Introduction

Greetings to all readers of "Daltons in History" !!

August has been a quieter month from a family history perspective here in the UK. We are now counting the days to the DGS Annual Gathering for 2011 in Salt Lake City, which takes place over the last weekend in September, and we know that Karen and her team have been busy with all the last minute preparations. All those attending should be fully informed about the arrangements for the event. If you have any queries do please contact Karen as soon as possible.

As always you will find below the latest information about the DGS, together with the usual updates to keep you fully informed about everything that we are doing.

Future DGS events

For the 2012 Gathering and AGM we are returning to Yorkshire over the weekend of Fri/Sat/Sun 27th/28th/29th July 2012. The venue for this event will be the Ramada Hull Hotel. This hotel is very accessible and is ideally situated between Hull, which has a number of interesting Dalton connections, and Beverley with its Minster and an excellent Record Office. More details of the hotel, which is a 19th Century manor house set in 12 acres of gardens, can be found at www.ramadajarvis.co.uk/hotels/hull.aspx?mckv=mkwid|stdl8vXAWRm|pcrid|50623303531|plid||kword|. I am most grateful to Howard Dalton of Pickering for taking on the task of gathering organiser. Howard is a past DGS Treasurer and well known to many DGS members. He organised previous DGS Gatherings in Scarborough in 1992 and in Pickering in 2002. Howard and I visited Hull back in April and further information will be found in the "Forthcoming Gatherings" section of this website, just click here for the link. Full details of the programme and booking arrangements will appear towards the end of this year.

For 2013 we are considering returning to Ireland and for 2014 and beyond we have a number of suggestions already. But, if you have any particular thoughts about where you might like to meet, or a particular Dalton theme you think we should incorporate, we would really like to hear from you with your ideas.

The Dalton International DNA Project (DIDP)

We are indebted to our DNA consultant, Chris Pomery for all his assistance with the project over the past five years, which includes the preparation of three issues of the very comprehensive project progress report, and most informative presentations at our annual gatherings on two occasions. We now have approaching 170 participants in the project, and well over 80% of these are members of one of the 15 identified genetic families. The latest DIDP news and a full DIDP update were published in December 2010, and these can be found in the "Dalton DNA Project" section of this website, or simply click here for the link.

The emphasis is now on providing updated reports for each individual genetic family. The first of these, for genetic family A, was published in December and, with the template for these reports now established, the remainder will follow during 2011. The ones for genetic families B, C and D will be ready for publication soon. Further information on this programme was published in a separate report in May and can now be found in the "Dalton DNA Project" section of this website.

The DGS Journal

Volume 54 of the DGS Journal for July 2011 has now been printed and distributed. It was mailed to all DGS members during the first half of August and copies should have been received by now. If you have not received your copy, please contact your local DGS secretary in the first instance.

John always welcomes articles and other items for publication in the Journal. Any material for publication should be sent to him as early as possible, so that he can plan the content of future issues. John is happy to advise and assist contributors and, if you have any questions or need help, please contact him by email at johndalton78@hotmail.com.

Back issues of the DGS Journal continue to be available. On this website you can access the "DGS Journal Index" from the homepage or by clicking here. Here you will find a full 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. Lists of contents are given for Volumes 42 to 54 and the full synopses will be uploaded in due course. 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 in October.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours very sincerely

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

As "Gathering Fever" grips the DGS this month here is a little bit about Salt Lake City:

History of Salt Lake City

Taken from http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/s/SALTLAKECITY.html and written by John S McCormick:

The settlement of Salt Lake City was not typical in many ways of the westward movement of settlers and pioneers in the United States. The people who founded the city in 1847 were Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They did not come as individuals acting on their own, but as a well-organized, centrally directed group; and they came for a religious purpose, to establish a religious utopia in the wilderness, which they called the Kingdom of God on Earth. Like the Puritan founders of Massachusetts more than 200 years earlier, Mormons considered themselves on a mission from God, having been sent into the wilderness to establish a model society.

In many ways the history of Salt Lake is the story of that effort: its initial success; its movement away from the original ideas in the face of intense political, economic, and social pressure from the outside; and its increasing, but never complete, assimilation into the mainstream of American life. Its history has been the story of many peoples and of unsteady progress, and it was formed from a process of conflict--a conflict of ideas and values, of economic and political systems, of peoples with different cultural backgrounds, needs, and ambitions.

For about a generation after its founding, Salt Lake City was very much the kind of society its founders intended. A grand experiment in centralized planning and cooperative imagination, it was a relatively self-sufficient, egalitarian, and homogeneous society based mainly on irrigation agriculture and village industry. Religion infused almost every impulse, making it difficult to draw a line between religious and secular activities. A counterculture that differed in fundamental ways from its contemporary American society, it was close-knit, cohesive, and unified, a closely-woven fabric with only a few broken threads. The hand of the Mormon Church was ever present and ever active.

The extent of early Mormon pioneer unity can be, and often is, overstated. Even so, for the first few years of settlement, it was Salt Lake's most striking feature. Gradually at first, however, and then more rapidly, the city began to change. The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 and the subsequent spread of a network of rails throughout the territory ended the area's geographic isolation. Its economy became more diversified and integrated into the national picture. Mining and smelting became leading industries. A business district, for which there was no provision in the original city plan, began to emerge in Salt Lake City. A working-class ghetto took shape in the area near and west of the railroad tracks. Urban services developed in much the same time and manner as in other cities in the United States, and by the beginning of the twentieth century Salt Lake was for its time a modern city. Main Street was a maze of wires and poles; an electric streetcar system served 10,000 people a day. There were full-time police and fire departments, four daily newspapers, ten cigar factories, and a well-established red-light district in the central business district. The population became increasingly diverse. In 1870 more than 90 percent of Salt Lake's 12,000 residents were Mormons. In the next twenty years the non-Mormon population grew two to three times as rapidly as did the Mormon population. By 1890 half of the city's 45,000 residents were non-Mormons; and there was also increasing variety among them, as a portion of the flood of twenty million immigrants who came to the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries found its way to Utah.

As Salt Lake changed, and in particular as the population became increasingly diverse, conflict developed between Mormons and non-Mormons. During its second generation, that was the city's most striking feature, just as earlier the degree of unity was most conspicuous; Salt Lake became a battleground between those who were part of the new and embraced it and those who were part of the old and sought to hold on to that. Local politics featured neither of the national political parties and few national issues. Instead, there were local parties--the Mormon Church's People's party, and an anti-Mormon Liberal party--and during elections people essentially voted for or against the Mormon Church. Separate Mormon and Gentile (non-Mormon) residential neighborhoods developed. While many Mormons engaged in agricultural pursuits, few Gentiles owned farms. Two school systems operated: a predominantly Mormon public one and a mainly non-Mormon private one. Fraternal and commercial organizations did not cross religious lines. Sometimes Mormons and non-Mormons even celebrated national holidays like the Fourth of July separately.

Conflict began to moderate after 1890 when, as a result of intense pressure from the federal government, particularly in the form of the Edmunds Act of 1882 and the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887, Mormon leaders decided to begin a process of accommodation to the larger society and endeavor to conform to national economic, political, and social norms. In 1890 Mormon Church President Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto, which proclaimed an end to the further performance of plural marriages. A year later, the church dissolved its People's party and divided the Mormon people between the Democratic and Republican parties. Following that, non-Mormons disbanded their Liberal party. During the next several years, the church abandoned its efforts to establish a self-sufficient, communitarian economy. It sold most church-owned businesses to private individuals and operated those it kept as income-producing ventures rather than as shared community enterprises.

These actions simply accelerated developments of the previous twenty years, and the next two or three decades were a watershed in Salt Lake's history. The balance shifted during those years. By the 1920s, as Dale Morgan says, the city no longer offered the alternative to Babylon it once had, and the modern city had essentially emerged. The process has continued to the present, with Salt Lake City increasingly reflecting national patterns.

Since Utah became urbanized at about the same rate as the United States as a whole, Salt Lake faced the problems of urbanization and industrialization at the same time they were surfacing elsewhere, and it responded in similar ways. During the Progressive Era, for example, it established a regulated vice district on the west side, undertook a city beautification program, adopted the commission form of government in 1911, and that same year elected a socialist, Henry Lawrence, as city commissioner. The city languished through the 1920s, as the depressed conditions of mining and agriculture affected its prosperity. The Great Depression of the 1930s hit harder in Utah than it did in the nation as a whole. Salt Lake correspondingly suffered, making clear its close relationship with the world around it and its vulnerability to the fluctuations of the national economy; and New Deal programs were correspondingly important in both city and state.

World War II brought local prosperity as war industries proliferated along the Wasatch Front. In the post-war period defense industries remained important, and by the early 1960s Utah had the most defense-oriented economy in the nation. It has remained in the top ten ever since. During the 1950s a number of important capital improvement projects were undertaken, including a new airport terminal, improved parks and recreational facilities, upgraded storm sewers, and construction of the city's first water-treatment plants. As a move to the suburbs began, the city's population grew slowly, increasing by only 4 percent through the 1950s. Racial discrimination was still one of Salt Lake's most serious problems. The real power in the city lay with a group of three men (though it is difficult to get specific information detailing their activities): David O. McKay, president of the Mormon church; Gus Backman, executive secretary of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce; and John Fitzpatrick (and after his death in 1960, his successor, John H. Gallivan), publisher of the Salt Lake Tribune--representing, respectively, the city's Mormon, inactive Mormon, and non-Mormon communities. The triumvirate continued to function through the 1960s.

Features of the period since 1960 include further enhancement of the city as the communications, financial, and industrial center of the Intermountain West; a declining population within the actual city boundaries (down fourteen percent between 1960 and 1980); the movement of both people and businesses to the suburbs as the valley population continues to increase; some decaying residential neighborhoods and a deteriorating downtown business district and the effort to deal with those conditions; the development of a post-industrial economy; and the rise to national prominence the Utah Jazz professional basketball team and of such cultural organizations as the Utah Symphony and Ballet West. The city's population in 1990 was 159,936.

Yet through all of this, Salt Lake has never become a typical American city; it remains unique. The Mormon Church is a dominant force, Mormonism is still its most conspicuous feature, and deep division between Mormons and non-Mormons continues, particularly on the social and cultural levels. There is still much to Nels Anderson's observation in 1927 that Salt Lake is "a city of two selves," a city with a "double personality." As Dale Morgan observed more than forty years ago, Salt Lake is a "a strange town," a place "with an obstinant character all its own." That continues to be true.

See Also: Thomas G. Alexander and James B. Allen, Mormons and Gentiles: A History of Salt Lake City (1984); Robert Gottlieb and Peter Wiley, Empires in the Sun: The Rise of the New American West (1982); John S. McCormick, The Historic Buildings of Downtown Salt Lake City (1982); John S. McCormick, Salt Lake City, The Gathering Place: An Illustrated History (1980); and Dale L. Morgan, "Salt Lake City, City of the Saints," in Ray B. West, ed., Rocky Mountain Cities (1949).

Another site to look at is http://www.utah.com/cities/slc_history.htm.

Salt Lake City in 1908

Editor's comment:

Mel and I would like to wish everybody who is attending the Gathering a very enjoyable time. We are sorry that we cannot be there with you in body but, we will be with you in spirit and watching over the internet.

The personal account of the history of the Dalton Genealogical Society by Michael Dalton continues with this tenth instalment, covering the year 1996.

1995 saw the Society’s Silver Jubilee and last month I left readers with an account of our celebrations at the 25th Anniversary Gathering and AGM held in Herefordshire in July of that year. When I commenced this series of articles for "Daltons in History", I envisaged that eight parts would be sufficient, or ten at the most. Here we are with Part 10 and we have only covered 25 years, so it is taking rather longer than originally planned and I hope that readers are not finding my ramblings too tedious! I am trying to steer a course between creating a record which can be referred to by anyone who might be interested in years to come, and at the same time including anecdotal material which endeavours to bring the story to life, particularly for readers who were members at the time or had some close connection with the Society. Comments from readers would be welcomed and especially additions to my recollections – I am sure that, despite writing at length, I will have omitted important details along the way.

The year 1996 is notable because I acquired a personal email address for the first time and what a strange one it was 106120.1024@compuserve.com. Don’t try using it today – it doesn’t work anymore! It is now very hard to remember how we managed to communicate without email, but the Society flourished and survived for 25 years without it. Today we just take it for granted, and for most of us it is "the way we do things". I certainly started using email extensively for family history as soon as I was online at home, having already had the benefit of email at work for some time previously.

In April 1996, Volume 24 of the Journal was published and much of this issue was devoted to the obituary of Joyce Parker, researched and written by Morag Simpson, her second cousin. It is a fascinating account giving considerable insight into Joyce’s life. Joyce died in May 1995 at the age of 80. She lived nearly all her life in Brighton at 210 Preston Road, a large Victorian house on the main road through Preston Park some two miles north of the town centre. Her father was Alfred Parker, a bank manager who married Frieda Bayfield in 1912. Frieda died in the 1919 influenza epidemic when Joyce was only 4 years old and her grandmother, Eliza (nee Dalton) whose husband Charlie Parker had gone to Australia, moved into 210 and was responsible for bringing up Joyce and her younger sister, Mary. Joyce attended Brighton & Hove High School and then Bedford College in the University of London from where she graduated with a zoology degree. After working in various museums and libraries, she joined the staff of the Science Museum in London and in 1950 she became Deputy Keeper of the Science Museum Library, commuting daily from Brighton. Joyce looked after her father until he died in 1965 and she retired in 1978, then putting her energies into the DGS, the Brighton Archaeological Society as excursions secretary and the University Women’s Club as its secretary. Sadly she never married. I knew Joyce for the last 30 years or so of her life and she became a great friend and was invaluable in introducing me to so many Dalton cousins. Her knowledge of the Daltons, and of many other families into which the Daltons married was encyclopaedic, and usually very entertaining when she recounted the stories of their lives. Perhaps these two short extracts from Morag’s very full account summarise Joyce for us:

Joyce’s genealogical roots give some explanation of her character. She was certainly a person out of the ordinary run of life with the energy and stamina to pursue it to the full. Well past middle age, she still left lesser mortals trailing far behind. She never bored people, rather she exhausted them.

Joyce had high expectations but felt that she had failed to achieve them. To a large extent this was the result of the times she lived in. The inherent bias against women set a limit to the fulfilment of her career expectations and the Second World War could well have been the cause of her failure to marry. Perhaps the man she loved and lost was killed in the war. But the war was a mixed blessing. She rose to be deputy keeper of a library with an international reputation, and she left her mark on that library which is now recognised and appreciated. Her greatest legacy is that as a successful deputy, she paved the way for the next generation of women in the Museum Service to rise to the top. The dames and life peeresses would not have got where they did but for Joyce’s pioneering and successful efforts. The feminist movement owes her a great debt of gratitude.

Another item of interest in 1996 was the visit in April that I made with Dick Hamilton to Apethorpe Church in Northamptonshire. Dick had been in correspondence with a member of the parochial church council about plans to restore an effigy in alabaster of Sir Richard Dalton who died in 1442. When we saw this Dalton monument and its poor state of repair, we decided that we should support the PCC project and agreed to invite all DGS members to contribute to the cause. DGS members contributed over £1,000 towards this and, three years later in 1999, we were able to return and see the impressive results of the restoration work for ourselves. More about this when we cover 1999.

The 1996 Annual General Meeting held at Reigate, Surrey
in August 1996

After four successive years of Gathering weekends in places directly connected with Dalton family history, the committee had agreed that the 1996 Gathering and AGM should be a one day event held in Reigate, hosted by myself as chairman. The meeting was held on Saturday 31st August with only a small group present. Lunch prepared by Kate and my mother was enjoyed by all followed by some time out in the garden as you will see in the photographs.

Dick Hamilton and Maureen Collins
Pamela and Jack Richards
Mary Dalton and Lucy Slater
Ian Simpson and Michael Dalton
Pamela Richards, Ian Simpson, Maureen Collins, Faith Keymer, Mary Dalton and Kate Dalton (seated)
Bill Keymer and Dick Hamilton

According to the minutes the AGM itself did not commence until 3.55 pm and closed at 5.30 pm. Morag was able to report that the excess of income over expenditure for 1995 was close on £300 and at 31st December 1995, the Society’s net worth was just over £1,450, an altogether very satisfactory financial position. Towards the end of 1995 David Kirkley from Keighley, West Yorkshire had been appointed as Membership Secretary. David had agreed to take over from Lucy as Joint Editor of the Journal with Morag and this was confirmed. This enabled Lucy to concentrate on her role as Secretary of the Society. Otherwise it was agreed that all other officers and committee members should continue in post. It was noted that the production and distribution of the Journal would continue to be handled by John, ably assisted by his brother Tony. Concern was expressed that there were no younger members of the Society coming forward to play an active part in running the Society and, in Volume 25 of the Journal published in November 1996, I see that in my Chairman’s Letter, I concluded with a note about this and said "Please do come forward – YOUR SOCIETY NEEDS YOU!!"

Volume 25 contained a selection of interesting articles, including one by Lucy about another Cambridgeshire Dalton family who were boot and shoe makers. Lucy discovered these Daltons as a result of a visit from a DGS member descended from this line and living in New Zealand. There was the first of a series of long articles by Betty Wilks about Bedfordshire Daltons and also the first of a series of letters written by Charles Dalton, father of committee member, Pamela Richards, as an undergraduate at Oxford to "a young lady, destined to become my mother", as Pamela puts it! All these and more make for very interesting reading and inevitably they slow me down in my task of writing this history of the DGS.

My time has run out for this month’s instalment and so we will begin the next one with the year 1997.

From Margaret Dalton Morrell a new member of the DGS

As a Scottish child growing up in England, I was bemused as to why I didn’t have a middle name like that of my friends, something like Elizabeth or Mary, after all, I had never heard of a girl called Dalton. What was even more confusing is that it was my Fathers middle name too! Only as I got older did I realise that it was in fact a surname, and in keeping with the Scottish naming pattern of bestowing children with the maiden names of grandparents and great grandparents, I was duly registered as Margaret Dalton Boyle. Although in my case, it isn’t quite correct, I should have been named after my Mothers mother, but my father decided to give me his Mothers maiden name.

Most of my family roots are in Ayrshire on the West coast of Scotland, and I eventually came home a few years ago and became interested in my heritage. As a child we would visit Scotland in the summer holidays, and I quickly drew my mental map of who was who in the long list of old relatives we would visit on these trips and listen to the stories. How I wish I had paid more attention then!

Recently I decided to trace my Dalton family, the main interest being in a Thomas Dalton who was, according to family lore a Ships Captain who died on the Gold Coast of Africa in about 1860. But, before I mention anymore about him, I will start with the Dalton connection closest to me, my Father.

1. Thomas Dalton Boyle was born in 1938 in Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland; he was the only son of Archibald Boyle and Janet Clark Ferguson Hamilton Dalton (her parents must have had genealogists in mind when they registered her birth!)

2. Janet Clark Ferguson Hamilton Dalton

Janet Clark Ferguson Hamilton Dalton

Janet Clark Ferguson Hamilton Dalton was born in Ayr, Scotland on 20 May, 1904, the daughter of Thomas Dalton and Fanny Henderson Frew.

She married Archibald Boyle at 48 John Street, Ayr on 25 March, 1937.

3. Thomas Dalton and Fanny Henderson Frew

Thomas Dalton

Thomas Dalton was born at 19 New Bridge Street in Ayr on 25 March, 1881.He appears on the 1881 Census at 12 days old, living at New Bridge Street with his parents Thomas and Jessie (Janet). His father Thomas was a journeyman shoemaker.

On the 1891 Census the family have moved to 16 Kyle Street in Ayr. Father Thomas is still a shoemaker.

By 1901 Thomas had moved to Hamilton in Lanarkshire and appears on the census living as a lodger at 55 Beckford Street, his occupation is listed as a Jockey.

Thomas Dalton married Fanny Henderson Frew on 11 June, 1902 at Holy Trinity Church, Ayr. His address is given as 18 Mill Street, Ayr and his occupation as Groom. Interestingly his Fathers occupation is given as Bird Dealer.

The children of Thomas Dalton and Fanny Henderson Frew are:

Jane Sproat Dalton b1902 Ayr, Scotland

Janet Clark Ferguson Hamilton Dalton b1904 Ayr, Scotland

Thomas Dalton b1906 Ayr, Scotland

Fanny Frew Dalton b1909 Ayr, Scotland


Thomas Dalton 1881-1941

Family Portrait

Thomas Dalton (Back Left) appears in a family portrait taken during WWI; I wondered why he was not in uniform and could find no military record for him. This puzzle was answered when I discovered the following taken from the book ‘A Trainers Memories’ written by John McGuigan.

‘Reverting to the misfortunes which have befallen men who have ridden for me, I am reminded that the Arabs have a saying, “The grave of the horseman is always open”. On April 12th, 1913, I ran a horse called Bell Toll at Dumfries. One of my lads named Tom Dalton rode him for me and on his way to my stables from Ayr station something frightened Bell Toll. Someone came to my house to tell me that Dalton was lying on the footpath. He had been thrown and had hit the kerb, with the result that his skull was fractured. He was many weeks in hospital and on being discharged did not return to the stables but went to work in a chemical factory. He has passed on since the 1939 war started.’

Thomas Dalton died on the 6 July, 1941 at the Royal Infirmary, Glasgow. His obituary in the Ayrshire Post reads:

Death of Former N.H. Rider – The death has taken place of Mr Thos. Dalton, Ayr, who a number of years ago was well known in local racing circles. He was with the Ayr trainer, Mr John McGuigan, for many years, and rode for Mr McGuigan under National Hunt Rules. Many years ago Dalton met with a serious accident while riding Bell Toll home to stables from Ayr Station, and his life hung in the balance for a considerable period. Dalton became employed in Messrs Wyllies chemical works in Ayr.

Thomas Dalton

The parents of Thomas Dalton were:

4. Thomas Dalton and Janet Clark Ferguson Hamilton

The children of Thomas Dalton and Janet Hamilton are:

Jessie Dalton b.1875 Ayr, Scotland

Catherine Dalton b.1880 Ayr, Scotland

Thomas Dalton b.1881 Ayr, Scotland

James Hamilton Dalton* b. 1884 Ayr, Scotland (See below)

Margaret Dalton b. 1887 Ayr, Scotland

Daniel Alexander Hamilton Dalton b. 1890 Ayr, Scotland

Thomas Dalton was born on 4 November, 1848 in Ayr, Scotland. He is first found on the 1851 Census at Garden Street, Wallacetown, Ayr. He is living with his parents Thomas who is a sailor, mother Margaret and Sister Jessie.

On the 1861 Census the only Thomas Dalton of this age group to be found in Ayrshire is living in Maybole, with Uncle and Aunt Thomas and Elizabeth Breckenridge. His occupation is given as apprentice shoemaker. His mother and siblings are still living at Garden Street in Wallacetown and her occupation is given as Pauper, Muslin Sewer. Margaret also has her sister Agnes Black and nephew John Black living with her. Where is Thomas Dalton the sailor? No trace of him can be found on census returns or any death entry.

By 1871 Thomas is back in Ayr living with mother Margaret who is head** of the household and siblings at Norvals Land, George Street, St. Quivox. His occupation is shoemaker.

**This would suggest that Thomas the sailor had died.

Thomas Dalton married Janet (Jessie) Clark Ferguson Hamilton on 31 December, 1874 at 63 ½ High Street, Ayr. His occupation was shoemaker, Jessie was a Darner. The father of Thomas is given as Thomas Dalton, Sailor (Deceased) and the father of Jessie is given as James Hamilton, Sailor (Deceased).

This fits with the family legend that the parents of Thomas and Jessie were both Sea Captains and great friends, who always saw each other away from port and brought home gifts for each others families. Both men were lost at sea, although no record of this has been found at the time of writing.

In 1881 Thomas and Jessie were living at 19 New Bridge Street, Ayr, Thomas was a Boot maker.

In 1891 Thomas and Jessie were living at 16 Kyle Street, Ayr, Thomas’s occupation was still shoemaker.

In 1901 Thomas and Jessie had moved to 36 High Street, Ayr and he was a shoemaker. Thomas Dalton Died on 10 January, 1922 at 3 Davidson Place, Ayr. He was a retired Master Shoemaker. His son Thomas Dalton was the informant on the death certificate and his father is given as Thomas Dalton, Master Mariner.

5. Thomas Dalton was according to the 1851 Census born in about 1825 in Glasgow, he is living at Garden Street, Ayr with wife Margaret and occupation is given as Sailor. Thomas married Margaret Murchie on 25 August, 1845 in Ayr. The Old Parish records state that they were both of this parish.

The children of Thomas Dalton and Margaret Murchie are:

Janet Hawthorn Dalton b. 25 November, 1845 in Ayr

Thomas Dalton b. 4 November, 1848 in Ayr

John David Dalton b. 7 June, 1857 in Ayr

Robert Dalton b. 13 August, 1859 in Ayr

Margaret Dalton nee Murchie died on 22 October, 1877, she is the widow of Thomas Dalton, Sailor, Merchant Service.

No further record can be found of this Thomas Dalton.

It would seem that the trail ends here, but, if we go back to the 1861 census where we find his son, Thomas Dalton living in Maybole with his Uncle Thomas Breckenridge, and Aunt Elizabeth. It is reasonable to assume that either Thomas or Elizabeth had a Dalton connection. This was proved to be Elizabeth when I found in the Old Parish Records the marriage of Thomas Breckenridge and Elizabeth Dalton on 26 June 1853 at Maybole. So, it would seem that this Elizabeth Dalton was the sister of Mariner Thomas Dalton.

On the 1861 census Elizabeth Dalton gives her place of birth as England, no trace can be found of Elizabeth on the 1871 census, but she reappears on the 1881 census living at 15 Hope Street, Ayr as Elizabeth Dalton, Housekeeper to a William Cully, shoemaker. She has stated that she is married and her place of birth is given as England. What has happened to her husband Thomas Breckenridge? (He is found on the 1871 Census for Maybole, living as a Lodger with the Dick Family in Main Street.)

Elizabeth Brackenridge nee Dalton died on 2 January, 1891 aged 52, at 22 Carrick Street, Ayr. Her parents are given as Thomas Dalton, Groom (Deceased) and Elizabeth Dalton nee Williamson (Deceased). The informant who registered the death was William Cully. She is stated to be the widow of Thomas Brackenridge, shoemaker.

Thomas Breckenridge is listed on the 1891 census living at Dumbarton Combination Poorhouse, and in fact dies there on 26 December, 1891. His occupation is given as Pauper, formerly shoemaker. Widower of Elizabeth Dalton.

So, I now have names for Elizabeth’s parents, Thomas Dalton and Elizabeth Williamson. On searching the O.P.R. I found:

6. David Dalton and Elizabeth Williamson both of the parish of Ayr were married on 16 December, 1818. David Dalton was a soldier in the 1st Dragoon Guards.

Further searching of the OPR found a daughter Elizabeth Dalton born on 5 May, 1829 at Leith in Midlothian to David Dalton, soldier 12th Royal Lancers and Elizabeth Williamson. Another daughter Jane Dalton was born in 1825 in Coylton in Ayrshire.

The only Census return that can be found for a David Dalton is in 1851 in Wigtown. His date of birth is given as about 1794; he was born in England and his occupation is Chelsea Pensioner. He is living with his wife Janet Dalton. To establish that this was the correct David I searched for a marriage and found David Dalton widower, married Janet Hawthorn on 31 May, 1839 at Ayr. I think this marriage confirms the connection of my elusive Seaman Thomas Dalton to his sister Elizabeth Dalton and thence their father David Dalton. Thomas Dalton’s first daughter was born in 1845 and named Janet Hawthorn Dalton!

As the OPR marriages and the 1851 Census gives David Dalton as a soldier, I then searched for Military Records and found his discharge papers. He enlisted in the 1st Dragoon Guards on 21st October, 1812 at Southampton. He was described as five feet seven and a half inches tall with light brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. He gives his place of birth as Old Basing in Hampshire. On the 19th March, 1819 he was discharged from the Army at Hamilton in Lanarkshire as being ‘Below the Regulated Standard for Service’.

A year later, David Dalton rejoins the Army, this time at Hounslow on the 7th March, 1820. He enlists in the 12th Royal Regiment of Lancers. He is again discharged from the Army on health grounds on 5th May, 1838 at Hounslow Barracks. The Surgeon’s report states that:

‘Sergeant David Dalton 12th Royal Lancers, aged forty two years and six months has continuing chronic rheumatism affecting his loins and extremities, and a hernia of left groin caused by a violent fit of coughing, about four months ago. This man’s disease was brought on by exposure to wet and cold when on duty in Ireland in 1832. He has been for the two last years under treatment both in and out of hospital and derived benefit, but from the nature of his complaint and liability of the gut being displaced by coughing or the slightest exertion, I consider him totally unfit for the duties of a Lancer. His disease is not attributable to neglect, intemperance or vice. His conduct in Hospital has been good.’

On his Army Records, David Dalton gives his place of birth as Old Basing, Hampshire about 1795.

David Dalton died on 18th March, 1857 at the Public County Buildings in Wigtown. His occupation is given as Out Pensioner, Chelsea and his parents as John Dalton Farm Labourer and Elizabeth Dalton maiden surname is illegible, but looks to be ‘unknown’. There is no cause of death and the informant was Janet Dalton, Widow.

His death certificate raises two important questions, why did he die at the public country buildings and what of?

An answer the first question may be found on the death certificate of his widow Janet, it is stated that she was the widow of David Dalton, Pensioner and Police Officer. The Public County Buildings in Wigtown at that time housed the Police Office and Jail, and there was also accommodation for the Police Officers attached to the building.

Jane Dalton (daughter of David Dalton and Elizabeth Williamson) is found on the 1851 Census living at Gadgirth Lodge in Coylton with her grandmother Jane Blair. Jane Blair was the widow of Robert Williamson, soldier.

Jane Dalton gave birth to an illegitimate son Thomas Brackenridge Dalton on 17 February, 1855 at Gadgirth Lodge in Coylton, this child died on the 10 March, 1855.

On the 10 July, 1856 Jane Dalton married James Biggerstaff at Ayr. Jane gives her parents as David Dalton Soldier and Elizabeth Dalton nee Williamson (Deceased). James Biggerstaff was a soldier from Ayr Barracks.

Jane (Dalton) Biggerstaff died on 4 December, 1869 at Ayr; her father is given as David Dalton, Pensioner and Sergeant Major in Ayrshire Yeomanry (Cavalry).

So, my search for a sailor found a soldier! But I still have a missing link in Thomas Dalton the Master Mariner, if anyone out there has any clues, please help!

Margaret's email address is: margaret@morrells-forge.co.uk.

*James Hamilton Dalton 1884-1920

James Hamilton Dalton

James Hamilton Dalton was born in Ayr, Scotland the son of Thomas Dalton and Janet Clark Ferguson Hamilton.

On the 1891 Census for Ayr he is living at 16 Kyle street with his parents and siblings and he is a scholar.

In 1901 James is a boarder living at 1 Bridgend Cottage, Dunbar, East Lothian and is an Apprentice Jockey.

"Wee jimmy" went to South africa shortly after 1901 and the next reference found of him was the following articles from the Ayrshire post in September 1920.

Newspaper Article 1 on James' death in South Africa
Newspaper Article 2 on James' death in South Africa

No further research on James or his career as a Jockey in South Africa has been done as yet.

I have much more information on the extended Dalton family from Ayr, and would be pleased to help any others searching this branch of the Dalton family.

This is a follow-up article from Mike Dalton of Oregon, USA. See last month's article by David Preston - "Dorothy Dalton - Silent Film Actress"

DOROTHY DALTON – follow up from August, 2011 "Daltons in History" article

According to silentgents.com, a listing of Silent Film stars: Dorothy’s father (a Chicago real estate broker) wanted her to be a lawyer. Dorothy wanted to be an actress. Her father obliged by sending her to American Conservancy of Dramatic Arts after graduation from Sacred Heart Academy in Chicago. Dorothy made it to the Silent Films by 1914. Given the identity of her father as a real estate agent and that his wife was named Lillian: Myrtle, their only daughter, became the actress Dorothy Dalton.

Hammerstein Obituary in 16 April, 1972 Chicago, Illinois Tribune

Dorothy Dalton Hammerstein died on 13 April, 1972 at Scarsdale, New York. She was the wife of the late Arthur Hammerstein, the mother of Carol Schneider, and the grandmother of Cody Dalton.* Reposing at Bennett Funeral Home, Scarsdale, New York. Funeral services Monday 10:30 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the heart fund are appreciated.

* Her granddaughter adopted the legal name of Cody Dalton after her parent’s last names.

Known:

Dorothy Dalton was born 22 September, 1893 in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, John H. Dalton was born circa 1864; his business was in Chicago real estate.

The starting point for genealogical research was the looking for John H. Dalton born circa 1865 in the 1900 census of Chicago, Illinois.

Dorothy Dalton

WORKING BACK

1900 Census Match:

Dalton, John H. at 586 La Salle Ave., Chicago, Illinois, Cook Co., married, occupation: storekeeper

Dalton, John H. age 35 head b. Iowa May, 1865 birthplace of parents not listed

Lillian age 31 wife b. Ill. July, 1869 both parents born Germany

Myrtle age 8 daughter born Illinois Sept., 1891

Dalton Databank;

Illinois, Cook County Marriages: John H. Dalton and Lillian Hoffman were married on May 18, 1887

Previous Censuses: no definite matches found.

WORKING FORWARD

1910 Census Match:

Dalton, John H. at 3600 Indiana Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, Cook Co., married for 22 years with only one child born and living, occupation: real estate office

Dalton, John H. Age 45 head born Iowa, of English ancestry

Lillian E. Age 42 wife born Illinois, of German ancestry

Myrtle A. Age 18 daughter, born Illinois

1920 Census Matches:

Dorothy Dalton at 269 17th Street, Manhattan, New York County, New York, occupation: artist in pictures

Dalton, Dorothy age 26, single, born Chicago, Illinois; both parents born Chicago, Illinois; enumerated with two Swedish born female servants.

Dalton, John H. at 3970 Ellie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, Cook Co., married, occupation: real estate dealer

Dalton, John H. Age 55 head born Iowa, parents born England

Lillian E. Age 51 wife born Illinois, parents born Germany

Dorothy Dalton was willed $118, 015 by her father – Chicago Tribune 15 July, 1946

Dorothy Dalton, star of the Silent Films, was bequeathed the entire estate, estimated at $118, 015, of her father John H. Dalton who died at the age of 82, according to the will filed yesterday in Probate Court (Cook County, Illinois).

Dorothy is the wife of Arthur Hammerstein, drama producer, and lives on a 276 Acre Farm near Palatine, Illinois.

Dorothy’s husband, Arthur Hammerstein, died on 12 October, 1955 in Palm Beach, Florida at age 82.

From State of Illinois online death index 1910 to 1851:

John H. Dalton died 11 June, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois; no age given; certificate number: 0017740 – this should show name of his parents, his birth date and place.

Lillian E. Dalton died 9 June, 1947 in Schaumberg Township, Cook County, Illinois. No age was given.

Dorothy Dalton was willed $118, 015 by her father – Chicago Tribune 15 July, 1946

Dorothy Dalton, star of the Silent Films, was bequeathed the entire estate, estimated at $118, 015, of her father John H. Dalton who died at the age of 82, according to the will filed yesterday in Probate Court (Cook County, Illinois).

Dorothy is the wife of Arthur Hammerstein, drama producer, and lives on a 276 Acre Farm near Palatine, Illinois.

Dorothy’s husband, Arthur Hammerstein, died on 12 October, 1955 in Palm Beach, Florida at age 82.

Based on information given by Bill Dalton of Gig Harbour, Washington, USA with additional information from the Editor

This the 2nd installment

ROBERT J. DALTON (1847 - 1927)

Robert J. Dalton was the eldest son of John and Susannah Dalton and he was born in Dublin, Ireland in January 1847.

In the 1861 Census of Wales he can be found living at 7 Club Row, Aberdare, Glamorgan, Wales with his parents John and Susannah, brother Peter, a scholar aged 10, and sister Mary aged 1 and brother John 7 months. The two youngest children were born in Aberdare. Robert is aged 15, born 1846/7 in Ireland. His occupation is given as a haulier at an iron forge.

On 7th August, 1869 he has married Winifred Morgan at the Carmel Chapel, Pen-y-Pound, Aberdare, Glamorganshire, Wales. His occupation was given as a labourer, he was aged 22 and his wife was only 17. Witnesses were John Dalton (probably his father) and Ellen Allan.

Carmel Particular Baptist Chapel

The Carmel Particular Baptist Chapel of Pen-y-pound began in November 1810 at a house called Carmel. The chapel was founded in 1812, enlarged in 1832, rebuilt in 1851 at the cost of £1200. As the minister Dr Thomas Price (1820 – 1888) later said "the chapel was too small therefore a new chapel and large school room was opened on 30th September, 1851." In 1873 there were 101 members. Dr Thomas Price was a preacher, lecturer, writer, Friendly Societies promoter, politician and a member of Leipzig University. He was minister of “Penpound” from 1846 – 1888. It was said that he baptised his congregation in the River Cynon at the bottom of Commercial Street, Aberdare, by the iron bridge which spanned the river.

The chapel finally closed in 1960, was then destroyed by fire and the present site is supposed to be a Weatherspoon’s Restaurant.

Robert Dalton’s wife was Winifred Morgan, born 1st March, 1853 in Dowlais, Glamorgan, part of Merthyr Tydfil. The 1861 Welsh Census states she was born in Gelligaer, Glamorgan and her obituary says Cardiff, Wales. Gelligaer lies to the east of Merthyr Tydfil on the borders with Monmouthshire.

In the 1861 Census of Wales aged 8 her first name is given as Gwenllian – a traditional Welsh name Gwyn – white, fair, blessed, holy and lliant – flood, flow probably used to describe a fair complexion. Winifred is an English or Welsh name from the Welsh name Gwenfrei wynn – joy and frei peace.

In the 1871 Census of Aberdare, Glamorgan, Robert and his young wife Gwenllian are living with his wife’s parents John Morgan, head of the house aged 66, a labourer at the colliery and Mary aged 52 of Ireland in a home at the back of Brecon Street. Also living with them is a John Dalton, aged 7 months, born Dowlais, Glamorgan, relationship stated as nephew of John Morgan – is this a mistake on the enumerator’s part and John could he be a nephew or son of Robert? I have found a possible birth registered in the 4th Quarter of 1870 volume 11a entry 387, at Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. There is also an 1891 census entry for an Ellen Dalton, widow, aged 60 from Waterford, Ireland and her son John, aged 21 a labourer born Glamorgan living in Cardiff. I wonder if this Ellen could be the Ellen Allen who was a witness at Robert’s wedding? There is also an Ellen Allen who married in 2Q of 1871 Volume 11a entry 471 in Merthyr Tydfil but to who? An Allan household also lived near to the Dalton’s in 1871.

It is thought that Robert and his father-in-law worked at the Aberaman pit which lies close to where they lived.

I hope to continue the story of Robert and his wife in a future edition of "Daltons in History."

We've been planning and anticipating for months and months, and now the dates for the DGS Annual Gathering are almost upon us!

As you read this, the Gathering dates are just a few weeks away. We are expecting about 40 attendees, and have organized a wonderful program of events and presentations.

The last edition of the Gathering newsletter has been sent out. It includes the final details of the weekend's events. If you didn't receive your copy of the Gathering newsletter, use this link http://www.daltonamericas.org/gathering/September2011Gen.htm.

For those who are registered to attend, there are a few action items. I need to hear from you regarding an entree selection for Saturday's dinner, and your RSVP for the casual dinner on Sunday evening.

If you live in the Salt Lake City area, it is not too late to register to attend the dinner on Saturday evening, or the conference sessions on Sunday. But, I must hear from you now! The hotel and the caterers must have accurate numbers to insure that everyone is accommodated.

We will be broadcasting the 2011 Gathering for all of those DGS Members that could not attend the event in Salt Lake City. If you cannot join us in Salt Lake City, we hope that you will be able to join us in spirit. As with previous Gatherings, there will be a web page that will work for computers, smart phones and iPads. You can set your web browser Bookmark or favorites to this link or copy and paste this address: http://www.daltondatabank.org/videoLiveSLC.html

In order to have the best possible experience in viewing the Gathering on-line, we recommend that you have access to at least a 1.5 megabit per second Internet connection (DSL / Cable or high-speed wireless).

New Members:

Kenneth Copeland, Virginia Beach, VA

Dalton Data Bank Update and Web Site Statistics:

Web Sites Update:

For the period from 1 August, 2011 to 24 August, 2011

Update to the Data Bank:

None. For the second month running!!

DDB Web Site Usage Statistics:

42,580 visits came from 169 Countries / Territories

Map showing August DDB visitor distribution

Top 10 Countries by Visits:

1. UK – 11,386
2. India – 6,261
3. USA – 3,432
4. Pakistan – 3,286
5. Argentina – 1,305
6. South Africa – 1,288
7. Colombia – 1,283
8. Australia – 1,047
9. Algeria – 871
10. Ireland – 788

Top 10 Pages Visited:

1. Home Page
2. Join Us (Pop up on Home Page)
3. England
4. USA
5. Republic of Ireland
6. Australia
7. Canada
8. South Africa
9. Scotland
10. Dalton Chronicles

Comparatives:

DDB Comparison Chart

Dalton Forum:

There are a total of 244 Posts in 146 Topics by 325 Members.

During the reporting period, there was 1 new topic added, 3 new posts and 5 new members added.

DGS Web Site Usage Statistics:

1,240 Visits from 76 Countries / Territories

Map showing DGS visitor distribution

Top 10 Countries by Visits:

1. United States – 430
2. UK – 291
3. Australia – 101
4. India – 54
5. Ireland – 52
6. Pakistan – 50
7. Canada – 28
8. France – 24
9. South Africa – 20
10. New Zealand – 15

Top 10 Pages Visited:

1. Home Page
2. Membership
3. Daltons in History
4. Daltons in History Archive

5. Dalton International DNA Project
6. Photo / Video Gallery
7. Clan Dalton
8. Gatherings
9. Archive of Gatherings
10. Journal Index

Comparatives:

DGS Comparatives

Membership Page Tracking:

There were a total of 411 visits to the Membership page. 367 Visitors (89%) were as a result of links from the DDB “Become a Member!" pop-up box and the Google Ad Campaign. One visit was as a result of a Daltons in History link and one was from the DNA Projects page. The remaining 44 Visitors (11%) were generated from within the DGS site.

The graph below depicts the flow of Visitors to the Membership Page:

Membership Page Graphics

Google Ad Campaigns:

Dalton Data Bank Site:

21,811 Visitors reached the Data Bank by clicking on one of the 1,878,324 Google Ads served during the reporting period.

DGS Site:

23 Visitors reached the DGS site by clicking on one of the 8,184 Google Ads served during the reporting period.

Google Ads for new memberships:

This Ad Campaign generated 17 visits to the Membership information from 5,377 Google Ads served during the reporting period.

And finally

I am looking forward to meeting many of you in Salt Lake City! Next month, I will have a recap of the weekend for you, and hopefully a few photos to share.

With best regards,

Karen Dalton Preston
North American Secretary

Thank you to all who have contributed to the September 2011 issue of "Daltons in History".

The Salt Lake City Gathering is upon us this month. MEL AND I HOPE THAT ALL MEMBERS WHO ATTEND ENJOY THEMSELVES IMMENSELY.

Due to time constraints the Lucy Slater Archives does not appear this month but will be back in October 2011.

Please send me any ideas you may have for future articles or areas of research we could look at. New ideas are needed!!

Please consider contributing a short description of any Dalton-related travels you may have undertaken anywhere in the world. Also members who are travelling to do research, visit a Dalton-connected site, or have made a connection to a distant cousin through the DGS. might be interested in letting other members know what they are doing through "Daltons in History". Photos from your travels would be appreciated. Also, it would be a way of helping members get to know each other a little better, and might help members who are widely dispersed geographically to feel a bit more connected.

Contributions for the October 2011 issue need to be with me no later than 25th September, 2011. (e-mail: dairneirwin@ntlworld.com). Mel and I will be attending a wedding on 1st October, 2011 and would like the "Daltons in History" completed before we go away on 30th September, 2011.

Please continue to stick to the set deadlines!! There is no excuse for missing the deadline - PLAN AHEAD!!