For 2011, the DGS Annual Gathering was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA over the weekend of Fri/Sat/Sun 23rd/24th/25th September 2011. Salt Lake City, which is located on the edge of the beautiful Wasatch Ridge of the Rocky Mountains, and was home to the Winter Olympics in 2002, provided a unique location, since it is the home of the Family History Library, the largest genealogical library in the world. The Library's collection includes over 2.4 million rolls of microfilm, on 5 floors.

The weekend was an unqualified success and very much enjoyed by all 46 participants. We had a wonderful time and all credit is due to Karen and David Preston for the hard work that they put in both before and during the Gathering to ensure that everything ran so smoothly. So a big thank you to both for all you did, to those who gave presentations and to all the delegates who attended, many of whom helped in numerous ways.

A full account of the weekend will be found below. This includes links to the videos of all the presentations, compiled by David Preston, the Chairman's personal diary of the weekend, reminiscences from delegates, and links to the full photo gallery. We have also improved the video file by providing links to versions on You Tube, which for those of you who may have had difficulties with playing the other versions, should provide a much improved viewing experience.

First I would like to thank all of you who made presentations at the Gathering in Salt Lake City, in order of appearance: Michael Neale Dalton, who gave a DGS update; Chris Pomery, who joined us via teleconference from Yorkshire (a DGS first!) and provided an update on the Dalton DNA Project; Melanie Crain, who spoke on the documentary evidence for the Albemarle, Virginia Daltons; Rodney Dalton, who spoke about the history of the Utah Daltons and Cathy Negrycz, who gave a presentation on the search for the common ancestor of Genetic Family D, the Golden Vale Daltons in Ireland. Videos of their presentations can be viewed here.

Thank you, too, to all of the members who traveled to Salt Lake City to join us for this year's event. Your participation is what made the event so successful!

DGS Gathering 2011 - Salt Lake City

Here's a brief recap for those of you who were unable to be with us. Most of the delegates arrived on Friday, which was an "open day". Our headquarters for the weekend was the Salt Lake City Plaza Hotel, right in the heart of downtown and close to Temple Square. Those who arrived early had time to spend in the Family History Library or to stroll around downtown.

We began on Saturday morning with a light breakfast and a presentation on "How to Get the Most out of a Visit to the LDS Library", given by professional genealogist Stan Lindaas. Stan provided lots of helpful tips to make our research time more productive.

At 10:00 am, the group dispersed. Many went to the Library to work on individual research projects. As an alternative to the Library, we offered a guided tour of the Temple Square area, conducted by Shauna and John Hart, cousins of member Rodney Dalton. The tour included the Museum of Church History and Art, the gardens and grounds of Temple Square, the Salt Lake City Tabernacle and the historic Beehive House and Lion House, home of Brigham Young. This was followed by lunch.

In the evening, the members gathered for a glass of wine, followed by our annual banquet. The evening's entertainment was provided by Clive Romney. Clive is a music historian, storyteller, and composer, and he composed a song especially for our group. The song tells the story of Edward Dalton, in the traditional folk style of the Utah pioneers. Edward Dalton was shot and killed for polygamy in Parowan, Utah in the 19th century. More on Clive's performance below.

We began our Sunday with a performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Tabernacle on Temple Square. The weekly concert is also broadcast on the radio, and is the nation's longest running network program, having run continuously since 1929. It was an inspirational start to the day.

We began our conference program at 11:00 am, beginning with Michael Neale Dalton's update on the DGS. This was followed by a lovely buffet lunch with a Hawaiian Luau theme. We reconvened for the talk by Chris Pomery. After a few fits and starts we were able to have a live question and answer session via video conference. For the remainder of the afternoon, we turned our attention to the Dalton Family History connection in America. Our three presenters each told the story of a branch of Daltons, and their connection to Daltons in the US.

On Sunday evening we concluded with a casual dinner at the restaurant in the Radisson Hotel across the street from our location. This gave us all a chance to visit once more with old and new friends, to chat about our discoveries and to think about next year's Gathering.

Thanks to you all and until we meet again, Good Luck and Best Wishes!!

Friday 23rd September, 2011

Kate and I arrived in Salt Lake City at lunch time, having already spent a week in the United States. After a long flight from London via Montreal we had arrived in Las Vegas late in the evening on Thursday 15th September, 2011. When we were finally at our hotel, because of the 8 hour time difference it was nearly breakfast time back home, so we were more than ready for a night’s sleep!

We woke on Friday morning refreshed and ready to go, and spent all day and the evening enjoying the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. What an amazing place! So many very smart hotels, all having casinos with acres of gaming tables and slot machines, and even good old fashioned one armed bandits. A fun party atmosphere everywhere - you have to see it to believe it! It’s all rather over the top and 24 hours was enough for us, so on the Saturday morning we returned to the airport to pick up our rental car, an impressive Ford Escape SUV which served us very well travelling 3,000 miles in three weeks, and headed out of town.

We travelled north to Cedar City in Utah where we had a three night stay booked and made visits to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks both with most spectacular scenery. From Cedar City we drove north east through amazing terraine via Escalante on Route 12, described as a “scenic byway”, to Torrey, close to Capitol Reef National Park, for a two night stay. With its rugged terraine and deep canyons, this park enabled us to understand something of the life endured by the early Mormon pioneers, who established the village of Fruita on the River Fremont in 1880. From Torrey we drove north east making an overnight stop at Springville en route to Salt Lake City. On the Friday morning we saw the Great Salt Lake and visited the Saltair Pavilion, now left high and dry with the low water levels of the lake, and looking rather desolate.

Saltair - Original Location

Saltair around 1900	Saltair Today

(Original building destroyed by fire in 1925. Has had a chequered history but presently used as a music venue)

Las Vegas

On arrival at the Plaza Hotel we were greeted by Karen and David who had already set up the DGS registration table just inside the entrance. They pointed us towards the coffee shop for a quick bite to eat for lunch and then we found our room on the 9th floor and settled in. I spent most of the afternoon in the hotel lobby by our registration table, where I was able to meet delegates as they arrived. It was a great opportunity to renew old friendships from past gatherings and to make the acquaintance of those I had not met before, about a third of the total.

Some had arrived in Salt Lake City earlier in the week in order to make use of the Family History Library just next door for research. Whilst I did this, Kate went to explore the city. In the evening parties of delegates went off to various restaurants for dinner. Kate and I joined Karen & David, Martin & Sarah Fitzgerald, Mike & Kate Dalton from Norfolk, UK, and Helen & Gavan Smith from Sydney, Australia for a very enjoyable meal at the Copper Onion Restaurant – good food, good company and a truly international evening! All too soon, it was time to return to the Plaza and bid everyone goodnight.

Saturday 24th September, 2011

The programme schedule required us to be on parade at 8.30 am in the meeting room where, following a continental breakfast, Karen opened the proceedings and introduced the first session, a talk by Stan Lindaas on “Getting the most from the Family History Library”. This provided a useful guide for those delegates who were keen to use the resources of the library during the remainder of the day.

For those not so inclined, and this included Kate and I because it was our first visit to Salt Lake City and we wanted to see the sights, a guided walking tour of Temple Square was organised. A group of about fifteen of us was very ably led by Shauna and John Hart, who are experienced guides for the city and Temple Square in particular. Temple Square is a magnificent array of buildings and gardens which form the worldwide hub of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to give the Mormon Church its full and accurate name.

Apart from the Temple itself, which is not open to the general public, and the administrative headquarters of the church, there are several museum buildings devoted to the history of the church. These added to our knowledge of the great trek westwards led by Joseph Smith and then Brigham Young, and the establishing of Salt Lake City in 1847. We also learnt how today’s Mormon Church is organised and run. The morning tour ended with a visit to Beehive House, the Salt Lake City home of Brigham Young and this was followed by lunch at The Pantry adjacent to Beehive House.

Kate and I were able to sit at a table outside with Shauna and John in a beautiful secluded courtyard and hear more of their work for the church over many years. Shauna is a descendant of John Luther Dalton, along with Rodney Dalton, Arthur Whittaker and several other delegates at the gathering, and so related to me as a member of genetic family C, sharing James Dalton (1650-1721), buried in Pembrey churchyard, Carmarthenshire in Wales, as our common ancestor.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - The Temple

The Beehive House 1	The Beehive House 2

After lunch, Kate indulged herself in a little retail therapy whilst I spent some time in the Family History Library. Here I met up with John Dalton and others and we were able to check up on the copies of the various DGS publications held by the library. After some searching all were located for us, but we did discover that two issues of the DGS Journal were missing. John undertook to rectify this. The facilities of the library are impressive and it is undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive collections of genealogy and family history books, journals and other publications held anywhere in the world. I also managed to fit in viewing the film “Legacy: A Mormon Journey”, about the lives led and the hardships endured by the early Mormon pioneers as they journeyed west. This featured two fictional converts to the Mormon faith and followed them between the 1830s and the 1890s to tell a very powerful and moving story.

All too soon, it was time to return to the Plaza Hotel and change for the reception and dinner in the evening. The reception was held in a separate room on the ground floor of the hotel and provided the opportunity to meet up with some folk I had missed earlier, and also to hear about the serious research undertaken in the library by others. The banquet took place downstairs in the room where we had met in the morning. Our table included Martin and Sarah Fitzgerald, Maureen Collins, Maureen’s cousin from Alberta, Canada, Jane White, and John and Shauna Hart.

Because we were sitting close to our entertainer, Clive Romney, I was able to volunteer Maureen for the task of being Clive’s digger in “Digging in the Dirt”. Maureen performed admirably! Clive’s entertainment was memorable and included a special song he wrote for us about Edward Meeks Dalton, one of very few who was executed for polygamy. During the course of his performance he told us many stories about the Mormons and he left us with an important message for all family historians – family history only comes to life when you tell the stories of each individual who is connected by a family tree. How true this is!

With the formalities of the evening over, a small group was persuaded to cross the road to the bar at the Radisson Hotel and continue telling some more stories. A relaxing end to a memorable evening.

Sunday 25th September, 2011

Sunday began with another memorable experience – a visit to the Mormon Tabernacle on Temple Square to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir give its weekly live radio broadcast to the nation. The broadcast is the longest running radio programme ever and is listened to by an audience running into millions. As a very special group, the delegates at the DGS gathering were ushered to specially reserved seats in the packed auditorium and before the broadcast began, announcements were made to introduce us and other groups. We stood when we were introduced and acknowledged the appreciation shown by the audience. The performance itself was of the highest standard and very moving. It is wonderful that this choir, some 300 voices strong, and the accompanying orchestra and organist, can produce such fresh and lively performances Sunday after Sunday, year after year. As we walked back to the hotel, we all felt lifted by the experience.

It fell to me to open the proceedings for the Sunday gathering conference. Well, follow that as they say, after the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Well, follow it I did, but I leave it to others to judge from the video whether I struck the right chord. I wanted the opportunity to update delegates on the DGS and everything we do and I also wanted to conclude with a message, which was that above all everyone should enjoy their family history.

After a buffet lunch, the remainder of the day was taken up with a series of presentations by Melanie Crain, Rodney Dalton, Chris Pomery and Cathy Negrycz. For all of them you can find both the presentation slides and a video recording of the presentation itself here on the Dalton Data Bank website. Each made an important contribution to the day as a whole and many individual stories of Dalton family history were told.

I want to add my sincere thanks to those already expressed by Karen, to each presenter. You all put in an immense amount of work to make these excellent presentations and that is very much appreciated. I very much hope that many other DGS members and visitors to this website will take the opportunity to view them and learn from them. Of course, all this would not be possible without the considerable effort put in by David Preston behind the scenes, to ensure that everyone’s slides were well presented and of course to make all the video recordings. So, a big thank you to David for a job very well done. What would we do without you?

David and Karen Preston being presented with their gifts (Like the shirt!!)

At the end of the afternoon Karen recognised all the speakers by presenting each of us with one of the beautiful hand crafted plates with a Dalton coat of arms that had been made specially for the occasion. The silent auction followed, and I concluded the proceedings with a big thank you to Karen and David for everything they had done to make the weekend such a success. My secret shoppers (Kate and Sarah) had been despatched to procure some small gifts for them as a memento of the event and they duly presented them to Karen and David on behalf of us all.

For the evening on Sunday, Karen had organised an informal dinner in the restaurant at the Radisson Hotel over the road and a large party of us took another opportunity to mingle with each other again and enjoy each other’s company. The stalwart few visited the Radisson’s bar again afterwards and continued exchanging stories into the small hours.

Monday 26th September, 2011

The day of departure and saying goodbye. It is never possible to say goodbye to everyone on these occasions and, to those of you to whom I was unable to say goodbye personally, I apologise. Over the many years of DGS gatherings, we have made so many friends and it is a hallmark of each Gathering that this circle of friends is widened. SLC 2011 was no exception and Kate and I, and the DGS officers and committee members present all enjoyed meeting such a wonderful group of Dalton connected people drawn from across the United States and across the world.

I consider it a great privilege to lead our Society which of course is made by its members. It is a particular pleasure and privilege to attend the annual gathering each year and meet so many of you. I know that you all enjoy making new acquaintances and forging more links with Daltons with whom you share common ancestry, and in Salt Lake City this appeared to be especially prevalent.

It is always hard to pick out particular highlights, but with the benefit of a month’s hindsight, and our visit to the United States and Canada now more in perspective, I cannot close without recalling just a few personal ones:

• Superb organisation by Karen and David

• A prestigious location on Temple Square in the heart of Salt Lake City

• The opportunity to learn more about and understand the Mormon Church

• The opportunity to visit the Family History Library

• Clive Romney’s first class entertainment

• The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

….and of course all of you who attended, each adding another dimension to the whole experience. Thank you to everyone for making it such a wonderful time.

1. From: Melanie and Hal Crain, Durham, North Carolina, USA

My husband Hal and I had a great time at the Gathering in Salt Lake City. This was our first Gathering; and everyone with a Dalton connection was warm and open, fun to be with and great to talk to. I felt like I was in a group of friends within five minutes. We definitely hope to go to another Gathering when it is held in England or Ireland.

Melanie and Hal Crain

2. From: Renee Kraczek, Kaysville, Utah, USA

Just before they started the Tabernacle Chior broadcast they asked all of us from the Dalton Genealogical Society to stand and be recognized. As I stood in this historic building made from the sacrifice of mormon pioneers I felt we stood not only together but as representatives of all our Dalton ancestors who sacrificed and pioneered in their own way for each of us to be there together. This memory will go with my for the rest of my life. Thank you for sharing it with me!

Renee Kraczek

3. From: Cathy and Ray Negrycz, Punta Gorda, Florida, USA

I attended the Salt Lake City Gathering with my husband, Raymond. Raymond is not a participant in my searches for "dead people", but he came along for the event. He and I greatly enjoyed the Gathering and found the people we met delightful, the presentations enlightening, the Gathering Dinner delicious (as well as the wine!), the entertainment provided by Clive Romney very entertaining and appropriate, the scheduling, which allowed for time for research in the library very well thought out, and the tour of Temple Square with the ability to enjoy lunch with fellow members, which we did in a beautiful garden setting, just perfect. The dinner arranged for in the nearby Radisson on Sunday night was a well-chosen restaurant. Ray and I offer Karen and David our congratulations for a job very well done.

Ray and Cathy Negrycz

P.S. My daughter, Regina Negrycz, also a DGS member, and I just returned yesterday, Monday, 17th October, 2011 from London on a genealogical quest to meet a 94-year-old Dalton lady, who supplied us with some important names and dates for our research. She was my grandfather's neice. It was our pleasure to meet with Michael N. Dalton on Sunday, who came in from Reigate, to take us to the Oxford Cambridge Club, of which he is a member, for a fantastic lunch. We thank Michael and look forward to future Gatherings.

4. Mike Dalton, Portland, Oregon, USA

My journey to the 2011 DGS Gathering in Salt Lake City, Utah was via Amtrak Train through Sacramento, CA with a couple of days to tour the California Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada’s. One highlight of that tour with my brother Bob, was going to Angel Camp, Calaveras County where a certain Emmett Dalton had ‘hopped’ to fame, back in 1937 (see article). On the train ride from Sacramento to Reno, Nevada, the onboard train docent candidly reminded passengers that it was not a good idea to rob trains in California. The Dalton Gang had made an unsuccessful attempt in Southern California back in the 1890s.

It was great to renew acquaintances and exchange stories on research. I was very impressed by the Sunday presentations of Theresa, Melanie and Rodney and the live satellite feed with Chris Pomeroy in England. As I am American NFL football fan, I noted that one Andy Dalton, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals was probably being watched by millions of fans on computers and satellite TV at the same time Chris was speaking to us live. Much thanks to Karen and David for the hard work that they did in making arrangements and coordinating activities.

Mike Dalton

5. From: Mike F Dalton, Norfolk, UK

First of all thank you very much for organising a tremendous Gathering - Kate and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and meeting the two of you and all those new Daltons really put the cream on our trip! I've attached a couple of pictures of Daltons we encountered on a our road trip. The truck sign says "Daltonmotorsautobodyinc" and the pickup has "The Dalton Gang Outlaws Ride Again" on the side and the number plate is "DLTNGNG".

"The Dalton Gang Outlaws Ride Again" - Number plate "DLTNGNG"	"Daltonmotorsautobodyinc"

Note from Mike: "The pick up truck is owned by Rick Dalton who, it now transpires, is related to all of us in DNA Group B and is closest to Daveda Bundy in Ohio - I like the number plate too which is DLTNGNG. What a serendipitous encounter".

We travelled on with Mary, Mazie, Helen and Gavan for a few days and then went on through Idaho and Washington to spend some time in Seattle before flying home. The aeroplane home was full of coughing, sneezing people and I've caught a stinker of a cold but Kate has, thankfully, managed to avoid it - genetic you know, males always have a worse time with colds than females, it's in the DNA!

Mike and Kate Dalton

6. From Cecelia and Jerry Lange, Arvada, Colorado, USA

You did a splendid job of EVERYTHING! Thank you so much. I enjoyed meeting everyone and having a bit of time to chat. The weather cooperated, the presentations were interesting, the Library was full of information (most of it still waiting to be found!!), and the company was stimulating!

If anyone is in my neck of the woods, do stop in.

Cecelia and Jerry Lange

7. From Daveda Bundy, Pickerington, Ohio, USA

I really enjoyed our Gathering in SLC in September. It was lovely to spend time with Helen and Gavan Smith and to meet Mazie and her sister Mary. Everyone, however, was most welcoming and the company was enjoyable.

You did a great job getting everything together; it was wonderful to have some mementos to bring home. I'm enjoying using the pens and use the bag as an extra when I go to the grocery store. Works great!!!

So thank you for all your hard work. I know everyone appreciated how much effort you and your husband put into the gathering. Hope you are somewhat rested up by now!

Daveda Bundy

8. From Maureen Collins, Sydney, Australia

It was a pleasure to attend the Gathering. Jane and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would like to thank you for all your hard work in making it so successful. I of course enjoyed "starring" as the shovel beater with Clive Romney who was so entertaining with his songs and guitar playing.

Jane and I stayed on for the following week at the Radisson Hotel (no room at the Plaza) and were able to make use of what we had learnt at the week-end. It was Jane's first experience of research and she was really excited at what we managed to find out about our family. Unfortunately my Dalton family remains elusive but I live in hope of a DNA match one day and that it is just a matter of time.

We both found Salt Lake City a fascinating place and a very suitable venue for the gathering and were able to enjoy a tour to Antelope Island in the middle of Salt Lake. We saw big herds of wild bison there (locally known as buffalos but correctly called bison - different shape of head entirely), antelope and even a coyote quite close. There were also many migrating birds and the scenery was magnificent. We also went to a performance of the Utah Symphony Orchestra with a collection of amazing young performers aged from 11 to 18. I don't know how the small boy of 11 managed to play Mozart incredibly well on a huge grand piano but he certainly did!

Altogether it was a wonderful stay and I hope that members of the DGS and any other interested parties take a look at the website to check it out.

It's nice to be home in Sydney but I am only just coming down to earth after so much travel. Thank you again, Karen, and David too of course, for the wonderful time we all had.

Maureen Collins

9. From: Michael Neale Dalton, Surrey, UK

Following on from Karen's note to you all, I am writing to say what a pleasure it was to meet everyone in Salt Lake City last month, many of you for the first time. The DGS membership is a truly international community and it was good to see representation from so many of the American states, together with those from UK, Canada and Australia, a truly international gathering of the worldwide Dalton family!

Kate and I have been home for just over a week and, after being away for a total of three and a half weeks, it has taken a little while to catch up with everything back here and resume the normal routine. I think we are there now! We had an amazing trip and after SLC travelled across Colorado taking in the Mountain Trail Road in Rocky Mountain National Park which is over 12,000 feet above sea level at its highest point, Arches and Mesa Verde National Parks, Grand Canyon where we took a helicopter trip over the canyon, Hoover Dam and back to Las Vegas, from where we flew to Calgary to visit our son, James, who has recently taken up a post there working for Shell. Whilst there we had time to visit Banff and Lake Louise in perfect weather with fresh snow on the mountain tops - just stunning!

Kate and Michael Dalton

Here you can see the comprehensive program that was put together to make this a most enjoyable Gathering. See particularly Back Page - nothing left to chance!! Food and transport most important!!

Front Page	Page 2

Page 3	Page 4

Back Page

David Preston has created a Photo Album of the Gathering and Salt Lake City from photographs supplied by Cathy Negrycz and Michael Neale Dalton. A small selection is given below as a taster. Go to http://www.daltondatabank.org/SLCPhotos.html for slideshows of the remainder.

Church History Library	Lion House

Salt Lake City Tabernacle	The Beehive House

Delegates enjoying the Banquet	Delegates enjoying the Banquet

Sunday morning began with an inspiring performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Their Sunday morning performance is broadcast live on radio and television and is the longest running radio program in the US, broadcasting since 1929.

Tabernacle Choir	Tabernacle Choir

The program on Sunday included presentations on several of the Dalton family lines in the US. Melanie Crain spoke on the documentary evidence for the Albemarle, Virginia Daltons. Rodney Dalton spoke about the history of the Utah Daltons and Cathy Negrycz gave a presentation on the search for the common ancestor of Genetic Family D, the Golden Vale Daltons in Ireland. Michael Neale Dalton opened proceedings by giving a DGS update. Chris Pomery, who joined us via teleconference from Yorkshire, provided an update on the Dalton DNA Project. Videos of all their presentations can be viewed here.

Melanie Crain "Sons, Brothers or Cousins? What the Records tell us about the first Daltons in Albermarle County, Virginia" - Video

Rodney Dalton "The Story of the Dalton Family in Utah" - Video	Cathy Negrycz "In Search of Group D's 'Adam'" - Video

Thanks go to all of those who attended the Gathering and also those of you who tuned-in to watch the live webcast of the presentations on Sunday.

From David Preston, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA:

Here is a picture of Clive Romney, dressed in authentic western clothing of the 1880's, singing the song he wrote especially for the Dalton Gathering in Salt Lake City - "The Ballard of Young Ed Dalton - the Edward Meeks Dalton Story". Video

The Lyrics and copyright statement are displayed below by kind permission of Clive Romney. We should also like to include a link to his site: www.upharts.org.

Clive Romney - Entertainer - Video

The Ballad of Young Ed Dalton
by Clive Romney
©2011 by Heritage Arts Publications. All rights reserved.

(To my knowledge, the only man to be killed as a result of the persecution of polygamists in the 1880s was Edward Meeks Dalton - called "Young Ed to distinguish him from his father, also named Edward. Young Ed's tombstone in Parowan's cemetery reads, "He was shot and killed December 16th, 1886, in cold blood by a deputy United States Marshal, while under indictment for a misdemeanor under the Edmunds Anti-polygamy law.")

Coal-black hair a muscular Adonis,
The dream of ev'ry Parowan fair maid
Through the canyons near his home,
Bareback mounted he would roam
With his Indian brothers, free and unafraid
Evenings, on the porch, Ed played his banjo
And the porch soon filled with young folks in their prime
His ready smile, his charming words
Won over everyone who heard,
Young Ed Dalton was a legend in his time!

Ride, Young Ed, ride through the canyons of the sky,
Ride like the wind that calls your name
Though you lived life free and brave,
A bullet laid you in your grave
But your family will carry on your fame.

Emily at seventeen, was married
To the twenty-year-old man that she adored
Eight more years and faith ordained
Delilah, too, should take his name
Though that peaceful act would shortly bring a sword
Nine years later plural wives were made illegal
And the marshals swore they'd throw Ed into jail
But Ed declared he'd rather die,
So he kissed his wives goodbye
And the fugitive rode down the outlaw trail

(Chorus)

Great escapes just angered Ed's pursuers
Till they vowed they'd take him in dead or alive
So when Ed came back to town
Thompson moved to bring him down
He and Orton hid beside the cattle drive
'Round the corner Ed rode bareback with no weapon
"Dalton, halt!" the marshal yelled, a shot rang out!
Young Ed tumbled to the ground,
Townsfolk ran from all around,
And as their hero died, they raised a mournful shout-

Oh, ride, Young Ed, ride through the canyons of the sky,
Ride like the wind that calls your name
Though you lived life free and brave
A bullet laid you in your grave
But your family will carry on your name!

As part of the Gathering, we held a Silent Auction, in which attendees bid on various Dalton-themed items.

The first Silent Auction item was a set of eight heavy crystal, deeply-etched champagne flutes, replete with a Dalton Crest. These clear flutes would also make a lovely presentation for deserts as well. The flutes are approximately 8¾ inches (222.25 mm) tall, and hold 8 oz. (236 ml) each.

We have added a second set of Silent Auction items — Limited-edition Commemorative Plates celebrating the 2011 Gathering.

This handsome plate is trimmed in Sterling Silver, and measures 10½ inches (26.67 cm) in diameter. Imprinted on the reverse is "Dalton Genealogical Society Salt Lake City".

There were a total of 6 Plates available in the Silent Auction. Each Plate included a stand so that it could be proudly displayed in home or office.

The Plates were available as individual items, so that as many members as possible had an opportunity to own one of these "instant keepsakes". Each Plate was individually boxed, making it easier to hand-carry or pack this treasure for the return journey.