Michael Neale Dalton, DGS Chairman gives a personal view of the first ever DGS American Gathering, held over the first weekend of October 2006.

Thursday 5 October 2006

A slightly delayed American Airlines flight from London Heathrow touched down in Boston, where the weather was very clear and sunny, at about 1.45pm local time (EST), that’s 6.45pm BST. Immigration procedures into the USA are a little bureaucratic but they were dealt with very pleasantly by the border control staff and it wasn’t long before we were reunited with our baggage and through the customs hall in search of John and Sheila. We soon found them – they had flown in from Manchester and were on time so had been waiting about 2 hours.

Found the shuttle bus to the Alamo car rental location and picked up our 4x4 Chevrolet Trail Blazer – more like a tank than a car! Kate decided this was highly appropriate for the US highways! By about 3.00pm we were away, navigating ourselves out of Boston airport on the road north to Newburyport and Hampton. Only one wrong turning at a rotary and we duly found Lamies Inn & Tavern at about 4.15pm. We were greeted by Howard J, Millicent, Sam, Mary Lou and several others and agreed to meet in the restaurant for dinner at 6.30pm. In the meantime we checked in to our super room with a canopy bed and found our bearings.

Lovely round table for 11 of us at dinner – Kate and myself, Sam & Barbara, Millicent, John & Sheila, Mel & Dairne, Howard J and Mary Lou. Caught up with everyone’s news and the gastronomic highlight of the meal was Barbara’s clam bake which came with half a lobster on top. The waitress had to show Barbara how to deal with this! Kate decided she would have to have this dish before leaving Hampton. By about 9.00pm we retired for an early (by New England time), late (by UK time) night after a very good start to the trip.

Friday 6 October 2006

Woke early and up early for my 8.00am breakfast appointment with Millicent! Millicent had thought of everything and all the arrangements for the weekend seemed to be well in hand. We agreed to go to the St James’s Lodge at 2.00pm to set up the room for the Saturday meeting. During the morning Mary Lou came with Kate and I on a photocopying expedition. After a fruitless effort to find Staples in Hampton (it’s not there, it’s in Seabrook!) we located a friendly (and cheaper) copying shop very close to the hotel and they did the DNA handouts and reports while we waited. Those done, Kate and I had time to go down to Hampton Beach for a walk and to see the ocean around The Boar’s Head – a bracing wind but good to get some fresh air. We then drove along the coast road to Rye and found Petey’s Seafood Bar, which judging by the number of locals in there, is the place for lunch in Rye. Superb lobster rolls – there’s no doubt we are in one of the finest locations for fish and seafood.

Back to Lamies and meeting up with Kelvin Dalton, who lives locally and showed us the way to St James’s Lodge, where we were met by Bob and Velma Drinwater, the caretaker and his wife. They couldn’t have been more helpful – Bob had already been to get the hired projector and we soon had everything set up with projector and laptop working, seating arranged, DGS banner on the wall and handouts and displays all organised. On the way back John took Kate and I to the Pine Grove Cemetery to see the memorial stones to Philemon Dalton and his wife Abigail, which we photographed.

At 5.00pm we were all on parade to receive the delegates for the “getting acquainted” session in the Goody Cole Room and, by 6.30pm, there were about 40 of us ready to sit down for an informal dinner. I sat at a table with Nancy Samuelson, Dalton Henneberg and Stephen Dalton amongst others. These three are from the Virginian Dalton branch and were new face to face acquaintances for me. Another excellent Lamies dinner – grilled swordfish tonight. Retired reasonably early for the big day tomorrow.

Saturday 7 October 2006

Early breakfast and to the hall by 9.00am for final preparations. Delegates totalled about 50 including a number of day registrants from New England who lived near enough to drive over. By 10.00am we were ready to start and I opened the first ever Dalton Genealogical Society American Gathering and gave a warm welcome to all the delegates. Millicent outlined the programme for the weekend and then I gave my introductory presentation, which included a potted history of the DGS, peppered with examples from my in tray of the past few months to illustrate how diverse the study of family history is. Geoffrey said a few words about Daltons and the Drapers Company; John talked about the DGS Journal; Howard introduced the programme planned for Worcester 2007 and Millicent updated us on developments in hand for the DGS website. We then had contributions from Nancy Samuelson, K T Mapstone, Wendy Fleming, John White and Arthur Young, who each introduced themselves and their Dalton ancestry. This concluded the first session. The slides used for this presentation can be found as a power point file by clicking on the link below. Delegates then took a welcome break for coffee and cookies and had time to look at items on display on the literature table.

Power Point Presentation: http://www.daltongensoc.com/presentations/hampton2006.html

Following the break I was on parade again, this time acting as the messenger for Chris Pomery and reporting on progress to date on the Dalton International DNA Project. Eight genetic families have been identified from the 71 participants in the project and each was presented in outline with comments about identification of future work that should now be prioritised to take the project forward. The DGS is on the cutting edge with one of the largest DNA one surname projects worldwide.

The break for lunch gave us all an excellent buffet prepared by Velma Drinwater which also included local wine provided by David Dalton and Indian Pudding, an early settler recipe prepared by Velma to add authenticity to the main theme of the weekend. Before resuming our conference, everyone assembled outside in glorious sunshine for the traditional group photograph.

The afternoon session was given over to a presentation by Betty Moore, Executive Director of the Tuck Museum in Hampton, entitled “Lives of early settlers and how they prospered”. She was assisted by Sammi Moe, President of the Hampton Historical Society, and she concentrated on the early settlers in Hampton with particular reference to Timothy and Philemon Dalton and Philemon’s descendants. Betty’s talk was very well illustrated with slides showing how the early settlers lived.

After a tea break, the assembled company moved to Founders Park, the triangular green in the centre of the old part of Hampton, near the Tuck Museum, where there was a ceremony to dedicate the Dalton stone recently placed alongside the many other family stones to record the Daltons among the earliest settlers in Hampton, arriving in 1638. DGS committee member, Howard Dalton introduced Elizabeth Ackroyd, Curator of the Tuck Museum, who spoke about the origins of Founders Park and explained that the Daltons were not resident in Hampton in 1925 when the Park was laid out with the family stones and, as a consequence, no Dalton stone was included. She expressed her delight that, 81 years later, this omission had been rectified. At the suggestion of one of our delegates, Lenny Dalton from Melrose, Massachusetts, we then sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic (Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord). Lenny led the rendition, which provided a fitting completion to the official dedication ceremony. Elizabeth then invited delegates to view the exhibits in the Tuck Museum, which is devoted to the history of Hampton and its early settlers.

We then returned to Lamies with just enough time to change into our glad rags for the DGS Annual Dinner in the Goody Cole Room. I welcomed our guests, Betty Moore and Sammi Moe, who had been with us throughout the day, and then Stephen Dalton said grace. Lamies put on an excellent dinner for the 50 delegates seated at five round tables. At the conclusion of the meal we were entertained by Nancy Samuelson, who gave an illustrated talk about the Dalton Gang. Nancy’s knowledge of her subject is encyclopaedic and her mission was to separate facts from myths. Everyone learnt a little more about these colourful Dalton characters who were not all bad all the time! Nancy has written two books “The Dalton Gang Story” and “Shoot from the Lip”, and copies of both were available for delegates to purchase. The final formal part of the evening was the raffle, conducted by Mary Lou. New England tradition has it that events such as the DGS Dinner should include a free raffle with donated prizes. Some excellent prizes, including DGS badges from Mary Lou and framed pictures from Barbara Craig, were won and thanks go to all those who donated them. So concluded a very interesting and busy day. Some delegates continued informal discussions about their genetic families identified in the morning presentation, but the majority decided that it was time to retire for a well-earned night’s sleep in readiness for tomorrow’s programme.

Sunday 8 October 2006

After breakfast, delegates were matched to cars in two groups for the trip to Newburyport, Mass. a drive south on Route 1 of about 40 minutes. Group A went first to the Spenser/Pierce/Little Farm and then to the Coffin House and Group B vice versa. These properties have been maintained by Historic New England as examples of the kind of dwellings occupied by the early settlers. At each house we heard about the families that occupied them and something of the hardships they endured and then, in later years, as they prospered, how their lifestyles changed.

At 1.00pm we arrived at The Dalton House, an imposing white house in downtown Newburyport where we had a welcome buffet lunch and an opportunity to tour the house, which was originally the home of Michael Dalton and then his son, Tristram Dalton. Michael was a son of Deacon Philemon whose grave we had seen at Hampton, in turn a great, great grandson of the original Philemon Dalton who settled in Hampton in 1638. The Dalton House is now a very well appointed and exclusive gentlemen’s club in Newburyport and for the afternoon session we assembled in the lecture room for two talks.

The first was a brief history from Clyde Dalton of his descent from Philemon. Clyde had volunteered to speak on Saturday morning but time ran out. Clyde’s anecdotal talk provided a fitting introduction to the main lecture of the afternoon given by the Curator of the Newburyport Historical Association, Jay Williamson. Jay covered that early history of Newburyport and the roles played by the Daltons in the development of this important seaport. His talk prompted a number of questions and afterwards we were able to walk along the street to St Paul's Episcopal Church, and find the burial places of Michael Dalton, Tristram Dalton and their family in the churchyard. Following this a number of us took the opportunity to walk down to the waterfront in glorious sunshine and see the port as it is today, including the Custom House and the Town Hall.

After a very interesting day out, many of us returned to Lamies at Hampton and stayed over Sunday night. About 20 of us had yet another excellent Lamies dinner in a private room off the restaurant, which afforded us the opportunity to review the success of the weekend and reminisce further about our Dalton heritage. All agreed that the gathering had been extremely enjoyable, and Wendy Fleming proposed a well-deserved vote of thanks to Millicent for her hard work commenced some 18 months ago to make all the arrangements and ensure that everyone enjoyed themselves. Millicent’s attention to detail was unparalleled – she had thought of everything!

Monday 9 October 2006

Our last Lamie’s buffet breakfast and time to bid our farewells. Kate and I departed from Hampton at about 10.30am and set out on the remainder of our trip which included a three night stay at Newport, New Hampshire about 100 miles to the north to enjoy the fall. We then visited friends near Boston and cousins (not Dalton ones!) in New York before flying home from JFK overnight on Mon/Tue 16/17 October. Altogether a memorable trip and one we will remember for a long time.

Michael N Dalton

Once again our two photographers, Barbara Craig and Mary Lou Weber-Elias, have captured the spirit of a Dalton Gathering and posted them on the web for your perusal. Allow time for browsing as there are several hundred photos to examine. Click the small photo for an enlargement. Directions are posted to transfer them to you computer. John and Sheila Dalton photographed the early tombstone of Deacon Philemon Dalton at Pine Grove Cemetery, Hampton. They are truly souvenirs of a most memorable week-end. You may view the picture gallery here:

www.daltongensoc.com/gallery/hampton2006

Dalton Coat of Arms

Mary Lou, a computer graphics designer, embroidered the Dalton coat-of arms on patches that can be worn on the pocket of a blazer or ball cap. She raffled off several of her creations in a New England style door prize drawing. The patches match the coat of arms on the home page of each issue of Daltons in History. Barbara contributed group photos of delegates taken at the Dublin/ Mount Dalton AGM in 2005.

The Atlantic News

Liz Primo of the News interviewed delegates at the dedication of the Dalton Stone in Founders Park, Hampton. Her story was printed in two parts. Part I includes a photo of the descendents of Philemon Dalton and appeared in the Friday October 13, 2006 issue of Atlantic News, page 3. Part II appeared in the Friday, October 20, 2006 issue and began on page 1. You can access these articles at: http://www.atlanticnews.com/

Genealogy Connections

One of the more valuable aspects of the Hampton Gathering were the connections and the lasting friendships that were made by the delegates. Some connections date to medieval times, Mayflower pilgrims, and in more recent times to Ireland and to Virginia. DGS Journal 45, published after Christmas 2006, will contain an account of these connections in the section, News from America. Delegates are to be commended for sharing their extensive research with others.

Velma's Indian Pudding

Velma Drinwater of Hampton, our chef on Saturday at the Lodge, surprised us by preparing a family recipe for colonial Indian Pudding. Her recipe follows for those who would like to serve this traditional dessert of the colonists at their Thanksgiving dinner.

4 cups of whole milk                    1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup of cornmeal                     1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup of sugar                           1/2 cup molasses

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                 2 tablespoons margarine

Scald 3 cups of milk in a double boiler. Add corn meal to the rest of the milk and stir. Add to scalded milk. Cook until separated then add remainder of ingredients. Cook until thickened or bake in a 350 degree oven is a buttered dish for 2 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Ladies and Gentleman, Fellow Members,

It is planned to hold our next Annual Gathering at Worcester U.K. on the weekend of

Friday 27th; Saturday 28th, and Sunday 29th July 2007

Our venue will be the Fownes Hotel, close to Worcester Cathedral and the City Centre. A provisional booking has been made with attractive rates for twin/double rooms for the three nights to include the cost of our Annual Dinner on the Saturday night. The inclusive cost is approx £111.50 ($223.00) per person bed and breakfast. A buffet lunch on the Saturday and other meals on an individual basis would be extra, together with single room supplement of £15 ($30.00) per night if required.

The provisional programme includes:

FRIDAY

Meeting at the hotel  with the prospect of a short river trip with a supper afterwards.

SATURDAY

Our Annual General Meeting in the morning and a talk followed by the buffet lunch, and in the afternoon a walk around Worcester city centre tracing the Battle of Worcester in 1651 with fascinating tales that lie behind the beautiful buildings and monuments including a visit to the historic Commandery. Our theme will include the Dalton connection with the theme of Walter Dalton of Curbridge who fought on the side of King Charles the Second. It is told that he was severely wounded but was rescued later from the battlefield by his wife and son and taken by cart on a long journey which eventually led to Carmarthen in Wales. This was the scene of our most enjoyable Gathering in 2004.

Other attractions include Worcester Royal Porcelain Company and the many varied shops near by. We will return to the hotel and the John Fownes Suite for our Annual Dinner.

SUNDAY.

The morning will include the service in Worcester Cathedral and allow time to include reference to John Dalton, appointed a Canon of Worcester in 1748 and buried in the Cathedral. He was brother to Richard Dalton who was Royal librarian to the Prince of Wales, later King George the Third. You will have time to admire the beautiful window dedicated to the great composer, Sir Edward Elgar. Or for those who wish simply to relax there will time to sit or walk around the centre.

There is a possibility of a visit to Powick Bridge, on the road to Great Malvern and the Malvern Hills, scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of Worcester. Then a complete change with a visit to Lower Broadheath, the birthplace in 1857 of Sir Edward Elgar. There is the Plough Inn adjacent to the entrance where we can eat and then visit the Birthplace Centre which includes the original cottage where the Elgar family lived. 2007 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great composer who produced ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches played especially at the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ annually at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

A full itinerary & booking form will be included in the next edition of the Dalton Journal  but I hope I have whetted your appetite to plan ahead and join us in Worcester next year.

On a personal note can I just express my great pleasure at being able to be present on my first visit to New England and meeting you all in your wonderful country. My thanks to Millicent and her team of helpers for making this possible.

Thank you.

Howard J. Dalton

h.dalton1@ntlworld.com

From Millicent V. Craig

Members who attended the AGM in Dublin, July 2005, were introduced to a new dimension in DNA matching by the lecturer, Mr. Patrick Guinness.  Mr. Guinness demonstrated the results of a DNA research project that was undertaken at Trinity College.  For many members, the extent of new information was overwhelming but there was one theme that became quite clear.  Irish clans with different surnames who had lived in the same general area, tended to have similar gene markers.  Up until that time, the stock answer to the matching of different surnames was that we are ultimately all descended from the same person and matching would have occurred prior to adoption of surnames so thus it was inconsequential. In light of the research at Trinity College, we now know that there are new truths in the matching of different surnames.

Trinity College Findings

Anthropological and clan studies of earlier years at Trinity College provided a body of knowledge that formed the background for the interpretation of DNA test results in a study of Irish Clans. The study examined the Y chromosome of male volunteers in and around Ireland and recorded the birthplace of their paternal grandfather.  Upon analysis it was found that the same genetic fingerprint was carried by 8% of the males in Ireland and by 21% of the males in northwest Ireland. This immediately pointed to the kingdom of Ui Neil (descendents of Nial, Neil [O’Neill]), who was one of the most powerful Kings of Ireland. By testing those clan surnames that were historically associated with Ui Neal it proved that they had a common ancestor. One in ten men in western and central Scotland had the same lineage and about 2% of European-Americans in New York also carried similar y-chromosomes. It is estimated that up to 3 million males world-wide are carrying this signature because of the high rate of emigration from Ireland. According to the literature source, the spelling of the name varies from Neil, Nial, Niall, Neal, Neale, O’Neil. etc.

Westmeath and Meath Kingdoms

Nial and the Nine Hostages, reportedly had 12 sons, who were also powerful. Nial’s kingdom was in Ireland’s northwest and some sons established  kingdoms to the south. The Southern Ui Neills alternated the High-Kingship of Tara, located in County Meath, with the Southern Ui Neills. Two of the sons, Fiacha and Loeguire located in the counties known as Meath and Westmeath and the Ui Neils stretched across the middle section of Ireland, including North Offaly..  Following the invasion by the Normans in 1135, this section of Ireland ultimately became the Dalton homeland.  The exact boundaries of the kingdoms of the Ui Neils are described in Clans of Ireland, The Gaels, Chapter IX.
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/cairney/118.htm

The Cineal Fiacha descend from Fiacha, son of Nial, who headed a large clan of the southern descendents of Nial (Ui Neill). This clan extended from Birr in Offaly to the Hill of Uisneach in what is now County Westmeath.  The territory also encompassed Ballymore, the believed site of a Dalton Castle. It was formerly under the ownership of the first Norman Governor of Meath, Hugh de Lacy.  See Daltons in History, Vol.9, No. 3, March 2006.

Cineal Lao ghaire descend from another son of King Nial, Loegiure. This clan was situated in the baronies of Upper and Lower Navan near Trim in County Meath. This section of Ireland was occupied by Daltons and it was near Navan that an ancient settlement known as Daltonstown was located.

These are just a few of the location matches between Neil and Dalton. For more history a reading of the Clans of Ireland, Chapter IX, The Gaels is recommended. This chapter also provides some of the Clan surnames that are associated with Nial prior to 1135 and one of them may occur in your ancestral line and may carry the Nial signature. http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/cairney/118.htm

Daltons with the Nial Signature

In the Dalton DNA Project there is one cluster of Daltons whose brick wall remains in Virginia.  They had never learned whether their emigrant ancestor was of English or of Irish descent. The earliest reported firm ancestral date is 1735 on a land transaction in Virginia. 

Several months ago, Family Tree DNA completed matching all testees in their bank with the Trinity College findings.  One Virginia cluster of 15 DGS members showed matches with the Nial DNA signature of 25 markers. The signature is shown below.  Although this grouping of letters and numbers will not mean anything to those who have not had their DNA tested, others will want to make the comparison.  Whether this connection to Daltons will hold under future research findings is also a question but at the present time there is a hint that this particular group of Daltons may be more Irish than English.

The following data was extracted from the Family Tree website and contains additional information on the connection. http://www.familytreedna.com/matchnialltest.html

“Of note to Family Tree DNA customers, this signature is found in .6 of one percent of the entire family Tree DNA database. It is characterized by the following markers when our 12 marker test is applied:

A more detailed signature appears when we apply the Y-DNA 25 marker test and compare to the apparent Ui Neill signature. A listing of those values appears in the table below.

While the signature is typical for R1b European males in general, it is characterized by 11,13 at DYS 385a/b and 14 at DYS 392. Within our second panel of markers the most distinctive difference from the R1b Modal is the 15,16,16,17 at DYS 464”.

Conclusions

One cannot predict what our genes will reveal but as the research results of the college and university teams unfold there are certain to be more exciting findings. How the relationship between Niall and Dalton occurred in medieval times has yet to unfold. Wars, conquests and propagation were prevalent circumstances and a number of speculations have been offered.

A combination of anthropology. history and DNA have unlocked truths for many of Irish descent.  Jan Battles of The Sunday Times of Ireland (01-15-.2006) likens “ the genetic legacy of the powerful Niall dynasty in a smaller way to the impressive legacy of Ghengis Khan  who left about 16 million descendents after conquering most of Asia”. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2091-1986072,00.html

Our thanks are extended to K. T. Mapstone of the U. S. and to Ciaran Dalton of County Kerry for their contributions to this topic.  If you have researched Clan history, your input is welcome. Dalton males who wish to participate in the Dalton International DNA Project contact the Coordinator, Millicent Craig. E-mail: Millicenty@aol.com

The following story was submitted by DGS member, Gerry Dalton of Queensland. Our appreciation is extended to Gerry who may be contacted at: TomnGerrytravel@hotmail.com

In Australia, back in our Colonial days and before Federation in 1901, Bushrangers caused much fear and havoc to travellers and business alike.  The Aussie bushranger was quite unique.  Many were wild Irish rebels and that is where my story will take you.   Many of you will be familiar with the names Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang, Ben Hall and “The Wild Colonial Boy”, Jack Doolan aka John Donohue (alias "Bold
Jack Donohue").  My Dalton’s association with the likes of these Bushrangers was mainly sharing a gaol cell for their somewhat lesser crimes, so I cannot claim a famous Aussie Dalton bushranger. 

My grandfather was a great storyteller and I was always intrigued with his “yarns”.   Some true, others possibly true and some were great stories that could contain some element of truth.  Grandfather’s stories fascinated me and most of them were about his younger days in the Australian bush, stories of the Aussie outback or our Irish ancestors.

I should tell you a little about my grandfather so you have some background.  His name was Christopher Alfred Dalton (1896-1975), was born in the Australian bush and according to his birth certificate the place of his birth was Teeyarra (sic) near Mossgeil, in New South Wales.  Teeyarra was probably a sheep station where his parents would have worked as farm hands or carriers but we feel it may have been misspelt, as no records have yet been located for any place named Teeyarra.

Chris, as he was known, was a great bushman and had enormous respect for the outback and Australia.  His life was amazing.  He had little education, lived in remote areas and therefore had little people contact in his younger day.  He worked as a labourer from his pre teen years, saw active service in WW1, returning home with injuries that hampered the rest of his life, but that did not stop him from moving from country New South Wales to the City of Sydney after his marriage to Rita Jupp.  In Sydney, after working several labouring jobs, he became a Trade Union Official where he rose to State President and later National Vice President and then became a member of the NSW Parliament.

My grandfather would tell me stories of the American Dalton Gang and how they were our cousins.  He’d tell stories of Cobb and Co wagons and banks being held up at gunpoint and huge amounts of gold being taken in those robberies.  The yarn would often start off with the story about our Dalton ancestors in Ireland and how some of them went to North America and some came directly to Australia and others came to Australia via North America. 

After a considerable number of years researching and family participation in the Dalton DNA project I think I can safely say that our relationship with the Dalton Gang was a great yarn. Our original Dalton, Mathew, came to Australia on a convict ship from Dublin in Ireland.  To date we have not found any evidence of the arrival of any other member of Mathew Dalton’s family in Australia.

However, my research has led me to discover that my Dalton’s did have close relations with bushrangers.  My gr gr grandmother, Mary Dalton (nee GRAY), first husband was Michael SEERY one of the lesser know Aussie bushrangers who rode with George Lynham, another lesser known bushranger.  In the 1860s and 1870’s the SEERY name was often reported in the Police Gazettes and Court report columns in the Goulburn Herald.  During this same period and for future decades my Dalton’s were also often reported for stealing horses, cattle and the like.  Another researcher and distant cousin, Colin Gray from New Zealand, has found Gaol records that show that my gr gr grandfather, John James Dalton, was serving time in gaol at the same time as Michael Seery at the Darlinghurst gaol in Sydney.   Our family stories say that these men were all wonderful horsemen as well as having an extensive knowledge of the Australian bush.  The Dalton, Seery and Gray families lived in the same district of NSW.  Like John Dalton the Gray men were not Bushranger but one was accused of shooting a policeman.

John James Dalton and Michael Seery had a few things in common and the most outstanding common factor was that they were both sons of Irish convicts and both first born generation in The Colony of New South Wales. 

While my John Dalton was not a bushranger, his life was quite colourful and there are lots of facts such as the Gaol reports and Police Lock-up records for drinking related offences.  His death had a yarn all to itself.  John’s second wife was an Aboriginal woman, Maud, from one of the outback tribes.  The family story is that Maud attempted to poison John while they were living and working on a remote western Queensland station.  Documents have been found to confirm their marriage and John’s death, however no reports have come to light regarding an attempt on his life by Maud.  This could be once again a colourful family yarn.

Another family member told me a story of one of our female ancestors being the governess to a bushranger’s children.  She carried a pistol in her purse and was reported to have drawn it on occasion.  It is rather ironic that her gr grandson is a high-ranking officer in the Police and his son and nephew are also Police officers. My own father was a detective in the New South Wales Police.  My Dalton mob has a real involvement with both of Cops and Robbers - on the right and wrong side of the law.

Gerry Dalton

The following has been extracted by Millicent Craig from two entries sent by DGS member, Mike Dalton of Oregon.

There is a bit of renewed interest in the writings of Regina Maria Dominick Dalton Roche and she is now considered a minor Gothic novelist.  The Children of the Abbey and Clermont were two of her most popular novels and were published in 1796.  Many more were published up to 1834 by Minerva Press in London under her name, Regina Maria Roche. Some of the more popular novels are not listed by this publisher and may have been published elsewhere.

Regina Marie was born in Waterford City, Ireland in 1764 to Captain and Mrs. Blundell Dalton. Her father was in His Majesty's Fortieth Regiment and was called to Dublin when she was a young child. In 1794 she married Ambrose Roche in Ireland and then moved to England. About 1820 Regina and Ambrose were back in Waterford where he died in 1829. The latter part of her career was marked by the illness and death of her husband, followed by her own illness and depression. They had a devastating effect on the remainder of her life. When she died in Waterford City in 1845 at the age of 81, apparently childless, she died in literary obscurity. Her obituary did not mention the works of her lifetime.

Editor's note.  A cursory search has not located this family in available records and we would like to hear from Waterford City Daltons who may be related or know more about her or her family.  Millicent Craig,  Millicenty@aol.com