Place:Dalton, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Dalton is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Dalton is the transition town between the urban and rural pieces of Berkshire County. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,756 at the 2010 census.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Dalton was first settled in 1755 and was officially incorporated in 1784. The town was named after Tristram Dalton, the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives at the time of the town's incorporation.

Dalton was settled as a rural/industrial community, with mills set up along the East Branch of the Housatonic River, and small but good patches of farmland in areas away from it. In 1801, Zenas Crane, Henry Wiswall and John Willard set up a paper mill along the river which, by 1844, had begun producing bank note paper, which was purchased by banks all the way to Boston. The company, Crane & Co., still is the largest employer in town, making paper products, stationery, and, since 1873, has been the only supplier of paper for the Federal Reserve Note, the United States' paper money. The town now has a mix of small town and suburban qualities, having been served by trolleys to Pittsfield for many years.

Research Tips