Dolton.org

When Edward Francis Dalton was born on March 8, 1854, in Galesburg, Illinois, his father, Richmond, was 38 and his mother, Priscilla, was 30.

The year Edward was born; 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). Kansas was officially opened to settlement in 1854 and the north and south fought over whether Kansas would come in as a free or slave state, so there was lots of trouble in Kansas and Missouri. Then, the American Civil War broke out and was waged for five long years.

His mother Priscilla passed away on March 6, 1861, at the age of 37. Edward was only six years of age when she died. In the twenty years that Richmond and Priscilla were married she had presented her husband with thirteen children who lived to adulthood.

In April of 1861 the American Civil War broke out when Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated. It was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The result of a long-standing controversy over slavery. The nationalists of the Union proclaimed loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States of America, who advocated for states' rights to expand slavery.

In 1870 Richmond married a very brave 38 year old woman named Amelia Jane Bray. I say she was brave because she came into a home as the wife of a 55 year old man who had four children still living at home aged 22, 15, 12, and 10 years. Edward was the fifteen year old. It would be another eight years before he left home and established his own household.

Edward married Lucy Jane Henson in 1878. He was 24 years of age and she was twenty. They had 12 children in 21 years.

In 1880, Edmond and Lucy were living in Liberty, Dickinson County, Kansas. In the 1880 US Federal Census for this location is a record of their household. Edward Dolton was a white, male, age 26 years, farmer, both he and his parents were born in Illinois. [This is wrong. His father born in Kentucky and mother born in Indiana.] Lucy Dolton was a white, female, age 23 years, keeping house, born in Missouri, father born in Kentucky and mother born in Indiana. They had one daughter; Gertie Dolton who was a white, female, age one year, daughter, born in Kansas, father born in Illinois and mother in MIssouri.

In 1893 there was an economic panic referred to creatively as "The Panic of 1893." The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It was caused by fear when wheat prices crashed, there were runs on American banks, several large companies and banks failed, and other countries sold American stocks for exportable gold and silver. In 1895, Edward and Lucy had moved to Rinehart Township which is a highly rural part of Dickenson County. He might have suffered from the economic distress caused by the Panic but being a farmer he was probably still able to put food on the table and support his family.

In 1898, America went to war with Spain. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba leading to United States intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. American acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions led to its involvement in the Philippine Revolution and ultimately in the Philippine-American War. In 1899 America went to war in the Philippines. This war went on until 1902. Edward was forty-four years of age.

The 1900 US Federal Census has a record of the Edward and Lucy Dalton Household in Rhinehart Township, Dickinson County, Kansas, enumerated on the 25th of June 1900 by Samuel L. Book. Edward Dalton was the head of household, white, male, born Mar 1854 in Illinois, age 46 years, married 22 years. This year he says his father was born in Virginia and his mother in Indiana. Lucy J Dalton, wife, white, female, born June 1858 in Missouri, age 41 years, married 22 years, she had 12 children, ten of whom are still living. Lucy says her parents were born in Missouri. Myrtle Dalton, daughter, white, female, born July 1880 in Kansas, age 19 years, single. Orville Dalton, son, white, male, born Aug 1883 in Kansas, age 16 years, single. Jessie Dalton, daughter, white, female, born May 1884 in Kansas, age 15 years, single. Georgia Dalton, daughter, white, female, born Dec 1886 in Kansas, age 13 years, single. Richmond Dalton, son, white, male, born Nov 1887 in Kansas, age 12 years, single. Elsie Dalton, daughter, white, female, born Nov 1890 in Kansas, 9 years old, single. Ivison Dalton, son, white, male, born Dec 1891 in Kansas, age 8 years, single. Wendal Dalton, son, white, male, born Oct 1894 in Kansas, age 5 years. Hazel Dalton, daughter, white, female, born Oct 1895 in Kansas, age 4 years. Loretta Dalton, daughter, white, female, born Jan 1899 in Kansas, age one year.

The 1905 Kansas State Census for Rinehart, Dickenson County, Kansas, enumerated 1 Mar 1905 has a record of the family of E. F. and Elsie Dolton. E F Dolton was a white, male, 51 years old, born abt 1854 in Illinois and he came to Kansas from Missouri. Lucy Dolton was a white, female, age 46 years, born abt 1859 in Missouri coming next to Kansas. Richmond (listed as Richard) Dolton was a white, male, age 6 years, born abt 1899 in Kansas. Elsie Dolton was a white, female,14 years old, born abt 1891 in Kansas. Vie (transcribed as Vic) (Vie was short for Ivison) Dolton, a white, male, age 12 years, born abt 1893 in Kansas. Wendall Dolton, a white, male, age 10 years, born abt 1895 in Kansas. Hazel Dolton, a white, female, age 8 years, born abt 1897 in Kansas. Loretta Dolton, a white, female, age 6 years, born abt 1899 in Kansas. Milla (transcribed as Zulla) (Milla was short for Mildred) Dolton was a white, female, age 4 years, born abt 1900 in Kansas.

The 1910 US Federal Census for Rhinehart, Dickinson County, Kansas, has a record of the household of Edward and Lucy Dalton. Edward F. Dalton was the head of household, male, white, age 56 years, married one time, married for 32 years, born in Illinois. Edward said his father was born in Virginia and his mother in Indiana. Edward was farming doing general farming. Lucy J. Dalton, wife, female, white, age 52 years, born abt 1857 in Missouri. Lucy said her mother was born in Kentucky and her mother in Indiana. She was married once for 32 years and had thirteen children of whom eleven survive at the time of the census. Georgia A Dalton was Edward's daughter, female, white, age 24 years, and single. Richard A Dalton was Edward's son, male, white, age 21 years, and single. Richard was working as a carpenter doing "home work." Elsie F Dalton was Edward's daughter, female, white, 19 years old, born abt 1891 in Kansas, single. Ivison Dalton, son, male, white, 17 years old, single. Wendell Dalton, son, male, white, 16 years old, single. Hazel M Dalton, daughter, female, white, 13 years old, single. Loretta E Dalton, daughter, female, white, 11 years old, single. Mildred F Dalton, female, white, 9 years old, single.

In 1914, 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. Edward was sixty years old. The war ended 11 November 1918. While the war lasted four years and America supplied the good guys throughout the war we were involved in the fighting for the last eighteen months.

Beginning in 1920 and for the rest of their lives together Edward and Lucy lived in Chapman, Dickinson County, Kansas. Chapman is about twelve miles west of Junction City along US40/I70. The first settlement was made at Chapman in 1868, and the same year Jackman's mill was built on Chapman creek a little northeast of the present town. James Streeter and S. M. Strickler laid out the town in 1871.[8] It was named from the Chapman Creek. The 1920 US Federal Census for Chapman, Dickinson County, Kansas, has a record of the Edward and Lucy Dalton family living at 140 Sheeran Avenue. Edward Dalton, head of household, owned the mortgaged house they lived in. He was a male, white, age 66 years, married, born in Illinois. This year he said his father was born in Kentucky (which is correct). He was farming on his own account. Lucy Dalton, wife, female, white, age 62 years, married, born in Missouri. This year she said that both her parents were born in Kentucky. Mildred Dalton, daughter, female, white, age 19 years, single, born in Kansas. Orval Dalton, son, male, white, age 36 years, widowed, born in Kansas. Orval was working in a carpenter shop for wages. Wendell Dalton, son, male, white, age 24 years, single, born in Kansas. Wendell was working in a garage shop for wages.

In the nineteen twenties. (1) Women could vote: The 19th Amendment to the Constitution had guaranteed that right in 1920. (2) By 1923 there were more than 500 radio stations in the nation. By the end of the 1920s, there were five national radio networks and radios in more than 12 million households. (3) About 1924 permanent plumbing and running water in the house was becoming increasingly affordable and therefore available. (4) The most important consumer product of the 1920s was the automobile. The Ford Model T cost just $260 in 1924.

In 1929, "The Depression" originated in the U.S., after the fall in stock prices that began around September 4, 1929, and became worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (known as Black Tuesday). Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 25%, and in some countries rose as high as 33%. The Depression didn't end until the start of World War II in 1941.

In 1930 they Edward (76 y/o) and Lucy (71 y/o) still lived in the house on Sheeran Avenue and Mildred, 29 and single, was the only one of the kids still living at home. Edward was retired. By 1935, they have moved to a hourse over on Marshall Street. By the 1940 census it was just the two of them. Edward was 85 and Lucy was 81.

America entered World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. America declared war on Japan and then on their allies; the Germans and Italiens. The war ended in Europe on May 8, 1945, and in the Pacific against Japan September 2, 1945.

Edward died on March 24, 1945, at the age of 91, in Chapman, Kansas, where they had lived most of their lives, and was buried in Enterprise, Kansas. Edward had lived through the American Civil War, Spanish American War, Philippine-American War, World War I, and World War II. He lived without antibiotics, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox machines, plastic, contact lenses, air conditioning, central heat, television, and videos. He was born before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ball point pens: before dishwashers, tumble driers, electric blankets, or permanent pressed clothes. He had never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, or yoghurt. How did he make it to 91 years of age?

After Edward's death, Lucy went to Enterprise where Edward had been buried and her daughter Elsie and husband had a hotel. Lucy died two days short of four years later on 22 March 1949 and was buried alongside Edward.