Memorials › Thomas Dalton

Thomas Dalton

16 Dec 1816 – 17 Mar 1904

Birth16 Dec 1816
Death17 Mar 1904
CemeteryNew Hope Cemetery
Dalton City , Moultrie County , Illinois , USA
Added byjanet donner on 19 Oct 2013
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83330921

Bio

Daily Review 3/18/1904 Thomas Dalton in whose honor Dalton City was named and who was one of the most noted and wealthy farmers of this part of the state, died at 5:30 Thursday afternoon at the home of his daughter, Mrs.Ella Freyburger at 1917 N.Edward street. He had a stroke of paralysis a few days ago that caused his death. Thomas Dalton was born near Appleby in Westmoreland county, England, Dec. 18, 1818 and came to this country when he was a young man. In 1857 he married Miss Sarah M. Roney, whom he has survived by many years. On coming to this country he worked on several farms in Stark county near Massilon, Ohio and about the year of 1848 he came to live near the present site of Dalton City. He built the first brick house east of Praiarie Home. That still stands and is known all over that part as "Daltons Old Brick" In his younger days Mr. Dalton was one of the handsomest young men of his part of the state and was famed far and wide for his fine horsemanship. It was a common sight for him to be seen as he rode over his broad acres on his old sorrel white faced horse,Aleck. One of his old friends describes him as riding like a dragoon, as if he were a part of the animal. He was admiration of the country side. When he came to this part of the state he saw the coming value of it and invested all his money in it. At the time of the Civil war, when the call for troops went out from Washinton, his land was heavily mortgaged and the man who held the mortgage threatened to sell out on him. But Mr. Dalton had an immense herd of steers which he sold to the government as supplies for the army and not only cleared his property of debt but also laid up for himself a goodly sum of money by the deal. He owned the forty acres on which Dalton City is now situated and when the P. D. & E. road put a station there they named it in honor of the best known and wealthiest man of those parts.He was one of the biggest land owners of the state but it is utterly impossible for a fair estimate to be made of his wealth for one of his rules was never to tell any one of his business affairs. He once said: Never tell any one of your private business, keep your own counsel, pay your debts and youll be sure to come out ahead. Its the nature of man to tell what he knows about himself and everyone else. Let the other fellows do that. Mr. Dalton was one of the shrewdest financiers and biggest cattle owners of the state. He was conservative almost secretive, straight as a string and perfectly reliable. He had a good education, having gone through the schools of England and was a clear thinker and a man of research and capability. Mr. Dalton was a member of the Episcopal church in England but when he came to America and settled in the wilds of the then great uncultivated west where there were but few churches of his denomination and where he would not have had the time to attend had there been more he got out of his touch with the active church life, but he was always a Christian of the highest and noblest stamp. One of the most notable characteristics was his scrupulous and absolute fairness. An interesting ancedote is told of him in his earlier days. When he was living in Dalton City, several Methodist of the place came to him and asked him to help the with a subscription to the fund for a church. Their denomination was going to build. Mr. Dalton gave them $100. Later several of the Irish citizens of the town came to him and asked him to help them with the church which they were desirous of putting up. Mr.Dalton immediately put himself down for $100. The Methodists hearing of this event came to him and said they could not understand such an action on his part. Surely he was not particularly interested in the starting of a Catholic church in the place. Did he not think that extra hundred should go to the Methodists? But Mr.Dalton assured them that he was interested in the Catholics and added that this denomination was quite as worthy of assistance in his eyes as the other. Further,if you talk much more about it Ill take what I have been able to give you away from you. Several years ago Bradstreet attempted to discover the financial standing of Thomas Dalton. He would tell them absolutely nothing, so they got what information they could from a valuation of the land that was owned by him and from other people of the community and cited him at $250,000. It is probably however that this valuation is too small by far and that when the estate is finally settled he would be found to be worth considerable more. Mr.Dalton was a great admirer of Walter Scott and named his only son, Walter Scott Dalton. Besides his son,who lives on his fathers old land near Bethany, Mr. Dalton leaves three daughters, Mrs.Sadie Shaw of Chicago, Mrs. Ella Freyburger of Decatur,and Mrs. Mattie Sconce of Bethany. Mr.Dalton was an uncle of Mrs.George Ferre of this city. He was particularly kind to and fond of his grandchildren. The funeral will take place Saturday afternoon from the old farm place near Dalton City. The interment will be at the New Hope cemetery about a half miles from the place. The body will leave Decatur on Saturday at 11 oclock. Rev.H. B. Easterling who was formerly at Bethany will preach the service and have charge of the service. Obituary furnished by Janet Donner -------------------------

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