Person:Edward Alton (1)

2a. Who Are the Ancestors of Edward Alton (1837-1901)? Submitted by Matt Winters, e-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.

I'm a newspaper publisher in Washington State and have been trying for some time to find information about my great-great-grandfather Edward Alton.

In various places, Edward Alton described himself as being born in England, in either Battle, Sussex, or London, though one U.S. Army document describes him as having been born in New Haven, Conn. His birth date is consistently listed as December 1, but the year is given in different places as 1837 or 1841. In the U.S. census records in which I've found him, his birth year would likely be 1837.

In the 1900 census, he reported that he came to America in 1849. He joined the Army in 1861, and served throughout the Civil War in the 13th Connecticut Infantry. He enlisted in the Army again following the war and came west to Wyoming, serving as a Sergeant in several forts associated with the railroad. He lived out his life in Wyoming as a horse rancher and saloonkeeper, serving at various times as the first territorial Justice of the Peace, County Commissioner for the western one-fifth of the territory and Postmaster. I guess he has about a hundred living descendants.

I can't find any sign of him or likely parents in England, or in the U.S. censuses of 1850 or 1860. He is in a special 1869 census conducted in Wyoming, as well as appearing in the 1870, 1880 and 1900 censuses. He died in 1901.

Our first firm sighting of Edward Alton is when he joined the Army, the 13th Connecticut Infantry, as a Private on March 14, 1861. According to the Federal Civil War Web site, this regiment served in Louisiana. In January 1863, he was captured and spent eight months as a POW, escaping from the Belle Island Prison Camp west of Richmond, Virginia, in September 1863 by swimming away in the James River with three other prisoners, A. P. Watson, H. Waltons, and J. S. Johnston. He was mustered out at the war’s end, March 13th, 1865, in Hartford, but re-enlisted in September 1866, serving as a First Sergeant in the Army of the West, 36th Infantry, for three years. Arthur MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur’s father, was his commanding officer and wrote of him “Faithful, true and diligent. As a man, and as a soldier, equaled by few & excelled by none.”

As I mentioned, he was the first territorial Justice of the Peace for roughly the western one-fifth of Wyoming, from the Utah border to Yellowstone. He also served as Constable, County Commissioner and Postmaster at various times.

According to his discharge paper, he was born in New Haven, Conn., and was 28 years old in 1869, making his year of birth 1841. However, the family Bible says he was born in London, Dec. 1, 1837. The registry of the Pioneer Record of Fremont County, Wyoming, says his birthplace was Battle, Sussex County, England, Dec. 1, 1837. And he told the census enumerators that he was born in December 1837 in England.

In the 1869 and 1870 Wyoming censuses (the one in 1869 was done preparatory to Wyoming becoming a territory) he is living in Piedmont, Uinta County, Wyoming, with his English-born wife Emma (-----). (The 1869 census shows the girl who would become known as Calamity Jane was living with them as a baby-sitter/ housekeeper. One of his stepsons recalled in a newspaper interview many years later that Edward Alton was a close friend of Wild Bill Hickok.)

Emma either died or else they divorced, because in October 1873 Edward Alton married Saria Neeley Andrews in Salt Lake City, Utah. Saria was born in Salt Lake City in 1851, the daughter of Mormon pioneers. She had two boys, Charles and Lew Andrews, with her first husband. Edward and Saria had three children: a son, (1) Edward Alton Jr., born in Salt Lake City in August 1874, and twins (2) Burt and (3) Bertha Saria, born in 1885. Burt died soon after birth.

Edward Alton Sr. died in 1901 in Milford, Fremont County, Wyoming. Saria died in 1912. The genealogy of his descendants is as follows: · My great grandfather Edward Alton Jr. married Jesse Schreckendgust in March 1900. They had four children - (1) Hilda Saria, b. 1901; (2) Bertha Lavera, b. 1905; (3) Edward Riley, b. 1913; and (4) Parlie Neeley, b. 1917. Edward Alton Jr. died in October 1934; Jesse died in September 1932. · My great grand-aunt Bertha Saria Alton married Henry Lockard and they had three children - Alton, b. 1906; Riley, b. 1909; and Mildred, b. 1914. Bertha died in 1925 after a botched operation. I don’t know much else about this side of the family, though I know there are many Lockard cousins living in the Lander, Wyoming area.

The genealogy of my great grandfather Edward Alton Jr’s children is as follows:

· Hilda Saria Alton (1901-1993), was my grandmother. Hilda and her husband Lafe Bell had three children - Thomas Alton Bell, b. 1924; Lois E., b. 1926; and Lafe “Buddy” Bell Jr., b. 1928 - d. 1982. Thomas is still living and has six children - Allen, b. 1947; David, b. 1948; James, b. 1950; Victor, b. 1966; Rachel, b. 1968; and Chrissy, b. 1970 (the last three were adopted). Lois married Elmer C. Winters in 1956, is still living and has three children - Gregory, b. 1952; Matthew (me), b. 1958; and Andrew, b. 1961. Buddy Bell is deceased but his four boys are still living - Robert, b. 1951; William, b. 1952; Thomas, b. 1952; and Daniel, b. 1955. · Bertha Lavera Alton (1905-2000), married Glen B. Tweed and they had one son, Donald Franklin Tweed, who is deceased. Donald had a son, Phillip Alan Tweed, b. 1948, who I think is still living. · Edward Riley Alton (1913-2002), had two children - Mary Alton, b. 1935, still living; and Dalton Alton, born about 1960, still living. Mary has two children, Leslie and Brent Silsby. · Parlie Neeley Alton Sr. (1917-1986), married Barbara Redden and they had four children, Parlie Neeley Alton Jr., Linda (Alton) Talbot, Colleen (Alton) Brogna, and Lorraine Alton. I don’t have their birth dates.

Our family has a document titled "The Belle Island Prison Song," on which it is written "Alton you may yet remember this song or some of it.” Of the quartet on Belle Isle, Ed. Alton & A. P. Watson escaped Sept. 22, 1863. H. Waltons and J. S. Johnston died of starvation Oct. 6th and 10th, 1863. This was evidently sent to Ed Alton by A.P. Watson. I've transcribed it below.

The Belle Island Prison Song Sung to the air of “Robert Ridley”

Come list to me old soldiers true, While I’ll a story sing to you. It’s all about this Island Belle, Where cruel starvings made to tell.

Chorus: Ho! Belle Island, Ho! O Ho! Belle Island, Ho! O Ho! Belle Island, Ho-o-o! We long from you to go.

Belle Island is a splendid camp, You sleep so nice you get the cramp. Tents are open behind and before, The gray backs stand guard around the floor.

Comforts here are very great, You get some grub though oftimes late. Just take the Sergeant by the hair, And hold him until we get our share.

They feed us here but twice a day, So little a bird could carry it away, With stinkin’ meat and buggie soup, That gives all the measles and the croup. Jeff Davis, he does all things well, Though he and his army will go to H--, Where they say it’s all agreed, That from the devil they can’t secede.

You have nothing to do but roam the street, With ragged clothes and nothing to eat, Now comrades you must not despair, Columbia never seemed so fair.

You must not fret but happy be, Until Uncle Abe doth set us free, When down the river we will go, To see that fortress call Monroe.

I'll sure appreciate any help on my great-great-grandfather Edward Alton Sr. (1837-1901); of all my family lines, the Alton one is so far the shortest. Does anyone have any ideas? I appreciate the background information on the excellent AAAAFN Website. Please send any information about Edward Alton Sr. to Matt Winters, e-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.