Martin Carrol Dalton, Sr.

Martin Carrell Dalton Sr., 1867 – 1936: The fifth son of Charles Wakeman Dalton and Elizabeth Ann Heskett Allred.

By Rodney G. Dalton.

Martin Carrell Dalton Sr. was born on Feb. 17, 1867 in Beaver City, Beaver Co., Utah. He Married Charlotte Ellen "Nellie" Whittaker on January 29, 1889 in Circleville, Piute Co., Utah. They had 8 children, all born in Circleville.

1- Martin Carrel Dalton Jr., born May 1, 1889.

2- Mary Irene Dalton, born Dec. 4, 1889.

3- James Christopher Dalton, born Nov. 11, 1896.

4- Nellie Vera Dalton, born Nov. 6, 1897.

5- Taylor Whittaker Dalton, born April 8, 1900.

6- Francis Joshua Dalton, born Feb. 5, 1902.

7- Lawrence Whittaker Dalton, born Nov. 7, 1905.

8- Vernon Allred Dalton, Oct. 12, 1909.

We know that Martin grew up in Beaver, Utah in his early years and moved to Circleville, Piute Co. Utah when he was 6 or 7 years old. He would marry his only wife, Charlotte and spend the remaining years of his life working hard to support his family of 8 children. He was a very prominent man in Circleville society.

Circleville was settled in March of 1864 by James Munson, James and William Allred and about 4 other men after a call by Brigham Young to settle the place called Circle Valley.

In 1851 President Brigham Young traveled from Manti, Utah, up the Sevier River to Parowan, and then over the mountains to several valleys looking for sites he wanted to colonize. In 1864 Brigham instructed Orson Hyde to call men from Ephriam and Manti to leave their homes and farms and go 100 miles further south along the Old Spanish trail and settle a place called Circle Valley. It was a well-organized venture and men were chosen to represent many trades, so they could be as self sufficient as possible.

In the next 2 years about 40 families settled in the Valley. They renamed this valley, Circleville because of the almost perfect circle of mountains surrounding them. In 1866, The Black Hawk War with the Indians drove them out of the settlement. (More about this war later) The evacuation of Circleville took place on June 20, 1866 with most of the people going north to Sanpete County. A few crossed the mountains to Beaver and Fillmore. The valley remained vacant until sometime in 1869. We believe that while in Beaver the family of Charles Wakeman Dalton heard about this beautiful valley that these early settlers talked about. The first Mormon settler to resettle to Circleville was Charles W. Dalton, who came in 1874 with his first wife, Julietta Bowen. He was followed soon by his sons, Charles Albert and Orson Dalton and their families, and later by his plural wife, Elizabeth Dalton, with her family. When Charles A. Dalton arrived with his family in 1875, he found only four families living there. Later settlers were the following families:

Smith, Wiley, Whittaker, Parker, Gillis, Simkin, Thompson, Lewis, Nay, Price, Davis, Chaffin, Ruby, Fox, Lambson, Alexander, Dobson, Allen, Knight, McDonough, Ritchie, Thomas, Westwood. Wiltshire, Yakeley, Morrill, Sudweeks, Mansor, Meeks, Johnson, Morgan, Applegate, Mangum, Beebe, Duttson and Button Families.

Martins’ father, Charles W. Dalton owned a large ranch, north and east of town, and had a large orchard that was in the mouth of the canyon to the south.

The first school taught in Circleville was by Miss Henrietta Pearson, in a small log house. Martin Carrell Dalton Sr., Ed Fullmer and Charles A. Dalton were some of her first students. After Charles A. Dalton grew up and married he donated two acres of land for a new school and meeting house.

In 1887, the first L. D. S Ward was set up in Circleville with James E. Peterson ordained the first Bishop. The first store in Circleville was at the Whittaker ranch, three miles west of the schoolhouse. The people in general were poor, with few of the comforts of life. Often in the spring, the wind blew so hard that sand storms removed the seed out of the ground, and in certain localities it had been necessary to replant two and three times. This was especially true in the northeast part of the valley where Henry Fox lived. Henry Fox and his sons dug and put into use a main water supply, south of town, which was named the Fox Canal.

Circleville also boasts of one of their own, the famous George Leroy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, who spent a few years there during the 1870’s and 1880’s. His boyhood cabin still stands, near U.S. 89, two miles south of town.

This same little valley was where Martin Carrell Dalton Sr. would spend the rest of his life with his family. The most important events that came into the lives of Martin C. Dalton and his wife Charlotte were the births of their children. They were tenderly nurtured and given the best their parents could afford. It was on June 16th, 1909, when their youngest daughter, Mary Irene Dalton and James Lester Peterson were married in the Manti Temple. Martin and Charlotte went with them and were also married in the temple and had their children sealed to them.

They also must have suffered much pain in the loss of three of their children. James Christopher, born on the 11th of Nov. and died on the 28th of Nov. 1896. They raised two sons to adulthood, only to have them taken from them at the young age of 21 and 22. Taylor Dalton was born on the 8th of April 1900 and died of Bright’s Disease on Sept. 5th, 1921. Francis Dalton was born on Feb. 5th 1902 and died July 6th, 1924. He was injured by a stick of dynamite going off in his hands while helping to set off the early morning bomb to celebrate the 4th of July 1924. He lived two days with one of his hands completely blown off and a large hole in his stomach. His death on July 6, 1924 saddened the entire town of Circleville, and for many years thereafter, in honor and respect for his parents the early morning bomb on the 4th of July was discontinued. As if this tragedy was not enough for Martin Carrell and Charlotte to bear, their daughter Mary Irene’s husband, James Lester Peterson died leaving their daughter with four small children, Una 10 years, Ralph 8 years, Gala 3 years and a baby, Harvey 1 year old. A daughter, Vera Nellie Dalton wrote; "My father was a kind, generous, easy going person, who loved his wife and children. He would have given us the world if it had been his to give. When he thought you needing correcting he would send you outside with his pocket knife to cut a nice green willow from a tree, and when you came back in he would say, "well now! I know you didn’t mean to do this thing, so I won’t use this willow now, but I will put this willow up behind this picture on the wall to remind you that you’ve been bad and if you do it again I’ll really use it on you". I can’t think of a time that he ever used it on us".

The first home Martin C. Dalton, mostly called "Mart", and his wife, Charlotte, lovingly called "Nellie" had was a little log cabin that stood where the James L. Whittaker home is at the present time. In about 1899, Martin C. Dalton’s brother Orson had a big brick two-story house that he sold to Martin. It was not completely finished at this time, however, and Martin Carrell spent the next few years finishing the large and very nice home. The parlor was completely carpeted and had a matching set of beautiful upholstered furniture. It also had a organ, one of the few in town. This room was kept special for company. This home was also one of the first in Circleville to have acetylene or carbide lights. Everyone else was using coal-oil lamps.

Also at this time a dance hall, first owned by his brother Orson Dalton was sold to him along with the home. Along with this home that grandfather bought at this time was a square mile of land, some farming ground and some pasture land.

In about 1892, Orson Dalton had built this dance hall. It was made of lumber with a stage in one end. It has been said that this was the largest dance hall south of Spanish Fork. This hall was rented for dances as a private enterprise. People of all ages, including most of the population, were in attendance at dances. They came by team with wagons and white tops from the settlements of Junction, Kingston and Coyote, now known as Antimony, to enjoy dancing and mingle with the people of Circleville. Babies were sleeping on blankets placed on the front of the stage. Small children were usually quiet, soothed by the sweet strains of music. Musicians were few in numbers. There was Jimmy Nielson from Sevier County who played the violin and in company with a musician, who played the guitar, they traveled from one settlement to another playing music for dances. Sometimes they played in Circleville. Music for dances for a number of years was played by Ezra Bird with the piccolo; Thomas Thomas, the guitar; Will Thomas, the violin, and Lorin Fullmer, the organ. Later a piano was bought and was played by Lorin Fullmer.

Most of the dances in Circleville were held in the Dalton Hall for a number of years. The people were becoming more prosperous and some of the leading men in the community decided to build a better dance hall on a co-op basis. Stock was sold to local people and a large rustic hall was built. The dance floor was about forty by seventy feet with a large stage in one end for dramatic plays and a stage for the band at about the center of one side. Painted a light gray color on the outside, inside walls were finished with plaster with an elaborate ceiling. This stately building contained a basement that was used for banquets when a dance and supper was featured. It was across the street from the home where Tex Grigsby lives now. People would come from miles around to dance, sometimes until early morning. At times they would pay for their tickets with vegetables and other kinds of produce. This was also the place that Stock Companies, traveling through the county would put on their plays. The hall had a stage and two sets of scenery, one for outside scenes and one for inside scenes. It had a large curtain that roller up. It was the place also that the town Christmas parties were held. Martin Carrell also was musically inclined. He and his daughter, Vera used to sing together at many of the community activities. Later when a newer Social Hall was build in another part of town, Martin Carrell then put barrels full of roller skates in his building and rolling staking become the most popular sport of young and old for a long time. Finally this fine old Dalton Hall that had served the town’s activities for so long became a barn that housed the many horses that Martin Carrell owned. He always had many good saddle horses for his children and grandchildren to ride. He also owned the fastest racehorse in the County, called Red Cloud. Red Cloud raced all over Utah and beat everyone he ever came up against.

Martin C. Dalton Sr. also owned a store he called the "Equitable." When the railroad came into Marysvale, north of Circleville, Martin Carrell would take his team and wagon and go to Marysvale to get his supplies. Once he slipped while hauling supplies and fell from his wagon, injuring his leg badly. He suffered pain in this leg for the rest of his life

.

In 1915, when James E. Peterson decided to move his family to Leadore Idaho. Charlotte Dalton’s brother also was moving and some of Martin Carrell’s family wanted to move with them. Martin refused to do so, and thereby changed his future descendant’s fate.

Martin Carrell Dalton Sr. was a very hard worker and was always busy. He spent a lot of his time in the mountains surrounding Circleville. He lived in the ranger station houses on Big Flat, Dry Flat and Tushar Mountain, when he was working for the Forest Service as a guard. He herded sheep and cattle not only for himself, but also for many ranchers and farmers around the valley. He shared his home with many people, Stake Presidents and dignitaries of the Church when they come to Circleville to visit or hold Stake Conferences. It was always a special treat for Martin to sit in a rocking chair in front of the fireplace with one of his grandchildren in his arms singing to them.

Martin Carrell Dalton Sr. was taken ill in 1936. He developed pneumonia and it was more than he could shake off. His wife "Nellie" was by his bedside constantly day and night. If she left for a moment he would say "where’s Nellie, I need her". On Dec. 18, 1936 he passed away in this grand old home of his at the age of sixty-nine. He is buried in the Circleville Cemetery. His beloved wife Charlotte was buried next to him five years later.

Here is a time line of Martin Carrell Dalton Sr.’s life in Circleville Utah:

Source: From a history of Piute County; by Ardis Parshall of Orem Utah.

Baptized and confirmed, 6 June 1909, by James E. Peterson; ordained an elder, 13 March 1909, by Joseph F. Heywood. Temple sealing 16 June 1909.

1880 - Laborer; living in Circle Valley Precinct.

29 January 1889: Of Circleville. Wedding performed by James Wiley, justice of the peace; witnesses: M.D. Morgan and Elvira Dalton.

1902 – Sept. 5, has credentials as Circleville representative at county

Republican convention. Elected as alternate representative to state

convention in Ogden Utah

1903- August 5, Signed petition asking County Commission to consolidate

Circleville and Lost Creek School Districts, claiming that neither district "is able to build a school house of sufficient capacity to accommodate all the children of their respective districts, nor to grade the scholars according to their merits, resulting in the holding back of children that ought to be advanced, for their slower going class mates."

1903-04 - Of Circleville; constable.

1903-04 - Farming 274 acres (value: $3,240), at Circleville.

1908-09 - Farming 251 acres (value: $3,205), in Circleville.

1911-12 - Of Circleville; dealer in general merchandise.

1916-17 - Farming 20 acres (value: $440), at Circleville.

1918- Nov. 5, Circleville:

The homes of Geo. Fox, J.R. Norton and Carrell Dalton, are under quarantine on account of the prevalence of the influenza. Those afflicted are not seriously sick and it is believed that with the lifting of the quarantine at these homes, Circleville will be about clear of

the disease.

1918-1919, Farming 20 acres (value: $300), at Circleville.

1918 – Nov. 18, Subscribed for bonds "of the fourth issue" (World War I war

bonds), at Circleville.

1920 - Farmer, home farm; living in Circleville; can read and write.

1920-21 - Farming 138 acres (value: $5305), at Circleville.

1922-23 - Farming 439 acres (value: $6,735), at Circleville.

1924-25 - Farming 173 acres (value: $9,923), at Circleville.

1927- March 25, Carroll Dalton is busily remodeling his old home on the

highway. He intends to move in as soon as the reconstruction is

completed.

As you have read in the preceding record of March 25, 1927, it seems like Martin C. Dalton was having financial problems with his large two-story home in West Circleville.

He did finish the reconstruction on his home on Highway 89 and sold his big home to another Dalton family member. It was in the small bedroom in the attic of this house on the highway that Martin Carrell’s great-grand son, Rodney Dalton was born in 1938.

Below is an article from the Salt Lake Tribune that shows our Martin Carrel Dalton Sr. as being call as a juror in a trial in Junction Utah.

Jurors in the Mills Case:

Junction, Sept. 9 - The names of those who appeared this morning at 9 o'clock as jurors in the Mills murder case from the issuance of the open venire were: D.S. Gilles, William Hike, Alma Jensen, John Barnson, J.E. Peterson, D.B. Brown, A.M. Lamborn, Chris Kotkie, J.E. Keitch, M.C. Dalton, J. Hilend and Josiah Nichales. Out of this number only two were retained; they were Chris Kotkie and J.E. Peterson. This swelled the number of jurors to nine, and again exhausted the jury box. Thereupon the old venire was destroyed and a new one issued returnable forthwith.

Source: Salt Lake Tribune, 11 September 1897.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 14 2016, 20:59:41 UTC