| There are six North American born Daltons listed in the 1881 Census of Great Britain. One could be a relative missing from your family tree and perhaps can be located in an earlier U. S. Census. Lancashire Census Elizabeth Dalton, servant age 24, born 1857, Boston Northumberland, Wallsend Census Greenwich, Kent Census London Middlesex Census Oliver Dalton, M., age 37, born Bury St., Suffolk |
| There are about 300 emigrants on a list published by The Irish Genealogist in 1988 and is part of British Library MS Egerton 77. Their immigration was encouraged by an Act of Parliament, and naturalization with all rights was granted. The original rolls were destroyed in the 1922 Dublin fire and this list was copied from a compilation in the manuscripts of John Lodge. There are no Daltons listed but there are many names that have been historically associated with Daltons. Each entry includes the occupation, place of birth and date of naturalization. |
| Report of the Trial of Samuel Tulley and John Dalton, Boston, Printed by J. Belcher, 1812. abstracted by Millicent V. Craig. At the Circuit Court of the United States, for First Circuit, holden
at Boston, within and for the District of Massachusetts, on the 20th day
of October, A. D. 1812, before Hon. Joseph Story, Presiding Judge, and
Hon John Davis, District Judge, the Grand Jurors returned three Bills
of Indictment against Samuel Tulley and John Dalton of Philadelphia, in
the State of Pennsylvania, mariners. Testimony for the prosecution was provided by James Holmes who brought Tulley, Dalton and John Owen a black man and cook to Martha's Vineyard from St. Lucie Island. Captain Levy, part owner of the vessel which was newly built in Delaware, sailed for the first time on the 17th October, 1811 from the Delaware to Teneriffe and elsewhere. Other members of his crew were a sailor, Joseph Neal, and Daniel Hopkins and George Cummings. Part of his testimony was corroborated by the lengthy testimony of the cook, who gave minute details of the events following the unmooring of the vessel and the subsequent happenings. When the vessel sailed into Teneriffe, it landed a cargo of corn and loaded fourteen casks of Teneriffe wine, two thousand Spanish milled dollars being altogether the value of five thousand dollars, two thousand dollars of like lawful money, goods and chattels of certain citizens. From Teneriffe the vessel sailed on 23 December 1811 to the Isle of May, Cape Verde Islands where it arrived on 4th January 1812. On 9th January 1812, the Captain dined aboard an American vessel moored nearby, leaving the crew on board the George Washington. According to Owen, that night the mooring cables were cut and the vessel reportedly drifted away from the port. The Mate, Tully, ordered the crew to hoist the sails and when two refused, he promised to let them go in a boat. Owen requested to go with the two but was refused. Remaining on the vessel were Tulley, Dalton called Jack, Owen and George Cummings. By daylight no land was in sight. About two weeks were spent at sea during which George became restless and acted strangely. One evening, George attacked Tulley with a knife and Tulley and Dalton threw George overboard. The following day land was seen and late one evening the sea chest of the Captain, and the trunks of Dalton and Owen were put into a boat along with Owen.. The boat was towed by the schooner, and while Owen was in the boat, he claims that Dalton and Tulley drilled holes in the bottom of the vessel causing it to sink. Prior to its sinking, Dalton and Tulley joined Owen in the boat and Tulley divided among them the cash which had belonged to the Captain. They went ashore on St. Lucie Island, in the West Indies, not knowing where they were. After several days, Owen could keep the secret no longer and went to Captain Taylor, an American, and told his story. They were all arrested and brought to Massachusetts. The monies that had been divided among the three were all recovered. Council for the defense brought in several witnesses. Captain Benjamin
Harris, attested to the strong winds and currents off the Isle of May
that could cause a ship to drift. James T. Austen and Peter O. Thacher, Esquires, testified at the afternoon
session and made three points in favor of the defendents. The concluding arguments by George Blake, Esq. negated the points made in defense and deemed that the testimony of Captain Levy was sufficient, and that of Owen was unnecessary. The trial had commenced at 10 o'clock on the morning of December 8, 1812 and the case was given to the Jury at 11 pm that evening. The court opened at 9AM on the following day, the Jury retired, and by noon had a verdict. Both Tulley and Dalton were found guilty. In the sentencing, the Judges deemed both Dalton and Tulley to be pirates and felons, and that they be hanged by the neck until they, and each of them, be dead. The date of execution was set at December 10, 1812 between the hours of ten o'clock and the forenoon. This is where the account ended. The outcome is described by Jay Robert Nash in "'Bloodletters and Badmen". The gallows was erected in South Boston on December 10, 1812 and "vendors hawked hot pastries beneath the scaffold as thousands gathered to watch the two men die". Tully, a hardened criminal who was wanted in England for the murder of his father, was hanged on schedule. At the last moment Dalton was reprieved. There is no indication of who John Dalton was, who he knew in high places, or why he was reprieved. All that we know is that he was a mariner from Philadelphia. In the course of history he is the third Dalton that we are aware of who was snatched from the hands of a similar fate. Perhaps Daltons are blessed with a silver tongue or certain charm, or maybe in this case the punishment did not fit the crime. |
| The following are true experiences of ghostly encounters that were submitted by DGS members and are printed for your enjoyment in this Hallowed Eve issue. In August 1977, Madge and Derek Dalton of England toured Somerset while their children were guest choristers at Wells Cathedral. Derek writes, "As usual we opted for B&B and found what appeared to be a quiet old thatched former water mill, Yarde Mill House, a stream to one side with an old disused undershot water wheel dipping into it. Old tin plate cycling club adverts and memorabilia were nailed to the outhouse doors. It was obviously well patronised in the '20's at a time when touring by cycle was extremely popular, and now catering to four wheeled motorised adventurers. The proprietor turned out to be a pleasant old gentleman and showed us to the dining room laid out for about a dozen people and informed us that a party of regulars, oil workers, were also staying, but would be away every morning before we breakfasted. That afternoon we found a delightful little hostelry, The White Horse Inn, where we could obtain a meal. It was a typical little Somerset pub with a crystal clear stream flowing nearby in which brown trout darted to and fro. We entered to a friendly greeting from the landlord behind the bar and a few mildly interested backward glances from the locals propping up the bar or lounging in the comfortable old smoker's bows, up against a cheerful fireplace. Soon we were in conversation at the bar. Where were we from? Where were we staying? How long for? Had we been around here before? When I answered his second question with 'Yarde Mill', I detected a slight flinch in his demeanour. Two of the regulars who had half an ear cocked to our conversation, checked their pint glasses halfway to their mouths and turned agape to study me surreptitiously, before glancing knowingly at one another and then concentrating studiously on the contents of their glasses. I caught the signals and little alarm bells rang. However, as the evening progressed and everyone became quite affable, we relaxed and forgot about the moment. Returning to the B&B and retiring at 10:30, it was now midnight and neither of us had managed to sleep. My wife, in her bed whispered that it was getting quite chilly and shortly afterwards I saw a soft light sweep across the ceiling. Madge arose to check the lock on the door and came to my bed and said quietly, 'Ive just seen a ghost and it's not cold anymore'. 'What, where'? I demanded. 'She just floated through the door but it's still locked' she whispered. 'A young girl, about fifteen years old, wearing a long white dress, just floated through the door, across the room and vanished' she enlarged, 'but she had no feet'. Until now Madge had never been a believer in ghosts. At breakfast the following morning I engaged the gentleman in conversation, prodding him by remarking that the old place probably had some interesting history. 'Oh it has indeed' he said. 'Why I bet a place like this could have its own ghost' I pressed on. 'Oh indeed it has, but she is harmless' he replied. 'Who is she'? my wife asked. 'We call her Emily. She was the miller's young daughter, who drowned herself in the mill-race when her father forbade her to see a boy in the village'. Then he walked away with the empty plates, leaving us to stare incredulously at one another. The 12 place settings were just as they were the night before. There were no oil workers proclaimed the men in the pub, but we were determined to stay on for the rest of the week, which gave us bags of 'street cred' with the locals".
A tour of Dalton Castle in Dalton-in-Furness, England resulted in an unusual experience for a visitor, Samuel Craig. In 1994, the elderly caretaker of some 90 odd years, explained the Castle's origin and previous use as a prison and market and its restoration by the town. Craig's curiosity led him to ascend the very narrow spiral staircase and to explore the upper floor. In a moment he called to his wife not to climb the stairs. Ashen-faced, Craig returned and told of an encounter with a ghost. He had received an ungodly push to his left shoulder and arm and an electric shock behind his knees which caused them to buckle while on the stairs. The caretaker dismissed this event by admitting that he knew there was a ghost in the Castle but it was a friendly ghost. The ghost was telling Craig to move to the wider, right side of the stairway, lest he fall. On many occasions the Castle had been the scene of seances and the caretaker then related a few more ghostly tales. Needless to say, Craig is a believer. DGS member Don Hadrick writes it was whispered that his gggg grandmother, Elizabeth Shockley was a witch. Elizabeth had a special skill as a healer and had knowledge of home remedies, herbs and potions. Rumors about her persist after some two hundred years. In 1976 a descendent of Reuben and Elizabeth Dalton came back to Grainger County, VA looking for their gravesite. The pastor of the local church and four members of the congregation offered to help in the search and set out one Sunday afternoon after services to assist in locating the grave, a course which took them to a remote area at the foot of a mountain. Using a cane for support, the elderly visitor had difficulty climbing through the scrub to the top of the mountain. Once there, and satisfied that this was the final resting place of Reuben and Elizabeth, the preacher prepared to lead the group in prayer. As though coming from the midst of their hand linked circle, a woman's scream shattered the afternoon quiet, a scream so loud that the men and women covered their ears. Not waiting to finish the prayer, the group ran headlong down the mountain; the visitor who had left his cane at the top of the mountain, made his way down unassisted and was first to reach the road. The preacher was a close second. |
| Reports from England state that the Annual Gathering and Meeting of Daltons, held in August at Swaffham, was a very successful event and the Saint George Hotel was completely booked. Besides the annual meeting and dinner, the group drove to Merton to a very small church with a round flint tower on the estate of the de Grey family. Their mansion is below the church with lovely trees and a large lake, such a typical English view writes Lucy. Pamela Lynam, the DGS minutes secretary had ancestors who worked on the estate, are buried in the church yard and are also named on the baptismal font. Some ancestors were church wardens. Pamela has the same ancestral roots as the DGS Australian Secretary, Maureen Collins who also attended. At a special service in Swaffham, members inspected the Dalton memorials in front of the altar and those in the churchyard. It is on these Dalton memorials that the Lancashire coat of arms is impressed. In the year 2000, the AGM will be held at the home of Michael Dalton, Chairman, DGS in Surrey. We were saddened to hear of the death of Mrs. Joyce Kirkley of West Yorkshire after a long illness. Mrs. Kirkley is the mother of membership secretary, David B. Kirkley, who just recently lost his brother. David has been especially helpful to members and if you wish to send a note of condolence you will find his address on the inside cover of the DGS Journal. David's E-mail address is: david@davidkirkley.demon.co.uk Lucy has identified a young man who came to America about 1897 by the name of Thomas Hawkins McMillan Dalton. Born in 1877 in Carlisle, Cumberland, England, he was the son of Robert Dalton. Esq. Does anyone in Canada or the States claim this person? You will recall that in the June and July 1999 issues of "Daltons in History" there is a story of John Dalton, atomic scientist, who was the first to document his colorblind condition. Recently a distant cousin of John joined the DGS and states that she has the same condition. More recently cousins in England and in Australia who have the same roots in East Anglia discovered that they are partially colorblind. It seems to affect women as well as men. Let us know if there are cases in your Dalton family for it may be a means of making an ancestral connection. Millicenty@aol.com The First Seven Journals (1970-1977), which have been out of print, have been downsized, reproduced and are now available. To read the Tables of Contents of these Journals click on "Back Issues" located at the bottom of this page or on the Home Page. If you would like to own a set for your Dalton Library please send an e-mail to Millicenty@aol.com for further information. |
| by Millicent V. Craig On the recommendation of DGS member, William M Dalton, Portland, OR, a copy of 'Kerry, Past and Present" was scanned for its usefulness. The data had been compiled by Jeremiah King who died before it was printed. His lists of data were brought to the attention of Hodges & Figges & Co. Dublin, was published in 1931 and was originally meant to sell for 21 shillings. Everything you ever wanted to know about County Kerry is printed in this tome and is highly advised before making a journey. It covers all topographical features and their histories, families of Kerry, many from ancient times, data presumably from a census of about 1900 , (but not confirmed) a dictionary of terms and much more. A few of the entries are dated as late as 1925. Compared with other Kerry families, Dalton residents of Kerry were very few and theoretically should be easy to research. This may not be the case because Daltons in this section of Ireland moved quite a bit. Those in the northern section of Kerry may well have migrated down from County Limerick or Tipperary and those in the Southern section could have migrated from County Cork or Waterford. In "Kerry, Past and Present", the listing of Dalton families numbered only twenty three at the turn of the 20th Century and it appears that in all cases only the head of the family was enumerated. The compiler also entered either a townland or a parish and in a few cases just a street. Where possible your editor, with the assistance of William Dalton has supplied the missing townland or parish. John Dalton, Parish Ratto, Townland Ballyduff The number of Dalton families in County Kerry had declined from 31 as noted in Griffith's Valuation of 1848-1864 to about 23 in 1900. Within the County, there were just five locations in which Daltons resided both at the time of the Valuation and at the beginning of the 20th Century, about 50 years later. They are as follows: Ardoughter, Ballynoneen, Rahvanig, Addergown and Kilgarrylander. At the time of the Valuation there were nine Dalton tax payer listings in the five Townlands compared with eight listings at the turn of the Century, likely descendents of the earlier families who had remained in the same location. William Dalton's interests in County Kerry lie in the Parish of Ballyheigue which was in the Clanmaurice Barony. In the same Barony were the Parishes of Killury, Finuge, Kilfeighny, Kilmoyly, and Rattoo. At the time of the Valuation, William states that John Dalton was a taxpayer in the Townland of Tiershanaghan. Also in Ballyheigue were listed two Patrick Daltons - one in Ballenclesig and one in Ballyronan; and Richard in Glenderry Townland. William would like to hear from other Daltons whose roots are in Ballyheigue. William also believes that Daniel of Glenlea, and Thomas of Castleshannon are also related. Contact William at: mikedirp@teleport.com Readers may be interested to know that in the Iraghticonnor Barony were the Parishes of Aghavallen, Kilnaughtin, Dysert, Galey, Kilconley, Listowel, and Murher. Castleisland and Killarney Parish were in the Barony of Magunihy. A listing of Daltons in these baronies for the mid-1800's can be obtained from Griffith's Valuation, 1848-1864. The 1911 Census of Ireland (original sheets) are in the National Archives in Dublin and are available for research to the public. The LDS may be in the process of microfilming them at the present time. The LDS also has a listing of BDM's from 1861-1891 for all of County Kerry and most of these can be found in The Vital Statistics for Great Britain. Our thanks go to William M. Dalton for providing additional information from his files for future County Kerry research. |
| "I, John Dalton, of the City of Altoona, Blair
County and the State of Pennsylvania, of sound mind and memory do make this
my last will and testament, hereby revoking all other former wills at any
time made. The foregoing writing contained on one sheet of paper was signed and sealed
in the presence of us by the above named John Dalton and by and declared
as his last will and testament in the presence of us who have hereinto subscribed
our names in his presence and in the presence of Blair County: Note: John Dalton's will was entered into Probate Court approximately 20 months after it was drawn. Throughout the will, the script tends to make the name appear to be Dolton although it is recorded as Dalton. The one clue for researchers is the name of Dalton's brother-in-law, Patrick Kelly, so there is a fair chance that Dalton's wife, Ann, was a Kelly before marriage. The Pennsylvania Railroad was extended to Altoona in 1854 and it became the home of its car shops which made and repaired cars and locomotives, a principal means of employment in the 1800's. Another Altoona/Dalton testament will appear in a later issue. |