This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Shelton, Dalton Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/wNHBAIB/2950 Message Board Post: The theory of this Researcher is that Dolly Shelton was the daughter of Coleman Shelton and that her husband, Coleman Dalton, may have been named by his father, James Dalton, for a neighbor being Coleman Shelton. {No fact as to relationship or lack thereof between this Dalton and this Shelton family was found, other than proximity.} .The case goes as follows. Note on Rootsweb Dalton board: "court case in Pittsylvania involving Joseph Dalton and sons seems to indicate that his sons were James, Elijah, George, Caleb and Coleman all born ca 1784-1800, Coleman being the one who married Dolly Shelton and went to Patrick County. Joseph was "son of John" on a tithe list." {posted by Ken Haas in 2004} The 1820 census shows only two James Daltons living in Pittsylvania County. The other one is listed in the census as James T. Dalton, though Ancestry. com indexes him, in error, as James J. Shelton. {The actual census image shows clearly that this man's middle initial is a "T".} James Dalton has 2 males under 10 years of age, 2 males 10-16 years, 1 male 16-26 years and one male of 45 years & Up who, of course, is James himself. Coleman Jefferson, having been born in 1800, would have been 20 years of age and could be the male 16-26 years of age in this census. Living two houses away from James Dalton in 1820, according to the census listing, is a Bennett Shelton. Bennett does not have resident in his household a female in the age group 16-26 years being the age grouping into which Dolly Shelton would have been recorded in 1820 census as she would have been 21 years of age. {Bennett is a member of the Chilton family who came to Pittsylvania in 1760s and by 1800 had changed the spelling of the surname to “Shelton”.} Other members of this Chilton/Shelton line are listed on the same census page, some twenty-six houses away from James Dalton. They are William Shelton of the Mountain Road and Thomas Shelton. Thomas has no female in his house in the right age group to be Dolly but William has three. William's widow, Ann, filed a Revolutionary War pension application which named his children and no daughter was named "Dolly". Living much closer to James Dalton, only seven houses away, are Coleman Shelton and Beverly Shelton, Sr. Coleman and Beverly are brothers, the sons of Beverly, b. abt. 1749 based on his marriage date of 1769 and d. abt. 1796 based on token sale of his land at that time to two of his children (no will is found for him), who was the son of Crispin, d. 1794, Pittsylvania County, son of Ralph Shelton, d. 1733 Middlesex County, VA. Beverly does not have in his household a female who was in the age group 16-26 years. Coleman has a female living in his household who is listed in the 16-26 age group, who could be Dolly. The following analysis was done with the assumption that Dolly Shelton, who did not marry until October, would be resident in the household of her father in the 1820 census enumeration, as the official enumeration date for the 1820 census was August 7, 1820, which meant that all data was to be collected by the enumerators as of that date without regard to the date the actual information might be recorded. The further assumption is that Coleman and Dolly probably lived rather close to each other as traveling was still not an easy undertaking in 1820. So this analysis assumes Dolly and Coleman were likely neighbors, and each resident in the household of their respective fathers as of August 7, 1820. Dolly Shelton who married Coleman Dalton 1 Ralph Shelton 1680 - 1733 . +Mary surname unknown .... 2 Crispin Shelton 1713 - 1794 ........ +Lettice surname unknown ........... 3 Beverly Shelton 1749 - 1796 ............... +Ann Coleman .................. 4 Coleman Shelton 1770 - ...................... +Elizabeth Shelton ......................... 5 Dolly Shelton 1798 - 1882 ............................. +Coleman Dalton 1800 – 1882 ............................... Names of Dolly and Coleman’s children ................................as given in the 1850 census. Whether or .................................not there were other children was not ................................shown. ................................. 6 Alexander Frederick Dalton ................................. 6 Andrew Jackson Dalton ................................. 6 James William Dalton ................................. 6 Coleman Jefferson Dalton ................................. 6 Willis M. Dalton ................................. 6 Nancy Dalton Generation No. 1 1. RALPH1 SHELTON was born Abt. 1680 in England, and died 1733. Death recorded Christ Church Parish Register, Middlesex County, VA. He married MARY whose surname is often given on the Internet as “Crispin”, for which there is no proof. Child of RALPH SHELTON and MARY UNKNOWN is: 2. i. CRISPIN2 SHELTON, b. April 01, 1713, birth recorded Christ Church Parish Register, Middlesex County, VA; d. 1794, Pittsylvania County, VA. Generation No. 2 2. CRISPIN2 SHELTON (RALPH1) was born April 01, 1713 with his birth recorded Christ Church Parish Register, Middlesex County, VA, and died 1794 in Pittsylvania County, VA. He married LETTICE whose surname is unknown.. Child of CRISPIN SHELTON and LETTICE UNKNOWN is: 3. i. BEVERLY3 SHELTON, b. Abt. 1749, Amelia County, VA; d. Abt. 1796, Pittsylvania County, VA. Generation No. 3 3. BEVERLY3 SHELTON (CRISPIN2, RALPH1) was born Abt. 1749 in Amelia County, VA, and died Abt. 1796 in Pittsylvania County, VA. He married ANN COLEMAN December 25, 1769. Children of BEVERLY SHELTON and ANN COLEMAN are: 4. i. COLEMAN4 SHELTON, b. Bet. 1770 - 1774, Pittsylvania County, VA., Generation No. 4 4. COLEMAN4 SHELTON (BEVERLY3, CRISPIN2, RALPH1) was born Bet. 1770 - 1774 in Pittsylvania County, VA. He married ELIZABETH SHELTON July 27, 1797 in Pittsylvania County, VA. She was daughter of Gabriel Shelton, son of Crispin Shelton. Child of COLEMAN SHELTON and ELIZABETH SHELTON are: i. DOLLY5 SHELTON, b. 1798, Virginia, possibly Pittsylania County; d. Aft. June 30, 1882, Patrick County, VA; m. COLEMAN DALTON, October 21, 1820, Pittsylvania County, VA; b. 1800, Virginia, possibly Pittsylania County; d. Bef. October 1882, Patrick County, VA. Notes for DOLLY SHELTON: The marriage record is recorded on page 70 of the Pittsylvania County Marriage Index, located in the Clerk's Office of Pittsylvania County. The spaces of bondsman, signer of the certificate for the bride and the kinship of signer of certificate to the bride are all blank. The minister was Shadrack Mustain. While this marriage record does not give the most important piece of data, the name of a parent of the bride, it does provide the information that the bride was of legal age; otherwise she could not have signed for herself to be married. The 1850 U. S. census shows her, age 52yrs., and her husband, Coleman Dalton, age 50 yrs., living in Patrick County with A. Jackson age 21 yrs, James, age 15 yrs., Coleman, Jr., age 12 yrs., Willis, age 11 yrs., and Nancy, age 8 yrs., in the household. The 1830 census has Coleman living in Henry County and 1840 census show Coleman Dalton in Patrick County. The names of some of Dolly and Coleman's children are confirmed by the 1850 census which shows him, age 50, in Patrick County. Living in his household are Dolly, his wife, age 52 years; sons A. Jackson, age 21 years, James age 15 years, Coleman age 12 years, Willis age 11 years and Nancy age 8 years. Coleman's occupation was given as "Farmer" and he owned real estate valued at $1,000. Living next door is Frederick Dalton, age 27 years with wife Martha age 22 years, with daughter Sarah, age nine months. So Frederick married about 1848. Therefore, this report cannot vouch for the names of any other children whom Coleman and Dolly may or may not have had. Coleman and Dolly were still living in 1880 as both of them were listed in the Patrick County, VA, census for that year.