Birth

Unknown primary source for birth or parentage.

Marriage

12 Mar 1754 to Regina Krebsin, daughter of Henrich and Maria Barbara. - Trappe record of marriages

Death

Christian Dale died in Ferguson township (now Harris) in July, 1805.

Children

• Henry
• Philip
• Felix
• Frederick
• Christian Jr
• Mary Straw (wife of Nicholas),
• Eve Earhart (wife of Peter)
• Rachel (wife of Lewis Swinehart)

Immigration

Christian Dale arrived at Philadelphia from the Palatinate, Germany on 15 Sep 1749 at the age of 16 on the ship Edenburg from Rotterdam.
Since he was under sixteen, he does not appear on either the ships passengers list or as having taken the prescribed 'Oath of Allegiance' upon arrival. Also arriving on that vessel were Philip Henry Diehl, possibly either Christians father or other relative.

Residences and Property

Christian purchased, cleared and then sold land from 1738 until 1791, arriving at the farm where he would finish his life with his entire family on 4 Aug 1790.

Some of the many properties purchased and sold by Christian Dale were:

1767: Counties of New-Castle, Kent, and Suffax upon Delaware (11 pounds) County of Bucks. Sold this 11 June 1773 for 253 pounds.

1773: Buffalo Twp, Sunbury, near the iron bridge over Buffalo Creek Sunbury for 150 pounds. Occupied by the Lutheran Home and Hospital in 1963.

He was one of the first settlers of Buffalo valley, clearing the place now owned by Col. Eli Slifer, adjoining Lewisburg, in 1772.

He resided in Buffalo valley during the Revolution, and in 1790 removed to end of Nittany Mountain and erected a mill there in 1796, and saw-mill. These he willed to his son Felix.

Christian Dale was one of the earliest permanent settlers in what is now College Township. “He was one of those Sterling Old Germans to whom Pennsylvania owes so much and whose walk in life was measured by the rule Be Just and Fear Not”

In 1796 at 63 years of age he built a grist mill and saw mill on or near that property, damming Spring Creek. Dale’s Mills were considered the southern end point of Nittany Mountain in what is now College Township.

In 1801 Christian petitioned the newly formed Center County for a road leading to the area of his mills. As some point they were granted as before his death in 1805, Christian Dale helped establish transportation routes through the county. He oversaw the construction of General Benner's road (now the Benner Pike) and he petitioned the state government for a road that would run from Dale's Mills to General Benner's road, which was also the road to Pittsburgh.

The Dale’s Ridge Trail runs along Buffalo Creek and Strawbridge Road near Lewisburg, PA

Find a Grave: "Taken from Christian's diaries, we traveled down the Rhine from Heilbronn,Germany, the trip lasting 6 weeks. It was a very difficult journey having to stop at 26 custom houses where all our luggage was checked. We spent another 6 weeks in Holland where the high prices used up the greater percentage of our money and then we sailed to Portsmouth, England, only to wait for another 2 weeks to be cleared to sail to the new country." Unknown source for diary.

Sources

• History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania; John Blair Linn; Philadelphia; Louis H. Everts; 1883.
• Dale Family History Christian Dale and his Descendants by G.S. Dale Revised 1963; The Gombach Group; Linn, J. B. History of Centre and Clinton Counties. Louis H. Everts, Philadelphia, 1883.
• Find a Grave