William Dalton

WILLIAM DALTON, 2nd child of Charles Wakeman and Sarah Jane (Lee) Dalton was b. 7 May 1855, Fort Harmony, Utah and did not marry. The following sketch was submitted by, Lucy Underwood Pendleton.

William (Bill) Dalton was a very good boy to his mother. After his parents separated he went to work and helped her all he could. When he was about sixteen he was working at a sawmill in Beaver and had two of his toes sawed off (the big toe and the one next to it). He worried about being "laid up" for a while and unable to help with the expenses. Then when his mother got the "Stage Station" contract in Minersville, Utah, the family moved there from Beaver and William put up a blacksmith shop, re- paired the coaches and shod the horses for several years.

He was dissatisfied with the work and decided to go some place where he could earn more money. He started to travel and worked as he went. He covered most of the United States, then went to South Africa. His mother received mail and money from him at intervals for a long time. Finally, after twenty years of rambling around he returned to the United States and went to Arizona to visit his eldest brother, Heber Dalton. After a visit with Heber he decided his next visit would be with his mother who then lived in Panguitch, Utah, about 1906.

He bought a horse and saddle and a pack animal and started across the desert. He thought once he and his horses would die of thirst. He tied them to a large rock and then laid down and never expected to get up alive. Toward morning some Indians found him and directed him to water which was only a short dis- tance away. They said, "Why didn't you turn the horses loose? They would have found water for you." He stayed in Panguitch a few years and went into blacksmithing with his brother-in-law, W. W. Pendleton, but they had disagreements and he left and went to Idaho where he bought a good farm. He worked on a large,cattle ranch and saved his money. He loaned it all to his boss who cheated him out of it and never received a penny of it back.

The farm was located near his sister, Ella (Dalton) Richardson's place and had a good furnished house on it. He wanted W. W. and Lucy Pendleton to go there and help run the farm They did not want to leave Panguitch, so he made Mason Mace and Cecil (Cannon) Sargent the offer and they accepted it.

While moving to Idaho the entire family came down with the 'flu" and William only lived eight days. He gave or willed the farm to the Sargents.

In his youth he had a sweetheart but would not marry until he had sufficient means to keep a wife as he wanted to do. She waited for eight years then married another man.