| From Michael Neale Dalton It is a year since I last wrote a message to visitors to our website and I welcome the opportunity to keep in touch again with all those who have an interest in Dalton family history. You may be a seasoned member of the Society, or someone who has surfed to this site for the first time. Whoever you are, you share a common bond - an interest in the name of Dalton. So I send you greetings!! Recently I chaired a meeting of the Dalton Genealogical Society Committee held in Cambridge, England at the home of our Executive Secretary, Dr. Lucy Slater. Amongst other matters, we reviewed the Society's Millennium Project and made plans for the Gathering and AGM in the year 2000. It hardly seems possible that the new millennium is almost upon us, and, in common with many organisations, the Dalton Genealogical Society is marking the millennium with some special events during the year 2000. Those of you who read my website message a year ago will recall something of these plans and I am happy to report that substantial progress has been made since then. On the Millennium Project - the publication of a revised and updated version of Part I of Edith Leaning's "Dalton Book" - the initial phase of transcribing the text into the computer has been successfully completed by a team of helpers in America led by our American Secretary, Millicent Craig. The disk was sent over to England and the text has been checked and corrected by DGS committee members, Dick Hamilton, Lucy Slater and Pamela Richards. I am immensely grateful to all of these people who have given so much time to achieving this critical first part of the programme. Such is the interest being shown in early Dalton family history in America, that it has been agreed that our American Secretary will make an interim edition available based on the text we now have, suitably prefaced with an explanatory introduction. It is annticipated that this edition will be available in early 2000 and full details will be announced on this website soon. The more substantial task of completing the full second edition, with additional text and other material including photographs, charts, maps and diagrams, will continue and the Society will publish this edition when it is ready, perhaps in two or three years from now. The DGS Committee has recognised that there is a substantial amount of work involved in this project. We therefore feel that it is essential to give the necessary time to the production of the publication, in order that it reflects the high standards that the Society sets. Turning now to the year 2000 itself, the DGS Committee has set the date of Saturday, 19 August 2000 for the Annual General Meeting of the Society. This will take place at 2:30 pm at my home in Reigate, Surrey, England and it will be preceded by a buffet lunch. It is hoped that many members and their friends will attend this event which will be primarily a social occasion and an opportunity to meet fellow DGS members old and new. For those from further afield and overseas it will be possible to make arrangements for overnight accommodation and, subject to demand, we will include a tour programme on Sunday to visit places in Surrey with a Dalton connection. Further details on all this will be published on this website and in Volume 32 of the Journal next Spring. In the meantime please ensure that you put the weekend of 19/20 August in your diary. It is not that far away!! I now want to turn to another major DGS project, also mentioned in my message of a year ago - the restoration of the effigy of Sir Richard Dalton at St. Leonard's Church at Apethorpe in Northamptonshire. I am very pleased to be able to report that the effigy has now been returned to the church and it looks absolutely splendid. The photograph of the effigy on this page gives some impression of its appearance but it really has to be seen at first hand to appreciate both the original alabaster carving which is some 500 years old, and the expert restoration work that has now been undertaken. It is a real treasure, in the truest sense of the word, and I am so pleased that the Society has been able to assist the Parochial Church Council with the restoration project.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking all the members of the DGS Committee for everything that they have done during 1999, and indeed continue to do for the Society. Without them there would not be a Dalton Genealogical Society and this website would not exist. Inevitably there are things that we would like to do for which we do not have the manpower or the resources but I hope that what we do is seen as a worthwhile and valued contribution in the quest to further knowledge and understanding of Dalton family history. It only remains for me to wish all readers a very happy Christmas and, whatever you plan in order to mark the start of the new millennium, may it be enjoyable and memorable. I look forward to the year 2000 and beyond with considerable anticipation. I am confident that the Society is in good health and will continue to achieve its objectives in the months and years to come. MICHAEL NEALE DALTON |
| The following account of Captain James was submitted
by Mrs. Eliot Dalton (MarieH. Dalton). "I now present to you your paternal great, great grandfather, Captain James Dalton, mariner and merchant of Boston, then a town of about thirteen thousand persons, who was born over one hundred and eighty-six years ago, in the reign of George the First, King of England; was fourteen years old when Washington was born and fifty-one when Napoleon first opened his eyes. You are, therefore, by inheritance, both farmers and sailors. The earliest record of Captain Dalton is found in a diary kept by himself and begun in the year 1736. In a manuscript book of over 70 pages of foolscap, containing elaborate diagrams and calculations in geometry, trigonometry and navigation, including astronomical problems, the finding of latitude and longitude, Mercator's sailings, currents, tides, etc. in his own handwriting, entitled 'James Dalton - His Book', August 1736. I think you will agree with me that it is a creditable production for a lad of eighteen, containing a record of the science of navigation as known and practiced at the time... Captain Dalton has written various entries and memoranda of the arrivals and departures and discharges of cargo at Savannah, GA in 1736, Charleston, SC in 1737, and later at East Cowes and other ports. Another note of interest in his book reveals that in 1740, when 22 years old, he made his first voyage as a captain, commanding the Brigantine Joshua, bound for London, a responsible post for a young man. His orders from the owners of the ship, Henderson & Hughes, were to --embrace to first wind and to make the best of your way to London, speaking no vessels in your passage, nor putting into any port if you can avoid it, and when, please God, you arrive in London you are to apply yourself to Messers. Channing & Brent.. Also you will be careful of your rigging and sails, and frugal in your possessions, there being nothing gott without saving, and, as times are, frugality and industry is the whole we can expect, and we doubt not off from you, these things will always oblige us who are your friends, etc. This command gave him the title of captain which he retained during life. ---I have not doubt that these boys had their full fun of competition with their fellows, and enjoyed themselves with the girls as heartily as any of the young folks today; but I feel sure that Captain James never felt prouder when, at twenty-two, he sailed down the Boston harbor, standing on the quarter deck, in command of the good brigantine Joshua bound for London. He reached the Isle of Wight in forty-five days, after a boisterous voyage." In 1740 he married Abigail, daughter of Peter Roe, who was also a resident of Boston, as shown on the Registry of Marriages of King's Chapel of that date. She had previously married Judah Alden, but her husbad died very soon after their marriage. Captain Dalton continued to go to sea as ship-master, sometimes acting also as a consignee of the cargoes. He later became the owner of various vessels and finally abandoned his seafaring life, taking up his residence permanently in Boston. He then carried on a mercantile and shipping business, trading with Philadelphia, North and South Carolina, the West Indies, and the Northern British-American Provinces. "Pehaps you will be surprised, and possibly scandalized to learn that Captain James was a slaveholder, but I must tell you the truth at any cost to your sensibilites.. It was the custom of many Boston families to own their own negro household and personal servants. I find among Captain James' papers sundry deeds of the purchase and sale of slaves, drawn on printed legal forms very similar to those used in the transfer of real estate. For example, he bought James Brown's negro man Lys, twenty-five years old, for 45 pounds; Gideon Thayer's slave boy Caesar for 34 pounds (the witnesses to this deed are his wife Abigail and his daughter, Mary); Wm. White's negro boy Bob, fiteen years old, for 13 pounds, 6 shillings, 8 pence. The captain exchanged his negro boy Prince, for Ezekiel Lewis' boy Pompey, thus getting an emperor for a prince. A man in those days bought a slave just as he would a horse if he was in want of either article. Contrary to popular belief, Massachusetts, even after independence, never abolished slavery by act of the Legislature. In my early days in Boston there was a well known white-haired dark complexioned waiter, named Dalton, who was employed at private parties with who, by reason of our common name, I was on friendly terms; he has found me a bottle of champagne even after it had all gone ---for others. It is not unlikely that this old trained house servant may have been a descendent of the good captain's slaves. Captain Dalton was one of the proprietors of King's Chapel at the time of the rebuilding of the Church in 1754 when he purchased Pew no.98, which he exchanged for Pew no. 40 in 1756 and which he held until about 1780, and then held Pew no.26. He also owned, in 1754 and 1772, Pews no. 53 and 58. He was executor to the will of his father-in-law, Peter Roe, who died in 1751, and frequently acted under Power of Attorney and as administrator for other shipmasters and sailors. From the years 1760-1770, he often sent his sons, Peter Roe and Richard, as supercargoes on these voyages. In 1756 he purchased an estate in Boston, lying on Water Street, between Water and Milk Streets, which was then occupied by a tanyard, garden, dwelling house and other buildings. These buildings he pulled down and in 1758 built upon the property a Mansion House which was occupied by himself and family during the remainder of his life, and afterward by his son, Peter Roe. The house stood with its northern end towards Water Street and its front to the eastward. Soon after its completion a new street, now Congress Street, was ordered by a committee of the General Court to be laid out through the estate, running from Water to Milk Street. This was made necessary owing to the rebuilding of that part of town after the "Great Fire" of 1760. After negotiations, the change was made and James Dalton's estate then consisted of land lying on both sides of the new street. That portion to the westward contained the Mansion House, with an enclosed space in front, while that on the eastern side was soon built over with houses and shops which were rented to various persons. The street thus laid out, at first known as the 'New Street' was afterward called 'Dalton's Lane and Dalton Street' until 1800, when its name was changed to Congress Street. Captain Dalton also owned real estate in Oliver Street, 'Board Alley', now Hawley Street; Joliffe's Lane, now Devonshire St.; and Marlborough St. now Washington. He was prudent but energetic in business, persevering, liberal and public-spirited, courteous to his associates and of a kindly disposition. He had ten children and died on April 21, 1873, at the age of 65. The most interesting part of my story occurred during the occupation of Boston by King George's troops, and its investment by the Continental Army, under Washington. In the winter of 1775-76, the British soldiers demolished one church, many private buildings, fences, etc. using the material for fuel. Among the victims was Captain James. There is in my possession a document dated 1775, entitled 'An Account of the Damages James Dalton has Suffered by the King's Troops', giving an itemized schedule of his properties taken, amounting to several hundreds of pounds. When peace was declared he made a demand for compensation for these damages. I do not find that this righteous claim has ever been settled. Undoubtedly it is as good an asset today as ever, and will amount with interest to several millions of dollars". Our appreciation goes to Marie for sharing information which shows that her Daltons had a hand in the development of present day Boston. She has worked diligently through the years to establish the birthplace of Captain James Dalton, perhaps in England or in Ireland. Marie welcomes any information that would be appropriate for further research. From the age given in the text, it is likely that the Captain was born about 1718. Contact Marie at: MOOMS101@aol.com. |
| by Rev. Isaac Dalton Stewart Rev. Stuart was the grandson of Isaac Dalton, Warner, NH, Revolutionary Patriot and direct descendent of the Hampton, NH. Daltons. He was a minister in NH and was given a compilation of Freewill Baptist Meetings, ordinations and a history of the movement to prepare for publication. The resulting tome is over 400 pages long and and is filled with the hardships that were endured by a poor class of the population, so designated by the author. It details the relationships, sometimes antagonistic with other religious groups of the times. The history covers the years from 1780, the beginnings of the Freewill movement in New England, to 1830. Rev. Stewart traces the spread of the Freewill Baptist religion from New Hampshire to Maine, to Vermont, Canada, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and finally to Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. Much of the teachings were spread by local ordained or unordained ministers, reaching beyond their congregations and subsisting at bare survival levels. It was the period of the itinerant preacher, who was away from home and family for months at a time, and who often returned to find his family near starvation. It was also a time, particularly in the mid western states, where unauthorized itinerants identified themselves wrongly as members of the Freewill community. The historical aspects of this book have appeal to those who seek to understand the struggles of our forefathers. From a genealogist's point a view it has value in that the ministers of the Freewill mission are identified. Their information generally includes; date and place of birth, date of ordination, field of work, and date of death. While there are no listings with the surname, Dalton, there are several listings of surnames belonging to families who married into the Hampton, NH Dalton family. They include: Blake, Israel, born 1765, ordained 1800, field of labor, NH, died 1839. In the above list, Blakes were related to Rev. Timothy Dalton; a Haselton
married Abiah Dalton daughter of Samuel Dalton of Hampton, NH; and Rev.
Stewart's grandmother was a Merrill. His grandfather was Isaac Dalton,
Revolutionary patriot of Warner, NH. Emigrant Ships from Norfolk, England to Ontario and Quebec Canada -1836 Norwich Mercury 12 Mar 1836 Notice to Emigrants The Fine Ship ANNE, burthen 400 tons, John Kemp Master. The above fast sailing Vessel is of the first class and nearly new and will be fitted up in a commodious manner for the accomodation of Passengers: she will sail from Lynn for Quebec early in April next from which place Steam Vessels are going to all parts of the Country. Many Berths are already taken, early application therefore is necessary to Mr. William English (the owner) Church Street, Lynn, 8th February 1836. Notice to Emigrants The WELLINGTON 350 tons burthen, W.Gilham, Commander Will leave Yarmouth Quay for Quebec in the early part of the months of April 1836 and will be fitted with comfortable Accomodations for Passengers. For further particulars apply to S. Culley, Norwich; J. H. Palmer and Co. Yarmouth and to the Master on Board. Norwich Mercury 16 April 1836 Notice to Emigrants The Passengers who have engaged Berths on Board the Brig. CARRON for Quebec, are respectfully informed that the said Vessel intends Sailing on Saturday, the 29th April and Weather permitting. John Shelley and Co. Agents and dated Yarmouth April 13. Emigration The Fine New Brig, PROTECTOR of Sunderland of 500 tons burthen, will Sail for Quebec from Yarmouth about the 10th or 15th of May. The vessel is quite new, and is from her size fitted for the accomodation of passengers. For passage money and further particulars apply yo Messrs. John Shelly and Co. General Shipping Agents, Yarmouth. |
| On October 23, 1999, committee members of the Dalton Genealogical Society met at the home of the Executive Secretary, Dr. Lucy Slater, Cambridge, England. The date for the next Annual Gathering and Meeting of the Society was confirmed for the 19 and 20 of August, 2000 and will be held at the home of the Chairman, Mr. Michael N. Dalton in Reigate, Surrey. In addition to being a millennium meeting, the DGS will also commemmorate the 30th anniversary of the Society which was founded by Mr. Dalton. We trust that you will put this date on your calendar.. If your membership dues are in arrears, please send your renewal to your local secretary. The DGS needs your continued support to help cover the expenses of obtaining source material and maintaining the web page. If you are not yet a member and enjoy the monthly offerings, won't you consider joining our large world-wide family of Daltons? Millicenty@aol.com Readers have taken advantage of the offer of "The First Seven Journals of the DGS (1970-1977)" which have been out of print for several years. You may scan the Index of these Journals by clicking on "Back Issues" located on the Home page. For further information contact: Millicenty@aol.com Lastly the Society, the Web Manager, Elizabeth Weber and I, Millicent Craig, wish all Daltons world-wide a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We face an exciting time in history when the combination of the information age and the biomedical age will effect discoveries and technological breakthroughs not even imagined at this moment in history. Over the next year we will attempt to provide a few insights as to how this marriage of techologies will affect the role of the family historian and the genetic/genealogist consultant. |