parliament of Trim in consequence of this branch taking part with the more native tribes of the Poers and Walshes in that vicinity, it was enacted that it should be lawful for the mayor and citizens of Waterford to assemble forces and to ride with them in manner of war with banners displayed, against the de la Poers, Walshes, Grants, D'Altons, etc.  This branch held their estates in Kilkenny, until the attainders of 1641 swept them away, when the chief portion was granted to the Earls of Besborough."

The next installment begins with the actions that were taken against the D'Altons (and other Irish landholders) under Henry VIII. An early armorial of these Irish Daltons consists of a simple shield, rampant lion in the center (English) and surrounded by fleur-de-lis (French). However this is one of many Irish Dalton armorials.

We returned from England with a very limited supply of some specially commissioned Dalton Gift items. They are from Victoria House which is now the only company in England still using the original Victorian art metalworking techniques to produce handmade articles of this type. These quality items make excellent Christmas gifts for friends or relatives or for your personal enjoyment.

Wrapper and postage are included in the price of the item. 

Letter Opener. Stainless steel, filigree end, Dalton coat of arms impressed on both sides, pewter/copper, word DALTON beneath. 8 1/4 inches long. Gift Boxed.  

Price: DGS members, $20.00 ea. Price: Non-members $24.50 ea.

Silver plated Double Picture Frame. Closed -2 5/8 inches; open - 3 ¾ inches. Inside ovals for pictures; coat of arms and DALTON on both sides.Pouch enclosed.

Price: DGS members, $25.00 ea. Price: Non-members $29.50 ea.

Round Hammered Copper Salver. This item differs from the earlier offering and is quite handsome. Pewter impressed coat of arms, DALTON underneath, surrounded by tastefull pewter scroll work. Seven inches across. Gift Boxed.

Price: DGS members, $30.00 ea. Price: Non-members $34.50 ea.

Requests from Canadians and Americans will be filled on a first come basis. If you want to insure that you receive an item, please send an E-mail to reserve the item until your check arrives. Send to: Millicenty@aol.com Checks are to be made payable to: The Dalton Genealogical Society. Be sure to indicate item and quantity of each.

Please send your order to:

The Dalton Genealogical Society,

Millicent V. Craig, Am. Secretary

880 Ames Court

Palo Alto, CA. 94303 USA

From the web page of Luzerne County Genealogy, there is a listing for a Patrick Dalton in 1900 at Welsh Hill, Plymouth Township ( now Larksville). By checking the previous Federal Censuses, (beginning in 1880) there may be more details on this entry as we search for elusive PA Daltons. Plymouth Township is located near Wilkes-Barre in the Pocono Mts. and could well have been a mining site and Patrick could have been one of the many Dalton miners in PA.  Our thanks go to Brenda Fewell, Pendleton, KY,  BSF777@aol.comfor the alert.  http://www.rootsweb.com/~paluzern/1900welsh.htm

Daltons who are seeking ancestors in the Brooklyn, NY area might check the records of the City Court of Brooklyn for naturalization entries . All three mentioned below are listed as subjects of Great Britain, so they could have been born in either England, Scotland, or Ireland. The entry on each paper should give the country of origin. Our appreciation goes to Theckla Constable Ledyard who found them as she pursued her own Dalton research. Michael Dalton, 29 Oct 1808, City Court of Brooklyn, Vol. 1, # 151 Thomas Dalton, 31 Oct 1839 " " " # 267 Andrew Dalton, 3 Apr. 1840 " " " #40

An update on John Cardinal Francis D'Alton. From the Chief Archivist for the Archdiocese of Armagh, County Armagh, Ireland we have had a response. The papers contain the curriculum vitae of a person who had an illustrious career and which deserves more than a mention. However the vital statistics are sparse. The Archivist directed us to four other other likely sources of genealogical information and we await answers. We now know that Cardinal D'Alton was born on October 11, 1882 at Claremorrish, County Mayo, Ireland.  He had an uncle, the Right Reverend Monsignor D'Alton who was Director of the College at Tuam. He also had a niece Maura Ryan, of Sutton, Dublin where he passed away in 1963. Obviously the Cardinal came from a prominent Irish family and as we learn more about his parents, siblings, etc, we will report it on "Daltons in History". Anyone with additional family information regarding the Cardinal may contact the American Secretary: Millicenty@aol.com

Melanie Dalton Crain, Editor of the Dalton Gang Newsletter, has contributed the following article. Melanie is also a member of the Dalton Genealogical Society.

With every passing day, the picture of the Daltons in early to mid-l8th century colonial Virginia becomes a little clearer. That statement does not portend any great revelations in the future; it only says that progress is being made very slowly. When the books on Virginia and its counties, which are housed in my state archives, can no longer add more information to my collection of data, I "hit the road, " as they say here in America. A couple of months ago, all local sources having been exhausted, I drove to Albemarle County, VA to gain a closer knowledge and perspective of the four men who lived there as adults before 1750: Timothy Dalton Sr., Timothy Dalton Jr., Samuel Dalton Sr., and Robert Dalton. Family lines down to today can be traced back to three of the four men: Timothy Jr., Samuel and Robert. There are those who would argue that Timothy Sr. should be included, but that topic will be addressed as this article progresses. In Albemarle, I met and worked with two other Dalton descendent-researchers: James Klumpp, a professor at the University of Maryland, and J. Tracy Walker III, a published authority on Samuel Dalton, Sr. We spent one day at the courthouse in Charlottesville. It was a time for me to get acquainted with the venerable old books housed there, a time when I do anticipate making great leaps in my research. The three of us worked independently and gathered what data time would allow.

The other full day in Albemarle County was a road trip. Armed with maps which Tracy prepared, James Klumpp and I drove through the countryside. We left Charlottesville and headed for a geographical characteristic associated with the four early Daltons, called the Southwest Mountains. In this county, what was country is so frequently urban today; but that has not yet happened to these Dalton ancestral lands. Residential lands are creeping closer but grand horse farms are holding them at bay.  Timothy Sr. was the first of the four to appear in the colony of VA; the earliest record places him there in 1726 in Williamsburg. He owned 400 acres of land in Albemarle County on the Mechunk Creek, patented in 1732. His land cannot be located by a simple platting but instead more accurately by his neighbors' lines. Although Timothy sold his land 18 years later and 17 years prior to his death, he continued to live in the area, dying there in 1767.  Where Timothy lived after selling his land in 1750 is still a mystery.  While driving on the east side of the mountain range (the mountains by the way, are not high peaks but lofty hills), we arrived at the Mechunk Creek and at the relative location of Timothy's patent land. Seeing the land helped to visualize a fact not found in any tomes: Timothy had a gentle rolling, nearly flat plantation which could be farmed. All those book references to the Southwest Mountains were not cogent; Timothy's land was not impacted by this geographical feature.  To the west of Timothy's land, however, the gentle mountains rose before us, and we drove over them by way of a road which has been there since colonial times - Turkey Sag Road. The road today is narrow. In the colonial period it must have been narrower still. If Timothy and Samuel had regular or even occasional contact with each other, they used this road. As the road's elevation climbed with the side of the mountain range, I wondered if the horses began to pant back then. Pulling a wagon up the very large hill at that time certainly would have required a small team of horses. Midway up this road, about 5 miles from Timothy Sr.'s plantation, we came to the approximate location of Samuel Sr.'s first known land in the colonies: 400 acres purchased from John Dowell at a very nominal cost of two shillings - always reason to suspect some family connection though none has been found.  Samuel's land can be located with some certainty on a map; and it lies today, probably back in 1734, to the south of the road, on the side of the mountain in a rather rugged, heavily forested area. The intriguing element about this land is that it contains a cemetery which was there when Samuel sold the land in 1767.

In the 33 years of ownership of this land, Samuel may have had a spouse, children, or slaves who died and were buried there. There are no stones which can give us clues today, no words or dates on the field stones which were visible the last time they were examined in the 1970's or 1980's. Seeing the land recently, however, added to what little I know of Samuel: he did not farm this land for any great profit; perhaps he did not farm this land at all and perhaps the obvious handicaps of the land persuaded Samuel to apply and receive 404 acres in 1747, the only patent land he held - all his other land was purchased by deed.  When Samuel moved his family from the side of the mountain to the new patent land, he settled very close and in the middle of two other early Daltons:  Robert and Timothy Jr. Samuel could now farm this land on Wolf Creek. This is undoubtedly where he lived until he moved away some twenty years later: this is the land he eventually gave in a Deed Gift to his eldest son, William, his heir.  Timothy Jr. lived on land just north of Samuel's Wolf Trap Creek property.  This surmise is based on Timothy's acquisitions and sales. He patented two 400 acres pieces in 1738 but disposed of 600 acres of the total 800 acres by 1742. With that slim bit of information, we must assume that Timothy Jr.   lived on the remaining 200 acres until he sold it and moved away in 1745.  When we looked at the areas which Timothy must have owned, it was obvious that the property he sold first, the whole 400 acre patent, was a mixture of flat land and mountain side - questionable farming land. Timothy's other acreage which he split into two equal parts was southwest along the same colonial road; it was the better land to farm.  Robert, the fourth and final Dalton addressed here, had 200 acres processioned in 1743 but no deed or patent survived which could describe the location. A will suggested that he may have leased land; a deed proves that his wife owned land, land where they probably lived. The Mary (Key) Dalton land was south of Samuel's Wolf Creek property. This may have been the best land of all because it contained a good bottom land, land rich with the overflow of a river or creek. The overflowing river, however, could have been part of the incentive for Robert and Mary to move later into the area where Timothy Jr. settled, south of Albemarle County in then- Halifax County, VA.  Before the three men (Samuel, Timothy Jr. and Robert) all moved away, Samuel invested in more Albemarle County land quite some distance from his plantation and further north. He bought three pieces of property which totaled 893 acres, property on a flat ridge feature east of the greater Blue Ridge Mountains. This Buck Mountain Creek land may have been a mixture of good and bad; for some reason, Samuel was not compelled to live on this land nor did this land provide for him a good enough living for him to stay in the area. Today the land is both valley and hills but not densely populated nor heavily farmed; perhaps today the land still tells us that it was not the farm which Samuel was seeking.

Buck Mountian Creek One comment about interpreting the Albemarle holdings from a farming point of view. The records which exist from that period tell us that the Daltons who lived there were not merchants; they were not lawyers; they were probably not a skilled trade because they did not pass trades down to their sons. Timothy Jr.'s later estate inventory suggests that he was, indeed, a farmer. And the sons of the three men who left Albemarle were also farmers. Only with that scant scenario can we assume that Samuel, Timothy Jr. and Robert made their living by farming, husbandry, or both. Like all of the colonial Virginia farmers, they no doubt planted mostly tobacco and were lured to move south by one of two factors: they had exhausted the soil by the demanding tobacco crops and/or they heard about the lush land, absent of steep hills, to the south.  If I have been moderatley successful describing the placement of theAlbemarle County home plantations for all four Daltons, it is easy to understand that Timothy Sr. was physically isolated from the others by a distance of some 8 to 10 miles if calculated by the colonial roads. Viewing the land did not yield answers why Timothy Sr. chose to live in another area.  No one has platted Timothy Sr. and his neighbors so that an assessment of their neighborhood can be made; but visualizing that neighborhood does intimate that Timothy was "land-locked," surrounded on all sides by other residents. Did this mean that any sons had to look elsewhere for land? Did this influence the early sale of the Mechunk land? These questions remain unanswered. But Timothy Sr. was isolated from the other three Daltons in another way: no record extant today combines him with one or more of the three - no deed, no parish vestry record, no will, no court order records. In some ways, Timothy Sr. seems unrelated, or was he? At present, we really don't know.  There was one other piece of property owned by another Dalton who was contemporary with the foursome discussed here. That man was John Dalton, and he owned land whose corner touched the patented property on Wolf Trap Branch which belonged to Samuel. Because the identity of this John Dalton has not been established, it is not prudent at this time to elaborate on him or his relationship to the others. He owned 100 acres, purchased by deed and sold later to Patrick Fisher. With the time, energy and money spent on a research trip such as the one I took to Albemarle County, I always look back and ask myself if the trip was fruitful. I hope by this composition I have proven to you as I have certainly proven to myself that it was. I can now surmise interactions or understand the lack of them among the early Dalton ancestors whose lines continue today.  I have a pictorial understanding which I did not have prior to the trip. I have a pictorial appreciation for the beauty of the countryside as well as for its dominance over the lives of the men who once lived there.  Our appreciation goes to Melanie who may be reached for comments at: mdcrain@aol.com

In the June 1998 "Daltons in History", there was a story, "The Covered Bridge of Warner, NH, Dedicated to Isaac Dalton", a descendent of the Hampton, N. H. Daltons. His descendent, Bailey Rogers, genealogist, of Ohio, supplied the following ancestral data for Deacon Dalton and the photo which was copied from a tintype. The lineage is as follows.

Philemon Dalton, b. about 1590 in England, m. Ann (Hannah) Cole, 11 Oct 1625, Dennington, England, d .4 June 1662. Whereas Bailey states he died in Ipswich, MA other information suggests it was in Hampton, NH. Philemon took a second wife, Dorothy. Samuel Dalton, b.c 1629, England, m. Mehitable Palmer, 6 Feb 1650, d. 22 Aug 1681, Hampton, NH.  Samuel Dalton, b. 19 Sep 1656, Hampton, NH, m. Dorothie Swan, 23 Nov. 1683, Haverhill MA, d. 23 Aug 1708, Haverhill, MA. m (2) Hannah Keazer, 6 Nov 1701 Isaac Dalton, b. 10 Oct 1699, Haverhill, MA, m. Mary Eaton, 28 Dec 1727, Haverill, MA, d. after 16 Oct 1745, Cape Bretton, Canada. Samuel Dalton, b. 10 Oct 1728, Haverhill, MA, m. Hannah Evans Jan 1751,  alisbury, MAd. 12 Mar 1783, Haverhill, MA.  Deacon Isaac Dalton, b 2 Mar 1761, Salisbury, MA. m. Eleanor Merrill, 4 Mar 1784, Salisbury MA, d. 30 Aug 1838, Warner, NH.  Our thanks go to Bailey Rogers.