Henry Simon Dalton

The History of Henry Simon Dalton

By his granddaughter, Bertha Elizabeth Moulton & his great-great granddaughter, Vicky Rae Bowman. With added material by Rodney G. Dalton.

Sources: http://www.mormonbattalion.com/gallery/a-g.html and other World Wide Web resources.

Of note is that some of this new information has been passed down through family members and is not known by other Dalton researchers.

It is noteworthy that three members of Dalton family members in Utah were in the Mormon Battalion. They were; Henry Simon Dalton, his cousins, Edward Dalton & Henry (Harry) Dalton, sons of John Dalton Jr. a brother of Henry Dalton. The histories of Edward & Harry is told in another article.

Henry Simon Dalton - Mormon Battalion, Company B

Henry Simon Dalton was born on the 3^rd of April, 1827 in Conklin, Broome County, New York, to Henry Dalton and Elizabeth Green. He was married to Elizabeth Jane Kittleman on the 12^th of March,1848 in San Francisco, California. He died on 10 November 1886, age 59, in Centerville, Davis County, Utah and is buried in the Centerville, Davis County cemetery.

Elizabeth Jane Kittleman was born on the 26^th of May in Downington, Chester County, Pennsylvania to William Kittleman and Eliza J. Hindman. She married Henry Dalton. She died on the 13^th of December 1917, age 86, in Centerville, Utah and is buried in the Centerville cemetery.

Henry and Elizabeth had 5 children: John 1848, Sarah Elizabeth 1851, Eliza Jane 1853, William Henry 1855, and Mary Marie 1859.

Elizabeth Jane Kittleman Dalton

The story of the Mormon Battalion:

In July 1846, under the authority of U.S. Army Captain James Allen and with the encouragement of Mormon leader Brigham Young, the Mormon Battalion was mustered in at Council Bluffs, Iowa Territory. The battalion was the direct result of Brigham Young's correspondence on 26 January 1846 to Jesse C. Little, presiding elder over the New England and Middle States Mission. Young instructed Little to meet with national leaders in Washington, D.C., and to seek aid for the migrating Latter-day Saints, the majority of whom were then in the Iowa Territory. In response to Young's letter, Little journeyed to Washington, arriving on 21 May 1846, just eight days after Congress had declared war on Mexico.

Little met with President James K. Polk on 5 June 1846 and urged him to aid migrating Mormon pioneers by employing them to fortify and defend the West. The president offered to aid the pioneers by permitting them to raise a battalion of five hundred men, who were to join Colonel Stephen W. Kearny, Commander of the Army of the West, and fight for the United States in the Mexican War. Little accepted this offer.

Colonel Kearny designated Captain James Allen, later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, to raise five companies of volunteer soldiers from the able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five in the Mormon encampments in Iowa. On 26 June 1846 Allen arrived at the encampment of Mt. Pisgah. He was treated with suspicion, as many believed that the raising of a battalion was a plot to bring trouble to the migrating Saints.

Allen journeyed from Mt. Pisgah to Council Bluffs, where on 1 July 1846 he allayed Mormon fears by giving permission for the Saints to encamp on United States lands if the Mormons would raise the desired battalion. Brigham Young accepted this, recognizing that the enlistment of the battalion was the first time the government had stretched forth its arm to aid the Mormons.

On 16 July 1846 some 543 men enlisted in the Mormon Battalion. From among these men Brigham Young selected the commissioned officers; they included Jefferson Hunt, Captain of Company A; Jesse D. Hunter, Captain of Company B; James Brown, Captain of Company C; Nelson Higgins, Captain of Company D; and Daniel C. Davis, Captain of Company E. Among the most prominent non-Mormon military officers immediately associated with the battalion march were Lt. Col. James Allen, First Lt. Andrew Jackson Smith, Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke, and Dr. George Sanderson. Also accompanying the battalion were approximately thirty-three women, twenty of whom served as laundresses, and fifty-one children.

Each soldier was issued the following: 1 Harpers Ferry smoothbore musket, 1 infantry cartridge box, 1 cartridge box plate, 1 cartridge box belt, 1 bayonet scabbard, 1 bayonet scabbard belt, 1 bayonet scabbard belt plate, 1 waist belt, 1 waist belt plate, 1 musket gun sling, 1 brush and pike set, 1 musket screwdriver, 1 musket wiper, 1 extra flint cap. Each company was also allotted 5 sabers for the officers, 10 musket ball screws, 10 musket spring vices, and 4 Harpers Ferry rifles.

The battalion marched from Council Bluffs on 20 July 1846, arriving on 1 August 1846 at Fort Leavenworth (Kansas), where they were outfitted for their trek to Santa Fe. Battalion members drew their arms and accoutrements, as well as a clothing allowance of forty-two dollars, at the fort. Since a military uniform was not mandatory, many of the soldiers sent their clothing allowances to their families in the encampments in Iowa.

The march from Fort Leavenworth was delayed by the sudden illness of Colonel Allen. Capt. Jefferson Hunt was instructed to begin the march to Santa Fe; he soon received word that Colonel Allen was dead. Allen's death caused confusion regarding who should lead the battalion to Santa Fe. Lt. A.J. Smith arrived from Fort Leavenworth claiming the lead, and he was chosen the commanding officer by the vote of battalion officers. The leadership transition proved difficult for many of the enlisted men, as they were not consulted about the decision.

Smith and his accompanying surgeon, a Dr. Sanderson, have been described in journals as the "heaviest burdens" of the battalion. Under Smith's dictatorial leadership and with Sanderson's antiquated prescriptions, the battalion marched to Santa Fe. On this trek the soldiers suffered from excessive heat, lack of sufficient food, improper medical treatment, and forced long-distance marches.

The first division of the Mormon Battalion approached Santa Fe on 9 October 1846. Their approach was heralded by Col. Alexander Doniphan, who ordered a one-hundred-gun salute in their honor. At Santa Fe, Smith was relieved of his command by Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke. Cooke, aware of the rugged trail between Santa Fe and California and also aware that one sick detachment had already been sent from the Arkansas River to Fort Pueblo in Colorado, ordered the remaining women and children to accompany the sick of the battalion to Pueblo for the winter. Three detachments consisting of 273 people eventually were sent to Pueblo for the winter of 1846-47.

The trip to California:

The remaining soldiers, including Henry Simon Dalton, with four wives of officers, left Santa Fe for California on 19 October 1846. They journeyed down the Rio Grande del Norte and eventually crossed the Continental Divide on 28 November 1846. While moving up the San Pedro River in present-day Arizona, their column was attacked by a herd of wild cattle. In the ensuing fight, a number of bulls were killed and two men were wounded. Following the "Battle of the Bulls," the battalion continued their march toward Tucson, where they anticipated a possible battle with the Mexican soldiers garrisoned there. At Tucson, the Mexican defenders temporarily abandoned their positions and no conflict ensued.

On 21 December 1846 the battalion encamped on the Gila River. They crossed the Colorado River into California on 9 and 10 January 1847. By 29 January 1847 they were camped at the Mission of San Diego, about five miles from General Kearny's quarters. That evening Colonel Cooke rode to Kearny's encampment and reported the battalion's condition. On 30 January 1847 Cooke issued orders enumerating the accomplishments of the Mormon Battalion. "History may be searched in vain for an equal march of infantry. Half of it has been through a wilderness where nothing but savages and wild beasts are found, or deserts where, for lack of water, there is no living creature.

The men of the Mormon Battalion are honored for their willingness to fight for the United States as loyal American citizens. Their march of some 2,000 miles from Council Bluffs to California is one of the longest military marches in history. Their participation in the early development of California by building Fort Moore in Los Angeles, building a courthouse in San Diego, and making bricks and building houses in southern California contributed to the growth of the West.

During the remainder of their enlistment, some members of the battalion were assigned to garrison duty at either San Diego, San Luis Rey, or Ciudad de los Angeles. Other soldiers were assigned to accompany General Kearny back to Fort Leavenworth. All soldiers, whether en route to the Salt Lake Valley via Pueblo or still in Los Angeles, were mustered out of the United States Army on July 16, 1847. Eighty-one men chose to reenlist and serve an additional eight months of military duty under Captain Daniel C. Davis in Company A of the Mormon Volunteers. The majority of the soldiers migrated to the Salt Lake Valley and were reunited with their pioneering families.

After the volunteers were released in San Diego on March 14, 1848, some men went northeast to Utah and the other half, as well as Henry Dalton traveled north to Yerba Buena (San Francisco) They build flourmills, sawmills, and other structures in northern California. Some were among the first to discover gold at Sutter's Mill.

Men from Captain Davis’ Company A were responsible for opening the first wagon road over the southern route from California to Utah in 1848.

“The five companies of the Mormon Battalion, Army of the West, were discharged officially at Fort Moore in Los Angeles on July 16, 1847, one year after their enlistment. There were 317 men who lined up for the brief ceremony. After discharge, it took several days for them to receive their pay and to complete arrangements for their journey [to join their families in Utah or wherever they might be at the time]...Each man received $31.50, but no transportation allowance for traveling back as promised. When the companies were paid, they purchased animals and supplies for the return journey. Several men noted [in their journals] that the price of horses increased when the Mormons began buying so many. Quantities of flour and salt were purchased.”

Jacob Truman was among the 223 men of the Levi Hancock company who traveled north from Los Angeles to take the northern route over the Sierra Mountains. They broke into smaller groups, but all ended up together again in the Sierras after a brief stop in Sacramento to replenish their supplies and provisions for the trip from John Sutter. When they were together at Truckee Lake, Captain James Brown, who had been sent to California by church authorities to collect the pay from the Army for the soldiers in the sick detachment that went to Pueblo, came into their camp with a letter from President Brigham Young.

“Brown delivered the letter from the church leaders, dictated by Brigham Young and addressed to ‘Capt. Jefferson Hunt and the officers and soldiers of the Mormon Battalion.’ It was dated August 7, 1847, Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Brigham Young and the pioneers had been in the valley only two weeks when he wrote the letter to the battalion. Already they were in destitute circumstances in the valley, and Brigham Young’s concern about an influx of people and the resulting strain and hardships it would make on the meager resources of the pioneers in the valley was understandable...

“The letter recommended that those men with adequate provisions proceed to Salt Lake Valley. Others were asked to remain in California to labor until spring, then bring their provisions and earnings with them...

“After hearing the letter from Mormon Church authorities, the group divided, with approximately half...continuing on and half returning to Sutter’s Fort to find employment.

“When approximately 100 ex-soldiers returned to Sutter’s Fort after the Sierra meeting with Brown, they joined their comrades who had remained behind. About 20 continued on to San Francisco to find employment. The rest were put to work immediately by Capt. John Sutter, who wrote in the Fort log after the Mormons had returned. ‘I employed about 80 of them.’

“Records kept by Sutter’s clerk reveal the Mormons worked as carpenters and laborers, dug ditches, made shoes, tanned hides, built granaries, and a grist mill in Coloma. Others split shingles and clapboards. There were farms to be cultivated and cattle and sheep to be tended.” There were blacksmiths and butchers.

While the men were working in Coloma building the sawmill, gold was discovered. “The journal entry of Henry Bigler, an ex-soldier of the Mormon Battalion, that preserved this historic moment for California was the following. ‘This day some kind of metal was found in the tail of race that looks like gold.” It is the only known source indicating the exact date gold was first found.

Two of the ex-soldiers, Sidney Willes and Wilford Hudson, were some of the first to locate and show others where the gold was being found. “The Willes-Hudson strike came to be known as Mormon Island and turned out to be the second major gold strike, one with very ‘rich diggings.

“It was not long until many of the ex-soldiers and men from the ship Brooklyn gathered on Mormon Island to search for gold. They marked off plots of five square yards for each man and worked five men together. The Mormons were situated ideally, being on site at the beginning of the gold rush, working with friends before the onslaught of Forty-niners. The atmosphere was one of openness and trust. They tossed their daily golden findings into containers on their plot and left their tools out at night. One group divided $17,000 at the end of one week. Mormon Island became a very busy place, with about two hundred ex-soldiers and Brooklyn men all panning for gold.

Epilogue:

The Mormon Battalion was involved in numerous significant events in western history between 1846 and 1849. They blazed the wagon route became the southern route to California; they demonstrated the demonstrated the importance of the San Pedro and Santa Cruz rivers as transportation corridors, which led to the Gadsden Purchase; they took part in the conquest of California to claim it as part of the United States. The battalion aided the 1847 move to Utah by the Mormons. Fifteen veterans escorted General Stephen Kearny to Fort Leavenworth when he took John C. Fremont to be court-martialed. They participated in the discovery of gold and opened the highway over Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada. Now called the Mormon-Carson Pass Emigrant Trail, this road became the main entrance to California for approximately 200,000 gold-seeking immigrants during 1849-56. Six ex-soldiers carried two thousand copies of the California Star east that told the world gold had been discovered. They drove the first wagons over the Old Spanish Trail and the Salt Cutoff of the California Trail.

As impressive as these accomplishments are, it is the day-to-day stories of these men and their epic march that remain indelibly stamped on our minds. Traveling together, they experiencing everything in common, bonded the men together in a way that lasted for the rest of their lives. They traveled in small groups or messes of six men to a tent; messmates seemed to have a particularly strong bonding. Frequently, after camping for the night, the weary, starving men carried canteens of water back to their comrades who had fallen along the trail, too weak and to continue. Helping their fallen comrades, the men arrived back in camp in the early morning hours, just in time to begin the next day's march. Recipients of this kind treatment recorded in their journals they may have perished had not their friends returned for them.

One of their greatest challenges was burying a comrade in a late, lonely spot. If the burial was to be early in the morning, the body was kept in the tent of the deceased's messmates during the night. Even though the grave was in a remote, lonely spot, and the bodies wrapped only in blankets or tree bark, the burials were conducted with dignity, respect, and caring. A friend was gone, bringing thoughts such as those of John Tippets: "At present it is our daily prayer that there w no more deaths in our midst for truly it is grievous to see our bread left by the side of the road."

It is with great respect that we as members of this early pioneer Dalton family honor these three Dalton men for their great sacrifice and hardships by volunteering for service in the famous “Mormon Battalion”

Chronology history of Henry Simon Dalton’s life starting when he was six years old:

When Henry was six years old, his father drowned in the Susquehanna River. Having crossed the river to trade for horses, he found it necessary to return for something and it was on this second trip that he lost his life. He left a wife and 6 children between the ages of 3-13. His uncle John’s history indicates that he “raised” his fatherless nephew, Henry Simon along with his own children who were about the same age.

1835 - October - Sometime after his fathers death, When Henry Simon was eight years old, he left his widowed mother and with his Dalton grandparents, three uncles, (John Jr. 37. Simon Cooker 29 and 25 year old Charles - unmarried) and their families left Bradford County, Pennsylvania for Michigan and worked as blacksmiths, farmers and coopers. His 73 year old grandfather, John Sr. died in 1836 in Freedom, Washtenaw County, Michigan. His widowed grandmother then lived with his uncle Simon Cooker Dalton. Later John Jr. and Charles moved to Wisconsin.

1838 - July 15 - His uncle John Jr. and family were baptized into the LDS church. As a teenager, Henry was enthused with the Mormon beliefs in direct opposition to his mother’s pleadings, he also joined the LDS church.

1839 - At age12, he was living with his uncle John Jr. and family when they moved to Geneva Township, Walworth, Wisconsin.

1843 - June 1 - Uncle John Jr. sold his farm in Wisconsin and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois and build an adobe house. Henry Simon also went with him and shared the joy sand persecutions of the other saints.

Henry Simon and his cousin, Charles Wakeman and his uncle Simon Cooker petitioned the Masonic Society for membership and were accepted.

1846 - Feb. 6 - The Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register of 1845-46 shows Henry Simon Dalton received his temple ordinances of Washing and Anointing and the Endowment.

1846 - Feb. 8 to 18 - He assisted his uncle John Jr. and family pack and get ready to leave Nauvoo for the long trek to Utah. They crossed the frozen Mississippi River and landed on the Iowa side in the Mormon community of Montrose. From there they proceeded to Sugar Creek encampment and then onto Garden Grove, Iowa. They finally went to Winter Quarters.

1846 - July 16 - Upon reaching Council Bluffs, Iowa, at the age of 19, Henry Simon joined the Mormon Battalion. His cousins, Edward and Harry also joined. Henry was assigned to Company B, while Edward and Harry was assigned to Company C. Shortly thereafter 500 soldiers left Council Bluffs and walked all the way to San Diego, California through the hot desert sands of the American Southwest.

1847 - Jan 19 - They arrived in San Diego. The Battalion finished its enlistment term performing routine garrison duty in San Diego until their one-year commitment was up.

1847 - July 16 - When the Battalion was discharged, Henry Simon, with others went northward up the Old California Trail east to San Francisco. The arrived in the early fall and they had to find work. Henry Simon worked in a butcher shop and took board and room at the home of the “Ship Brooklyn” church members, William and Eliza Kittleman. Here he met their 16 year old daughter, Elizabeth. A courtship soon followed and they fell in love.

1848 - March 12 - Henry Simon Dalton, 21 years and Elizabeth Jane Kittleman 16 years, were married by Elder Addidson Platt. Two months later, in May of 1848, gold was discovered. He and his young bride went to Mormon Island and washed gold out of Sutter’s Mill. It is not known if Henry Simon found much gold, but he came back to San Francisco in time for his first child to be born.

1848 - Dec. 16 - John George Dalton was born, being one of the first white children born in California.

1849 - Henry Simon, Elizabeth and their six-month old son left California for Utah, arriving in Salt Lake City on October 1, 1849. They settled in the First Ward where his uncles had bought lots and built cabins.

1850 - They moved to Centerville, Utah where he obtained 54 acres of land. He sold the upper part of their farm to his good friend. Zacheus Cheney. These two men were in the same Mormon Battalion, Company B. They enjoyed a close relationship and were good friends throughout their lives. They enjoyed reminiscing about things that happened in their Company B. Their wives were good friends, also, both women had sailed as teenagers with their families on the Ship Brooklyn.

1850-Sept. to Oct. -

“Pay roll of a detachment of Captain George D. Grant. Company A. Mounted Rangers. Nauvoo Legion ordered out in pursuit of Shoshone Indians during the month of Sept. and Oct. 1850. We the under-signed, acknowledge to have received of William Appleby, pay master, Nauvoo Legion: the sums set opposite of our names respectively in full payment for our services for the limes respectively specified."

Henry Dalton Private - No. Of days 11 - Paid S2.50 from Sept. 25^th to Oct 5th 1850

1851 - CHILD BORN: 5 May 1851 Sarah Elizabeth - married John Brimley. died 11 Mar 1912

1851 - May 31 - Henry S. Dalton is listed on a muster roll of Company A, Battalion Life Guards, commanded by Major George D. Grant in G.S.L City.

1853 - 26 Feb - Henry Simon and Elizabeth Jane Kittleman were sealed for time and all eternity by Brigham Young in a place listed as "Other".

(Before 1855. ordinances were performed in a variety of places including Brigham Young's office. From 1852-1855 they occurred in the council House, which was the first public building in the Salt Lake Valley. The Endowment House was dedicated in 1855).

1853 - 3 May - Eliza Jane - married William Herd Bowman, 10 children, she died 29 Oct . 1912.

1855 - 17 June - William Henry - he never married, died Oct 1936 1856 Henry Simon received his patriarchal blessing from Church Patriarch, John Smith.

1856 - spring - After living in Centerville for six years, in the spring of 1856. Henry Simon and his family, along with sixty to seventy other families, were called on a mission to Carson Valley, Nevada. They laid out streets and surveyed lots. The Dalton's Nevada home burned to the ground.

1857 - Sept. - After about 18 months in Nevada the Mormon settlers were called back to Salt Lake City in Sep 1857, to help defend the city against the U. S. Army. Nearly 1,000 pioneers in Carson Valley answered the call and either sold or abandoned their property in Nevada and returned to Salt Lake City. The Dalton family went back to their farm in Centerville.

Henry Simon Dalton drove a team for President Brigham Young and party traveling through the territory organizing settlements.

1858 - "The Utah War" - In the winter of 1857-58, Johnston's U.S. Army was heading to Utah to 'conquer' the Mormons. The Church did all in their power to avoid open conflict with the army. On March 18, 1858, the leaders decided to abandon defending their homes and retreat about 100 miles southward to Spanish Fork. They left behind enough men (and straw) to burn all buildings and destroy everything else if necessary. Henry Simon, Elizabeth and their four children were among those who moved to Spanish Fork for protection. About 30,000 people from the greater Salt Lake area abandoned their homes, took their families and drove their flocks and herds to Spanish Fork. Johnston's Army arrived and passed through Salt Lake City peacefully. On June 30, all were told they could return to their homes. The Daltons arrived back to their home in Centerville in Julv.

1859 - 2 Sept 1859 - Mary Marie (Rye) - she never married, died 21 March 1953.

Henry built a large two-storied home with thick adobe walls on the lower part of his farm with the help of his brother-in-law, Joseph Serai, who did the carpentry work. Their children, Mary Marie and William, never married and lived in this home all their lives.

1862 - Henry went with Lot Smith in quest of the Indians, who had interfered with the "Overland Stage Line" and U.S. mail. The expedition became a military organization and was commended by the government. Although only one life was lost, it was one of the most hazardous campaigns in local warfare. This was probably the last services performed by a body of Utah Militia beyond the limits of territory.

Henry was very hospitable to his many friends and neighbors and the young people loved him. The 'latch string' of the Dalton home was always on the outside. Neighbors told of him hailing travelers that were passing his home, welcoming them to stay at his place and to put their cows in his bam. Many camped outside and many were taken into the home. They were outstanding citizens and were noted for their strong individualism and integrity.

1886 - Nov 10 - Died, Henry Simon Dalton, age 59. He is buried in the Centerville Cemetery.

Some research suggests that his death was an accident That he was injured by a fall from the buggy on his way home from Salt Lake and was taken to a hospital first, then to the home of his daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Brimley, in Salt Lake where he died.

Another account of his death suggests he was murdered. He was the sheriff and was driving a span of mules when he was shot by an unknown person and the mules went on home and stopped back at the gate. When his wife went out to the gate, he was dead, hanging over the seat He is buried in the Centerville Cemetery. He left his wife, five children and eighteen grandchildren.

Here is the true story about his death:

Salt Lake Tribune - Dec. 10 1886

DEATH OF H. S. DALTON - (Henry Simon Dalton)

The Coroner's jury found he died of injuries inflicted by Evans.

H. S. Dalton, the old gentleman who had his arm broken at Rock's Spring's on Friday afternoon in a drunken quarrel with Evan's, died at the Deseret Hospital Sunday night. A coroner's inquiry was held at the city hall yesterday, the body having perilously been examined at the residence of his Son-in-law, John Brimley in the fifth Ward.

Immediately upon hearing of the death of Dalton, Evans went to Marshall Dray and gave himself up.

Six witness's were summoned before the jury, whose testimony proved that all the parties were fairly drunk and got into a quarrel while at a game of pool. Dalton made some insulting remarks to Evans while getting into his buggy to return home, to which Evans reported to reply, which infuriated Dalton, who started to climb out of the buggy when he was caught by the collar and pulled to the ground. A little scuffling endured between the two, when it was found that Dalton's arm was broken. He was taken to the Desert Hospital and therefore died according to the testimony of Dr. Richards, from a concussion of the brain caused by the fall. The resolve of the jury was as followed:

Territory of Utah, County of Salt Lake, Fifth Precinct;

An investigation held at the City Hall in the Fifth Precinct of Salt Lake City on the 11th day of October 1886 before George D. Peter, Justice of the peace for said precinct, and acting Coroner of said County upon the body of H. S. Dalton, by jurors whose duties are Hereunto subscripted. The said jury on their oaths do say and from the evidence presented, that the said H. S. Dalton died on the 8th day of October 1886 of a concussion of the brain brought on by injury endured by him at Rock's Hot Springs on the 8th day of October 1886 by falling out of his wagon while engaging in a drunken fight with Parley Evans. In witness whereof, the said jurors hereunto by their hands, this day and year above written.

George D. Peter, acting Coroner.

We will now tell the story of Elizabeth Jane Kittleman Dalton:

The following story is told by Elizabeth Jane Kittleman (Dalton) concerning their voyage on the ship Brooklyn and the trek from California to Utah. She was born May 26, 1831 at Downington, Chester county, Pennsylvania, the eldest daughter of William and Elizabeth Hindman Kittleman.

"In 1838, my father, William Kittleman, was working for a railroad company. One day as he was preparing to eat lunch two Mormon Elders came to talk to him. They had not eaten so he shared his lunch with them. They asked if they might call at his home and hold a cottage meeting. He assured them they would be welcome. People heard of the gathering and came from far and near to hear the Elders' message. They converted my Grandfather and Grandmother Kittleman (John and Sarah), three aunts and two uncles, George and Thomas, my father, mother, and their family. None of my mother's people were converted and were very much opposed to our joining. I was baptized in the summer of 1840 by Elijah Sheets. When I was a small girl, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, came to Grandfather Kittle man's home and held many meetings.

On January 4, 1846 my parents and their family, together with my grandparents and their family, left our home in Downington, Chester county, Pennsylvania for New York where we set sail February 4, 1846 on the good ship Brooklyn. We were on the ship six months and landed twice, once on Juan Fernandez and once on the Sandwich Islands. We landed in Yerba Buena Bay, Sunday, July 31, 1846, so we stayed on board until the following Tuesday. We, with many more of our friends, had no place to go. We took our bedding and went to stay in a large adobe house for the winter. It was the time of the Mexican-American war and the streets were guarded and every one had to be in by 9 p.m., if not they were marched to the guard house. In the spring the peace terms were settled and the people bought land and started out. Father bought a lot, built a shanty, and we moved from t he adobe house. He planted a garden and raised some of the first vegetables in that settlement.

On July 16, 1847 the Mormon Battalion boys were discharged at Los Angeles and scattered out, some coming to San Francisco. Among them was Henry Dalton (Company B.) who came to work in a butcher shop and boarded in our home. He stayed with us until the following March when we were married by Elder Addison Pratt. The next May gold was discovered and the people all rushed out in search of the precious metal. We went to Mormon Island where I washed gold.

We left San Francisco in June, 1849 to come to Utah. We arrived October 1, 1849 and settled in the First Ward in Salt Lake City. In 1850 we moved north to Centerville. In May, 1856 we were called on a mission to Cars on Valley. We were camped on a mountain near the upper road of Carson when some Indians rode into camp. I, at once, recognized the quilts, blankets and some silks they had as being the property of my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Muir. They also had a Spanish hat which Mr. Muir had purchased in San Francisco. The Muirs were on their way from California to Utah and had camped near the Humboldt river. With them was Mrs. Haws, mother of Mrs. Muir. They started on the lower road which was about four miles below the upper. Indians followed and killed these people, took their horses and other possessions, and then set fire to the camp. They wanted to trade these articles to us for food, so I exchanged food with them f or the silk dress Mrs. Muir had worn the last time I saw her.

In 1857 the Carson Valley settlers were called back to Utah and on the way we met Mr. and Mrs. Zacheus Cheney. Mrs. Cheney, Amanda Evans, came with us on the ship Brooklyn. When we arrived in Centerville my husband sold the upper portion of the farm to the Cheneys and then built a home f or us on the other part We left our home again in 1858 at the time of the "move south." We went to Spanish Fork but returned to Centerville in July of that year.

On December 13, 1917 Elizabeth Kittleman Dalton passed away, having lived 86 years on the land purchased by them shortly after their arrival in Utah in 1849. Mrs. Dalton was the mother of five children. She was an active Latter-day Saint and was a member of the first Relief Society organized in Centerville.

Sarah Kittleman was born in Downington, Chester County, Pennsylvania on September 20, 1845. She and her twin sister (Hannah) were the youngest of the six children who accompanied their parents, William and Elizabeth Hindman Kittleman on the Brooklyn.

They were four and one-half months old. Many incidents are told concerning the happenings, which involved the passengers on this historic voyage; but one was especially remembered by Elizabeth Kittleman. During the lay over in Honolulu several natives came aboard and when they saw the tiny twin girls they were delighted and immediately wanted permission to take them ashore and show them to their Queen. The request was granted, but after they had been gone more than two hours, the mother Elizabeth, became alarmed. The ship's crew organized a posse and were ready to start the search when two young native girls came running toward the ship with the infants. They brought numerous gifts from the Queen for their mother.

The vessel docked in Yerba Buena cove on a Sunday, so the Saints held a meeting that day and gave praise to God for a safe journey. The William Kittleman family lived in San Francisco for about three years. Elizabeth kept a boarding house on Bush and Montgomery streets where the Mills Building now stands. They came to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1849, and after a short stay journeyed on to Centerville. Sarah had a spinning wheel. She gathered wool and became adept at weaving it into cloth from which much of t he family's clothing was made.

The Voyage of the Brooklyn Saints:

In November of 1845, while the members of the Church in Nauvoo were preparing for their trek across the great plains, preparations were also being made for the evacuation, in a sense, of other members of the Church in t he east. Elder Orson Pratt, who presided over the eastern states sent a message to the members of the Church in the eastern and middle states to join in the exodus in the coming spring. "We do not want one saint to be left in the United States after that time. . . . If it were in our power, our hearts would leap for joy at the prospect of taking you all with us: and thus would the fullness of the gospel be fully brought out from among the Gentiles."

Samuel Brannan, an enterprising and ambitious man who also served as edit or and publisher of “The Prophet”, a church newspaper in New York, was assigned to oversee the movement of the saints in the east to California by s hip. He chartered the ship “Brooklyn” and, with the help of Orson Pratt, recruited some 238 passengers: 70 men, 68 women and 100 children for t he voyage at $75.00 per adult and half-fare for children.

The departure of the Brooklyn was delayed several times, due in part, to the possibility of some questionable activities between Samuel Brannan and a group of men in Washington D.C. known as A.G. Benson and Co. A contract was drawn up that presumed to ensured the safety of the saints in leaving the United States and in preventing any government interference with t heir departure, in return for “the odd number of all the lands and town lots they may acquire in the country where they may settle”. This contract was sent to Brigham Young while he was encamped at Sugar Creek, Iowa f or his approval and signature, but Brigham and several of the Twelve refused to sign the contract and nothing more was heard about it.

Finally the Brooklyn set sail from New York harbor, coincidentally on the same day that the first wagons left Nauvoo and crossed the Mississippi River, 4 February 1846. The ship itself was advertised as a nearly new, first class ship, a very fast sailer, with an experienced captain and crew, though there were some who did not agree with the accuracy of this description. Some alterations were required to accommodate the large number of passengers on the Brooklyn. “The captain of the ship ordered the space between decks changed into living quarters. A long table and back less benches and sleeping bunks were built and all were securely bolted to the deck. They [the saints] lived in cramped quarters with low ceilings. Only the children could stand upright.

The voyage of the Brooklyn and its precious cargo was long and arduous. The saints were just under six months (five months and twenty-seven day s) on the journey. They encountered two major storms, ten deaths (one of which occurred following the premature birth of a child caused by being thrown from a stairway during one of the storms), two births, the names of which children were “Atlantic” and “Pacific” , spending five days on Juan Fernandez Island (where Robinson Crusoe had lived), spending 10 more days at Honolulu, Hawaii and finally arriving at Yerba Buena - San Francisco bay - on 29 July, 1846.

Most of them suffered seasickness and the storms in the Atlantic blew them almost to Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa. They underwent severe storms all the way around Cape Horn where the ice became so bad that some had to be lowered to the sides to chip ice off the ship.

Elder Dunn suggested that their six-month journey may have been the most difficult trial in the westward trek, with the possible exception of the Martin and Willie handcart companies. He hoped that contemporary Saints would look to it as an important part of their heritage.

Samuel Brannan had hoped to be the first to raise the flag of the United States of America on what had been Mexican territory. As the ship pulled into the harbor, the saints saw, through the mist and the fog, the United States flag, which had been raised just three weeks earlier. This brought mixed reactions among the religious exiles; by one account, Brannan murmured, "There is that damned flag again"

In the spring of 1847, Brannan left California to search for the vanguard company of Brigham. After an 800-mile journey, he met the pioneers on the banks of the Green River in present day Wyoming, 2 July 1847. Brann an hoped to convince Brigham to bring the church to California’s fertile s oil and pleasing climate. Brigham refused, and though Brannan helped t he initial parties into Utah, by August 1847 he had returned to the west coast. About 140 members of the Brooklyn Company made their way to the Salt Lake valley between 1848 and 1850.

Unfortunately, most of those who remained in California, including Samuel Brannan, left the church. Some few united themselves with the “Mormon” colonies in San Bernardino and Arizona. Samuel Brannan died a pauper near San Diego in May 1889.

Deseret Evening News, Friday Dec. 14, 1917

Mrs. Elizabeth K. Dalton, Aged Pioneer Dies

Centerville - Dec. 14 - Mrs. Elizabeth Dalton, widow of H. S. Dalton, died Thursday at her home here, where she has lived since 1850. The funeral will take place in the Centerville Chapel Monday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m.

Henry Simon and Elizabeth Jane Dalton grave in the Centerville, Davis Co., cemetery

Roster of the Mormon Battalion: COMPANY B

Hunter, Jesse Devine, Captain

PRIVATES

Dalton, Henry Simon

Henry Simon Dalton's trip with the Mormon Battalion and then to Utah

Uniforms of the Mormon Battalion

Fort Moore, Los Angles, California

A statue of a Mormon Battalion soldier at the San Diego Memorial Center

Monument to the Mormon Battalion at the Pioneer State Park in Salt Lake City, Utah