Dolton.org

“Joseph Hahn Dalton was born in Knox County, Ill., Sept. 1st, 1840. Died Jan. 16, 1918, age 77 years, 4 months and 15 days. He was married to Sarah Isabell Thronton (sic.) in year of 1860. To this union were born ten children, five living and five dead. The living are: Almeda Teegarden of Clinton, Mo., Frank of Mustang, Okla., James of Richmond, Mo., Bird of St. Joseph who were present, and Joe of Livingston, Mont. This wife died Dec. 18, 1888, age 50 years. He was then married to Nancy Emely Redman, Feb 27, 1890. She died February 27, 1911, and after her death he made his home among his children.
He and his first wife joined the Primitive Baptist church in 1874, where they lived true until death. The funeral was preached in the Baptist church at Clarksdale, by Elder Jones of St. Joseph. He was buried by the side of his first wife in the Thornton cemetery, near Bayfield.” Clarksdale Journal, Clarksdale, Missouri, January 24, 1918.

1840 was a leap year starting on a Wednesday. Joseph Hahn Dalton was born in Galesburg, Illinois, on Tuesday, September 1st, 1840, to Richmond and Priscilla Dolton. Galesburg was founded by George Washington Gale, a Presbyterian minister from New York state, who dreamed of establishing a manual labor college which became Knox College. A manual labor college was one in which students and staff was required to spend half of each day doing manual labor. Galesburg’s success and growth was tied to the railroad industry. Local businessmen were major backers of the first railroad to connect Illinois' two biggest cities—Chicago and Quincy.

But, all of this was foreign to Joseph and his family. Joseph’s father, Richmond, was a farmer, so it was natural that Joseph should become one. Joseph grew up working on his father’s farm, learning about soil, seed, weeds, and weather. He made friends with the plow, the mule, and other farming implements. Joseph moved around a bit. Some time prior to 1855 Richmond moved his family to Dekalb County, Missouri, moving by steamboat. In Lucetta Weishaar’s obituary, Richmond’s daughter, Lucetta (Dalton) Weishaar (Joseph’s sister), is quoted as remembering that, “She was born at Goldsburg, Illinois, and moved to St. Joseph with her parents when she was a small girl. The trip was made by steamboat.” Lucetta was actually born in Galesberg, but Goldsburg and Galesberg sound similar when you say them so I think maybe folks misunderstood her when she told them where she was born. In the 1860 and 1880 US Federal Census Richmond is listed living in Washington Township, Dekalb County, Missouri, as a farmer along with his wife Priscilla and their children. So it’s likely that while the family traveled to St Joseph, Missouri, they actually continued their travels from there to Washington Township and that’s where they made their home.

Joseph left Dekalb County and moved to Madison County. There he courted the woman who was to be his wife, Sarah Isabel Thornton. She had a huge family, but he was used to large families. Still, it took a lot of courage for him to propose marriage to that young woman. On December 1, 1859, Joseph and Sarah registered their marriage at the court house in DeKalb County, Missouri.

Joseph was always tall for his age and as an adult stood 6 foot 1 inch tall. He had brown hair and blue eyes and was of a lean build. He sported a large, well groomed mustache. He worked hard at farming; from daylight to dusk. He was strong and had great endurance. There was always a surplus that he could take to town and sell for hard cash so he could buy the things the family needed that he could not make or raise himself.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Joseph and his little family was living in Madison County, in South East Missouri. There was a large group of Sarah’s family living there. Here again, Joseph was farming. The land here isn’t the best farming area. The region is actually a high and deeply dissected plateau. Geologically, the area is a broad dome around the Saint Francois Mountains. The County is heavily forested, hilly, has no rivers, and few creeks. Fortunately, the iron plow was built in 1837 by John Deere at Grand Detour, Illinois. This made plowing easier and faster as it didn’t break as often.

Missouri's Civil War actually began about seven years before the Civil War in the conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas." "Bleeding Kansas” was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the of Missouri between 1854 and 1858. The conflict was over the question of whether Kansas would enter the Union as a Free State or slave state. What happened was that many people from the North and South hurried to Kansas in order to try and vote Kansas over to their side.

In 1861 at the start of the Civil War there was fighting over whether Missouri would enter the war as on the side of the North or the South. In the end, Missouri voted to enter the war as both a free state and a slave state. The governor, who was pro-slavery, convened the legislature in the town of Neosho, Missouri that declared Missouri’s secession from the Union and alliance with the Confederate States. The Confederacy recognized this conventions work and accepted Missouri into the Confederate States. However, only the State Convention could do this. When the governor left town, the State Convention declared his position vacant and filled it. They met and voted overwhelming to stay in the Union with the North. President Lincoln recognized the convention’s work and acknowledged Missouri as part of the Union. But, this was all over, and the Civil War was underway when Joseph moved to Madison County, Missouri.

Missouri was the northern-most state where slavery was legally permitted. That meant that the Civil War in Missouri was going to be vicious and it was. Missouri was the site of more engagements (over 1,000) than any state except Virginia and Tennessee. Throughout the war, no one in Missouri was secure in their person or property.

For the siege of Vicksburg, Missouri furnished 39 regiments: 17 Confederate, 22 Union. Missouri sent more men to war, in proportion to her population, than any other state. The number of documented Missouri Volunteers who served was over one hundred and ninety-nine thousand.

In 1862, Joseph’s first daughter was born; Almeda Dolton. The name Almeda is used in many cultures. The American etymology of the word is “field of cottonwoods.”

As far as we know, Joseph took no part in the Civil War. We don’t know why. Perhaps he was a young man with a young family, he was unskilled with weapons, and saw no reason to leave his farm to go get shot-up in a war started back east for unclear reasons. But, there were many men who didn’t put on the uniform who never-the-less did much to further what they believed. So, in 1863 or 1864 he packed up and moved his family to Kansas for awhile. The American Indians had just ceded the last of their lands in Kansas to the US Government in 1854 and so this land was opened up to settlement. Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 establishing the Kansas Territory that included the land from the Missouri border to the summit of the Rocky Mountain range (now in central Colorado).

Joseph’s family might have traveled up through St Louis, Rolla, Jefferson City, Columbia, and Kansas City where they crossed over into Kansas. This would have been a trip of about 450 miles and would have taken over fifteen days overland. But, rivers were the highways of that time and the Missouri River splits Missouri in half traveling from St Joseph, MO, to Independence, MO, to St Louis, MO. A steamship could have gotten Joseph’s family there in less than a week. There were many such boats going up the Missouri from St Louis because Independence, MO, was the jumping off point for the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, and California Trail. Later this jumping off point for the Oregon Trail, and California Trail moved up to St Joseph, MO, as it got travelers several days closer by the river, than Independence, before they had to start walking. St Joseph was just across the river from Kansas. Once they got to Kansas Joseph bought a small farm and got back to work providing for his family.

In the 1865 Kansas State Census it lists J Dolton (age 25, born in Illinois), SE Dolton (age 26, born in Missouri), A Dolton (age 4, born in Missouri), A Dolton (age 3, born in Missouri), and F Dolton (age 1, born in Kansas). // On this same page of the 1865 Kansas State Census is the R. Dolton family. R. Dolton is age 50. In his household is Se. Dolton (age 20, female), A.J. Dolton (age 17, male), T.E. Dolton (age 15, male), A.D. Dolton (age 14, female), Se.A. Dolton (age 12, female), and E.F. Dolton (age 10, male), C. Dolton (age 8, female), and W. Dolton (age 5, male). In the 1870 US Federal Census it lists Joseph H. Dolton (age 30, born in Illinois), Sarah J. Dolton (age 30, born in Missouri), Almeda A. Dolton (age 10, born in Missouri), Frank Dolton (age 6, born in Kansas), William R. Dolton (age 5, born in Kansas), and James J. Dolton (age 2, born in Missouri). It indicates he is a farmer. He claims to own real estate worth $1,200 and personal property worth $400.

Frank and Bill Dolton were born in Kansas during this time. Bill was born the year the Civil War ended. Several years after the end of the Civil War, they moved back to Missouri, just across the border in Clarksdale. James Dolton was born after the family returned to Missouri in 1868 and the rest of Joseph’s children born after James were born in Missouri.

The 1880 US Federal Census for Washington Township, in the County of DeKalb, State of Missouri, was enumerated on the tenth day of June 1880 by D.B. Todd. There is a record of the household of Joseph Dolton, white, male, age 40, farmer, born in Illinois (his father was born in Kentucky and his mother in Iowa). Also in the home is his wife Sarah Dolton, white, female, age 40, wife, who is keeping house, and was born in Missouri (her father was born in Missouri and her mother in Kentucky). Their children are: Almeda A. Dolton, white, female, age 19, daughter, born in Missouri; Frank Dolton, white, male, age 15, son, farmer, born in Missouri; James Dolton, white male, age 12, son, farmer, born in Missouri; Edmond R Dolton, white, male, age 7, son, born in Missouri; Birdy Dolton, white male, age 3, son, born in Missouri; and Ennis Dolton, white male, age 2, son born in Missouri.

18 December 1888 his Joseph’s wife of 28 years died.

On 27 February 1890 Joseph Dolton and Nancy Emily Redman were married.

In 1900, Joseph and Emily were living in Britton, Oklahoma. The 1900 US Federal Census for Oklahoma > Oklahoma > Britton > District 158 > page 1 as enumerated on the fifteenth day of June 1900 has a record of the Joseph H. Dalton family. Joseph H. Dalton, head, white, male, age 59, born September 1841, married for 37 years. Maybe it just seemed like thirty-seven years they had been married because it had only been ten. Joseph, head of household, was born in Illinois, his father in Kentucky, and his mother in Indiana. Joseph was a farmer and was farming rented property. Nancy E. Dalton, wife, white, female, born March 1847, age 53, married for 37 years, she had nine children six of whom were still alive. Nancy was born in Missouri and her father and mother were born in Kentucky. Joseph Dalton, son, white, male, born March 1883, age 17, single. Joseph, son, was born in Missouri, his father in Illinois, and mother in Missouri. He had gone to school five months in the last year.

By 1910, Joseph and Emily were back in Saint Clair County, Missouri. The 1910 US Federal Census for Missouri > Saint Clair > Osceola Ward 1 > District 0136 > page 9 has a record for J.H. Dolton a married, white, male, 69 years of age, born in Illinois. He and his wife had been married for twenty years (married about 1890). His mother and father were born in Kentucky. He indicates he was farming his own farm on his own account. His wife Emily was white and 63 years of age born in Missouri (about 1846). She indicated she had nine children, six of whom were still living. But, there were no children in the household at this time. This is the only census record I have ever seen where the respondent said she didn't know where her parents had been born. Maybe she just got impatient with all the questions and said she didn’t know. Surveys are sometimes enough to try the patience of the best of us.

On 27 February 1911 Nancy Emily Dolton died with her family around her. Her obituary says that she was a good wife and a kind and loving mother. She was ever ready to lend a helping hand. She was a dear good Christian woman and a member of the Church. It said she leaves her loved ones and many friends to mourn her loss which is her eternal gain. God bless her.

Joseph was a subsistence farmer, but he was successful. He and his family was able to be well dressed, well fed, and had the wherewithal to travel to attend family reunions. In 1906 there was a large Dolton reunion in Kansas City where about seventy family members and in-laws showed up. Joseph and his family made the sixty mile trip down from Clarksburg, Missouri, to Kansas City to the reunion to see his father, some of his thirteen siblings and their families.

The 1910 US Federal Census for Missouri > Saint Clair > Osceola Ward 1 > District 0136 > page 9 has a record for J.H. Dolton a married, white, male, 69 years of age, born in Illinois. He and his wife had been married for twenty years. His mother and father were born in Kentucky. He indicates he was farming his own farm on his own account. His wife Emily was white and 63 years of age born in Missouri. She indicated she had nine children, six of whom were still living. But, there were no children in the household at this time. This is the only census record I have ever seen where the respondent said she didn't know where her parents had been born.

Germany used the assassination of a distant member of the royal family in Austria as the excuse to start a major war in Europe. Until World War II this war was called the World War or the Great War. The Great War (now called World War I) began in 1914. America entered the war by declaring war on Germany April 6, 1917. Joseph had been a child of about six when the Mexican-American War began in 1846, twenty-one years old when the Civil War began, fifty-eight when the Spanish American War began, and died just ten months after America entered the Great War (at the age of seventy-seven years).

This man struggled, his whole life, against the earth to provide for his family. He loved his wife and stayed true to her throughout their life together. He loved and supported his children. In all these things he was imperfect and failed often to hit the mark. A successful life is not in the doing, but in the trying. Success is not found in victory, but in the struggle itself. He kept trying. When he got knocked down; he got back up and went back to work. This is true in all areas of life except with God. With God he accepted the work that Jesus did on the cross and so now is with God for eternity.