P a g e 2 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r The Early Years In Maine: War of 1812 William Dalton was born in 1797 in the town of Canaan, Maine. The United States was only 21 years old. Because Maine had not achieved statehood until 1820, Canaan would have been part of Massachusetts at the time of William's birth. Upon his 18th birthday, in April of 1814, William Dalton enlisted in the 21st Infantry during the War of 1812. He served for 13 months until May of 1815. William was part of what was known as "The Niagara Campaign" under General Scott, which likely placed him at the Battle of Lundy's Lane, Battle of Chippawa and the Battle of Fort Erie. After the War of 1812: Forging A New Life Following William Dalton’s military discharge, he married Mirium Fairchild (Clark) in the town of Harlem, which is present day China, Maine. They had several children. William then tried his hand at lumbering around 1820, however was unsuccessful and fell into substantial debt. He then moved slightly west into the area near Castle Hill, Maine, along the Aroostook River in 1824, while his family stayed in China, Maine. During this time there were only a handful of settlers in the area, and the land was disputed between Britain and the United States, with the Northeast Boundary not yet agreed upon. The British felt these settlers were in their territory and "stealing" their lumber and other natural resources. A deposition is on record in Bangor, Maine, dated 1827, outlining this period of William Dalton's life. William Dalton then returned to China, Maine and once again joined his wife Mirium and their children. He then purchased 160 acres of land for $120 dollars in today's Ludlow area. On an 1830 census, in addition to William and his wife, there were 3 boys and 2 girls living in the same household on their Ludlow farm. First Settlers In Untamed Northern Maine In 1835, William Dalton and his family then moved north into unsettled lands, but held on to the Ludlow farm. It is believed that his oldest son ran the Ludlow Farm during his absence. William was the first European settler in this wild unsettled land in Northern Maine, which is today's Ashland area. William and his family lived in this untamed land for an entire year as the only European white residents. He both farmed on this new Ashland farm and was also a wood runner, and apparently became quite successful. Other pioneers then moved into the area, including Thomas Neal, who married William Dalton's oldest daughter Olive. (They would later follow William to Wisconsin in the 1840s and instead of joining them on the First Fisk Expedition to Montana, they moved to Kansas where they both died two years later.)
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